Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 11, 1925 — page 137: what you’re looking at

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

see if he could pull the engineer off it. Lf he succeeded he could have his nights at home. Itchy-Witchy was willing to do anything that Zeb suggested, even live in town, but, as she explained: “ Father is getting old, and, Zeb, although I hate to say it, he will not be with us long. I can make his re- maining years comfortable for him. He likes you, and there is no reason why you can’t stay with us.” This atfangement satisfied Zeb, and after getting her settled and comfortable Zeb left to go down and see Jim. When he arrived at the restaurant he stopped aghast. An excited knot of men were gathered inside. The place was in a wreck. Broken chairs and dishes cluttered the floor. A smashed window had sprayed broken glass across the sidewalk. A puddle of fresh blood led from the door out across the sidewalk to the curb. Zeb pushed his way in. “Great God, what’s happened? Where’s Jim? Who’s hurt?” he yelled frantically. From one and another of the men who surrounded him he gleaned the story. A crowd had been in the place all night drinking, and when Jim came down in the morning they were in an ugly mood. The waiter and cook had been driven into the kitchen where, behind the locked door, they cowered in comparative safety from the barage of plates and cups that were hurled at them every time they opened the door to escape. When Jim came, at first he tried to calm them, but they were too far gone to be calmed. Failing in this he bodily threw them out one by one, none too gently. Then as he stooped over, picking up some dishes from the floor, unseen one returned and struck him a blow over the back of his head with a heavy coffee cup. Jim was badly hurt, unconscicus. He had just been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. _ Zeb dully heard the words—“ He’s hit hard. Shouldn’t wonder if hat crack finishes him.” Zeb heard no more. He aia out into the street, hailed a passing automobile and, to the astonished driver, shouted: “ Drive sme to the hospital as age as you can Sate =< her,” | = THE CALL OF SHINING STEEL. | 291 To the words “I don’t want to be ar- rested for speeding,” Zeb pulled out a crumpled wad of bills, “ Here, burn it up, fellow. If you’re caught this will pay your fine.” There was a clash of shifting gears, a quick acceleration that settled into a high pitched whirr, and madly the machine whizzed through the streets, just beginning to be active with early morning traffic. Rounding the curve on two wheels with blaring horn* the machine spurted up the gravel driveway in front of the hospital and stopped with both rear wheels skidding. . Zeb rushed up the steps three at a jump, flung the door open, and, to an amazed nurse who met him in the hallway, he blurted: “ Jim! Where’s Jim?” She gazed at him, wild eyed, in surprise. “ Jim who?” “Jim Brown! He was just brought in hurt a few minutes ago.” “Qh,” she answered, “he’s up on the third floor. They just carried him up. But I don’t think you can see him.” Zeb never paid the slightest attention to her. Without even a thanks, he turned and mounted the stairs in long springing jumps. At the head of the hall on the third floor he cast a quick look up and down the cor- rider. A door opened, a nurse came out with a bowl held in her hands. Zeb ran towards her. As he neared he recognized her. It was Miss Annie. *“‘Where’s he?” he asked in a hoarse voice. ‘‘ Where’s Jim?” She pointed to the door she had just come out of. Zeb flung it open and stepped into the room and stopped.. His breath seemed to be choked off; his blood frozen. Jim lay unmoving on the bed, a white helmet of bandages crisscrossed his head in compact layers. His eyes were closed, his face was white. It had the lean calm look of death about it, thin lipped with blue eyelids and a sharp pinched ap- pearance. He tried to voice Jim’s name, but his throat muscles were paralyzed. He was unable to speak. Finally, after an effort, a harsh dry whisper welled out: “ Jim, oh Jim!” A movement across the bed attracted his attention, and for the first time he noticed |