Argosy All-Story Weekly, July 1, 1922 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

HOPELESS HOMESTEAD. prompting clawed at his reason and strove to overthrow it. He looked at Hubbard. and he looked up the river in the direction of Hopeless Homestead, and, as he drew nearer and nearer to it, he muttered a silent prayer for strength to do what was right in case a crisis should develop. Aiter a while Alice Carter’s abode came in sight. Kemp was desperately afraid that she would recognize his boat and wave to him to stop. If she did, how could he refuse? And if he did stop, how could he be sure that she would not recognize Hub- bard or—more likely still—that Hubbard would not recognize her? He prayed that she would not. Hubbard must have noticed his scrutiny of the rocky hill. He looked, too, and presently he perceived the little shack that Alice had erected thereon. “ Has some idiot gone and homesteaded that hill?” he questioned. . ‘Looks like it,” said Kemp sharply. ‘“‘ Man or woman?” ‘Kemp wondered if he should answer that question. It was a significant one. If he replied that it was a woman, Hubbard’s curiosity would be stimulated and he would make further inquiries, either of Kemp or later on at Rodiscaw, and eventually would learn her name. If he did not, Hubbard might never think of the matter again. He must be fair to the man; must answer his question just as though he were an ordinary prisoner. He decided that he could refuse to answer without violating his code of ethics, so he said: “It’s either a man or a woman.” Hubbard subsided then. They arrived opposite the homestead, still without per- ceiving any sign of life thereon, and swiftly drew away from it. That crisis was past. But another one confronted Kemp when they arrived at Rodiscaw and he took his prisoner to the barracks. Ordinarily Hub- bard would be placed in the general cell along with any other minor offenders who might be awaiting trial. In that case, was it not possible, or even probable, that one of them would remark upon the foolishness of the woman who had filed upon a rocky hilltop and, in the ensuing discussion, Hub- bard would learn her name? Kemp could 835 place him in a solitary cell if he wished to, but would that be the fair and square thing to do? Would he do it if he had no per- sonal interest in Hubbard? No, he would not. So Kemp was forced by his conscience to put his prisoner in the general cell which was already occupied by two other men. Hubbard was to be placed on trial in two days. At the end of the first day Kemp called on him, in the cell, ostensibly to ask if he was feeling all right, really to find out if the man had learned anything in regard to Hopeless Homestead. Apparently Hub- bard had not. Nor had he, as far as Kemp could conceive, up to the time that he faced the local magistrate. The evidence against him was conclusive. He was given a sen- tence of three months. Kemp was gratified because Hubbard had been put out of the way for so long a period, but still the fact remained that it was not quite long enough. When the man regained his freedom there would still re- main two more weeks of Alice’s self-im- posed exile upon the homestead, and, with Hubbard at liberty in Rodiscaw, and the whole town discussing her strange case, Kemp could scarcely hope that Hubbard _would not learn about her. There remained the possibility that the man would not recognize the fact that this particular Alice Carter was his wife, but it was a slim one. All that Kemp could do was to sit quiet and await developments. Since he had decided down at Hay Creek that his code of honor did not require him to make Alice acquainted with the fact that her husband was alive, his conscience did not trouble him on that score. He recog- nized the possibility that she might ask him if he had learned anything about Carter, and, in case she did, he was still undecided as to whether he=would lie to her or not. _ His other problem still remained un- solved also—the question as to whether he should, or should not, tell Hubbard that his wife was in the country. He thought that if Hubbard failed to show any interest in his wife he would not feel obliged to say anything. But, on the other hand, if Hub- bard did manifest a desire to mend his ways and do the right thing by Alice, Kemp feared that he would have to tell the man CO 1OOOLK C©