Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

x = —— = SAS ; —~ ~— <<< . ~~ . 4, - ~ “y - - * os - _— a 4 - ~ = = Se == —— ee Se ae oe —— > => —— ok 7 ~ es = mS en = a Senn 4 - Se ‘ — a ~ <a . - a ne, eS ae ae x =e=;9 = SO — ~~ aS ~ 852 ~ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Lee oS eee = € Pye just . arrived,” answered Dean, —- a. ‘Td like a chance to come in on the shout- aS ae “ Well, you can shout all yer want. The ae damned company’s busted!” yelled the . “And Mr. Eltzmann’s got control. Say he is—God bless him!” . Which was satirical, for Dean realized that it was Eltzmann’s name ‘the crowd : was shouting, and that it was bestowing - anything rather than bouquets. = -~ “Damn _ swindling company’s busted, 2 ~ after hogging all the claims,” said Dean’s new acquaintance. “ Eltzmann’ s collared a the majority stock. That’s what we’re 3 shouting for. We're going to make him _ give the Independent Diggers fair play or __know the reason why. There ain’t no law | in Santa Maria since England got out.” = ee “Eltzmann! Eltzmann!” shouted the re beni again, and the man at Dean’s side = ~_Soined in with undiminished vigor. __. “ Why don’t you show yerself, you cow- —— idly fox?” questioned one of the mob _ near by. Of a sudden, as if in answer, Dean was <S sarc to see Eltzmann’s bald head, with the flaming fringe, appear at an upper _~ window of the structure, before which was a little gallery. Deliberately Eltzmann <= opened the window and stepped out. The _- Crowd set up a renewed roar. a ~ Eltzmann leaned his pudgy body over the wooden railing. What words he ut- tered were inaudible, for a roar of denun- = ad tion broke forth, and two hundred pairs of fists were raised threateningly toward him. = 2s Suddenly Eltzmann put himself in an _ absurd attitude of offense. He doubled up his fists. 3 = ~ “ Come on!” he bellowed. ‘ There ain’t aman ’ere I wouldn’t have taken on when ¥; Z I was younger. And there ain’t one I’m afraid of now!” He pointed to a big farmer who towered head and shoulders above the mob. “Come up-stairs, Goliath!” he <a ee “Come on, boy! I'll fight you for ’arf a quid!” “ Good old Eltzmann!” yelled the crowd, ~— jnstantly won. “Good boy, Eltzmann! = Bike play for us, that’s all we’re asking.” — Eltzmanr folded his arms. Instn 9 = So = ae ad —_— _ ms ms had become the grave and serious magnate, His answer came to Dean’s ears in snatches as the renewed outburst died away. 2 . Fair play for all residents of Ba- takaland, white, black, green, or yellow . new blood for the company . , . justice for every white man .. . free nigger labor and prospecting .. .” The wild, irregular cheering for the little — man upon the balcony swelled into a full- throated pean. And Eltzmann, laying one fat hand upon the region of his stomach, bowed. “How about the Fulani Goldfields, Eltz- mann?” shouted a bearded prospector from ‘a wagon, which he had driven up the street . and brought to a halt i in the middle of the road. Eltzmann made a trumpet out of his hands. “.. . Company considering,” he yelled. “ Fair play for all . .. do my best for you, boys . . . free drinks for every one in the King George till midnight.” The crowd emitted a tremendous cheer : that drowned all further utterance. In a os twinkling it had dissolved, the street was uh ! AS ." gt tM cleared, and a frantic mob was swarming 3 = into the bar of the King George Hotel at a the opposite corner of the Market Square. - Eltzmann stood alone upon the balcony. os Behind him Dean saw a lighted room, with = half a dozen men seated at desks. Eltz- = mann was elated with his triumph, and the st leer with which he looked after the stam- = peders was more eloquent than speech. = Suddenly he looked down and caught = Dean’s gaze. He recognized his victim in- = stantly; he betrayed his momentary sur- = prise by the slight start he gave. Then he 2 seemed to be considering. Finally hislook = became almost benignant. And, nodding to . ~* Dean, he jerked his thumb after the crowd = with an indescribably vulgar gesture, as if r _ “Go and have a drink on me!” = Dean almost reached for a stone to fling Be: at him. But Eltzmann had gone waddling = back into the room, and Dean turned away, sit conscious of the same unaccountable feeling Se of amusement that always mitigated his © = rancor, Eltzmann was at once rascal and clown, a combination as oer * as it ak = se “comi chook Ks.ce ge om