Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 86: what you’re looking at

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

76 “I would, indeed.” Shelby rumpled his red hair. “ Well, I never used a mill myself,” he said. “ Never had any occasion to yet. How would a fellow go about finding this particular machine?” “Would you attempt to find it if I sug- gested how?” she asked. He looked at her. Her eyes were limpid now, rather appealing. ; “ You bet I would,” Shelby said. “JT think that machine belongs to Mr. Osborne,” she said. “To Osborne? You think he wrote this note?” “Well, I haven’t gone that far,” she said. ‘ You know Mr. Thornton was away from his boarding-house the evening you and I called there. He might have been at Osborne’s rooms. He might have used Osborne’s typewriter.” She Jeaned forward and cupped her chin in one hand, a wholly engaging attitude. She was looking at him, but her concen- tration of thought made her regard remote. Shelby was able to look straight into her eyes without her seeming to notice it. “‘T have been studying this message ever since you gave it to me,” she said. “I have been greatly puzzled by it. I know that Mr. Thornton had not used a type- writer in years. He had no occasion to. Tn fact, I don’t believe he ever used a ma- chine in his work. He came to the des- patcher’s office from an O.S. offite. “ But I know that Osborne used a ma- chine. Before he became copier he worked one of the way wires in the despatcher’s office. ‘Times when I was up there to see father I’ve seen him copying messages on the typewriter. Then when he went to copying he didn’t need the machine, of course. I don’t know whether the machine was his own or not, but I imagine it was. I’ve tried to recall seeing it in the office after he left that wire, and I can’t. Ihave only a recollection of a new operator work- ing with a pen. -My notion is that Osborne took his machine to his room when he had no use for it at the office.” “ And you want me to see if it is in his room now, and if the period is gone from it?” Shelby asked. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. She raised her head. Her eyes glowed. “That's it, exactly,” she said. “As I remember the machine Osborne used, it was rather disreputable. I imagine it had seen a good deal of service. If that were so, any of the letters might be missing from it now, mightn’t they?” Shelby stood up. She rose also. Shel- by’s head was flung back. His eyes were bright. He had a feeling that he was being tossed to the lions, but he was willing if he could serve the girl. He had looked at the changing lights in the Irish gray eyes too long. At the bottom of his heart he felt that the girl was asking a good deal. She seemed to be thinking only of herself. She must realize, as well as he realized, that his hunt for this typewriter would be fraught with peril to himself. A policeman would be likely to nab him any minute. But then a knight usually had to buck a pretty stiff game. The comfort was that he usually came through. ‘Where does Osborne live?” he asked. “You go down to the car line, cross that, and go two blocks beyond it,” she answered. “‘ Osborne lives in the first house from the corner on the north side. It’s a white house with a flat roof. You can’t miss it.” “Tf I learn anything, what shall I do?” Shelby asked. . “*Oh, come back,” she said. “I will wait up for you. Mother is just in the next room.” : “ All right,” Shelby said. She went to the door with him. He opened it and half turned to her. She held out her hand. He took it and pressed it. It was a warm, soft hand. She looked at him, and he beheld, really for the first time, the light that lies in a woman’s eyes—and sometimes lies and lies. Anyhow, he was all fussed up when he got out into the street. Instead of engag- ing himself with his problem, he wondered whether she had been merely grateful or whether she liked him for himself alone. He was within half a dozen houses of Osborne’s before he began to wonder how he was going to get a glimpse of the type- writer: if it really was in Osborne’s room. COMmiclboo SS C©