Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 24: what you’re looking at

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

806 | “We need money. us anything till spring.” -T mean, why did she tell you to come a to me?” ~~ “She said you owned the town.” ~ This touched a responsive chord. Doxey _ stopped to think a moment just what could _-be done with a pretty girl in the town he had remade. In the old days it would have been a Simple matter. given her a spangled dress, a pair of silk : - stockings, gilt slippers, and put her in the ‘dance hall. But there 1 were no more dance = halls. x ae Scarce since the old_boom days.” —— “How about. taking care of the rooms?” ~ -_ _“Y have all the help I can use. ~ Furthermore, in o moment’s pause of the conversation Doxey caught sight of the faces of the loiterers in the hotel, Under _ the brims of sombreros he could see a glim- mer of light—a sort of light which had long _ Since gone out in the town of Sun-up. He ~ recalled what the drummer had said; there was needed only one little match and the whole place would blow up. “JT can’t give you a job, gal,” he said 1 in anasal whine. ey thought maybe 1 could wait, on the “table here at your hotel. My ma says—” [’ve al- ways been careful with my mney. SS = ¥ You need money bad, don’t your That work is given to cholos in this Bere town. You better go home to your maw.’ “J might find a job at a chow stand. I Icould — ~ could make friends with the town. _ gather a regular patronage— = nobody. ride the: country. ease! admit that. bea gang—like the old gangs that used to won’t submit to a country being owned by My reign of peace and prosperity = - as some like to call it—would bust.” —— can’t understand all that. =< of lights. seemed to cross her face. you're afraid of me. Of me—just coming _in from a range-fed- cow outfit. It’s funny.” ~The e girl studied him. There was no ani- But a twinkle — = es ~-mosity or even impatience, ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ~The ranch won’t pay | Overholser or Farraday or - some of the other saloon men would have It’s : Fact is, you’d gather one in a hurry. First thing Td know there’d = : ; The young herders would — get together again. The kind of fellows who It seems ‘tress—as the saying goes. woman; I imagine myself a knight. funny. I believe you could give me work somewhere—if you wanted to.” “You better go back to the mesas where your maw lives,” Doxey said conclusively. The girl waited. She had no intention of begging for a job. She assumed indiffer- ence by whistling a wornout song used by her mother’s cowmen in night herding. Doxey, in lieu of occupying himself with tobacco which he never used, took out an- other toothpick and chewed it. The con- versation still at a deadlock, he arose, stepped to the registry desk where, from a dust-covered glass urn, he took a package of chewing gum. He ruminated. The girl gave up waiting. ‘‘ You don’t mind if I eat here?” she asked finally. “Not at all. I was goin’ to suggest it. Just finished myself, or I’d ask you to dinner. We have what is called a regular dinner here: fried ham, eggs, fine coffee, too. I’m mighty pleased to have you.” T hen he added, considering that his invitation might be taken too atteraiy ** Best pate anywhere in the county, too.” It was while seated at a table, virtually facing the dapper Frederick Hayden that - Hailie noticed the connoisseur from Kansas City. He found that it was an easy meet- ing to arrange. The girl was as anxious for company as he. _ “T heard all about = lady. all ae +! i he said. “And ’m here to tell you that old Doxey turning you down as he did means nothing—except, naturally, that he’s an ass. You're hunting for work; that set- ties it. From the point of view of a business man—a city business man—you’re a very promising looking candidate! ” Hallie forgot the admonition of her mother, to the effect that men with collars on must be spoken to with reserve. — “Well, this is lucky!” she said joyfully. “We must have met somewhere before. My name’s Hallie Crockett, and yours?” This surprisingly easy meeting with a girl from the unfenced range ee threw Hayden slightly off his euard= “No, we haven’t met helore: I must con- fess,” he said; then, regaining his buoy- ancy: “1 merely noted that you were in dis- Tt is =. beautiful comicbooks. (E(@)