Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

THE the entire ‘energy of his helpless body had concentrated in those mighty forearms. ‘“‘ What I want to know is,” he demanded with a fair imitation of his old thunder, “why, whenever I told you something | wished done about that Howland girl, you pretended to misunderstand me? I’ve asked you every time you came in here, and after a while it was plain enough that you were pretending. “ Vesterday I wrote it out for you— ‘ Howland ’—as plain as could be, and even then you had the cheek to try to fool me that you thought I meant that Harland estate. You know, Julia, it’s a mistake to take me for a fool when I’m on what well might be my death-bed.”’ Indeed, she saw her mistake now, and hastened to rectify it. “ Dear, you must forgive me. I honestly didn’t understand. didn’t want you to be worried—” “Where is the girl?”’ ‘She’s gone to London. J saw her mother the very next day. She’s gone to live with an aunt, and will get work. Mrs. Howland thinks it’s all for the best. The Keys is really no place for a girl like that.” Sir William fell back upon his pillow. “The Keys,” he muttered. “ That pest- At first Then—I hole! I should think not. Poor child— poor child! To think I drove her out—to think of it!” He began muttering with a trace of the recent indistinctness; his eyes closed, and he seemed oblivious to Julia’s presence. She bent over him, trying vainly to catch what he was saying, but it sounded so queer that she knew she must be wrong. “ Just the same—as Julia and Maud— turned out—foundling asylum—God forgive tme—I didn’t know. Curse that woman—”’ Julia rose hastily. When all was said and done, she loved her father. She ran out, calling to the nurse in the next room: “ 1’m afraid he’s delirious. I don’t know, but—” The nurse hurried to her patient, and leaned over him. He opened his eves and smiled at her. “Hello, don’t tell tell me it’s tempera- ‘ture time again so soon,” he said. | She looked back at the anxious Julia, GREATEST GAMBLE. 331 shaking her head cheerfully. There was nothing now the matter with Sir William. He was not in th> least delirious. CHAPTER XXII. A COMMISSION, ETTY felt that her latest burden was too L- great to be borne. For his own sake as much as her own she had to go on deceiving Derrick. It might not alter his love for her to be told that her father was on the verge of trial for the cowardly crime of blackmail, but it could not add to his happiness or peace of mind. Of course the papers would publish full details, but as Geoffrey Marsh was only one of many aliases the scoundrel had adopted during his long life of criminal adventure, it was unlikely he would stand trial under that name. His real name, unfortunately, was Mait- land, and if he acclaimed Letty as his daughter, Lucy Letitia, the coincidence would strike Derrick in an instant. Between two fires, Letty, who had no love for Marsh, felt that she must show some feeling; at least, as much as Roger Fitz- gerald. Of course, Roger was doing it for her. His kindness to Marsh from the very beginning had been solely on Letty’s ac- count. That fact she realized now, al- though before it had not been so apparent. Often in the past she had felt a contempt for Roger, wondering how any man with pretences of decency and a good social posi- tion could allow himself to be connected even indirectly with the “ gang.’ Now she knew that he must have done it for her; be cause in his curious, one might call it pas- sionless way, he loved her. When they had first met during that ill- fated Atlantic crossing, Letty Marsh had been nothing but a child, a really innocent decoy of unscrupulous people, one of whom was her father. a man whose own story had been told and lay buried in the grave of the wife he had adored. He had seen in Letty the sweet freshness of a flower that by some mischance has reared itself in a miasmi Slice kes And Roger Fitzgerald was. CO