Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 112: what you’re looking at

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

678 definitely decided to forego his vengeance. And he had not yet decided to do so, He had been waiting—waiting, wondering, his brain a battle-ground for the conflicting emotions that the events of the past few weeks had aroused. She was watching him steadily. Her manner was calm with something of the ‘serenity that had been peculiar to Larry Dillon; her hands were folded rather limp- ly in her lap; her lips were in reposeful curves; but there was speculation, curiosity, in her eyes. It was as though she had made up her mind to say something important to him, and she was trying to find words that would create an impression of casualness. ‘Mr. Nelson,” she began, “ when you were delirious you talked much about a man you called ‘ Larry.’ ”’ ‘“So you said, ma’am.” A slow grin swept over his face. ‘I reckon I’m in for a dressin’ down, ma’am. Every time you go to callin’ me Mr. Nelson I can look for it. Callin’ me Mr. Nelson makes me feel. like a stranger to myself, ma’am. I reckon I'll understand what you’re goin’ to say a whole lot better if you’ll use my regular name.”’ ‘All right,” she smiled. ‘* According to the way you talked, you must have thought a great deal of Larry. But I never over- heard you mention his last name.” ‘“ Dillon, ma’am—Larry Dillon.” “Larry,” said the girl, ruminatively. “ That is a nickname for ‘ Lawrence,’ of course. But ‘ Larry’ always’ suggested a brave, impulsive good-natured boy-man to me. I expect your Larry was all that?” “ You’ve got him right, ma’am.” She steadily watched Shorty’s face—it had grown pale from an instant rush of memories of his friend, brought on by the gentleness of the girl’s voice as she spoke of him. “You had known him a long time, I sup- pose?” she continued. “ An affection that “makes a man yearn to kill for the sake of a friend must have been a long time in the making.” ‘“T rode with him for more than five years, ma’am.” ‘““ How was Larry killed, Shorty?” He told her, relating how Blackburn had found, appended to Larry’s clothing, the ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. note with the murderer’s name written upon it. He did not mention the name. She did not ask him. ‘““And you have been searching for the murderer ever since?” she said. ‘“Only about a month, ma’am. You see, Lawler was away in the capital, an’ I couldn’t quit him without havin’ a talk with him, to let him know for certain just why I was leavin’.” ““ When was Larry killed?” ; “ About a year ago—durin’ the summer. On the roth of June.” ‘It happened near Willets, you said?” ~ 66 Yes, ma’am.” “TI heard of that fight,” she said. “T suppose every one # the country heard of it.” She looked keenly at him, and her voice was low: _ ‘“T wonder if you know that Tim Blan- dell was supposed to be a member of Blondy Antrim’s gang?” . He smiled gravely at her. Blandell would be,” he said. “I reckon “Tt struck me, soon as I saw him, that he was that’ kind. I’m havin’ a talk with Blandell some day.” | ‘“T’d be careful,” she warned. “ Blan- dell has many friends in this section. In fact, if report is true, Antrim’s headquar- ters were not far from Loma. And I have heard that the remnant of his band still meet there.” Shorty did-not answer. He was not thinking about Blandell, nor the remnant of Antrim’s band. He was thinking of the girl who sat near him. On the night he had met her at the water-hole she had seemed to him to be shy, almost diffident, with an inclination toward trustfulness that appeared to be based upon warm impulses, sympathy, and understanding. " Now, while she still exhibited sympathy, there was about her an atmosphere of re- serve, of constraint almost, which puzzled him. She seemed older, more sure of her- self, less embarrassed in his presence; and several times Shorty caught her watching him with an expression that puzzled him. And while they continued to talk she, de- hberately introducing subjects which had no connection with the previous discussion, 6)(0)O) in (C(O) S (C(O) nn