Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 18, 1925 — page 19: what you’re looking at

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

\ DINNER FOR CYNTHIA. “~ ‘“ Primarily, then, is he really in ’em?”’ “Well, isn’t he?” Mrs. Stone demanded, staring rather wildly, rather helplessly, at her daughter. ‘I thought that was what all the excitement was about.” ‘As if,” Cornelia said bitterly, “ there could be any doubt about that! And more dreadfully in them than even I had feared.” Forbes glanced at her impatiently and rose with a shrug. ‘““Why, there are just the conventional moves that are made in such cases,” he said. ‘I don’t know any new stunts. You might have her approached by some diplo- matic person and sounded out. Let your son-in-law go to her—let Dale go to her, Mrs. Ronalds.” “That handsome fiend?” Mrs. Stone said very tartly. “‘ He’d be more likely to make love to her himself.” “Some one else, then. Maybe she can be reasoned out of the whole proposition.” ‘When she thinks she’s going to marry a fortune?” “All right. Take that angle of it. Tell her that Mrs. Stone has determined to cuf Neville off without a cent, if he marries against her wishes. Tell her the boy isn’t capable of making a living for himself and that if he wasn’t working—or ostensibly working—in his own uncle’s office—” “Mr. Forbes!” Neville’s mother cried. “ Oh, let him stick to the facts!” Jane Stone cried. ‘‘ He’s the only one who ever talks sense around here. Go on, Forbes.” “There isn’t anyWhere to go,” said the lawyer. ‘If you can’t have her reasoned out of it, you'll have to try buying her out of it. If that doesn’t work—i don’t know. You might try to do some more reasoning with young Neville, always bearing in mind, of course, that he’s over twenty-one and legally sane, and that, if he’s really de- termined to marry the girl, there’s no way under the sun of stopping him.” It did not sound markedly helpful. Smil- ing perfunctorily, Mr. Forbes stood on one foot for a moment—and then on the other foot for the moment. Nothing could have been more obvious than the fact that his call was over. Mrs. Stone gazed gloomily at him. ‘Forbes, Lord knows you must have 169 some chivalry and some sporting blood— and you’ve got a mercenary streak, too,” She reflected. ‘‘ Won’t money, in modera- tion, tempt you to try eliminating this fe- male from our family affairs—just this one female, Forbes, with the understanding that before it happens again we’ll have looked up a professional eliminator?” The lawyer shook his head. “Inasmuch as I decline to make a brute of myself if this happens to be another de- cent girl really in love with Neville—or an idiot of myself if she chances not to be in love with him—or a trafficker in muck if she’s really entangling him—no, money will not!” ‘All right! Get out of here, then!” Mrs. Stone grunted, drearily, “Do you know, I was about to do that very thing?” said the attorney, and they shook hands with greatest heartiness. Just as the street door below closed after him, Cornelia Ronalds tore her delicate handkerchief in two. The faint little rip- ping sound startled her; she stared in as- tonishment at the halves; and then she gripped herself with great determination and faced her mother. The latter lady, scowling at the floor, was paying no heed whatever. “Left us flat—blast him!” she observed. ‘““ Well—at least, mother, we know the worst now!” said Cornelia. “Yep! Flatter than a pancake! Hang him! Why couldn’t he have postponed his beastly call till I’d looked over the papers and calmed down a bit? We’re no sooner over one eruption than another starts! All right! Let him go! I can handle any- thing Forbes can handle!” Mrs. Stone rasped, in angry meditation, and folded her hands on her cane. ‘“‘ Mother—a flat! The sort of woman who has a flat/ It doesn’t seem credible, does it?” ‘“‘ Nope—doesn’t!” her parent muttered, absently and without quite breaking down before the awful realization. ‘And after all I’ve tried to do for Neville he could—oh, but it wasn’t Neville’s fault. She’s dazzled him and fascinated him and lured him on, and he’s only a sweet, inno- cent boy—hardly more than a child—hard- EOPMICLOO© <S} co