Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

MOORS END. away, so I went on down-stairs very much in my mind. It was not like - Shirley to do this, and it stirred up again the uneasy doubts I had hoped were finally _ laid. Was there something she regretted hav- ing done, or was it merely the reaction of the night’s events? I was so filled with these thoughts that I failed-te do full jus- tice to Peter’s excellent breakfast, much to his disappointment. “Tsn’t the young lady coming down, sir?” he ventured when I had refused a second helping of nearly everything. “ I’ve prepared an omelet for. her, all ladies gen- erally prefer omelets.” “No,” I answered briefly, “ but if you will put some stuff for her on a tray I'll carry it up.” Accordingly Peter prepared a most tempting breakfast, daintily arranged on a tray to which, after a little hesitation, I added a spray of late yellow chrysanthe- mums I had found growing in the garden. I took this up to her hoping that by this time she was more calm. I might have spared myself any anxiety; she was fully dressed, and very much com- posed when she opened the door to my knock, and there was no trace of any emo- tion in the cold politeness with which she thanked me only, I fancied a fleeting shade of Softness in her face as her eyes fell on the spray of flowers. She was closing the door when a sudden thought made her re- open it. 3 “How is the—man?” she asked with a nod of her head in the direction of the room where Clinch Murphy lay. “ About the same I think. I haven’t been in since we left him tied up there.” A sudden impulse made me add: “ The door isn’t locked this time.” She caught the point with a quick flush. “I know, but in view of the position I’m in here, I didn’t care to go in and see for myself. You might think I was planning another burglary with him as a confede- rate.” * Shirley!” I exclaimed, and she had the grace to blush again and drop her eyes. ‘I riever thought you had anything to do with this whole mess—willingly. It’s only Digitized by (Go ogle A427 that I am sure you are keeping something back that might help us if we knew it. Won't you tell me?” — She shook her head, but her tone was decidedly softer. “It wouldn’t make anything clearer, it would only confuse things still more. Will you do something for me?“ “Tf I can.” ‘Please send for a doctor as soon as possible and. let him look after the man, for I think he is in a bad way. And will you believe me when I tell you that he isn’t as bad as you think?”’ I smiled rather grimly. *‘1’m afraid you will find it rather hard to convince Uncle Gregory that the fellow’s intentions in regard to him were altogether. friendly. I don’t believe I should like that kind of friendliness, myself.” “*T don’t quite understand that,” she said © with a puzzled frown “ unless his mind was affected by.the first blow—or he mistook him for some one else.” “ Both sound fairly reasonable. We'll ~ Jet it go at that, and I'll promise to do all I can for your friendly prize-fighter. Will that do?” She gave me a smile then in reply, and I felt that matters were going better than I had hoped. “Thank you” she said and closed the door. I went in to take a look at our subject of discussion, and found him much the same. I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen plenty of knocks and had them too and after examining his head carefully I couldn’t see any real cause for this continued uncon- sciousness. His head was hard enough to have been often thumped before with im- punity. Shirley was right, however; something. must be done for him, and soon.. Now that Peter was here to look after things, I could leave without any worry on Shirley’s account. I felt cenfident that, having once obtained the paper he had worked so hard to get, Richard’ Deane would not linger any more about the place. He could easily have swum or rowed across by now. Still, Peter could handle him, especially if armed with the formidable old pistol I ouic orgies fro AON 7 HOO) a a) iG) SS CO STATE U