Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

424 want to see Mr. Deane he has just gone away.” My words seemed to have an extraordi- nary effect upon him, he picked up his oars and began rowing so feverishly that he bumped into the pier, and fell sprawling on his back in the middle of the boat. I had to catch the painter and help him up on the dock, where he stood gasping for breath. ““‘Where—wnhere is Mr. Grego he got - out at last. I shook my head. “I’m blest if I know,” I returned flip- pantly. “ He’s made off for parts un- known. And who are you?” He continued to gasp and look at me - for all the world like an ancient clam. ‘Who are you?” he asked. © “Carlos Brent, Mr. -Deane’s_great- nephew. Who the dickens are you?” His face lost some of its anxious look. “Y’m Peter. Oh, Mr. Brent, I’m so glad you are here.” He could not have been any more glad to see me than I was to see him. Here at last was some one who might be expected to explain some of the matters that were troubling me; in fact, one could not look at Peter’s honest, square face with its re- spectable side whiskers, without gaining a - comfortable sense of law and order. He seemed as far removed from all this mystery and violence as could possibly be imagined, and I felt as though he should take my hat and coat, if I had had one, and usher me into the drawing-room in the most approved family servant style. ‘To see him standing there, still gasping from his exertion of rowing, his eyes filled with fear, glancing around him, came as a dis- tinct shock to this reassuring vision. _ “For God’s sake, sir,” he went on, “where did Mr. Deane go? Didn’t he leave any word for me? He said he would, if—’’ He broke off. “He hadn’t time,” I remarked rather dryly. ‘‘ When a man is chasing you with the evident intention of choking you to death, you are not apt to waste time in farewell messages.” Peter’s face grew so white that I thought he was going to faint. Digitized by (GO ogle oo wal ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Good Heavens!” he exclaimed. “ Has come? Surely he w6uld stop at mur- er! ? “T dont thnk he meant to stop at anything. ~ Uncle Gregory was fortunate enough to get the blow in first, and there he is.” I pointed to the unconscious man, who was lying behind Shirley and had been, so far, hidden from Peter. He went over and looked at him timidly, then started back with an exclamation. “This isn’t him I meant, I don’t know who he is, but he’s surely a dreadful look- ing creature. Who is he, and what are we going to do with him, sir?” “I can tell you who he is,” said Shir- ley’s cool, clear voice behind us. “ He is an ex-prizefighter known as “ Clinch” Murphy, and he used to be an associate of my—the man you are speaking of. I don’t know what his purpose was in coming, or why he should have tried to murder my great-uncle; but the fact remainsethat the man is seriously hurt and must be got to the house at once. “Will you help Mr. Brent take him there? I am Mr. Deane’s great-niece, Miss Deane.” I couldn’t help but admire the cool, con- fident way in which she took charge of affairs, and evidently Peter was also im- pressed, for he accepted her lead as a mat- ter of course. “ Certainly, miss. We'll get him to the house, and then, perhaps, you and Mr. Brent will be good enough to give me some more idea as to what has happened.” Accordingly, we both took hold of the unconscious man and got him up to the house quite comfortably, where we laid him in the same room he had occupied be- fore, Shirley having discovered the key in a corner of the hall evidently where it had been thrown. “ Begging your pardon, sir, it don’t seem to me that he’s so much hurt as in liquor,” said Peter with a sniff of disapproval. ‘“ He is fair reeking of it.” “Why, I don’t know where he could have gotten any,” I began, and then stopped, for I remembered the whisky flask my uncle had left in the room for me. Original fone rMclOOOks =>) CO THE NUIN CTATE in rc U HO ~ TA IE J N 1 |