Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 189, No. 4 — page 52: what you’re looking at

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

D22 tight, dry lips, “ because I couldn’t bear the thought of these trees dying because of your stupidity! I saw there weren’t any fires over here and I came over, knowing you’d be sound asleep!” “Tm mighty thankful,” the crushed young man assured her. “You needn’t thank me at all. Seeing that those trees didn’t freeze is all the thanks I want. If they could speak they’d tell you to go on back North where you belong.” “T haven’t ever done a damned thing to you to make you act like this,” Teddy blazed. ‘I’ve been more than willing to be friends with you from the very start. I don’t see where you're going to get, ah- tagonizing everybody the way you do. It isn’t any of my business, except—”’ “It certainly isn’t,” she stopped him. “ And I don’t care what people think about me. I’m not asking anybody’s help. I never have asked anybody’s help. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.” * What were you crying about?” he de- manded. “Crying? Because I’m all in. fainted, didn’t you?” Teddy Armbister looked at her a moment longer. Then he gave utterance to a long sigh. Then he nodded his head wearily. * All right,” he surrendered. “If that’s the way you feel about it, I won’t bother you any more. I’m not used to living in places like this, and it’s hard to understand a girl as pretty as you are—I mean, as smart as you are, wanting to be all alone all the time. I don’t see why we can’t be friends. After all, the two of us are down here all alone, surrounded by nobody much but crackers, and I should think we could go ahead and be friends.” Georgia Woodstock started to speak. At least her eyes became suddenly expres- sive and her lips twitched; but she stayed silent and let him go on. “T’ve got a nice roadster and a good, sound motor boat. We could have a lot of fun, just the two of us, cruising around and going over to the beach Sundays and taking in a dance now and then to offset some of the loneliness.” “T don’t get lonely,” she stated. You ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘ Never?” ‘““T’ve never been lonely in my life!” Teddy shook his head with perplexity. He managed a faint, weary smile. ‘“T don’t see any sense in trying to sell friendship when the only customer I’m in- terested in doesn’t want the commodity. Will you go to the beach with me Sunday?” “No,” said Georgia Woodstock. “Will you go into Miami to-morrow night for dinner?”’ ‘“T’m sorry,” said the stubbornest girl in the world. She moved toward the tree where her white mule had been tethered all night long. But she turned back, placed her grimy hands on her hips and looked at Teddy, and there was no hostility visible. ““T suppose,” she said, in her husky voice and in something closer to a friendly manner than she had ever before employed with him, “ that my attitude seems funny —-queer to anybody who has lived most of his life in a city, as you have. I think you're terribly conceited to take so much for granted. Why should I want to go swimming and dining and dancing with you, anyhow? But I haven’t any personal objection to you. I don’t think you could understand me if you tried. you get lonesome, you’ve always been ac- customed to rushing out and buying some kind of entertainment. “Well,” she went on, “ I’ve lived in this lonesome place so long that I’m beyond getting used to it. I’m not like you. I’m not the least bit afraid of the dark—loneli- ness. I like it. I’m entirely self-contained. I’m capable of amusing myself forever. I work so hard all day that there’s hardly any time left for entertaining myself, and I’m jealous of every second of that.” “T see,” murmured Teddy, who didn’t see at all. ‘“ And if I were looking for friends,” went on this strange, candid girl, “I would not choose one who was as young and good looking as you are, because I know just what would eventually happen.” ‘* Nothing would happen,” the young man insisted. “Tt would start off on a nice, friendly basis,” said the girl. “ And the first thing, Gomichbooks Whenever — (EO)