Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 109: what you’re looking at

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

“ Looka here, Mr. Vane,” he said suddenly. “As I’ve said before, I’d be the last to start trouble for innocent parties. I’m not convinced that the parties are innocent here—and then again I’m not convinced that they ain’t. So I’m willing to compromise and here’s how I'll do it.” &é Yes "ae “The colonel wants you in the house, for how long or for what purpose I couldn’t say. But you fix that up with him one way or another, and get out of this home for good and all to-mor- row morning, or this morning as it is now, and I'll say nothing. But I’m warning you fair, Mr. Vane, it ‘ll have to be to-morrow morning!” “Well, but, Haggin, I can beat that a mile,” Richard cried eagerly. “Tl go right away. You unlock that back door and in twenty minutes or so I'll just slip out. It ‘Il be all right this time. J know the way now.” The butler smiled faintly. “ And how’ll you get by Jack?” he asked. : “Who's Jack?” “ He’s the chauffeur, sir, and he’s sleeping on a cot across the back door just now, by the colonel’s orders, to shoot the burglar if he should return. You’ve yourself to thank for that, I take it.” , “ Well, he isn’t sleeping across the front door, too, is he?” Mr. Melton asked rather desperately. “ He is not, but Mike is—the me- chanic, sir. You couldn’t get by those boys, Mr. Vane. The colonel told me early in the evening to repeat his in- structions to the menservants about your staying here, that is. They obey him.” Rather giddily, as the full signifi- cance of these tidings bore into him, Richard pondered. “ Haggin, lend me a hundred of that money, will you?’ his small voice asked. “I'll send it back to you.” “What for, sir?” _“T want to fix things with Jack, of EVERY MINUTE COUNTS: course. I'll send it back to you with interest, Haggin—Ill send you two hundred, on the dead level! Only, I— have to get out of here, Haggin!”’ The butler drew himself up; from his rotund person virtuous indignation fairly radiated. “Have you corrupting the servants with bribery and the like of that, sir?” he cried. “ Well, I should say not, Mr. Vane! ‘That’s bad business all around, that is. No, sir, you do this open and legitimate; you arrange matters so that - the colonel sends you away in the morn- ing.” And here he paused and so far for- f if 4 ih ns A; Hs ‘spel } 6 Bed Ys / i *, Sa A Coll | aa \ \ ‘Ny AAK Anat Biko PV bait RRO MR: Vea 2 Td wy, wie Mi be > ete Vici! ’ pee ioLrns Lat) Vs a yd Peal adele ve, p A 3: fe 6s ahehseervan hs Tae Wek vi ie < ne : a 7 at a ¥, ah got his station as to shake a pudgy fn- ger almost under Mr. Melton’s nose. “Mind, now. To-morrow morning.” “Yes, but—but Haggin—” Riche ard’s queer little voice faltered aim- = lessly. see “And I’m not sure I’m doing the _ sae right thing in letting it go that far, s either,” the butler grunted in conclu- sion, and started back for the passage- — ais way door. “Good night, Mr. Vane.” This time Richard did not even an- swer. The door closed and he satdown upon his large, comfortable bed again BE and looked around in utter bewilder- ment. Even once more conditions in this remarkable mansion seemed to have bested him. Why, not ten mine utes ago he had known just what he | was going to do and when and how. Whereas now—Mr. Melton bowed his head and muttered senselessly to him- “= self, es And the dreadful thing, as he real- ized mistily, was that he didn’t seem to be recovering from this last blow. His = resiliency had gone at last. Se The Melton fighting blood, which — had been circulating so creditably since = the French and Indian War, had de= generated into a mere sluggish, lifeless = = current, just barely sufficient to main- tain valueless existence itself. Or ~~ maybe it hadn’t. Mr. Melton pulled = himself together laboriously, with no = speed,.no energy, without evena trace —