Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 56: what you’re looking at

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

Bea 50 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Sea Islander he had ever seen was in a Cir- cus. ‘And they couldn’t cook nowhere near like you can, neither!” Jennie rested her head on his shoulder. Her hair smelled powerfully of pennyroyal, which she used as a shampoo. George turned and looked down into her blue, slightly goggling eyes. “You love Jennie,” she murmured. “T—I guess so,” gasped George. “I never was in love, so { dunno how it feels. But anyhow I like you better’n any girl | ever see! And nobody livin’ can make buckwheat cakes like what you do!” Vir. -* Tat night Ellen Sproul lay awake for along time. The time had come, she knew, to get rid of George Bangs As a mean man, he was a total loss. He had merged easily into the family circle, ‘was a dead weight, and an expense. Even Ernest had ceased to complain about him. Once in awhile, he hinted that the grocery bills had mounted surprisingly, and that if her brother was so prosperous, it might be a good idea to suggest to him that he bear his share of them. But aside from that, he did not seem to be irritated by his presence. Once gone, there would be an explana- tion. George would give her away; and Ernest would know that she had made an attempt to get rid of him, and that she had failed. Thereafter, he would be a real tyrant. Furthermore, he would have the sym- pathy of all the villagers when he told them, as he would certainly do. And what would they think of her, Ellen? A pious, truthful, honest woman, who had gone out into the highways and byways and advertised for a strange man to come and pose as her lost brother William, and whom she had paid to carry out this deception? Nevertheless, of two evils, she chose what seemed the lesser. George should be paid in full, discharged. Come what might, she would not have him around the house any more. He made a good deal of extra work; and now that her stratagem had proved a Bie. sulle, = Pe ieuiipied her god awas < se eC = as. > Y a cause of self-reproach. The very next morning, as soon as breakfast was done, she would get the disagreeable business over with. But next morning held for her its own surprise. Before breakfast was over, Jennie called her out of the kitchen, making mys- terious motions with her red hands; and once there, with the door cautiously shut, standing in the far corner of the sitting room, she grinned fatuously, her gold tooth glistening in the winter sun that stole through the window. “Miss Ellen, ’'m gonna get married to Willie!” she giggled. “ He ast me last night arter you'd gone to bed. He’s goin’ to go up to Boston and buy me a ring this very Mrs. Sproul was stricken speechless for the moment. What new complications did this entail? It would do no good to tell Jennie that her man was not what he seemed to be: that instead of being William Miller, he was George Bangs, a bum, and a derelict. Jennie wouldn’t care; she hadn’t mind enough to sense George’s deceit. Besides, was she not equally deceitful, or even more so, since it was Ellen herself who had tempted him? And now, if she were to turn George away, that would mean the loss of Jennie; and hired *help was hard to get these days, and very expensive when se- cured from an agency. Jennie was a part of her life: she ran the house like a clock, did her simple tasks well, was never sulky or obstreperous, was in fact a part of the household as much as _ the furniture, or the hearth, or the big elm that in summer shaded the roof. Ellen swallowed once or twice. She tried to smile. “ Why, that’s nice for you, Jen- nie, if—that is, when you get to know him well enough to be sure!” Jennie grinned. “Oh, I know him well enough! Me and him, we love each other. We're going to git married right away. This week, maybe.” “And then go away on a honeymoon?” Jennie shook her head. “ No; we ruther save our money. I got some, and so has Willie. But I'd marry him if he didn’t hae a cent. Bets Sunt live sos ot ui 3 ee a << — . ee ens ns a ad 5 gh aL eae Sr ene Mast Se es — SE <= a < Re s po - ceases a a = — Canc Neete com