Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

hake - 2 aStee yet * As \ A | ae Pie Ni WE POE Coals - ; . 4 \ Tian? ee yo Pee fave “Qua ia CTR ale aR at nS ia 562 in a feverish way; there was something very wild and pathetic in his upturned gaze. His mouth worked piteously, too, and his gen- eral expression was that of a person almost daft. “That’s it!” he said. ‘“ There’s some- thing funny about that family, Harry! They all like me—and I'll have to go through with it!” “Marry her, you mean?” “T'll have to!” cc Rot! 2) ** No, it’s not. I’ve got a hunch, Harry! Tt’ll all happen before I know what’s going on. She’ll look at me and keep on looking —and pretty soon some minister’ll be say- ing—” Mr. Wolcott laid a firm hand on his shoulder. “Stop that raving!” he commanded. “‘ Nobody can force you to marry Althea!” “They can’t, eh?” Mr. Harley laughed wildly. ‘ That’s all you know about Al- thea!”’ “ Possibly, but I know a whole lot about common sense, Jack,’’ his friend said sooth- ingly. ‘ Youre a trifle shaken because things seem to have come unexpectedly to a head. Asa matter of fact, you’re no worse off than you were a few minutes ago. There’s a way out of every pickle, you know. I hate like sixty to resort to the cheaper kind of trickery, but—well, for one thing, you might get down to real elemental stuff and just run!” “ Disappear ?”’ “ For a while, of course. You could ex- plain to Wicks that you’d been called to Australia.” “And suppose he and his daughter in- sisted that I take ten minutes off .before starting and marry Althea? They’d do that, you know.” 4 But” “ And if he didn’t do that, I’d have to ex- plain to Aunt Faith, anyway, and she’d in- sist that I marry Mildred and take ser along. And I’m damned if Ill marry either of ’em!” shouted Mr. Harley. ‘“ I’m eter- nally damned if Vl—” “ Hush!” snapped Mr. Wolcott, and his frown was quite testy. “ Let’s drop the idea of your disappearing, then, if it doesn’t ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. appeal to you. There are any quantity of other ways in which a man can avoid a wed- ding, for a time at. least. Why not—see here! Why not contract a contagious dis- ease? You might even go crazy for a time.” “That would take a minimum of effort just now!” Mr. Harley remarked grimly. “Don’t waste time being humorous, please!” “Was I that? I didn’t know,” groaned John. “Well? I’m a demented smallpox case. What then?” “Well, naturally, a man with a con- tagious disease would have to stay in seclu- sion for a considerable period. In that time—” “In that time,” Mr. Harley pursued drearily, ‘‘ two—and possibly even three— fiancées would be calling every day to see how the patient was! Say, what do you suppose I’m going through all this for, any- way?” he demanded savagely. “It’s to keep Aunt Faith from knowing that I lied in the first place, isn’t it?” “ Of course, but—”’ “ Let’s stop there. I think you’ve gone dry on good ideas,” sighed John. Mr. Wolcott himself sighed. “You may be right,” he conceded. “ It might be as well to consider the immediate future and see if we can’t build on what we discover there. ing to say to Miss Wicks about the wedding preparations?” : ‘* Not a darned word until she says some- thing to me!” ““ But if he’s wired her, she’s bound very shortly to say something, I fancy. Now let us suppose that she telephones you as soon as she gets the wire from her father. It might be—” In John’s room, prettily timed as if the thing had been rehearsed for days, the tele- phone jingled noisily. Mr. Wolcott opened his eyes; John himself started very vio- lently. “That’s Althea!” he exclaimed. say I’m not home!”’ “No. One lie never helped another.” * Let her ring, then!” “She'll probably come here hunting for you, if you don’t answer.” “ Go COMIC OOO K<S Ah—just what are you go- - (EO)