Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 4, 1922 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

O84 up to her side, a little surprised at this at- tention. “Lo, sister,” said William, adding to her surprise. Nevertheless, she said “ Good evening,” not too cordially. ‘Saw you across the street,’ William informed her. ‘‘ How about a little walk to-night ?”’ “Ym afraid,” he was told, “ that would be impossible.” “But I want to talk to you,” he in- sisted. ‘“ I’ve wanted to know you better since the first day at the office—no other girl like you in Hobart, I’ll say that.” William’s tongue was not quite responsi- ble. Now the girl stopped, facing William on the sidewalk, before they had gone past the last of the lighted stores. “Mr, Biddle,” she said, “I do not wish to walk with you now. And, if you will permit me, I should prefer to go on alone.” ‘“‘ Now, listen, sister—” William laid a detaining hand on the girl’s arm. ‘* Why can’t you be a sport? lonesome; have a heart! If I had a nice little girl to talk to for a while—” ‘Will you please let me go?” There was a note of distress in Margaret’s voice. The encounter was wholly unique in her experience. “Not until you promise to talk to me, Come on now, be a little reasonable, that’s the girl.” : “Now,” said Hugh McGregor, “ that ’Il do!” Williain’s voice, imperfectly controlled, had reached further than he had intended. The nature of his remarks was decidedly unusual here in Hobart. ‘“‘ Drop it!’’ commanded Hugh, and there was a cold warning in the tone. Once again, and once too often, William let his anger triumph over his discretion, of which he had never possessed a sufficient store. He turned away from Margaret fu- riously. ‘“ What the devil have you got to do with this thing, anyway? Tend to your business, and I[’ll tend to mine.” ‘This is mine,” observed Hugh quietly, Margaret was hurrying away. The bearded I’m all right; just - ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. mine foreman drew back casually, then, swift as a snake strikes, delivered himself of one mighty blow. Before it William was as chaff before the wind. After falling he rolled over twice, hung for a moment at the edge of the side- walk, then slipped softly down into the powdery red dust of the roadway. Ten minutes later dust-bespattered Wil- liam, with a darkening bruise beginning to show above a collar that had once been white, was stretched at length on a blanket- covered bunk in the cabin at the edge of town where Silent Hugh kept lonesome bachelor hall. The boss of the night-shift tore that col- lar from its place, felt William’s pulse, threw a blanket over the recumbent heir to Hobart, and, going out to his delayed labor, closed and thereafter locked the door. CHAPTER IV. INTO THE DEPTHS, ILLIAM awakened with the smell of V4 boiling coffee and the sweet aroma of smoking bacon tickling his nose, after numerous half awakenings and con- fused dreaming filled with a partial realiza- tion that he was extremely uncomfortable. The cooking breakfast aroused no hunger pangs. William felt that he would desire nothing resembling food for days to come. There was a taste as of ashes of aloes in his mouth. His head was sore on top and exceedingly tender at the bottom, as he was reminded when an incautious hand came in contact with his chin. “T feel rotten!’”’ was William’s first co- herent thought. ‘‘ What did I do?” as an exclamation followed after that. By no effort could he remember more than those four drinks at Logger Shannon’s. ‘“ Awful stuff!’ He knew that there had been some difficulty with Hopewell Davies, then the sidewalk, then oblivion. ‘“ I must have had more than that!” he decided plaintively. The sunlight of early morning streamed through the single window of the little cabin with sufficient brightness to be pain- ful in William’s eyes as he followed the deliberate movements of Silent Hugh Mc- 4A COMmMiCbooks.GoOm