Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 53: what you’re looking at

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

= body is “supposed to. testify. sO. THIS qs ‘That is, all _ believers are.’ “Then whyn’t they swear me in? he heatedly asked, testifying having but one connotation for him. ‘I don’t want to tes- - tify to nothing, anyhow. You didn’t tip me off they was gonna pull anything like that.” Letty laughed, her easy good nature “quickly restored. “J didn’t know the minister would call on you,” she said, “ or I would have helped you make up something mee to aay= We will be prepared next time.” = He secretly assured igual that = Se be prepared by being absent; but said noth- ing further about it. _At the general store he noted that four or five of the hangers-on still clustered about its darkened portals, among them the _ they hard it was to pitch it ‘up into the bays passed, he remarked audibly that “any i tall figure of Micah Shelby. As- city dude that tries to steal my girl is go- ing to git whopped some fine day!”’ _ The Slapper stopped, but the girl seized his arm and whispered: “ Please! Don’t my sake!” He yielded reluctantly. ‘“What’s he mean, anyhow? — Are a his ‘jane, huh?” — ~ © He’s less than “athing to mek: ‘He calls _ a much sma I can’t refuse to see him. 1 rewards were infinitesimal, : =e officials served without as But to. aie sometimes; dislike him; but he comes of awful nice folks; his father is a deacon in our church.” = I should worry if his father is a beot- lesger and drives his own Rolls-Royce!” ca threatened the Slapper. “ He don’t want — to get gay with me, or I'll crown him! No tube desperado is gonna bawl me out.” “He isn’t worth your notice,” she in- sisted. “Just a loafer. No, that’s not quite fair, either. more’n a hundred lobster pots set, and owns two fine dories he built himself. But he is a bully. Everybody will respect —_ more if you just ignore him.” == The Slapper grunted. He wasn’t crazy — about being respected, he mumbled; but stat Shelby, though he saw him from where he came, little back talk was taken, and he wasn’t gomg to begin up = = here in the bushes. Then he felt that Letty ae pie sake this < as a Sg : _ ject. magazine.” he asserted. ~ other girls look like they was weak c sac sb and the kids to play around with daytimes, and the first crop of hay out, he found how. useful to Mrs. Tucker and. Letty whenever stop here. I hate brawls. Come along, for = which wasn’t often. | —— ‘damped “able the town for: a obi ae He doesn’t loaf. He has Ww EDLOCK! ‘upon her home town, and changed the sub- “Seme scenery you got on to- night, girly,” he hazarded. __It was always safe to praise them. They all fell for it. Indeed, Letty did smile, — partly at his manner of ‘expressing himself. = “JT made it myself, ” she admitted. — “From a pattern in a New York fashion = “Tt mighta come off’n Fift’ eee » “Got class to it. Made the other’s things, on a bet.” : The days dragged on, not too tedions ye now that he had Letty to talk to nights, Sometimes, in emergencies, he helped old man Tucker. As when, rain threatening, of of the big barn; and again duringya dry spell, he tugged ‘numberless pails. of water — to the vegetable patch. He made himself they would tolerate him. Bbout the ‘Kitchen Once or twice There: were = motion pictures at the church vestry; a session in town— meeting confirmed his belief in the efficacy of graft and ring rule. Everything was on. experienced observation, there were little— deals being = through, secret sercoments improvement. A piece of road mending was scamped, leaving somebody a fat piahe Rum running from the Canada dine. fat= tened certain pekeis These hicks, he Ss “were “as crooked as they dared to be, or the condi-- tions permitted. Not all of them, of course; not even most of them. But then, eS ‘were straight-shooters even in se ae = He didn’t come in con act with Mi I H RUG Soon alter Se coon esta