Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

ROLL YOUR OWN. ‘No, he seems to have settled on that cursed car I borrowed as his very special monomania, and—”’ ‘You needn’t explain it to me, Jimmy,” Irma broke in. “ I’ve heard about that car nearly ali night, and again this morning. Jimmy, 1 don’t know how you’re going to manage it, but you must get the beastly thing back to him to-day!” ‘“‘T—ah—mean to,” said James. “Surely?” ‘““ Er—yes!”’ James said bravely. Irma laughed again, unpleasantly, and with plain satisfaction. “ Good!” she cried. ‘‘ Then we'll have that excuse for raving removed! You know that he isn’t really raving about his car at all, don’t you?” ‘“T didn’t know it,” James said faintly. “What is he raving about, then?” “Well, Fred’s a queer proposition in some ways,” responded Fred’s_ wile. ‘““There’s a good deal of the child about him, and very little self-control. When there’s a real disturbance inside Fred, he can no more keep it hidden than the sun can keep from shining through that window on a day like this. ‘Well, there’s a real disturbance going on inside my Frederick just at present, and it has no connection with his automobile, believe me, Jimmy! When you took that thing out and smashed it, I think you saved his life; you gave him a pretext for cursing and shrieking!” A perplexed and weary line appeared be- tween James’s brows. “T think you’re wrong,” he said. “ He was fond of the car, and—”’ “T’m not wrong!” Irma cried. “ He began biting his nails and jumping when- ever I dropped a pin, just a week ago last Saturday—just a week before you ever borrowed his car—and he has been miles away from me, and everything connected with me, ever since! Why, Jimmy—just as one example—you know how fussy Fred has always been about my jewels?” “He had to be sure they were all ac- counted for, every night. Well, when I told him the burglar had taken all the five pieces that he himself had given me, Fred 427 just grunted, and went on cursing you for breaking his infernal motor, and—Jimmy!”’ Irma said, and stopped suddenly and gazed at him. “I came here for a purpose, and {—I’m just beating about the bush to fend off that purpose a little longer. If I keep it up for another five minutes, I’ll lose my nerve and never tell you!” “ Eh! PP) “Yes, I—I came to tell you just what troubles Fred, and—and I’d about as soon lose an arm, Jimmy, because it’s going to hurt you!” “What is?” “ This—or I think it is, for a little while,” Irma smiled remarkably. ‘“ Jimmy, we didn’t get to bed very early last night, and when we did I didn’t go to sleep. But Fred did. And—well, after he’d been twisting, and turning, and groaning for a time, be settled down and began to smile in his sleep, Jim; and suddenly he held out his arms to somebody who wasn’t there, of course, and he—he said—”’ She stopped again. James frowned won- deringly. ‘Well, what did he say, Irma?” he asked. ‘‘ What’s the mystery?” “There isn’t any mystery, Jimmy. TI think that’s the worst of it! He just beamed as if he were looking through the gates of heaven, and he called: ‘ Dorothy, dearest! Dorothy, my darling!’ ” CHAPTER XIV. THE TRUTH, OR a moment Mrs. Fred Budlong was F nice enough not to look at James. It may be assumed that she expected the young man to emit at least two or three groans as the first shock of new agony came upon him, and even to burst into tears. So Mrs. Budlong turned back and said: “You think he’s in love with Dot?” “TI had some such impression.” “Oh, I give it up!” cried young Mr. ' Cranning. “Irma, I think you’re as badly off as Fred. Dog-gone it, I’m beginning to think all the women in the world were born plumb loony! Fact, Irma. They’re sex crazy, anyway.” — COPMICLOOOKS (E@)