Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 62: what you’re looking at

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

212 called down for it, “ that they will prove a mite more efficacious than the last.” He also had gone to Oxford. . CHAPTER X. ROUND NUMBER ONE. R. VAIL realized, upon striking the graveled walk that led sharply to his wharf, that in his haste he had forgotten to encase his feet in slippers. His fury scorned the fact as a trifling detail in spite of the stifled howls he gave vent to. *“* Ahoy, there, stranger, good morning!” called Sparks cheerily in answer, as he imagined, to Mr. Vail’s hearty hail, a faint echo of which had reached his ears. He saw Mr. Vail pause a minute on the path and stare stonily at him. [t also appeared as if Mr. Vail’s lips were moving, perhaps in some kindly message of welcome. He next saw Mr. Vail pltick his honey colored dressing gown about him and with an exciting exposure of lavender silk py- jamas, and no ankles to speak of, step daintily across the path and onto the grass lawn where, as if the cooling verdure had inspired hisn, he again broke into an ex- uberant lope and started a Spring dance, as a Swede might interpret one, for the dock. “Mighty decent of you to run down to meet me,” shouted Sparks, when he deemed Mr. Vail near enough to hear him. Mr. Vail almost tripped, as if some invis- sible spur had pricked him, and then re- doubled his pace. ‘““T see you believe in combining exercise with your pleasure,” continued Sparks. Mr. Vail, who had by this time reached the approach to the dock, managed to pause. He drew the revolver from the pocket of his honey colored dressing gown and, breathing rapidly, squinted along its barrel. “Target practice?” enquired Sparks pleasantly. ‘‘ Move it a bit; you're aiming it at me.” Something like a “ Stand still, damn it!”’ came faintly to his ears. Mr. Vail in a rage that was now towering, the soles of his feet badly bruised and his restraint scattered irrevocably to the four ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. winds, knew perfectly well that the distance was still too great for proper aiming. He pulled the trigger anyway. The gun did its duty and the bullet clanged against the iron side of the Princess, several yards to the left of where Mr. Swift hiing in welcoming fashion over the rail. ‘‘ Are you mad?” shouted Sparks. “Yes!” roared Mr. Vail, becoming ar- ticulate for the first time in ten minutes. Sparks took him at his word value and dove for the chartroom where he bolted the door and then, making for a porthele, stood waiting for further manifestations on the part of his lunatic employer. Mr. Vail felt better. He began, in fact, to feel a trifle worried. Perhaps he had been a dash too headstrong. No matter how slick a con man young Swift was, it would go hard with himself if he were to hit him with a bullet. Lead thus being put aside, Mr. Vail ascended the gangway with the intention of mounting to the bridge and giving the young sharper a large piece of his mind, if not all of it. After that he could hand him over to the proper authorities and collect as much of his twenty thousand dollars as he could. It would be, he feared, little enough. “ How much have you got left of my twenty thousand dollars?” he shouted, as he neared the opened port where gleamed a wary and suspicious eve. ‘* None. ing to shoot me up?” None! It was even worse than Mr. Vail had feared. “What did you do with it?” he demanded. “Well, I. bought this boat for one thing—”’ “My God!” murmured Mr. Vail, eying the purchase through a mist. “And I ask you again what you mean by pulling a gun on me?”’ “You dared—you had the inconceivable audacity—to bring this floating, no this half sinking nightmare, purchased with my money to—to—to—” Mr. Vail found himself getting seriously involved in the imi- tation of a whistle and paused to recapture his breath. “‘ Twenty thousand dollars for GOMmIGdooks And what do you mean by try- | (C@