Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 7, 1928 — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

254 “And we never even wished them happiness! My—my little boy!” “ Well, what.if we didn’t? What in blazes could they expect?” cried her husband. “ Pulling a thing like that without a second’s warning!” Laura swallowed twice. “My Will—our little baby boy— married! Married and gone!” “He won’t be gone long. They haven’t anywhere to live,’ Henry said. “No, they’re coming back for my party,” Laura sighed. “ They may stay a day ortwo. That’s something.” Henry hurled away his cigar and found a fresh one. “They'll probably stay more than a day or two—unless they go next door to live,” he said. “ By Jehosaphat! I can’t understand it! That boy’s got no more idea of what he’s jumped into than a wooden Indian! Lord! If he had to get married, why didn’t he pick something—”’ “Oh, Joy’s all right,” Laura sighed. “ She—see who’s ringing.” It was the thin, chilly forefinger of T. Wallace Harrison that pressed the button. Henry admitted Mr. Harrison and his wife and glared unveiled hos- tility at them. They looked no hot af- fection back at Henry Morrow—but at least Mrs. Harrison, in her effusive way, rushed to Laura and kissed her and then turned, throwing out her hands quite dramatically with: ‘Well, they’ve gone and done it, haven't they?” Laura nodded. “The dear, foolish, romantic chil- dren!” Mrs. Harrison gushed. “ What is your view of this matter, Morrow?” her husband asked coldly. “‘T—I haven't had time to form one yet,” Henry confessed. “ How do you feel about it?” “T believe that I am neutral. That is to say, they are unquestionably too young to marry under present condi- tions. On the other hand, I must con- sider Joy an adult and I am not dis- posed to interfere. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘“ If you, however, wish to begin an- nulment proceedings I‘ shall see that they are not contested.” Henry gazed at him, almost envious- ly. He was unperturbed, wasn’t he? The words clicked along just as if they were coming out of a precision ma- chine! “Annulment? Oh—oh, I don’t know. Not much use in that, is there, if they’re determined to get married anyway ?”’ Mr. Harrison elevated his shoulders the fraction of one centimeter and sub- sided. His ornate wife babbled on and on. She was thunderstruck, Henry gleaned, and yet she considered Wil- a the dearest chap—the most lovable oy. And he had picked the very sweet- est girl in the world for a wife, if she was Mrs. Harrison’s own daughter, They were both so young and so dear —and so on and so forth, with no end of her babbling in sight, Henry noted gratefully, for in cold truth he himself did not yet know just what he did want | to say on the subject. After a long time, Harrison addressed him directly : “Ts William able to support a wife?” “ He is, if they can live on thirty dollars a week,’ Henry said. “We'll have to do something for them, of course.” “Tt seems likely!” “T will give them five thousand dol- lars, Morrow. You give them five thousand,” the steady, frosty voice continued. “ That will be ten thousand and enough to start them with. And they must be made to understand that, with that reserve, they’ll have to hoe their own row. ‘Ten thousand dollars. I wonder if they’ll be able to appreciate that?” “Yes—yes!”’ Henry said dazedly. “so do LI’ Harrison glanced at his wife and cleared his throat. “T have an eight forty-five appoint- ment at the office in the morning, my dear. It is growing late.” (C@) AMUELOOOL KS, (C@)