Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 106: what you’re looking at

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

206 Betty sped across the level and into the house. When Channing, carrying Vallon, entered the living room Betty’s voice reached him. ‘Come right in here, please!” She had selected Bassett’s old room. The bed clothing was thrown back. Betty stood, her hands tight clasped, while Channing placed Vallon’s limp form on the bed. Then, with Channing, grim and silent, watching her, and with Eve and Warren standing just inside the door, both pale and motion- less, Betty set to work. After a time Eve slipped out of the room. Later, Warren followed her. Eve was stand- ing at one of the veranda columns, her shoulder resting against it. She was very white and rigid, and Warren walked to the opposite end of the veranda and sat on its edge. Inside the house Channing was standing in Bassett’s room, his arms folded, watch- ing Betty and Vallon. Betty had taken various things out of the bag she had brought with her to the Circle B, and among them were bottles of medicine, bandages and other articles of medicinal value which had been left by Dr. Link, the specialist who had attended Warren. Bending over Vallon, Betty turned and looked at Channing. Her eyes were bright, alert. She seemed now to have no fear of Channing. “ He is very weak,” she said. ‘“ He has lost a great deal of blood. But the buliets seem to have gone clear through, and there will be little danger of complications. There will be fever. He has some now. But the bullets seem to have missed the vital spots. The nearest doctor is at Laskar, isn’t he?” At Channing’s nod she went on, com- pressing her lips: ‘“ That’s fifty miles. It would take hours to get there and more hours for the doctor to reach here. By that time Vallon won’t need a doctor.” ‘¢ Meanin’ what?” asked Channing. “ Meanin’ that if my remedies don’t help him the doctor would be too late. Ii my remedies avail we won’t need a doctor. There isn’t much to be done except to keep the fever down and dress the wounds. If there is a chance for him his constitution will do the rest.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Then you don’t think there’s much chance?” Betty shook her head. Channing stood, looking at her, steadily, intently. He seemed not to be the Chan- ning she had seen this morning, when he had stood in the kitchen doorway looking into the living room just after she had made her confession to Eve. He seemed taller, broader, more commanding. It had always seemed to her that there had been in him a spirit of complacence, a disposition to yield rather than to insist. She might have got that impression from the humorous glint in his eyes, which seemed always to be there. Also, it had seemed to her that no violent emotion could disturb the cold even- ness of his disposition, that no crisis could ever startle him out of his quiet, easy im- perturbability. She had felt he was immune to the passions that governed ordinary per- sons. She knew better now. She felt that if she had touched his face at this instant she would have found it cold as marble. His lips were so tightly pressed together that they seemed to form a straight, blue line. And his eyes, as they met hers, reminded her of agates; they had the same cold, flinty glint. She knew that the shooting of his friend had aroused him. “So you think he’ll die?” he questioned. Betty was amazed at the sound of his voice. It was no longer drawling, lingering, almost gentle. It was queerly vibrant, in- tense, light; it made her think of a steel wire, stretched to its breaking point. She knew that for all his outward calmness a raging fire of passion was flaming within. She bowed her head in answer to his question. And in the next instant she was on her knees at his feet, gripping his hands and sobbing. She told him that she knew that Vallon had been shot by one of Green’s men. She had been expecting something like that to happen. She had prayed it wouldn’t hap- pen. “It’s all because of me!” she declared. ‘“T shouldn’t have come! I knew it from the first—that—that there would be trou- ble! I should have gone away before Green came. But I couldn’t—after—after—1I had GA GomnilGeboo (”) SS (C(O)