Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

574 noon to-morrow!” young Mr. Henning said cheerily. ‘‘I know your old Maggie and Maggie knows me, Mary. She will tuck it away where it belongs and forget the inci- dent forever.” He dabbed his forehead and glanced up and down the friendly stretch of corridor. “We have a secret now, you and I, for the rest of our lives, I presume?” “Oh, Billy mustn’t ever know!” Billy’s bride cried, agitatedly, ‘ but—” “Then he never will know,” Thomas laughed. ‘“ And see that you don’t let any- thing slip that might get to” Dolly’s ears, either. She’s a darling, but there are times when she might be more reasonable and trusting. “ Good-by, Mary! Or would you hike to have me go down to the train with you?” ‘IT wish you would, but—” “YT will, indeed! Now you'd better slip In there and change your clothes; time’s getting mighty. short!”’ © “ Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. How can I get in there?” Thomas stared quite blankly. ‘“‘ Er—haven’t you the key?” | “‘ Of- course not!” ‘“¢'Who has it then?” “ Peter’s sister—Helen Noble. You saw her over there. She’s a gipsy girl.” Much of Thomas’s recent, relieved smile faded out. Possibly five seconds he hesi- tated; then he forced back the reassuring grin and said: “ Fool trick of me not to have asked you that before we started, Mary! You wait right here!” “ Will you hurry?” Mary asked. If Thomas answered, he was by that time too far away for Mary to hear, which was probably as well. fact, was on his way down-stairs—not by the elevator, but descending the . marble flights three steps at a time. He was not angry, of course; not even vexed; but it really did seem that this key proposition might have occurred to Mary before! When a man’s affianced bride is indubitably growing more and more angry with every neglected second— There was a rather cattish-looking little woman who left the elevator and hurried to ad Thomas, as a matter of | ARGOSY-ALLSTORY. WEEKLY. a door far down the corridor, as Mary waited. She stared, and Mary felt the metal meit away. There was a big man, who lived up the other way and paused te ad- dress a jovial comment to the knight im armor—and then moved on with a and a grunt when the knight failed to make fitting response. And the hours were wearing on and wear- ing on, to the best of Mary’s belief, and stil Tom Henning did not return with the wretched key. It was possible that they had grabbed him again, over there, just as they had grabbed the knight; Mary choked audibly and leaned against the wall as she remembered. Or perhaps he had been run over by one of the automobiles below— or perhaps Dolly Hayes had fastened upon him and refused to let him escape again. Or perhaps—the knight stiffened. The ele- vator gate was opening once more—and it was Thomas at last, this time! He did not bound forward, though. Nor did either of his hands seem to be clasping a key. With a slight droop and with no speed at all, Thomas approached and paused, after a precautionary glamee up and down the corridor. “‘ Gone!’ he satd simply. “ Helen?” ‘With the Moter Corps, Mary. She's chief cook and bottle-washer of that organ- ization, you know. They were called out suddenly and they all left the ball, just as they were!” ‘“ But—where have they gone?” “Twenty or thirty miles down the val- ley; as E understand it,” said Thomas, in differently enough, for his mind was all in Braydon this evening. ‘‘ Where did she put that key, when you two left here?” “Into her poeket, of course.”’ “That’s where it is now, Mary!” . Thomas sighed. CHAPTER XVII. ° KEYS, HE colored elevator-boy was a cheery soul. From his car, which descended just then without pausing at the fifth floor, there floated a merry, whistled Auri- lODOOLKK iginal from -) | ~ Stile | 7 (Goin CO ) | I m\ =