Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

MR. BINGER BUYS A BED. Mr. Binger frowned, and shook his head. “T sha’n’t put the matter in the hands of my attorneys,” he declared. “I hardly think that is necessary.” “But it is your only chance of getting the bed, sir,” Parker protested, “and of bringing about the arrest of that young woman who robbed me. If you delay, the bed will be delivered to her and she will have skipped before we can put our hands on her.” The Peanut King shrugged his shoulders. ‘T hardly think there is any danger of her skipping,” he remarked. ‘ And I have changed my mind about that bed. I don’t want it now.” A broad grin suddenly illuminated his face. ‘‘ You see,” he continued, “ 1 happen to be aware of the identity of that young woman. Her name is Elise Van Orsdell, and she is employed as my wife’s private secretary. “Mrs. Binger sent her to the auction sale yesterday to bid for that confounded bit of furniture. She had read about it in the newspapers and decided that she wanted it—not dreaming, of course, that I contem- plated buying it for her as a wedding anni- versary surprise. — “So she sent Miss Van Orsdell there to buy it, and handed her a thousand-dollar bill I had given her yesterday, before I left the house, to deposit to her private ac- count.” “Then it wasn’t the same bill that was stolen from me!” Ralph Henry exclaimed. “Apparently not. I had a couple of DOO thousand-dollar bills in my pocket, and no doubt their serial numbers ran consecutive- ly. Your pocket was probably picked in the subway, as you at first concluded. At all events, you can be sure that Miss Van Orsdell had nothing to do with it. That little lady is the last person in the world I’d suspect of dishonesty.” “ But don’t worry about your loss, son,” Binger went on. ‘It was a mighty: lucky thing for me that it happened. Saved me a matter of ten thousand dollars. “You say that the bed was sold to you for seventy-five thousand dollars! Well, Miss Van Orsdell bought it in at sixty-five thousand the second time it was put under the hammer. Old Archibald K.. Jackson, the millionaire collector, who h4d been run- ning up the price for you when you bid on it, had gone home by the time it was put up for sale again, so my wife’s secretary got a bargain. In the circumstances, you can just forget about that thousand.” Ralph Henry Parker went dazedly back to his desk in the outer office. This hap- pened three months ago, and he is still sitting at that desk. The meteoric rise that he had expected to come out of his confiden- tial mission hasn’t happened yet. ary is still twenty-two dollars a week. But on more than one occasion the presi- dent of the concern has nodded pleasantly to Ralph Henry on his way to or from his private office. He no longér seems to- tally unaware of that young man’s exis tence. And Parker believes this is an en- couraging sign. (The end.) U U DAY AND NIGHT [NTO my day comes a thought of you, Like the flash of a bird ’cross summer skies, Silently forceful, through space it flies; Serene, though compelling, this thought of you. Il. Into my night comes a dream of you, Bewild’ring, enchanting, a vision of love, A mystery as wondrous as stars above; Your soul touches mine in this dream of you. DA Arthur Webster, Eomichbooks ‘His sal- : (E(0)