Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

POKER the big man. “ Couldn’t undertake a job like this without a secretary of some sort— and you'll do for me, good and plenty!” And he laid a kindly hand on Betty’s slen- der shoulder. ‘ Now, I tell you what: we'll get the number of the train, and you can leave word so a wire can follow us— and if it just should happen that you had to come back, I'll come back with you, the whole way. I mean, you needn’t be scared of having to travel alone, or anything like that!” “Oh, I’m not so easily frightened!” Bet- ty said demurely. “No, Vil bet you’re not! You’re the greatest little—” Mr. Dixon caught him- self even as James spoke. “Well, I think,” said James, and his words dripped poisoned honey, “ that it might be best first of all for Miss Banford to telephone and make sure that her aunt is not worse. Don’t you think so, Miss Banford?”’ ‘“‘ T—]’d like to do that.” Henry Curlew was all alive again. “ Want to call up from in here, child?” he asked. ‘‘ No—no, of course you don’t want to talk over family affairs with a crowd of men standing around. Here, Miss Banford!”” Rising, he too laid a hand on her shoul- der and pointed her toward the door. “ Lit- tle room just by the door, up there, as you come into the house—find a telephone stuck in behind that vase on the table! That’s it!” He smiled kindly, as one must have smiled at. Betty. He chuckled as she tripped daintily down the corridor. He looked at Dixon for a moment. “Pretty kid, isn’t she?” he said. “Vou’ve got good taste in picking secre- taries.” “ You found her,” said Mr. Dixon with a faint grin. “ Pretty! Tl say she’s pret- ty! She’s the cutest kid I ever laid eyes on, and—um!” He subsided suddenly, into the doubtless pleasant pool of his own thoughts. James Whitmore held his peace. It was a mighty undertaking—yet he held his peace! For one thing, he had sworn fealty to Curlew this evening, and an outbreak FACES, 69 now, disclosing just the hundredth part of what he felt, would have blasted every plan of Henry Curlew’s! For another, much of the responsibility rested upon Betty her- self, She had been torturing him, and perhaps he deserved it—and it was over with now, thank the Lord! Betty, as James under- stood fully, would go just about so far and no farther; which, specifically, meant that after two or three minutes Betty would re- appear, outwardly concerned to whatever degree she might feel necessary, and report that her mythical aunt was failing very rap- idly and that she must leave immediately. Understanding this, then, James pondered on with grim amusement. The confounded little rascal, ever to take things into her own hands like this and go through with it as she had! Wonderful little actress, though. He was bound to give her credit for that. And further—and this was the one really big satisfaction—she had been unable to break down his prized poker face, Aye, though she had worked and worked, she had failed to fight her way past that protective barrier of her husband’s. Nevertheless, he was tremendously grate- ful that the end of the comedy had been reached. There are some things before which even a countenance of stone might give, and another hour of this insane per- formance might well have found him screaming unbridled fury and dumfound- ing truths in Mr. Henry Curlew’s splendid home! A small, shuddering sigh of relief came from James’s lips as Betty’s light step abruptly approached the door. Dixon started forward eagerly with: “Well? How is she, kid?” “Oh, she’s very much better, thank you!” Betty dimpled. “ Er—what?” cried Betty’s husband. “T said that my aunt’s very much bet- ter, Mr. Whitmore,” the perfect secretary explained. ‘“‘ I’m so glad!” “ Tt’s all right, then?” Mr. Dixon’s huge voice cried gladly. ‘Why, I—I think so. I’ve just been talking to my other aunt. The—er—doc- tor said he might not even have to call to- morrow.” “Well, that’s fine!” the visitor an- oO CoMmiclooOokSse@©