Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 18, 1925 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

250 outside with Gertrude Thomas on _ his arm. This appeared to him gross disloyalty. He was Howard’s friend as well as his em- ployer, and it seemed to him that Howard should have avoided the girl as a conse- quence of her treatment of him. Instead, he was talking and laughing with her as if nothing had happened. Mary Norman strolling along, alone, had the same feeling, She turned her head away so as not to see her erstwhile college chum, but she felt that if she had forsworn Ger- trude’s acquaintance because of her abomi- nable behavior, Howard should be even more indignant with her. Howard was no longer as admirable a person as she had first imagined him. He had neglected her the night before to entertain the Potter-Dunlaps, and as they had nothing to récommend them beside their money, she felt that it must be the attraction. And since Howard was rich, himself, his willingness to dance with a homely girl must betoken an avaricious nature. In Rod’s case, he felt a spasm of what he thought was indignation at seeing this girl who had treated him as dirt beneath her feet, on apparently very friendly terms with a man whom he did not consider his own equal in character or stability. It simply demonstrated once more what an empty headed person she must be. And yet he yearned for that girl; he could not nurse his anger against her; she attracted him as a magnet does steel. He knew he had strength enough to turn away and keep away from her, but he would need his strength if she ever evinced a friendly spirit. And at this minute he saw Higginson deal a card from the bottom of the pack. It was so skillfully done that the players could not have noticed it. If Rod’s head had not been turned at a certain angle to peer out the window he would not have noticed it. But there was no doubt about it. What was to be done? He couldn’t prove it; he was not in the game; Higgin- son was the only one of the four with whom he was in the least acquainted. Well, people who played cards with strangers must look ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, out for themselves, but he knew now that the man was a crook and probably was the person who had taken the money from his pocketbook that night in the train. He made an excuse and left the smoke- room. He stood framed in the doorway as Howard and Gertrude came around the corner of the deckhouse. He heard How- ard exclaim: “Why, there he is now!” Hastily he drew back and reéntered the smokeroom. If Howard brought the girl over to hirh he would have to be polite, and he preferred not to meet her at all. But what had happened to cause her to be will- ing to meet him? Last night he had flouted the captain’s suggestion that she had agreed to attend a party at which he would be a guest. Had she come to realize how unfair and unjust she had been to him, and did she think he was a man who could be maltreated and walked all over and then say “ pleased to meet you?” But he could not prevent a feeling of pleasure from spreading through his sys- tem that it was possible Miss Thomas was no longer hostile to him. Just the same, Howard had no business with her. He had probably been making a lot of explanations to her, and Rod didn’t want himself excused and explained. He had done nothing re- quiring the fixing which was Howard’s specialty. —_—- CHAPTER XVII. CAMPBELL FALLS IN LOVE. OWARD CAMPBELL was not in the least to blame, in this case, for his appearance in the company of Rod’s beautiful enemy. Gertrude had learned that morning from the captain that the party was off because McGarry did not wish to encounter her. It threw her into a fury, which was fol- lowed by a long deliberation. She wanted to meet this man; she must meet him if only to vindicate herself in her own mind. She was now the injured party. He had silenced her in the corridor, he had sent no answer to a most humble letter, he had re-— comicbooks