The Argosy, April 1916 — page 134: what you’re looking at

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

124 ferent matter for William to harbor the stranger of his own accord. “Ain’t it the same if he’s in your house or in your cellar?” the seeress demanded. ‘“‘And besides, how’re you going to manage things unless you and him has a talk to- gether? “Out go these lamps now and—” the rest of this sentence was whispered into Ransom’s ear. “You got a extra mattress, I hope,” Mother Juliet added aloud. “If you ain’t, take this one.” “Oh, I can fix him up for the night all right,” the overseer said promptly. Ransom led the way up the ladder and Danforth followed him into the large, square room that served as kitchen, dining and living-room. It was divided in almost equal parts by a heavy curtain of dried palm-leaves that hung in two sections from a pole whose ends were socketed in either wall. “Stand right where you are till I get a light,” the overseer directed, as he let the trap-door fall shut without a sound. Danforth vouchsafed no reply, obeyed the order. He heard the palm-curtain rustle as Ran- som passed beyond it. He heard a match struck and the tinkling of glass and wire as Ransom lighted a lantern; but he could per- ceive only a faint glow of light ou the curtain of palm- -leaves. A husky voice broke upon the stillness of the room: “Hello, Mr. Ransom. What's the feller you got mit your” It was Jake Haas’s voice, Ransom real- ized immediately. He strode swiftly across the floor, an ugly look on his face. “What d’you mean, stealing into my house like this?” he asked angrily. “T didn’t do it,” Jake replied, unper- turbed, from the couch by the window. “Sailor Pete and me we done it together. We got to see you; an’ it’s chilly outside on the step.” ‘“‘What have you got to see me about to- night?” persisted the overseer. ““°S about Black Henry,” Jake Haas de- clared in an explosion of wrath. ‘“‘He’s got to come out by them irons and pooty quick soon also.” “Yuss, right away to-morrow,” Sailor Pete specified. “To-morrow!” the overseer “That’s impossible—it’s foolish! but echoed. Why, THE. ARGOSY the Settlement has jess been put on parole for good behaivor to-day! The captain wouldn’t hear of it!” “’S the point,” Jake retorted. ‘We don’t want the captain to hear nothings about it.” ‘Don’t make so much noise here!”’ Ran- som snapped impatiently. “You listen to me once,” Jake began sul- lenly. “TI ain’t made no noise yet. Only you got to understand this, Mr. Ransom. Black Henry’s done as much as us or you, Mr. Ransom, and we need him here right now to-morrow, like Pete says. We ain’t goin’ to fool along any more with all that crazy guff of the snake woman about a stranger comin’ to help. She can’t provide no stranger never and she’s yuss makin’ a fool outer you for them people at the big house.” “You've got a big mouth, Jake,” the over- seer snarled, ‘“‘but it’s not quite big enough, I think. Still, judge for yourself.” Ransom had stepped back unnoticed. He reached behind him and held the palm cur- tain open, saying: “Mr. Danforth, will you come here, please?” Puzzled, suspicious even, he might have been, but there was no trace of timidity or nervousness in Danforth’s firm tread and the birthright poise of his head as he looked over the room and at the two men on the couch. | That the newcomer might see them bet- ter, Ransom held the lantern close to their faces. “I want you to meet Jake Haas and ‘Sailor Pete, friends of mine and the head clerks in the Settlement warehouse. this is Mr. H. A. Danforth.” Cutthroats both of them, thought Dan- forth, snapshotting with a glance the flat head and vicious face of Jake Haas and the chunky, semi-idiotic expression of Sailor Pete, with its leering eyes of equal vicious- ness. As he contemplated them he hazarded an inward guess that Jake Haas would do mur- der for a dollar and a half—unless Sailor Pete should underbid him. “IT told you your mouth wasn’t big enough to swallow your own lies, Jake,” the overseer sneered, “‘for here’s Mother Juliet’s stranger—in good condition and delivery made on time.” Ransom laughed softly. The astonishment of the ship-carpenter Men, COMmiclboo SS C@