Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

830 six and a half years. I figured that it was up to me to do something before the seven years expired, and that is why I came to northern Alberta.” “T see,” said Kemp. ‘ You want to find your husband before he becomes legally dead. Then you must still love him, despite the shameful way he treated you.” “IT do not love him,” said Alice. “Then why are you up here searching for him?” ‘“‘T am not searching for him.” Kemp repressed another exclamation of surprise. “If you are not trying to find Calvin Carter why are you living in this country?” he questioned. Alice Carter smiled at his air of bewilder- ment. “Also what has filing on a worthless homestead got to do with tracing a worth- less husband?”? Kemp went on. “I’m sure I can’t see the slightest connection.” “TI know you can’t, and that is why it seems such a shame to clear up a per- fectly good mystery that has doubtless pro- vided you and others with a whole lot of entertainment. I suppose I'll have to, though. But, before I explain, won’t you make one final attempt to guess? The solution is easy enough. Let me put the puzzle in simple words: A woman comes to the homestead country to find a man, but having arrived here, she does not search for him. She only files on a homestead that is so conspicuously worthless that it causes her to be talked about. Question number one: Why does she go in search of her husband just before he becomes legally dead when she does not love him? Question number two: Why, after arriving in the country where he disappeared, does she not search for him? Question three: Why does she file on a good-for-nothing home- stead?” Kemp tried to think of the correct an- swers to the conundrum, but he could not do so. In fact, he was unable to think clearly. The moment that Alice began to tell her story he realized that he loved her, and with that devastating knowledge came the realization that she might still be legally tied to another man. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “T give up,” he said. ‘TI can’t solve the mystery. Tell me the answers, please.” ‘* Very well.’”’ Alice settled herself more comfortably in her chair. ‘In the first place, I am here, not because I want to be, but because my conscience compelled me to come. Even though I ceased to love Calvin Carter years ago, it seems only right that I should afford him every chance to return to me before the expiration of the seven years that will dissolve my mar- riage to him. He cannot return to my home town because he is still wanted there for the robbery of the flour mill. But he can return to me here.” : Kemp was beginning to see the light. “Then you don’t really care whether you find him or not,” he said. ‘ You mere- ly want to clear your conscience by making it easy for him to return to you if he wishes to.” “That is it exactly. That is why I do not journey from settlement to settlement looking for him. My conscience tells me that there is no necessity for me to do that. But it does tell me that I should make it easy for him to return to me. If I mere- ly sat in-a hotel he would not know I was in the country. But, because I have taken up a worthless homestead, he is likely to hear about me and then, if he wants to, he can come back to me. Do you under- stand now? That’s why I filed on this quarter section of rock. I don’t want to prove up on it. I merely want to mystify people so I’ll get talked about; I want to have my name repeated. According to you, a good many people are talking about me already; my story is spreading through the whole northern territory. Very well; that suits me exactly. If Calvin Carter is still up here he will doubtless hear my name mentioned, and then, if he wants to, he can come to me.” - “‘T see. But you really don’t care whether he does or not?” Alice Carter rose from her chair. Her eyes flashed, her soft white hands clenched. “IT do care!” she cried. ‘I hope to Heaven he does not come!’ She paused to calm herself. ‘I sometimes think that I will die if he does,”’ she went on. “I de- spise that man, I loathe him, the very comicloool C©