Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 65: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF wears 2 two, double-A,’’ Peter’s sister said dryly. “Oh, no, those shoes are awful, Mary. You'll have to get something that comes nearer to the idea of the rest of the costume.’’ ‘“* But I can’t, now,” Mary cried, almost brokenly. ‘“ There’s no time.” ‘* Don’t despair,’ Helen cautioned, with a meditative smile. ‘‘ Maybe we ‘won't have to hunt very far. You and Peter’s wife have been bosom friends all your lives, Mary, and she’s the best-natured thing in the world.”’ “ Well?” ‘* Well, we'll see if we can’t borrow some- thing of hers, Mary,” Miss Noble said, calmly. ‘“She’ll never object.” Humming placidly, she inspected the closet. It offered nothing promising in the way of footgear. A moment, Miss Noble hesitated; then, with a tug at the knobs, she invaded the absent Mrs. Noble’s bureau —and in another moment or so she turned with a brilliant smile. ‘“ Here’s the very thing,” she cried. “Here are those gold silk stockings Sal had last year and the slippers to match. Three-and-a-half, too! “ Vou get me that package of absorbent cotton from the medicine cabinet, Mary, and I'll stuff the toes for you. Hurry.” From the huge Thorndyke mansion across the way, music floated to Mary’s ear as she watched. She was not weakening. No, by no means was she weakening. But— “ They’re splendid—thanks!” she said somewhat faintly, as Helen stood away to examine the feet. “What?” Miss Noble, glanced at her sharply. .‘‘ They don’t hurt, do they?” “No. I—I was— Nell, do you think Billy ’d mind my going, so very much?” “Oh? This is something we’re keeping from Billy, is it?’’ Peter’s sister queried. ** 1 didn’t know that.” “Tt isn’t—exactly. But—but—”’ ““T understand. Ill say nothing, of ‘' course,’”’ Miss Noble said, somewhat crisply. Followed a short, uncomfortable pause, wherein the two young women gazed at one another, Miss Noble with just the faintest suggestion of a curve at one corner THE BRIDE. 8347 of her mouth, Mary flushing slightly and breathing the silence with: “We're to wait for Peter to take us over?” “We are not. And—you’ll pardon me, Mary?—but it will be just as well if Peter doesn’t take us over. Anyway, he said not to wait for him if he wasn’t here, and he hasn’t been here since I came. “He must have dressed somewhere else, because he’s over there by this time. There’s your mask, Mary; it’s the biggest one I could find.” She slipped on her own, which was a mere feint at disguise, while Mary’s lovely features vanished beneath a covering of black satin that shut them off completely from a curious world. It was as well, too, for the blush on Mary’s cheek was deepen- ing. eer CHAPTER X. INTO THE ADVENTURE. UST why must Peter’s sister have J twitched her mouth in that fashion, as if there were something—well, queer! — about her going like this? Were all men and women in the world like that? Evil of mind, suspicious of the most innocent motives, Billy, Uncle Arthur, Helen, every- body? Or—and this occurred quite suddenly to Mary as she hurried to the elevator at | Helen’s side—was it possible that all of them were right and that Mary, the insig- nificant minority, was all wrong? A nerv- ous little thrill sent her skin to crawling. Nor did the thrill depart at her first sight of the giant masquerade. A moment she stood motionless when they had at- tained the floor of the Thorndyke ball- room, listening to Miss Noble’s: “Tl have to desert you now, Mary. I’m on half a dozen of their committees and supposed to be working my head off at this minute. wearing?” “ Armor.” “Oh, you do know? Well, he went. by, dancing, just before we came in,” said Helen. ‘ Good-by for a little, Mary.” Do you know what Peter’s Original fro Ke onmlic JOO S C@ THE O 410 STATE UI