Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

HONEST FOOL. “Last night, if you want to know. And I’m picked clean—an’ cheated out oi a big job into the bargain— Now you know it! —an’ what the hell are you goin’ to do about it?” ‘ Last night?” The color returned slowly but surely to the delicate ovals of her cheeks and the Jast shadow of apprehension slipped from her eyes. ‘‘ Then you were out all?—that’s where you were? That’s what you were doing last night, was it?— gambling away yer money. You big boob! How much did you lose? It couldn’t of been much, for you hadn’t much. Not enough to curse an’ holler an’ rave about, anyhow—you big coward!”’ ‘J had a hundred an sixty dollars,” re- plied Jeff, sullenly. ‘“Qne hundred and sixty! Where’d you get that much? Another check from yer old man, hey?~—-and you held out on me!” Jeff was desperate. He uttered a mirth- less, ironical, bitter guffaw. ‘‘ Another check from the old man!” he jeered. ‘‘ You'll be gettin’ a weddin’ pres- ent from God Almighty before I'll get a dollar from my old man!—an’ now you know it.”’ ‘What d’ye mean by that, you fool?” Jeff told her. She sat down, stunned for a moment. When she spoke she did so quietly, greatly to his astonishment. “So you stole money from him,” she said. ‘You have less brains than I thought, even. You could of made it up with him about the bootleggin’ easy enough —in time. What d’ye reckon to do now?” “TI get work, Dora-——a real job—an’ we'll get along fine. I’ve had hard luck— that feller Monday an’ everythin’—that was bum l!uck—an’ Charlie’s fault more’n mine. But it was me got pinched. But if we get out o’ this damn town I'll soon find a way to make money.” She continued to regard him in a medita- tive silence, with coo! and thoughtful eves. “Don’t take it too hard, Dora,” he con- tinued. ‘I sure done my best to make a pot of money for you. But if we got out of this here town we’d soon be al] night. I might even make big money in the woods —-with better luck than last time—but that'll take some thinkin’ over. I was 597 ateard you'd baw! me out worse’n you did, girl, Now Ill drink some tea, I guess.” ‘* You wait a minute,” she said. “I aint goin’ to have your old man nor nobody else get me wrong about that money you stole. Yf I’d knowed that I wouldn’t of ran away with you. It was your own doin’s, an’ yours alone; and you set right down there at the table, Jeff Stalvart, and say so like a man. Write it down in black and white and put your name to it. I ain’t ever going to have it throwed up in my face that I married a thief with my eyes open.” Anything for peace was the way Jeff felt at that moment. He wanted to drink tea, sleep, then sort out the hazy, hopeful and more or less crooked plans for the future which were already glimmering on the in- flamed lining of his skull. sessed his gold watch and gold chain and two rings, and Jules would be good for another forty; and if he could get Dora away to the woods with him—-handy to the provincial border, for choice—and find an honest partner, all might yet be well. He felt better for having told the truth to Dora. He had never imagined that she would re- ceive the confession so quietly, suspecting as he did that his chief asset in her eyes was his wealthy father. ‘What d’ye want me to do about he asked. She sat him down at the table and fetched him pen and paper and ink. She told him to commence with the address and date—which he did. After which, to her dictation, he wrote as follows:— ite” To Lemuel Stalvarc esquire or whoever else it might concern.—I, Jeffrey Stalvart, son of above L. Stalvart, do swear and vow so help me God that my wife Dora Stalvart who was Miss Dora Harlow did not know until) T told her of it today that I robbed my father the above mentioned Lemuel Stalvart of a certain sum of money. JI did so without her knowledge for I knew she would refuse to clope with me if she knew I robbed my father or any man. And moreover the said Dora Stalvart my wife had no knowledge of the true nature of the business I was engaged in just previous to our marriage but believed that I was cruising timber land, which is what I said ] was doing. “ That starts out true enough,” said Jeff, “but the balance of it’s a complete lie.” Conn He still pos- Ghook CO