Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 18, 1928 — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

— 988 around the bachelors’ barracks anyhow. It was horrible of Dapnne. Somehow he managed to dress and rush down at last to stop the clamor of that deadly horn. He settled himself beside Daphne and did not draw full breath until they had reached the chaperonage of the main road, - “ Daphne, what in the world did you do that for?” he began surlily. ‘“ You know darn well women aren’t supposed to come over to our quarters.” “Who’s going to stop me?” asked Daphne blithely and with some conceit. “There are only three officers on the post who outrank daddy, and they’re all his friends anyhow. I guess I can do what I want.” “Well, you certainly made me a laugh- . ing-stock to those men,” snapped Jim. Daphne flushed. “What of it?” she scorned with a cu- rious hint of bitterness. “ They’re nothing but a bunch of women haters anyhow. I wouldn’t have anything to do with ’em on a bet.” Jim subsided, a little startled at the hard look that came into her eyes. ‘“Where are you taking me now?” he asked curiously. “Oh, I forgot to tell you,’ smiled Daphne, alluringly gay again. ‘“‘ We are going to the Brightons’ for dinner. You know Hugh Brighton, don’t you? Isn’t he in your battalion? Well, he has quite a cute wife, you know, and a darling little boy, and they live in one of those terrible shacks. But it’s really quite nice and shows what a second lieutenant can do on his pay, even if he’s married,” she added with a sidewise glance that Jim missed. Jim did know Hugh Brighton and liked him, but he would rather have got the dinner invitation direct. It almost seemed as though Daphne were arranging his whole life for him. Ill. . DADE BRIGHTON met her two guests at the door, Hugh Junior tucked cozily against her shoulder. _ Daphne at once went into transports of . Tapture. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Isn’t he cute, Jim? Oh, isn’t he dar- ling? Dade, you have such a cunning baby! Oh, look at him smile! Dade, do let Jim hold him a minute. He’d love to.” Jim backed away. He liked babies, but somehow they embarrassed him. They were such little, alien things with a divine aura about them which forbade the sacri- lege of awkward masculine hands. | Raving over babies in public came as easy to Jim as saying his prayers there. But Mrs. Brighton was holding out the pudgy mite to him, and he had to take it, terror-stricken lest he drop it or disarrange its compactness. ‘“Oh!” gushed Daphne in hushed won- der. ‘‘Isn’t Jim sweet with him, Dade? Why, he seems to know just what to do.” Somehow or other this rankled Jim. He hated Daphne saying things like that. In fact, the whole evening angered him, in spite of the Brightons’ gay hospitality. Why did Daphne appear so interested in housekeeping? Why was she alarmed over the high price of eggs in the fall and the scarcity of colored help in the spring? “Though I coud do my own work, if IT had to,’ she added to Dade. Yes, the whole spectacle of the Brightons’ married happiness irritated Jim unaccountably. Not that he begrudged the Brightons their happiness, but he disliked the way Daphne was pointing it out to him. He was beginning to feel pushed, somehow, crowded. Mrs. Blodgett, too, was assuming a new, - disturbing manner. She seemed _ over- motherly to Jim. Jim had liked it at first, but now it strangely alarmed him. Only the colonel maintained his air of disin- terested, though polite, detachment. Yet, the colonel’s dinners continued to be excellent, his living room cozy, and his reading lamps as comfortable as ever. So Jim kept on going there at his insistence, until something happened that waked Jim up and made him realize the birds were singing, love birds. The “something” was his kissing of Daphne. He hadn’t meant to do it. It simply did itself. It was at her door, or rather the colonel’s, when Jim was saying good comicbooks (E(0)