Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 77: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF THE BRIDE. “Me? I never run across anybody any more, Bill,” sighed Thomas. “ We put in twelve hours a day at the office, these times.” “No, I meant to-night—possibly at the ball across the street.” “Qh! Was Mary gving to that ball?” asked Thomas, and the stare that went with the question should have earned him a Nat that I’m aware,” William said. ‘ Bat Mary and parties always had a sort of affmity and I thought—-what is the af- fair, anyhow, Tom?” : ‘* Just a masquerade.”’ “You're not attending?” “Tm past that sort of thing, Bill,” yawned Thomas. “ By the time I’ve fin- ished up the day’s work, I’m ready to sit down somewhere. Bad sign, you kaow— getting old. But I’m fed up on the gaiety stuff. {—oh, see here! Surely you re not William was out of his chair again. Thomas faced him almost pleadingly. For a moment, William looked at his old friend —s0 very queerly' Then his hand went out suddenly. “7 want to beg your pardon, Tom,” said he. ro § What?” “I do, indeed!” said William, and wrung the hand of his friend. “‘ What are you begging my pardon for?” Thomas inquired blankty. “Well, that’s something you don’t know and you never will know,” said young Mr. Emerson with a small slightly troubled smile. “ But I want to de it, all the same. Will yeu teH Pete that I stopped in?”’ “Of course, Dut won't you—”’ “TJ can’t stop another minute, Tom!” said WilHam, and made for the door. “ Really! Good-by!” Once more he shook his friend’s hand. Then the door ‘closed upon him = and Thomas, swaying much as’ Mary had swayed several times this evening, dropped against the wall and listened. He might have spared himself the trouble. Mr. Emer- son’s heels.clicked smartly down the corri- dor and stopped before the elevator; and _ presently there was a clanging of the door— 383 and Thomas epened his own portal perhaps one inch and peered out. The corridor was empty. William had passed on! ee CHAPTER XX. ““ OPEN THAT DOOR!” OT instantly did Thomas turn and rush hack to his little friend, all closeted in her armor. Instead, he stood through five good minutes, breathing heav- ily and merely waiting. A stone-visaged youth who can walk into another man’s flat m search of his wife, who can stroll straight through, looking for her, and still keep up a flow of casual convétsation, is capablé of even more! It was not only thinkable, it was down- right likely that the nastily suspicious Wil- liam, having thoroughly lulled Thomas Henning into a sense of false security, would turn around, come back and burst in! Yet he did not. When the five minutes had passed, the need for action surged back upen Thomas. He sped to the den and the closet. The armor stood there, metioniless, soundiess, and he smiled wanly. ““Tt’s all right, Mary!” he said. alone again!” | The armor turned weakly and tottered slowly ut. Tenderly, almost, because every angle seemed to express the agony of the young woman within, Thomas lifted off the unwieldty headgear. The tears seemed to have been streaming again! “Did you hear him?” “ Almost—every word!” Mary whis- pered. “1 thought that I—I should die!” “Nonsense! There wasn’t anything to “ We're ' die about, Mary!” Thomas forced himself to say brightly. “ Bill’s been all through the place now and he’s cenvinced that you’re not here.” ‘“‘ He—came in here!’’ pursued the dream whisper. “ B-B-Billy was right in here, looking for me!” A great, glistening tear slipped from either eye as she gazed at Thomas. 4‘ Looking for me—here!” “He wasn’t doing that, Mary. He was just looking through the flat, of course. And he wasn’t even angry—that’s a big point. Original from (C(O) O STATE UNI a) is = THE OF lOOOLKK CO