Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

658 Channing met Eve’s gaze, held it. He smiled gravely. ‘*T was just thankin’ Vallon for usin’ his memory—an’ his rifle,” he said. He ex- plained what had happened, and his eyes gleamed and narrowed when Eve caught her breath in amazement. He saw the blood rush to her cheeks, observed that she shud- dered as she looked at him. “Oh!” she exclaimed. Then she smiled and held out a hand to Vallon. “Ill take back what I said, Vallon. I might have known you wouldn’t—you wouldn’t—” “Sho! JI know that, ma’am. Sometimes things look pretty bad until they’re ex- plained. A guy named Green sent him here to get Channing. He said Green was to pay him two hundred dollars.” Vallon did not see Channing’s warning wink until too late. Then he reddened and stammered: ‘JT don’t reckon—you see, ma’am, there wasn’t just that much said—I didn’t right- ly understand, mebbe. You see, he done his talkin’ to—” Eve’s gaze was upon Channing. He could not lie with her looking at him like that. “ Green sent him,” he said. ‘“ I wasn’t intendin’ to tell you, not wantin’ to worry you. It ain’t nothin’.” ‘‘ Nothing that a man hires another man to come here and try to kill you!” gasped Eve. ‘Oh, Channing!” “ Nothin’ to worry about,” added Chan- ning. “ Green ain’t likely to succeed in his designs.” “But you have just admitted that if it hadn’t been for Vallon this man might have killed you!” “ Well, he might have; but he didn’t.” Indignation burned in Eve’s eyes. She walked close to Channing, stood erect be- fore him, trembling. The paleness had gone from her cheeks; they were faintly tinted with a deep pink that was preceding the crimson tide that was surging up the white column of her neck. ‘‘ Channing, there are times when I feel like shaking the daylights out of you. Some day that foolish unconcern of yours will make you oareless and you will be k-killed!” : ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Channing smiled. But Betty, who had retreated a little and who now stood watch- ing, observed his eyes fleck momentarily with a strange, amazed joy. The expres- sion fled instantly, however, and his gaze became saturnine. _ ‘“T reckon on bein’ able to take care of myself,” he answered quietly. Eve turned away. Later, in the kitchen, she stood looking out of one of the rear windows at Channing and Vallon, who were still standing near the corral fence. Eve’s arms were resting upon the sash of the win- dow, and Betty observed that her hands were tightly clenched and that she was again very white. “ Oh!” she said, her voice low, as though she had unconsciously spoken aloud. “I wish he wasn’t so sure of himself!” “Channing, you mean, of course,” said Betty. “ He is, isn’t he? I—I think that was the atmosphere about him *that im- pressed me, the first time I saw him. I think I have never seen a man with eyes quite like his. The first time he looked at me I was frightened. He seemed to look right through me. He is a dangerous man, isn’t he?” Eve turned and faced Betty. ‘Channing is dangerous to any one who tries to wrong him,” she said. “ But to those who are straight, and love him, he is as tender and as gentle as a woman.” “Has Green wronged him, Miss Win- throp?”’ “Not directly. But Green hasn’t been straight. What has happened to-day must be a puzzle to you.”” And then, feeling an impulse to confide in Betty, Eve told the girl the entire story, from the beginning: how she and her mother had come to Red Mesa in Green’s employ; how Channing had thrown Green upon the train which had brought her mother, Green and herself to Red Mesa, and how Channing had brought her and her mother to the Circle B. ‘* David Bassett and mother married,” continued Eve. ‘“ Bassett seemed to be jealous of Channing, and without reason, for Channing did not love mother in the way Bassett suspected. Bassett was afraid of Channing and wouldn’t discharge him, because Channing had warned Bassett that oO GoOmicdooks (S@)