Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

aa plainly disgusted with the evidences of iniquity on every side. In Harper’s mind it banished no atom of doubt, for the sim- ple reason that he had never entertained any. “Tf you’re not going to open a store, mavbe it’s an office to sell stock or some- thing,” he ventured. “No,” came the quick answer. “ Youre going to start some sort of clean and innocent amusement?” ‘‘ The shack isn’t big enough for anything like that.”’ “Well, then, you’re a missionary of some sort, even though you don’t look it.” Miss Juno slowly shook her head. “My mission here,” she stated, “is to make money.” Her replies to his queries were mystify- ing. Harper said nothing for a while. ‘“[ don’t wish to appear curious—” he began haltingly. The girl cut in with a rippling little laugh that was as musical as the tinkle of a flower-bordered brook: “ I've noticed that.” He felt foolish. ‘“You’ve got me there, Miss Juno,” he admitted. ‘‘ I em curious. I would like to know your business in this hell hole. Ina way, it’s my duty to learn it. Living alone in that shack, directly opposite the largest and worst of all the dives, you will be in danger, and it will be my job to protect you.” The girl whirled upon him. ‘Who are you, that you should talk about protecting a woman you don’t know?” ‘Tam the sheriff of Carson County.” In the silence that followed this announce- ment Harper could hear Miss Juno’s sharp intake of breath. She was staring at him. He thought that she paled and looked alarmed, but before he could make sure of it she regained her poise with a laugh. ~ That being the case, I take it all back,” she said. “ Nevertheless, I don’t need your protection. As for disclosing my business here, this will tell you all that I wish to let anybody know for the present.” She handed Harper a printed circular, and he read it slowly and wonderingly. At stated that on the following Saturday night at 8 p.m., Miss Alice Juno would open le onic far as she knew, no S! ever been started at any ra camp before. She expected to rer service to the railroad workers, at hoped to merit their patronage. it bottom was a blank line on which the loca tion of her office would be filled in with a “I got those prepared in advance: I in- tend to have them distributed at all the near-by camps,” she stated. f “ Good idea,” approved Harper. “Curi- osity will bring you a crowd, all right—that and your location opposite the Lone Star.” He expressed his willingness to do any- thing he could for her, but she deckned his offer with thanks, and during the re- mainder of the day, and the days that fol- lowed, she proceeded to carry out her plan, whatever it was, with energy and efficiency. Harper made no further effort to pry into her affairs, but he could not help noticing that she engaged the livery stable to cart a sizable trunk and a typewriter, as well as a cot, table, and some household utensils, to her new dwelling. The type- writer was the only clew in sight to indicate her proposed enterprise, and it was a poor clew. Writing machines are used in almost every line of business. Even Sherrard, the Lone Star proprietor, possessed one. In her office Alice Juno worked behind drawn shades and kept her doors locked. Her handbills were distributed, and the men got to talking about her. Curiosity mount- ed and indications were that quite a gather- ing would be in front of her office on Satur- day night. Incidentally, Saturday was the last day of the month and therefore pay day. But no one’s curiosity was quite so great as that of Sheriff Jim Harper. Ii. ALICE JUNo’s artful arousing of public Curlosity did its work. Long before eight o’clock on Saturday night men began to __ gather in front of her office to guess at the nature of her speech. i Under-sized mule skinners from the grad- ing machine camps were there in their dirty. comicboo com