Argosy, Vol. 85, No. 3 — page 20: what you’re looking at

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

362 it sounds—er—a trifle crazy, Jones! We'll consider it for a few days, and then—”’ ‘“That’s just what you'll not do, Mr. Hemmett,” Jones assured him swiftly. “This thing demands an immediate an- swer, because you're starting to-morrow, I tell you! Why, what ails you, man? Don’t you understand the figures I’m offering? Can’t you see that for ten years you’re acquiring the equivalent of another three millions apiece at five per cent? I hadn’t an idea that you’d even hesitate, gentlemen, far less—” ‘Well, you have an idea now that I’m hesitating!”” Hemmett said dizzily. ‘A man can’t readjust his whole life in fifteen seconds just because some one comes around and tries to hand him the national treasury. We’ll—”’ ‘““Hemmett,”. cut in Mr. Jones, “I offer you two hundred thousand dollars apiece. That’s the limit I’m empowered to go, and that settles it! Will you be ready to sail?” Hemmett shut his teeth. Stephen Gir- ton did one of the most remarkable things of his lifetime, for he stepped forward and tapped Mr. Jones’s arm and looked at Mr. Jones much as if that gentleman had sought to pick his pocket. ‘““Tf you want an answer, yes or no, on the spot, the answer is no!” he said sternly. ‘‘ We will not accept and we will not sail! You may be a maniac, or you may be trying to hand us something that is simply beyond human understanding at present, but that doesn’t affect the an- swer. The answer is no!” And now; if Mr. Jones had astounded them, it seemed that Mr. Jones himself was astounded! His jaw dropped and his eyes opened incredulously; he squint- ed at Stephen Girton and his voice dropped. “Tf there’s any little deficiency in the mental stuff, it’s yours!” he said unex- pectedly. ‘‘Once in a while a man is offered something so good that he’s bound to take it blindfolded and thank his stars it came his way. That’s what I’m THE ARGOSY. offering you, and—bosh! You're not refusing!” ‘Oh, we’re refusing, fast enough!” Hemmett contributed.. ‘“ Not definitely, perhaps, but until we’ve had time to consider.” ‘That’s impossible! You accept to- night and sail to-morrow—or it’s off!” ‘Then it’s off!” retorted Mr. Girton, and would haye liked to clasp his brow. Over William Jones came the strangest of changes. Where he had smiled, he sneered; where he had been amiable and commonplace, hard lines appeared sud- denly and gave him an indefinable, evil, threatening aspect; where there had been little or no character, there was a quantity of very unpleasant character. In two seconds the man had become a personality, and a very disturbing one! ‘““T refuse to believe that that’s final!” said he. | “It is final!” said Mr. Girton. “You're turning down four hundred thousand dollars a year between you, rather than make up your minds to pull up Stakes in this God-forsaken spot?” ‘We seem to be doing just that.” “It’s the most unwise thing you ever did, Mr. Girton.” “Ts ite” “It is!” the new Jones said curtly. ‘Will you be good enough to remember that J told you that? Will you phone me if you change your minds before morning? You will? Very well, gen- tlemen! Good night! And think it over, gentlemen! Think it over!” CHAPTER IV. RIFLE BORING. IRTON, at the edge of the terrace, watched the white motor coast down-hill. Then he turned back to his old friend with a confused smile. “Just about five minutes more of Mr. Jones, and they’d have taken me to the new Puerto Carlo asylum,’ said he. “Was it real?” comicloool C©