Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

= AB “Precisely. So was I,” the president said, with a dry smile. ‘‘ How about you, Mr. Craven? What were you doing on that day?” “Berford, it isn’t my January ninth that’s under consideration just now. “ It’s yours.” “Quite so. Well, then, the very best and the very last word I can give you on the subject,”’ said the boss—and, oh, Lord! how wrong he was about that! “is that in all probability I put in between eight and ten hours in this office, going at top speed; and that, thereafter, I took home a load of work and sat over it in my library until about two the next morning. [ve been do- ing that four days out of six for some time. Is that satisfactory or is it not?” Nobody said a word for a little. girl was gazing straight at him. “Tell them where you were, Tom,” she said unexpectedly. “ Aha!” said Mr. Craven, and_ bright- ened instantly. “We're getting at it. Slowly, but we’re getting at it.” Mr. Berford didn’t brighten, though. He turned suddenly on the young woman. ‘“T have told them and I now tell you— although Heaven alone knows why I should be compelled to do that!—that I don’t know where I was! That is to say, I as- sume that I went through my regular daily routine; but I couldn’t go into court and swear that I was here or there or at any given place, without checking up in what- ever way. If you happen to know, tell these gentlemen!” He waited. They all waited. The pretty girl only closed her lips again and shook her head, looking straight at Mr. Berford. ‘““No, Tom!’’ she said quietly. ‘‘ That’s something you should do!” _ * Well, by the—” the president began, in a sort of maddened roar; and then he caught himself and threw up his hands and turned back to the table. “TI give it up, gentlemen!” he snapped. “I think the young woman is demented. If you like, try to find who who she is and where she comes from, and I’ll cheerfully bet an even thousand dollars to any man’s ten that nurses or distracted relatives are hunting for her at this minute.” The ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. And he went on with his packing and all five old gentlemen stared at the girl; and the girl herself, after a horrified little cry, pressed her handkerchief to her lips and rose. “ I—I didn’t come here to be told that I was crazy, Tom!” she said shakily. “I —thought that you were—were at least man enough to—to—lI’m going!” she con- cluded, and covered her lovely eyes. Well, not just yet!”’ Isaac Craven cried, hurriedly. “ Here! Wait a minute, young woman.” ‘““No! I didn’t come here to be insulted and shouted at!” “Well, my dear young lady, for -what- ever reason you may have come, you did come!”’ Mr. Craven persisted, and by this time he was at her side. ‘ And you have made charges against our highest official which, however vague they may be at present, I have no doubt are—that is to say, you have made vague charges. You can’t run away from them!” “T haven’t the slightest intention of run- ning from them! J’m not the one to do the running!” the girl flashed at him. ‘‘And Berford is, eh? You have the most remarkable way of implying things without saying them!’ Mr. Craven mut- tered, almost admiringly. ‘ Well, be that as it may, Miss—er—what was the name?” “* Ask Tom!” “Be that as it may, then,” pursued Isaac, “ you have created a situation which must be probed to the last detail.” And he turned and considered Mr. Berford, who was humming to himself as he locked the brief case. “ Berford, for the last time, will you explain?” ‘“* Mr. Craven,” the president said uncon- cernedly and his grin was whimsical, “ for the last time, I cannot explain.” Craven nodded complete understanding. ‘Would you, perhaps, after twenty-four hours of ostensibly pious meditation, find yourself able to explain, Berford?” he asked. ‘““'My dear sir,”’ said the president, “ if you refer to the young woman herself, I might meditate from now until the week after Judgment Day without being able to offer one solitary item of informal n—be- CONMICE MOO Sa GO