Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 18: what you’re looking at

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

652 from there saw Eve and the strange girl enter Warren’s room. An hour later, sitting on the edge of the veranda he heard a step on the floor behind him and turned to see Eve coming toward him. ‘ Eve’s excitement had deswaicee She was pale, but her eyes were calm and her lips were curved in a faint smile. ““ Channing,” she whispered as she came close to him, “ she is wonderful! She has been a nurse in a Denver hospital, and cases similar to Wayne’s have come under . ber observation. Why, she seems to know - more than that doctor who examined Wayne at Red Mesa! She says Wayne isn’t in much danger, that the fracture seems to be slight. _He may be unconscious for some time yet, but I won’t lose him. Channing, I wish you could have seen how she took hold! She is wonderful!” ‘¢ You’ve said that twice,” said Channing. “We'll say she’s wonderful. But so far as I know she ain’t told what she come here for.” : “Tf she saves Wayne for me I don’t care what she came here for, Channing,” said Eve. “H’m. She’s got a name, I reckon?” “Yes, it is Elizabeth. I had to ask her, for F couldn’t keep on calling her just ‘Miss.’ She didn’t fancy it either, for she told me to call her ‘ Betty.’ ” “H-m,” said Channing. “Channing,” Eve gently - reproved, ‘“‘ don’t be so suspicious of everybody! lL am sure she is a lady, and that when the time comes she will satisfy your curiosity about her.” “T reckon I ain’t so terrible curious.” Eve smiled down at him. “She is beautiful, Channing.” “J hadn’t noticed.” Eve laughed, lowly. Channing stared into the darkness. He heard Eve recross the veranda, heard her step in the living room, heard the door of Warren’s room close ‘behind her. Channing sat, considering Eve’s laugh. There had been knowledge in it, gentle mockery. He got up, moved across the veranda, and stood for an instant in the living room dcorway. Then he silently ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, crossed the floor of the living room and stood in front of the mantel, carelessly, lest Eve suddenly enter the reom and discover him. Then, quickly, he turned and lifted the vase under which he had pe the note to her. The note had disappeared. Channing replaced the vase, and with his brows screwed together, went out again to the veranda and sat long on its edge. CHAPTER V. THE DRIFTER. ITHOUT Eve’s knowledge, Chan- Wy ning had removed his effects from the ranch house. Without know- ing how he got it, Channing had a convic- tion that the strange girl, who had called herself Betty, intended to prolong her stay at the Circle B indefinitely. It was not Channing’s business to interfere with what- ever arrangement Eve made with her guest, but because she continued to stay, Chan- ning thought it best to remove himself from the zone of friction. He did not lke Betty. Within two days two other visitors had appeared at the ranch. A tall, distin- guished looking man, obvieusly an East- erner, had appeared at dusk of the second day following that upon which Warren had been brought from Red Mesa. The tall stranger was brought over from Red Mesa in a buckboard, driven by a Red Mesa man. The tall stranger stayed overnight in the ranch house. The Red Mesa man occupied the bunk house with Vallon and Channing, and he volunteered the information that the tall stranger was a specialist from Chicago. He had been sent to the Circle B by an urgent wire received from the elder War- ren, who had been apprised of the injury to his son by a telegram from Eve. The specialist was driven back to Red Mesa early in the afternoon. His coming explained to Channing Eve’s strange lack of agitation over their failure to get one of the doctors who had been rushed to Red Mesa. Eve had betrayed agitation only once, and that had been shortly after the arrival of Betty. The assurances of the COPMIC OO KS 5) eS