Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 5, 1921 — page 48: what you’re looking at

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

334 wanted to cry. How humiliating it was. to sit there while Julia settled Derrick’s future! Neither of them seemed to give a thought as to what it meant to her, Derrick’s wife; whether she was to be parted from him for ages, or otherwise. “Ves, I'll stay,” Derrick replied. Maud’s round face beamed. | ‘Oh, I’m so glad! And Letty, too, I imagine,” she exclaimed. Julia turned cold eyes upon her sister. ‘TI don’t see what difference it can make to Letty one way or another,” she said, hug- ging her secret knowledge. “ Ask Letty,” chuckled Maud. ‘ Really one would think that you had no conception of ‘the serious things of life,” Julia said rebukingly. Maud turned up her nose at this. There were times when Julia’s ideas about duty bored ther. After dinner the nurse went back to her patient, and Derrick joined the girls in the drawing-room immediately. Heretofore he ‘hadn’t appeared to pay much attention to his wife, but as they crossed the hail to- gether he caught her quickly about the waist and bent down whispering: ‘‘ Are you glad, old girl?” “Oh, Derrick—-yes!” Tears rushed to her eyes, and her sweet mouth became tremulous. ‘Sorry 1 was so beastly last night,” he said. ‘“So was I—I mean, so am I,” she whis- pered back. In the drawing-room Julia began to rake up memories of Gerald Stansbury. It start- ed because of some old tune Maud was struggling with at the piano, which remind- ed Julia of a round game at :. Christmas party—though why, not even Maud could say. ‘ Soon the tune ceased, and Maud was fur- tively groping for her handkerchief, while Derrick jumped up with that queer look he always had when Gerald was mentioned, and said he must go at once and see about his telegram. Letty flewgafter him. Maud spoke resentfully to her sister. ‘“T wonder why you always manage to break up anything that has the faintest prospect of being pleasant or cheerful,” she ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. grumbled. “ You know that any one has only to mention Gerald’s name to give Rickey the hump.” Julia smiled like a priestess. ' ““T had a reason to-night. I wamted to make sure that he still feels the same way.” ‘ But why?” Maud’s resentment changed to perplexity. ‘ Julia dallied with a great temptation, and fell. She was jealous of Maud’s affection for Letty. “Because Letty’s the girl who ruined Gerald,” she said, If she had hurled a bomb-shell full in Maud’s face the latter could not have been more astonished. She sank back weakly upon the pilano-stool, her round, good- natured face turned a sickly white, her eyes popping ludicrously. “You must be mad, Julia!” ‘‘ Unfortunately it is true. I’ve had my suspicions almost from the first that some- thing was queer about her—but I didn’t find out what it was until to-day.” ‘‘ How did you find out?” ‘IT don’t think I can tell you that—yet.” ‘It can’t be true, Julia. Why, Letty couldn’t have béen more than fifteen or six- teen—”’ ‘How do we know how old she is now?” ‘But she looks so young! She’s just a kid. You ought to see her with her hair down.”’. ‘‘ I am not responsible for how she looks,” Julia said acidly. “I have absolute proof that she is the girl who nsined Gerald— the girl that Rickey’s vowed to find some day. He doesnt’ know, of course. The sly thing was careful enough not to tell him. And there’s more to it than that, even. Her father’s just been arrested for blackmail and she’s going to make some excuse to go up to London to-morrow because he insists upon seeing her. They belonged to an Organized gang of gamblers. That Mrs. Carlisle was one of them. Oh, I know th whole story.” Julia bad certainly made an impression on her sister. Tears began to roll down Maud’s fat cheeks, and Julia experienced a delightful thrill of triumph until she spoke: | “ Oh, poor little Letty! -Fhigtwhatiahe'e.