Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

| 686 know but what he was dead. A glance over my shoulder showed me that Jimmie was _ standing apart, a little white around the alls, but still scornful. — Presently Billy opened his eyes. First only the whites showed and then the rest of them come down to their proper position. He give a kind of a groan and I knowed that “the time for ordering flowers for him had not yet come. ‘““Lemme help you to your feet, , says I. “Hands off!” Jimmie’s hand was'on my shoulder; his commandin’ voice was-in my ear. I looked up. ‘Gee whiz!” says I. ‘“ You ain’t going to hit him again, are you?” “ He gets the wallop till he goes to his knees and apologizes,” says Jimmie. _ I looked down at Billy again. A sudden flare of anger comes into his grayish face. He rolls over and puts his hands under him and tries to lift himself up, but he can’t quite make it. [I lifted him to.a sit- ting position. of the road for a minute in silent medita- tion: Then he gets to his knees and bends his head. His voice just reaches me, kind of chokey and gaspy. “T haven’t got the punch,” he says. “I. apologize for my actions. If I had the punch I would knock off your head and kick it from here to the beach.” | I didn’t know if that- would pass for ’an apology with Jimmie or not, but it seemed to. Billy staggers to’ his feet and picks up his cap, which had been jarred off. He turns in the general direction of the beach and starts to stagger away. “One thing more,” says Jimmie. “ ~ Don't ; you speak to my. wife. again—ever.’ Billy doesn’t turn around: too much ef- fort, I guess. ‘ ‘What if she Speaks t to me?” he asks. “ Shall I snub her?” ‘She won't,” Jimmie cries, and there is a great note of triumph in his voice. Well, well, my old heart give quite a jump. After all his fussing round he still has a high and exalted: faith in his Sadie! Billy departs, and we go back to the car. I climb in very weary. ‘“Whereaway now, James?” says I. He sits there in the middle e id ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, “ Haveri’t you got to the point where a bed would look good to you?” “I suppose I must rest,”? he answered. ‘“T don’t feel like sleep, however. try to Bests to-morrow.’ ‘Where you going to leave your car, Jimmie?” I says. ‘“ Hadn’t thought of it,” he says. “You can put it in my barn if you don’t think my flivver would contaminate it,” I says. “Tl take a chance,” says he. When we had put the pretty car to bed, I have a big day ahead. of me , Jimmie stops outside the barn door. “Seems as if I couldn’t go to my own - house to- night, he says in a deep and mournful voice. ‘I guess Il go to the hotel.” ‘Come into my house and J will bed you down for the night,” says I. ‘“ You are ‘in for a wakeful night, anyhow,:so Dll make a pot of coffee. That will keep you awake. No use doing a thing by halves.” Half an hour later with three cups of my strong coffee under his belt he retired to rest on the davenport in my parlor: I set and smoked a while and thought of this and that, especially of the ways of young fclks in times of stress. Before I went to my bedroom I took a peek in at Jimmie. He was laying on -his.back, one arm flung up over his head. ‘* Jimmie,” I whispered. No answer. Not a move from the long figure on the bed. In spite of heartbreak- ing trouble and strong coffee, Jimmie was far away in bylow land. I turned in, and in a few minutes I was there myself. Lf found Jimmie there, and him and me had some most amazin’ adventures before the morning sun shining on my face ‘brought. me back. - & * «6 CHAPTER VI. “ METHOD IN MADNESS. 7 Y HAT now?” says I. \ Me and Jimmie had. finished our coffee and bacon. - We set back and I lit a good cigar. “ Have a smoke?” says I. cConnicloook. Yes, Vl .