Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

586 had vanished ; it was a hard, wicked eye, “once more; suspicion, all in a twinkling, was turning to something more definite, more terrible. Yet the smile on the colonel’s lips was suave enough as he arose. “You were coming in here?” “I—why—we were—just looking about, Samson,” his wife replied, quite lost in confusion. | The colonel bowed and gathered up the two or three papers that had been beside him. The colonel then depart- ed; and Richard breathed again and Gwen, terrified eyes upon him, cried: * Arthur! He saw—oh!” That was all, but the colonel must have heard it. Mr. Melton, not so loud- ly, but with much more genuine feeling, asked» * What's the idea of the * Arthur,’ Gwen? What’s the idea of shouting like that?” “ Shouting? I wasn’t shouting,” said the frightened wife. “ And that is the name you're using, isn’t it—Ar- thur Vane?” “ ‘You know my name—or you knew it two minutes ago,” Mr. Melton an- _ swered quite emotionally. “ Look here, Gwen! Something or other is going on here that I don’t understand at all. I’m bright enough to know that at least. “Tf you’re trying to turn me into a target for Bragg, just for your own amusement, say so and let me be on my guard. But I want to know what it’s all about and—” He caught himself just there. What in the name of common sense did he care what it was all about? Why had he wasted precious seconds even in that last speech? With’an effort that all but tore his facial muscles, Mr. Melton produced a bright smile—incidentally causing Gwen to look at him with just a hint of new fright. “Never mind, anyhow,” he said. “Tet’s sit down here, Gwen, will you? I’ve got some things I want to say.” Mrs. Bragg leaned back and. gazed Sates aes a : - . * ‘ = - . e™ eee 2. ~~ . a Sa = r ° oi s < at 7 * 9 _ ee a “ * ~ ~ . ~~ be Seto = oe fA. “ . <e_ “ ae sie eo - 5 ea eS os - Ss ie al mets a Se ae = * re ne oes § a awe * %3 ee ge OR FD nw Oe on agin nr eee ES ~ Pon Be the Se eS A ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY.” down the path; the colonel was still on his way to the house. ‘Then, remark- able creature that she was, she smiled quite naturally and said: “ Of course, Dicky. We may as well be here as anywhere else, so that we’re together. What is troubling your” “Something mighty important, as you'll agree when you hear it!” Rich- ard said briskly. “ Gwen, you don’t hate me?” “Good gracious, no!” the lady smiled. “If you had been wealthy as Samson, or possibly a little wealthier, I think I’d have married you,’ “Then you don’t want to hurt me?” Mr. Melton hurried on, earnestly. “You wouldn’t deliberately—” “ Ahem!” Haggin coughed dismally, from a distance of at least ten feet. “ Ahem!—Mr. Vane, if you please, sir!” “ Er—what ?” “‘There’s some one wishes to speak to you on the telephone,” said the but- ler and turned away again. Real concern leaped Brage’s eyes. “That isn’t just a trick of Samson’s to get you in there and—and harm you, is it?’ she whispered. “T haven’t the slightest idea,” sighed Richard. “Well, be careful anyway,” the lady pleaded> “I’m not nearly through with you yet, Dicky.” into Mrs. Mr. Melton hurried off, not too hap-_ pily. Haggin was loitering near the house; he looked disgustedly at Mr. Melton. “ Still at it, are you?” he sniffed. “Oh, go to hell!’ said Richard, for these coarse words exactly expressed his sentiment. “What's that?” snapped Mr. Hag- in. “You heard me!” said the new sec- retary. The butler quickened his step and moved on beside him. “You're not hurrying a bit about leaving, are you, m’lad?” Mr. Haggin co ole ae te ~ “comicbooks:com ~