Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 22: what you’re looking at

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

16 them. He lies, and I know he’s a coward, too.” ‘What things do you mean you found out about him?” _ “ J-——don’t—know—there were other not nice women—Harriet and he quarreled about them—”’ “ But that wasn’t why you left there, was it?” “No. Not altogether,” she answered, looking away. ‘‘ But I want to hear about your case. I mean that trouble five years ago. It was an automobile smash-up. You were supposed to have killed a bystander.”’ “Two of them,” he said grimly. “ I was crazy drunk, so they said. But I know I -couldn’t have driven that car in the state I was in. Pretty disgusting business to tell you about.” She leaned forward sympathetically. “1 never did care much for goody-goody men. You’re not wild now anyway—and there weren’t any—women mixed up in it.” He shook his head. ‘‘ Not as far as I was concerned. Sanderson had some one there. If I had had some one with me be- sides Sanderson, it would have been dif- ferent. But his testimony was conclusive. He had to save his own skin and he lied his way clear. Sometimes I think he ar- ranged the whole thing that night.” “Oh! So that he could marry Harriet! She spat something out the other night, when they were quarreling, about his mar- rying her only for her money.” She rested her chin on her hand, and looked apparently with great interest at the throng in the lobby below. ‘“‘T understand,” she said carelessly, “ you were engaged to her at the time.” “JT was tentatively engaged. Nothing had been announced. It was a kind of family arrangement. My aunt and uncle, who were living then, engineered it.” He did not add that Harriet herself, the spoiled child of wealth, had done some maneuvering to capture this poor but personable young man. But then he had never been sure of that. The whole thing transpired between two dances and as many drinks at the country club. We would never have hit it off to- pe wie a et Ta iin Pie =* SS mie » = “ c oF ae : = = — = - oy ss PSN er FO Se OL ee ae = oe ee Se et et es em 7 “= $< aos a an ee see — esr ee : a Sz —s ee : . > ~ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. had a feeling that way. I rather think that —somehow—love is like rolling the dice— I used to do that, too, to excess—you know instinctively when you are right.” She laughed softly. “I am afraid your metaphor is unromantic—and true in a way. I have never rolled dice—” ‘Nor been in love,” he broke in boldly. The color deepened just the faintest shade in her cheeks, but the clear, gray - eyes were untroubled as she turned to him: “Not as I understand it in books, and on the stage. I like some people awfully well, or don’t like them as soon as I meet them. At present, I don’t like Cousin Ed- mund at all.” “I’m beginning to feel sorry for Cousin Edmund, if that’s the case.” She sighed. “I’ve been“ fearfully bad- tempered with both of them. We quarreled again last week, and I left and came here for a few days before starting home—” “ Starting home!” Dismay showed plain- ly in Stewart’s face. ‘Of course, I must go some time—un- less 1 manage to persuade my mother to let me stay here and find something useful to do in the Red Cross or something. She has been writing to me to come home. I’m all the family she has, you see.” “Was that the matter being discussed when I showed up?” She shook her head. ‘“ Cousin Edmund was trying to persuade me to return. Not that he likes me at all, but I’m a kind of attraction, he thinks, around the house. I’m useful to serve tea to fat colonels, and play the piano for war-widowed majors.” “T see,” Stewart frowned. “ Friend Sanderson believes in getting on in the world. Kind of toadies to the higher-ups, and uses you as a come-on.” ‘““He’s insufferable. It wasn’t that so much, but I despise lying, and I know he was lying to me about that—that—” “My affair?” Stewart questioned. “You've been fighting my battles for me?” Her cheeks flamed with color. She stood up, and looked at her wrist-watch i in a sud- den panic. ‘It’s late. I must go and write let- ters,” she eeetion, i ricak her band. | be ge: < =~ <— Se —— = 3 = © LED pa PEAY * comicbooks.com