Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 100: what you’re looking at

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

442 nor his short nose, nor his eyes that were too close together. His city-made check suit was too loud, and his yellow low shoes, with their sprawling silk laces and thick soles, were an offense: With quick feminine ap- praisement, she judged him to be not more than thirty. ‘Miss Severly?” he interrogated, re- moving his straw hat with what he evi- dently meant to be a courtly flourish. 66 Yes.”’ ce Ah! ) He coolly turned the key in the door, and waved one hand toward the window, while he slicked down his light hair with the other. ‘“‘ Sofne of the kids might want to come in,” he explained, “and I have some- thing important to say.” Letha still stood near the window, which was partly open. If the stranger had expected her to betray emotion at his words, or apprehension because he had locked the- door, he was disappointed. She calmly waited for him to go on. “My name is Marcus Tolman. I am in the law office of Strike & Boxall, in Philadelphia. When John Landon was charged with stealing five hundred. dol- lars from the cashier’s office at the Im- perial Market, where he was employed three months ago, I handled the case for the firm. Landon got away. We know that he took the name of Claude Miller. I have succeeded in tracing him here to Bellsville.”’ “ Well?” | ‘“T did not get here till late last night, and I made the mistake of not arresting him as soon as I found out where he was. When I went to Harden Brooke’s house this morning, I found he had skipped. It looks as if he might have been tipped off. Brooke could not tell me anything about him. I didn’t tell him that Landon married your sister. But I knew you were teaching school here, and naturally I came to see what you have to say.” “What do you expect me to say?P” she asked icily. THE ARGOSY. ‘“Oh, now, Miss Severly, what’s the use? I’ve got the goods on Landon, and I don’t think it would be hard to prove that you helped him to get away from that farmhouse last night. I know you had a letter from Philadelphia yesterday afternoon, and I’m guessing that you were told I was coming, and were asked to give Landon word of it if you saw him.” " ‘Your guesses are interesting. But I have no comment to make. If this is all you have to say, T’ll—”’ . She finished the sentence by walking past him, quite unhurriedly, and unlock- -ing the door. “Don’t open the door yet,” he re- quested, his smirk wider than ever. ‘I’ve only told you part of what I’ve come to tell. Youll find the rest of it even more interesting than my guesses. It may be chance that has brought you and John Landon to this place, but I am a lawyer, and I have a way of putting this and that together.” ‘““T have to open the afternoon session of school in a few minutes,” she inter- rupted. “All right. Dll be brief. You came here at the request of somebody, prob- ably your sister, to find out, if you could, whether her husband had any claim on the Harden Brooke farm, which was owned by a John Landon a hundred years ago. The present John Landon — or Claude Miller — came because he was down and out, and he thought you might give him a lift. Do-you know Sam Vane, of Linhampton?” “ [ve heard of him.” ‘Well, he’s a mighty slick policeman, and he’s helped me in this case. But to come to the point. JI know where there is a will that gives the whole farm, with everything on it, to John Landon. The old man made the will after the one be- queathing the property to his daughter’s son, who was Harden Brooke’s grand- father. That’s how it has come down to Brooke. He has no more right to that farm than I have.” comicloool C©