Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

134 “‘ I—don’t—know,”’ Bidwell replied faint- ly. “So help me—God—I—don’t.” Bert straightened and wheeled about to face Turner, who had -again risen to his feet. But at Bert’s alarming approach, his fear overcame him, his knees sagged beneath him, and he knelt again. “Gentlemen,” said Bert, turning to the startled members of Selma’s Board of _ Selectmen, “ you see before you the two ex- alted leaders of Selma’s affairs—the two masters you’ve been serving so faithfully. I’m going to give them just until to-morrow morning to get out of town, and if they’re still here then, I’m going to give your tin god, Turner, another open-handed licking— which is the most honorable licking I can give him—and your esteeined president an- other real one. : ' “JT don’t believe that any of you realized what sort of men you Were serving so blind- ly; but if there are any of you who were actually mixed up in their wrong-doings, why—why, you’d better resign to-night. There’s going to be a general overhauling in this town, I promise you; and any one who hasn’t been straight doesn't want to be here while it’s going on.’ “ Those of us as knows they’re innercent are willin’ to stand fer any kind of investi- gation,”’ spoke up Selectman Diggers, com- ing forward. ‘ Fer myself, I been livin’ in Selma fer th’ past twenty-nine year, an’ there ain’t a man to say a word ag’in’ me, neither. I think I kin speak fer th’ rest of us, too. There ain’t a one of us as wasn’t kind o’ suspicious 0’ Cass Bidwell and Ellis Turner, ever since we begun to hear things jast night.” He paused and looked around at his colleagues, who nodded their heads solemnly in collaboration. ‘“‘ All right, gentlemen,” said Bert. “TI meant no offense to any of you, and if there’s no reason for it, you won’t take any.” “There ain’t no offense,” assured Dig- gers. ‘“ We understand.” Bert looked around. Warren was still standing among the circled group, but Ruth had left. A second glance revealed her, walking rapidly across the field toward the clearing and her waiting buggy. ‘“‘ Impress it upon these rats that they’re - ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. to leave town by to-morrow morning,” said Bert, addressing the men _ collectively. “Good day, gentlemen.” And he strode away, toward the clearing—and Ruth. She had already reached her buggy. and had climbed ta.the seat when Bert overtook her. - He took his stand beside her, between the wheels of the vehicle. “ Ruth,” he said abruptly, “I want to talk to you a minute.” “ Ruth,” she echoed. you, Mr. Boom!” “You called me ‘ Bef’ ” he replied. She flushed scarlet. ‘“ I—I don’t remem- ber it.” ‘““T do,” said Bert, nursing his bruised fists as he spoke. “ I’lh never forget it as long as I live. At that moment, Ruth, I became convinced of something I hadn’t quite realized before; of something I didn’t dare realize before, I should say. And that is that I love you—and want you!” ‘“ Qh!” she quavered. ‘“ You don’t know what you're saying! You know that it’s impossible! You—you said—” . “Tl never think that, any more,” he re- plied quickly. “ When you called me ‘ Bert,’ you told me that it wasn’t impos- sible. You know why I’ve avoided you all this time! It was because I—I didn’t un- derstand. I see now that I was all wrong, and that the—third thing—isn’t impossible, after all. I’d take you now—to-day—if I could; but first "—he pointed to the Ma- jestic ‘Hotele—' first, I have to make some- thing of that piece of junk there on the hill. I’m going to do that—and then I’m coming for you!” Quite as suddenly as he had approached “ How—hnow dare her, he stepped back from between the | wheels of her buggy and walked away, his long strides carrying him swiftly up the bending road toward his hotel. For a moment she sat sfill, gazing stead- ily and unseeingly into the green-brown foliage of the lane ahead, as if his mad words, ‘his weird declaration of love, had robbed her of all animation. At length she reached for her reins and mechanically urged her horse forward. ‘“‘ He—he must be crazy,” she murmured with quivering lips. ‘“ N-no man would 6)(0)©) mG (C(O) S