Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

WHERE wore the same rapt expression that had come over his face when the butler an- nounced that Miss Alicia was waiting for him; he hummed little tunes; he was just floating around on a pretty pink cloud! ““Oh!—I’d nearly forgotten,” he said, when he had been down for half an hour or more. ‘‘ No word from the lady of yes- terday, I take it?” “No, sir.” ‘““Won’t be,” grunted the president, and reached over for the three letters at his left. “Letter to James R. Gribton, Henry; ready?” There is something very convincing about Mr. Berford, in whatever he says or does. By two o’clock, for no particular reason ex- cept that she hadn’t telephoned or material- ized, I began to feel quite sure myself that the fool girl would never show her face again. Up to that time I had been more than dubious about it, but those little hummed tunes and that new grin of his did their work on me, too. - When four o’clock came and the directors sent in word that they were assembled and ready to pass sentence, I marched in with Mr. Ber- ford with much the same jaunty step! There was nothing jaunty about the di- rectorate. No sign of a smile appeared on one of those five faces, although Mr. Ben- nett did make a sickly effort at one. They just nodded and grunted their several greet- ings as the president took, his place and then all hands sighed. To have made the picture perfect, there should have been a body on the table! “ Shall we—er—open the meeting for- mally?” Mr. Berford said, with a smile. Craven looked at his watch. ‘Hey? No, Berford. Not necessary yet. It’s only eight minutes past four. Girl’s late. Women always are, of course. No, we'll do nothing until she gets here!” The president shrugged and grinned. “I'm afraid that we’re destined to de very little at this meeting, then.” ‘What does that mean?” Mr. Berford looked at him tolerantly. ‘Well, Mr. Craven, I'll confess that as yet I haven’t guessed the complete answer to yesterday's nonsense. Eventually, you may be sure that I mean to find it and to WAS I? take proper action. But I am convinced — that somewhere among my friends or ac- quaintances there is one congenital idiot who sent that girl here as a joke. She will not be with us again to-day.’ Craven sat up and stared. ‘“Oho! She won’t, hey?” =aet ” =z < “She will not!” said the boss, so con-— vincingly that Mr. Bennett relaxed! Craven smiled wickedly. “So, after all, you managed to find her and to fix her!” he exclaimed. ‘I did what?” thundered the president, and glared at him so suddenly, so terribly that Craven pushed back his chair and laid his hands on the arms, all ready for flight! “No, sir! I did not! And by the Al- mighty—” ‘There, Tom, there!’ Mr. Bennett put in hurriedly. ‘ We—the rest of us—know perfectly well that you did nothing of the sort. And as for you, Craven, be suspi- cious, if you must. You can’t help it, I suppose. But for Heaven’s sake don’t make — yourself ridiculous!” The soured director nodded rather dizzily. ‘“ You—I fear that you misconstrued the thought behind the question,” he said. “ It impressed me that, after all, this had been — the wisest thing to do in the circumstances. That is to say, if the girl had been—or has been—satisfactorily silenced, Berford, you need have no slightest hesitation, so far as I am concerned, in speaking frankly of the matter. Yesterday, I was inclined to see the affair straight through on its—ah—de- merits. To-day I should be vastly pleased, Berford, at any positive assurance you may be able to give that the woman is per- manently out of the way!” Once more, the president was calm enough to grin as he lit his cigar. “YT would go far to please you, Mr. Craven,” he said, “ but as it happens, the idea of squaring her for something I’d never done did not occur to me; and, hadeit, I Should have found myself without a sus- picion of where the lady was to be located.” His tone grew more brisk as he turned to the others. ‘“ How long are we to wait?” “Oh, until quarter past,” Jones said. “ If she’s not here by that’ time, she’s not i 3) coming. CORMNE MOO KS com