Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 156: what you’re looking at

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

782 not fight then, would you? Why? Be- cause you knew John Denver was backing you! Is that it?” “No! So help me, God!” Phil stood over him. The other :eaned back, wilting, still supporting himself against the wall. He offered no resistance when Wyndham took his gun from him. © “This is what I ought to do to you— damnable liar that you are: Plug you right now and bury you under the débris in that room.” Hayden laughed. The other stepped back, raised his gun. Hallie screamed, throwing herself into Phil’s arms. It was a magical effect that came over him when in the climax of his power, his strength, his victory, he felt this desperate, clinging, round-limbed girl in his arms. Her very softness seemed to press against his heart, soothing and mollifying what there was of brutality, cruelty, murderous passion. Instead of being racked with tor- ture he found himself calm, still powerful, completely victorious. “Can’t you see there’s no use?” she asked, imploringly. ‘‘ He’s beaten, that’s clear, He’s not thinking of himself. I can see it all now. Perhaps he bargained with John Denver to kill you—we’ll never know.” “A lie. interjected. The girl went on without heeding him: “ But if it’s true that he made that bargain then he’s a murderer—” “A damnable lie! Before God, I tell you I’m innocent!” Phil answered calmly as if Hayden were not in the room: “ Yes, you’re right, he’s beaten at his own game. But—” The girl clung to him, interrupting the threatened move. “Then what more have you to do with him?” she pleaded. “Why soil your hands?” Both believed what was the actual but unverified truth. Fred Hayden had out- lawed himself. There was no more doubt about that even though there was no proof. Phil passed judgment upon him—a judg- a. ment Bs pens scorn and sig So help me, God!” Hayden - ~ = 2 — ™ +P te a —— a SS ee ee ES eS Se Ne ee oe eee ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Tf we never see you again—” A second time Hayden laughed. There was no prayer of thanks; merely a slight laugh in which, however, it was easy for both Hallie and Phil to detect a half-heart- ed satisfaction. He started to the door—still in the pecu- liar manner of a drunken man thinking in- tently on something far removed. It was necessary to bow down in order to pass that broken door frame. He fell to his knees and crawled through the mass of débris which blocked his path to the front door of the Golden Cloud. Despite his clothes which, during the events of that night had received no ruffling, he presented the appearance, as he crawled, of a man who had been torn to shreds in some terrific storm. CHAPTER XXXI. BACK TO OLD AGE. ALLIE looked about at the complete demolition of her little room, the tilted make-up table, at the inclined wall with its tattered pictures, carved ini- tials, bullet holes; at the speckled mirror broken across the face with cracks that ‘resembled the pattern of a spider’s web. And finally at the records scattered about the floor. It was hard to believe that those black disks were innate with songs from all the world. ‘They lay there as lifeless and still as the barkeep had lain on the dance floor during the trial. And yet they possessed life—articulate and harmonious life; a harmony that was immortal; a harmony with which this girl had charmed the dull-witted citizens of Sun-up, as her father had charmed the miners of a generation before. It was with these black, inanimate disks that Fred.Hay- den had attempted to charm the girl—and failed. That room was like a phonograph record, imbued with the passions of fifty years. But now with the destruction of its walls the memories could be preserved no longer. They were gone—gone and forgotten were the sacra cnreies a — bullet | <S:: ico = See : a arate Se Sse Sees eS SS ee a . ‘- = + : f af ts ae > r m Ji! ~~ ae = @e \ Oh Mi fal TV ZUMA DG