Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

Ye 608 ‘ What is it?” he snapped. As if in answer to his question, the doors cpened, the curtains were flung apart, lights flooded the rooms that were revealed, and a crowd of people thronged into the hall- way; pressed toward him with happy, shin- ing faces. It appeared that all the people of the village were in that crowd, and there were more, too. Henry Sumpty was there with Mrs. Sumpty and the brood. The homely, serious face of Mrs. Lionel Humphrey shone from the little doorway at the rear with Mrs. Bland and Millie Martin close beside her. There were the Burton boys, whom Corvan had assisted in the small matter ‘of stocking a lumber yard. Old Grimshaw leaned upon the arm of Bud Martin, and leered benevolently upon a self conscious Maddox who was shep- herded by the vivacious Sally. The Misses Spately were among those present, and the Fiskes, 3 All the village of East Harbor thronged into the hall from the interior of Corvan’s rented manor, with honest faces alight by virtue of the simple pleasure they derived from this “ surprise party.” And not least among them all was Queritt. They pressed about Corvan, chattering and laughing, explaining and congratulat- ing, embarrassed and happy. “Since you only hired the house for the summer,” rose Sumpty’s voice, childlike, above the rest, ‘“‘ we arranged this here party as a sort of testimonial.” Among all the surrounding radiant faces, Corvan, at the sound of those betraying words, saw only two which stood forth as though focused by a camera whose lens obscured all else. There were the faces ef Wade and Queritt. Wade, who stood at his side, hid with impassive face the biack thunder of his thoughts; and Queritt, directly in front of him, explored him with lively, inquisitive eyes. “T told them you would be back,” smiled Queritt. ‘‘ That’s why I asked you.” ‘“__And the tables are all laid. There’s to be a supper.” A babble of voices made piain to him the arrangements for the eve- ning. : “Good!” cried Corvan. He suddenly eS ee er tg eee tg ag ee 4 \ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. felt strangely elated, reckless, with an in- surgence of high spirit. ‘“ I’ll run upstairs and get ready.” Then, as if there were no one else in the room, he spoke directly, firmly, to Queritt. “But first I want to give you this,” he said. He took from his pocket the certified check. He held it in his hand for a mo- ment, and in that moment all the self pro- tective guile of a lifetime cried out to him to hold his hand. This was to hand his own death warrant to the executioner, he reflected. He caught Wade’s eye, and read there what no one else could see in that barrier of granite which was the man’s hard face— greed, baffled greed, and an anger, a menace, which was murder. Corvan met that malig- nant gaze and answered it with his own; then, his answer given, he turned deliber- ately to Queritt and placed the check in his hands. “Thanks,” said Queritt, quietly; and he tore the paper into pieces. Corvan per- ceived then how much the little man knew. He knew that Queritt understood. But Wade saw only that whereas ninety thousand dollars had been within his reach, it now was gone. Corvan had cheated him out of ninety thousand dollars. “Come on, Mr. Corvan!” cried the voice of a child. “It’s all_ready!” Corvan laughed. “Tl be right down!” he cried; and, shaking loose the hands of several children who had gathered close to him, he bounded up the stairs. Wade came into the room where he wrought hurriedly at the wash basin. ‘““Corvan!” he uttered. “Damn you!” Corvan looked up at the sound of the man’s thick, dark voice. Wade had no need of his mask now. He had thrown it off as the fighter flings off the robe on enter- ing the ring. The countenance which Corvan now en- countered was suffused with hatred and un- quenchable malice. Wade’s eyes gleamed with rage. His face was distorted with it. “Vou’ve done it now!” The words, thick and stifled, were a sentence, a ver- dict, a blow. “ You’ve done it!” 8 A O com <S (S@) Ehoo