The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

LITTLE BOSS OF BIG BEN. “Get out of the way! I won’t shoot,” he heard himself saying hoarsely and deci- sively. He saw the vague drifting of her light gown as the wind stirred it. But she did not change her position. ‘“* Get away, I tell you!” he ordered, his nerves wracked. “I’m armed, you sneak! We'll fight this out man to man!” - All I want’s that piece of paper,” the intruder growled. “Who are you?” Fan’s voice rang through the significant silence. Doubting her as he did, its amaze- ment, its excitement surprised Moore. It sounded exactly as it would if she had heard the speaker’s voice more clearly and discovered it to be other than the one she had believed it. She was certainly a per- fect actress, was Ben’s conclusion. In spite of the tension, he recalled his own impressions of the voice very accur- ately. The intruder had spoken twice. Each time the voice was different. But one or the other was a disguised voice. Fan knew who the man was, surely. Ben warned himself not to believe in any of her ruses. It was natural that she would want to hide the identity of a lover who had taken such extreme measures to attain his own end. “That’s not important!” the growling voice replied. ‘“‘ Stand away!” “Isn’t it?” Fan _ retorted. you'll see!” A moment later she touched him. Yet he had not seen her light figure move in the gloom. “T guess you’d better give up whatever you are trying to do!” she said. “I have that paper. I just took it from the end of the swing. Besides, I have my own gun; and Mr. Moore has his—loaded! So—sup- pose you go!”’ Moore felt her hands sweep along his arm to his hand. She lifted it so that the gun he grasped aimed high. “ Now, shoot! Shoot!” she whispered, her lips so close to his cheek that he felt the warmth of her breath. “Let him know you have a loaded gun!”’ Ben caught her close to him with his left “TI guess 77 arm. He made no effort to lower the aim she established. He fired. They heard hurried steps on the veranda. ‘There was no return shot. ‘“* Again!” she whispered. He obeyed. There was dead silence after- ward. He started toward the door. But she dragged him back. ““ No, no, he may be waiting for. that! Fire again!” You little devil!” Moore ground the word out between clenched teeth. He gripped her as if he meant to crush the power she dared to use against him. Her object was plain to him. She meant to make him empty his gun and leave him where she had him once before —at the mercy of the man in the dark. “Why—do you—call me—that?” she asked in indignant gasps. ‘When I’m out of bullets, you’ll turn me over to the enemy, invite him to gloat over me, and—you’ll give him that paper!” he replied, grimly holding her in his crushing grasp. ‘““No, no, I just—want him to know— that you have plenty of—ammunition! Your belt’s there on the desk with lots of —let me go; I'll get it for you.” Moore laughed aloud. Then he waited for the bark of a gun, dreading what he had done more for her than for his own sake. But no sound came. He felt the panting body against his grow tense and still. “‘Listen! Don’t you hear. He is leaving. His horse is galloping! You hear?” Ben did not. He tried but his ears were not trained to the acuteness of hers—or was she merely trying another ruse? “‘T wonder I don’t use one of these bul- lets on you!” he muttered. “You won’t have to—if you keep on— Squeezing the breath out of me!” In spite of his anger at her, he saw game- ness. It rather blinded him to her devil- try. He loosened his hold. But he did not release her. It was a duel between them, now. He was determined to secure the paper that the man in the dark had coveted. He he- lieved that she had meant to give it to him oO MIG OO CO SS CO