Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

POKER *W-what?” “T’ve just rung for Gorely. Keep your - confounded mouth shut until he’s gone and —ah, Gorely! Has the other car been re- paired yet?” ‘“T think not, sir,” said the butler. ‘Telephone for a taxi, and do it quick! Thing has to be here in less than ten min- utes—five, if possible! Move!” The aged butler tottered off at quite a crazy pace, The master of the house looked up at James. “There is something on uae you call your mind?” he asked. “There is, and—” “Be quick about telling me—and then 7 want to talk to you!” “Very well, sir,” young Mr. Whitmore all-but thundered. “ Then—the—how d’ye think that looks?” ‘What does that mean?” “For a reputable firm to permit a young woman employee to—to go off traveling with a stranger?”’ The merest trifle of the fury within him found its way to James’s voice. Henry Curlew glanced up again, not so savagely. ‘“She’s not an employee of the firm in the first place,” he said. “She is my per- sonal—”’ “To all intents she’s an employee of the firm!” James broke in. ‘‘ Perhaps my job doesn’t include giving you a lecture on business morals, Mr. Curlew. If it doesn’t and you feel just like firing me, consider me fired on the spot. But I mean to say this: the whole thing looks bad and if any one with—with a grudge against the house happened to discover it and enlarge upon it, it would reflect unpleasantly on the house.” “In business, James,” said Henry Cur- lew, “one has to take a chance occasion- ally.” ‘“ Not a—a ‘damned indecent, chance!”’ “ What?” “Tt’s just that. You’ve deliberately en- dangered the morals of an innocent young girl! I may be taking too much upon my- self, but while I’m connected with the firm I'll do all I can to save it from a blot of that kind—chance or no chance! [ll get after them and catch them and—” immoral FACES. | = “James!” barked Henry Curlew. “What?” said James, quite breathlessly. * How the devil do you know she’s an in- nocent young girl?” ‘““J—I assume that, of course. like it.” “ Ah, yes, but you never can tell, James,” Henry Curlew said, and wagged his gray head sagely. ‘‘ How old’s that girl?” “Twenty-four!” James barked, and add- ed hastily. “ Or about that!” “Um—yes, about that, I should say. Well, at twenty-four, Whitmore, a girl is either moral or she isn’t. One or the other, of course, but it’s pretty safe to say that the general trend of her life is settled by that time. Now, this girl may be absolute- ly all right. Perhaps she is—”’ ““ Well, she is!” vociferated James. ‘Probably, Whitmore. But she has a wicked little twinkle in her eye.” Mr. Cur- lew chuckled, and never even suspected that Death and Mutilation were dancing hand in hand above him in that instant. Yet, having controlled his chuckling, Henry Curlew hitched up in his chair and bent upon James a gaze that held no chuck- les at all. “The worst of it is out of your system now, I take it, Whitmore?” cc Fy? s “Well, it has to be,” the head-0f the firm rapped out. ‘And now you'll listen tome. You're young and apparently highly moral; doubtless, I ought to be proud to know that we have so moral a young man with us and it’s quite probable that I shall feel that—when I’m convinced that-all your excitement’s on the firm’s account. But the fact remains that you are young and that you fell for that pretty kid with a Joud crash when she entered this room. You can’t deny that.” “‘T not only can, but I do!” said James, coldly and with entire truth, “I did noth- ing of the sort!” ‘“¢ Well, if I’m wrong about that, it’s high time I made another trip to the oculist,” Henry grunted. ‘‘ However, let that go; we haven’t unlimited time in which to analyze your mind. I don’t know whether that kid can scratch a line of stenography or not, Whitmore; she was hired for her looks!” She looks oO GOMIGDOOKS (C@