Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

FIXED BY GEORGE, “T did!” his son snapped. ‘‘ She told me not to come up to see her new home before Sunday, but I couldn’t—” “You didn’t, though,” Miss Deston cor- rected. “‘ He spoiled it all by coming!” She pointed at George Dare. ‘‘ He brought them all!” The dark young man looked around. It was really the first time that he had noted the rest of them. “Why, hello, Poole!” he exclaimed. “Who are the ladies? Who—say, who are you, anyway, to ruin things by butting in?” he inquired of George, and stepped nearer. ‘Yes, and he ruined Arthur’s whole life by it, too!”” Margery Poole cried, and also stepped nearer to George. Her husband was at her side, too, re-. covering slowly from the recent escape and warming steadily as he regarded George. Angela, who had been whispering, also ap- proached, with young Mr. Sorley. So that George, abruptly, found himself the center of a steadily narrowing circle—Starr and Poole and Margery, and the younger Starr and Helen and Sorley and Angela, and not a solitary friendly eye among them! Like a hunted animal, he looked around swiftly. Each of them had a score to set- tle with him, it appeared; and while the danger of actual death had passed, there was that in the several expressions of the male members which hinted at the violently elemental form that settlement might take. There was the window. He might make a dash for that. He did not seem to mind the glass so much just now. He estimated the distance—and just there Geraldine pushed quickly to his side and thrust a protecting arm about George Dare. : ‘Now stop! All of you, just stop!” she said sternly. ‘It isn’t George’s fault, at all. You just don’t understand George!” ‘Can anyone do that?” Dr. Peole snapped. ‘““T can!” Geraldine replied, with a firm hittle smile. “If you'll just stop all that threatening nonsense, I'll—PIl explain him!” When dawn appeared, foggy and cheer- less, the fourth tablespoonful of powdered 615 mustard and the second kettle of boiling water had at last brought George’s foot- bath to a properly elevated temperature. Things are likely to happen to any man wha has topped off a wet-footed evening with two blewout repairs in a driving rain- storm and a side slip into a muddy ditch which necessitates standing in four inches of muddy water while adjusting the jack. Most of them had happened to George. So George tucked the blanket a little more closely around him and moodily considered the yellow dust on the steaming water. And presently he glanced at Geraldine, sitting over there on the end of the bed— and Geraldine actually smiled at him as she asked gently: ‘“ Hot enough now, Georgie?”’ ‘““[’m warming slowly, thanks,” George mumbled, humbly. ‘“ I—Gerry, I want to beg your pardon. About yesterday after- noon, I mean. I was an ass,” “Oh, that’s all right, George,” said Ger- aldine. ‘‘ Shall I put on another kettle?” ‘Don’t bother any more with me. I’m not worth it. Gerry!” “Ves, dear?” “You talked me straight back into my job, up there. Do you know that?” George inquired, with some awe. “T knew it at the time, George,” Ger- aldine said dryly. | “You're a wonder, Gerry. I don’t de- serve you. Only—say, whe could ever have thought that the thing would turn into a mess like that?” George inquired won- ~ deringly. : “Nobody. You’re the only man alive who could start just that kind of mud- dle,” sighed pretty Mrs. Dare. Followed a long pause, during which the milkman four stories below beguiled the lonely hour by dropping a full case of empty milk bottles to the sidewalk—during which Hannah, who grew restless about dawn, moaned noisily and turned over, somewhere in the rear, bringing a long creak from the springs. “At that, it was a success, wasn’t it?” George asked suddenly, with a _ wan, pathetic smile. ‘‘ Before they all left, Poole and his wife were reconciled. That Angela doll and the red-head had it all arranged EO JOO SJ (C(C)