Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

THE PICTURE ON THE WALL. isn’t, we’re ruined. If you’re ever tempted to antagonize him, remember that he has the power. That’s what he stands for in this house: power. Power over all my properties, but if everything else should be swept away, here’s fifty thousand dollars in this box for you and Lucia. It would be a start. It would be something. Come!”’ He slipped to the hall door. ‘ The coast is clear. Should we meet any one, keep the box well under your coat.” Through the dim hall and down the stairs John followed, meeting no one. The voices of Lucia, Virgie, and Mrs. Abbottsfield reached them from the front room, but they escaped out the back door undetected. From under the porch Mr. Warring secured the spade and waved toward the summer- house without a word. There was no moon, but the stars were bright and an arc light , sent from the street a shaft of white radi- ance across rose-bushes and gravel’ walks, missing the summer-house by only a few feet. However, once within the latticed en- closure the two men were safe from general observation. Instead of relaxing his caution Mr. War- ring grew even more secretive in manner. Never saying a word he crept to a distant corner and by guiding John’s hand with his own showed him a loose plank in the floor. They drew it up and the young man dug the hole while the other carried away the loose dirt in a basket which had been hid- den in the shrubbery for that purpose. Dense bushes crowded up from a garden walk to the back of the rustic structure, a thicket which, in the early weeks of May, formed an unbroken wall of white blossoms. While John dug he followed with strained hearing every subdued sound of the old man’s progress to and fro and once his nerves quivered as from an electric shock on hearing something he feared could not have been the other’s footstep. It came from the thicket and he darted around the summer-house much to the confusion of his ‘ father,” who had not caught the alarm. ‘““Somebody’s spying upon us,” John whispered with conviction. He plunged into the thicket, but it was darkened by the house and no sign was discovered of a spy. ‘You must have been mistaken,” the 309 other urged. ‘“ Trust me to hear anybody trying to find my precious box. There’s no other spot so gcod for a safe hiding- place.”’ John admitted: “ My nerves are a little on edge.”’ After the box was safely stowed away and all traces of their labor removed, they returned to the house as silently as they had left it. As they stepped upon the back porch, Simmons came out from the corridor. “What do you want?” Mr. Warring. de- manded with unwonted bruskness. ‘“ Excuse me, sir, but the motor-bus has come to take you to the station.” —_ ‘“ Ah, thank you.” He hurried through the house, calling good-byes to every one. The women ran out from the parler and there” ensued the confusion incident to the departure of one unused to travel. ‘“ But where’s my son?” called Mr. War- ring, half-way down the front walk. ‘“ I’ve got to give him a hug.” ‘ T'll give it to him for you,” Lucia prom- ised with a-swift, uprushing of the spirits. To Virgie she whispered: ‘“ If you. only knew what I know!” She felt the spring scattering blossoms in its warm wind over her heart. While his “ father ” had hurried after his suit-case, John had stopped in the back corridor, then turned and tiptoed to the door. Simmons had pulled from under the porch floor the spade where Mr. Warring had hastily flung it, and was feeling the stained edge with deft sensitive fingers. It was this discovery that caused the -young man almost to miss telling the traveler good-by. However, he reached the car be- fore it left the gate and received from Mr. Warring not.only a hug but a hearty kiss which he accepted with his bright, affec- tionate smile. jobn had finished burying the box in its owner’s favorite hiding-place simply to calm his mind, not at all convinced that he had been startled by a false alarm. He believed some one in the thicket had spied upon them, and the discovery thoughtfully examining the spade confirmed his instinctive surmise that Glaxton’s con- fidential servant was the spy. It would be necessary to hide the box in another place, GEomichbooks of Simmons - (Eo)