The Argosy, April 1916 — page 34: what you’re looking at

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

24 “Oh, yes, take your camera. Take any- thing» Take an elephant.” “YT don’t know how to carry an elephant. I could take an elephant though, just as I took the wedding presents. Didn’t the judge look black. I could steal an elephant more easily than all that silver.” “You could—” ‘Sure, an elephant is an easy problem. You pack him in his own trunk and ship him by express.” She flirted a napkin at him and disap- peared toward the stairs. Yale went to the desk, after paying the check, and asked where he could obtain a comfortable motor-car for a long drive. “A friend of mine named Johnny Wil- liams,” said the clerk, “‘owns a car that he won as.a prize in a big puzzle contest pro- mulgated by a New York magazine. At first he almost wept. Said he would rather have some shirts and stockings, for the chap had little money. But now he makes a fair living taking out parties who prefer a reg- ular car to a taxi.” “Can I get him?” “T’ll get him, and then you may have him.” Johnny Williams and his car could not have been far away. The hotel clerk tele- phoned. Yale had time to buy and light a cigar and reach the door, when the car hove in view and proved in every way sat- isfactory. Yale turned back to the stairs to wait for the appearance of the Lady of the Violet Eyes, and his mind reverted to her elephantine joke. “Pack him in his own trunk and ship him by express!’’ Did the minx mean any- thing? Had she tried to give him a hint concerning the stolen wedding presents? — Pack—in his own trunk, ship—by ex- press? The shipping by express was clear enough, but whose trunk? “His own trunk,’”’ Beverly Wayne had said. Not Nancy’s. She would not steal— “My Heaven!” He stood still at the foot of the stairs, looking up. But it was nothing that he saw that caused the ejaculation. “His own trunk.” , Had George Greenland stolen Nancy’s wedding presents? Yale recalled his angry words in the dining-room when the post- ponement of the wedding was proposed. He had called the silver “junk.” The junk destination, Williams,” said Yale. _ tote us round and round. Go east as far as THE ARGOSY. was worth thousands of dollars. Yale knew nothing about his old schoolmate’s career for many years. But all thoughts of Greenland and the elephant problem left his mind when a vision appeared at the head of the stairs. How the girl managed to jam all the stuff she wore into one suitcase Yale could not imagine. She now had on something that set off her figure to a degree that made his blood leap. “T’m ready,” she said. nice in my new dress?” “I—I guess so,” said Yale. ‘Come along. Our royal chariot is waiting for the queen.”’ ““How lovely you say it, Guardy. I am going to call you Guardy. Mr. Yale is too stiff and formal, and, besides, it makes me think of fussy and musty old professors and empty headed students. I am not long enough your acquaintance to call you Ken- neth, although it is a beautiful name. Do you like Beverly?” ‘‘Good Lord, yes, I more than like you,” blurted out Yale. “I mean my name.” “T like the first part. But Beverly Ya—”’ ‘‘Now, now, if I could snapshot language I'd take a picture of what you are saying. You would shed tears of shame some day. Is that our car? It’s fine! Who’s your good looking wealthy friend, Guardy? Is he married?” - “Now, look here. His name is Johnny Williams. It’s his car. I’ve hired it for the afternoon. I never saw him before in my life. He strikes me as a very susceptible young man. You behave yourself or you'll have us shipwrecked. Don’t let him look ante your eyes unless I’m driving.” “Oh, how glad I am that you know how to drive,” she said demurely. By this time he had her in the rear of the machine. ‘We don’t want to go to any particular 64 Just “Don’t I look Beverly is sweet. the Masonic Home, and west as far as the State hospital for the insane. That’ll do.” ‘Both places,” remarked Beverly, as he took his place by her side, “are for those who are incompetent to take care of them- Selves, isn’t that so?” ‘Ves,”? “In which one are you going to put ne? My father was a Mason.” MICLOOOK C@