Argosy All-Story Weekly, June 13, 1925 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

BLACK OR BLUE. to follow the well accustomed roadway to the barnyard, and vaulted to the ground just in time to halt Marion Grover as she entered the kitchen of the house. ‘Good morning!” he shouted cheerfully. “Oh, hello, Bud,” replied she; and Bud instantly divined that something was amiss. There was no warmth in the sound of her voice. He strode forward with an impulsive protest on his lips, but let it die as he saw that another stood on the kitchen steps above her; a tall, masculine figure which filled the doorway and imposed itself im- pressively upon the homely scene. ‘Oh, you’re here,” said Bud. His tone held as little warmth as Marion’s greeting had possessed. ‘“‘ Just dropped in,” soothed the mascu- line figure. ‘ How’s the mining business this morning?” “ You ought to know,” grinned Bud, who was always maddened by this man’s con- descending voice. ‘ You got a mine of your own.” That was meant to be an excessively cutting remark, for the entire county knew that the old Peabody mine was as barren of pay dirt as a mule is of humor, and James Fenton, having come to Clay City six months before, had already earned the soubriquet of ‘‘ Crazy Jim” for the time and money he nut in “ foolin’ ’round that old hole in the ground.” But Bud’s rejoinder conspicuously failed to cut out Mr. Fenton. He smiled serenely. “Tm afraid they stuck me with that mine,” he admitted. ‘“ Still there are com- pensations.” Bud didn’t like the way Fenton looked into Marion’s eyes as he said this. The polished, rather handsome Easterner-—for he admitted St. Louis as his home—was plainly fishing for sympathy. What was worse in the eyes of Bud, he plainly felt confident of getting it, and what was still worse, it seemed that he did. “What are they, Mr. Fenton?” asked Marion eagerly; and she managed to con- vey, with amazing facility, a glance of solicitude to Fenton at almost the same Instant as she shot a baffling mischievous smile at Bud. »? 599 ‘Well, I don’t have to protect a twenty thousand dollar payroll, for instance,” said Fenton. Bud, grinning moodily upon Marion’s bright countenance sought In vain for the flash of indignation with which he felt she ought to reprove this unfeeling remark. So he provided the indignation himself. He did it very deftly, very subtly “You couldn’t,” he said. “Oh, Bud!” exclaimed Marion reprov- ingly. And that made Bud like the mag- nificent Fenton less than ever. But Fenton was very courteous about it. He deprecated Marion’s defense of his dignitv, and so quickly subdued the green flash that gleamed for an instant in his fine dark eyes that Bud never even noticed it. “He may be right,” said Fenton, talk- ing Bud over with Marion as though Bud had been an impertinent small boy. ‘‘ No one has offered to even try my theory.” “What theory do you mean?” cried Marion; and Bud suppressed a snarl, a spirit like that of an outraged beast, whieh rose in his mind, turning the world red before him; for he knew that a few days ago that note in her voice had been re- served for him alone. Before Fenton’s presence had become a common thing at the Grover home, Marion would have greeted no one but Bud Halli- day with that note of eager interest in his thoughts and plans and achievements. He reflected bitterly that Fenton’s visits had become more common, and more welcome since that dark day of his humiliation on the Clay City road, and he wondered if that humiliation could really have been so shameful as the world—and Marion— seemed to feel it was. He suppressed the snarl, however, and fell back upon what, if he had but known it, was an infinitely less effective course. He fell back upon sarcasm, and he knew nothing whatever about it. ‘Why, ves, Mr. Fenton!” he cried with elaborate sincerity. ‘“ You really must tell us about your theories!” This time Fenton addressed him unmis- takably. His brown face, finely molded, handsomely proportioned, was set in a peculiar smile. EO JOO