Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 12, 1927 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

QUEEN great things of him.” He shook the folded paper. “ This is just a precautionary meas- ure, see? As long as Len is a good boy and does what he’s told, it will just gather dust in my safe. I ain’t goin’ to spoil the use- fulness of a good man. But if he should get ugly, and try to gum the works, well, that’s what this is for.” Charley nodded, not entirely reassured. “ Now, you can make out you’ve been sent away on orders, see?”’ Breedon went on. ‘“ Get up and get out of here, and wait for further instructions in the place you know of. You can leave a note for your friend if you want.” Len never saw Charley again. CHAPTER VIII. EMANCIPATION. T appeared that Mr. McQuissick had managed very well, considering his lack of experience in household matters. When Carola got home she found a com- plete set of new servants installed and func- tioning smoothly. They were under the direction of a depressed looking housekeep- er called Mrs. Tylee. Though not exactly prepossessing, she was undoubtedly effi- cient. She received Carola’s orders with down- cast eyes, and carried them out without comment. Upstairs Carola found her new maid in attendance, by name, Ella. She did not care much for her looks; too pale and mousey looking. “T’ll get something livelier later,” thought Carola. Ella was waiting around for orders, and a curious blankness descended on Carola. All her life long every waking hour had been filled for her by others, and now that she was her own mistress she didn’t know how to act for herself. What would she do until dinner time? She tried to remember some of the things she had promised her- self she would do when she became free. All she could think of was smoking a ciga- rette. Why hadn’t she bought any when she was out? ‘““T wish I had a cigarette,” she said. “{ might be able to get some in the house,” said Ella, demurely. OF CLUBS. 539 Carola looked at her with a fresh interest. Maybe she was human after all. Her pale face betrayed no expression. ‘ Well, see if you can,” said Carola. Ella, as demure and noncommittal as ever, presently returned with a packet of cigarettes. ‘‘ They’re only cheap ones,” she said deprecatingly. ** Doesn’t matter,”’ did you get them?” “From the second man,” said Ella, with just the suspicion of a dimple in her pale cheek. “TI bet they have fun among themselves,” thought Carola with a little sigh; ‘ they are not hampered by conventions.” She broke the packet, and abstracted a cigarette. Ella, she noticed, was looking around for something. ‘ What is it?’ Carola asked. “ The lighter.” “ T haven’t any.” Ella lit a match and held it to the ciga- rette. Carola endeavored to take her first puffs like an old hand, but the maid saw through her. ‘ Don’t inhale at first, miss,” she said. “ What do you mean by inhale?” “Draw the smoke into your lungs and blow it out through your nostrils.” “Mercy! I'll be glad enough if if can blow it out of my mouth without choking,” said Carola. ‘‘ Draw the chaise longue in front of the cheval glass so I can practice how to do it properly,” she added. Watching herself in the mirror, she strove to do it as nonchalantly as the wom- en who had surrounded her in the fash- ionable restaurant. How lightly they had held the little tube between first and sec- ond fingers, flicking the ash off with the third! And what a graceful aid the ges- ticulating cigarette provided to conversa- tion! It will take a lot of practice, Carola decided. In the middle of this she heard McQuis- sick asking for her at the door. Her im- pulse was to hide the cigarette, but she resisted it. He might as well know soon as late, she said to herself. I’m not going to let Mr. Quissick or anybody else run me. “Come in!” she sang out. McQuissick looked at the cigarette with- out batting an eye. said Carola. ‘‘ Where EOPNICLOOO KS (E©)