Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 68: what you’re looking at

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

214 smoke it—I don’t give food away to any- body. A man pays in one way or another for what he gets from me. I work hard for what I get, and I don’t see myself throwing it away on the first man that hap- pens to be hungry. Now where is this fight you were talking about?”’ ‘““Tt’s a private fight.” “Don’t you want a referee or some- thing? I have a State license to referee boxing and wrestling.” Springtime looked at him and tried to penetrate to the soul of the man, but saw nothing of the small, brown eyes which had a quaint resemblance to Kitty’s—in their color only, for in every other way they were exactly the opposite. The nearer Springtime got to Gahagan the weaker he felt—and while appealing to the law to rescue Johnny was against all his tramp instincts, and would ostracise him from hobo life the country over, still he might be forced to do that thing in order to succeed. ‘IT wonder,” he said, “if a man could trust you? Would you double-cross me if I did let you in on this?” “Man,” said Osborne solemnly, “ the meanest thing I ever did to a human being I just did to you. And you can’t blame me for that, considering everything. You really came right along and asked for it, didn’t your” “Maybe so,” said Springtime thoughtful- ly—“ maybe so. I'll tell you this much— it’s at the fair grounds, and one of us is the big man who is wrestling out there.” “Gee!’”? said Osborne, and whistled. “ He’s twice as big as you.” “Three times,” said Springtime, ‘ and twice as ugly. That’s why I had to get a good meal under my ribs. He’ll be living high. But I’ve made up my mind—the more people I let into this, the more chance there is that it will go flop. Nix, neighbor; I can’t let you in on this fight.” “ But you’d let me have a peek at it,” said Osborne. ‘‘ You wouldn’t deprive me of a look at a good fight, would you?” Suddenly as the memory of his wrongs swept back over him, the memory of how the stableman had taken him, Springtime’s anger rose and he whirled about and walked toward the end of the alley. _ his shoulder. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘““T’ve had enough of you,” he said over ‘* All T have to do is to think of you, and I could lick the world!” “ Well, I hope you get cracked clean in two,” said Osborne, and rubbed his chin as he watched the clean, compact figure as it moved toward the. corner. Like all men without sons, he was lonely. Kitty had done her best to fill the lack, and she could ride a horse better than any man in Napoleon and could talk intelli- gently about right hooks and the like; but he wanted a man to whom he could talk about the things that interested him. He was subject to strong attachments, as are many men, as strong and mysterious as first loves, and never in his long and varied life had he seen a young chap who took his eye as Springtime had done. ‘‘ There’s a two-fisted lad,” he said, and walked around the corner of the house to where Kitty, with her hands in her lap, sat with her head tilted back and stared at some mysterious thing in the sky. Her father stood on the bottom step and looked at her and slowly her gaze traveled down until it rested on him. Her father took her chin in his hand and shook her head gently from side to side. Kitty was getting a glimpse of romance, and the thrill of it and the mystery caused her to voice an old complaint. ‘“ Dad, I wish I had been a man.” ; ““Oh, my gosh! Your mother all over _ again. I never did see a woman who didn’t figure that she ought to have been one. They all think that if nature hadn’t played ?em such a mean trick they would have been Caxsars and Napoleons. If you hang around for a while we might see something exciting—some real life!” “Where?” ‘‘ At the fair grounds. it ought to be good.” If we can find it, CHAPTER IX. THE CHECKER TENT. HERE had been some trouble with Gahagan over the change in plans, for the big man-was for a quick turn- over, and if he could have had his way comicboooks C©