Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

nh of roadway that separated her is; then he turned to the Allan Innocent or guilty, Allan,” he said, ad- essing the picture on the circular, ‘“ my 4s to arrest you if you show up around ere, no matter how hard it will be on the little girl.” He reflected for a moment, then put the notice in his inside pocket. _~ Guess I'll keep this out of her sight so _ she'll not learn that I want you and warn you to keep away from here,” he added. V. HARPER was glad that he had formed the habit of keeping an eye on Alice Juno’s office, because, now that his duty compelled him to watch for the appearance of Rodney Allan, he could do so without exciting sus- picion. Her business was never very brisk during the day, and it was then that Harper attended to his other official duties. With the coming of evening, however, men from the camps thronged her place, and then Harper made it his business to scrutinize each and every one of them. He carried the pictures and descriptions of all the wanted men in his mind, but it was: Rodney Allan that he particularly watched for. The chance that any of the others were working on the railroad was small, but Alice must have reason to believe that Al- lan was in this district, otherwise she would got have located in Geyser. During most of the evening, Harper sat on a Chair in front of the Lone Star, from hich he could obtain a pretty good view f the typing office. Occasionally he strolled past it, and at other times he kept a watch on the post office. On every hand he heard complimentary marks regarding Alice’s efficient service. At the post office, Joe Blundell informed 1at his sale of money orders had dou- es back home, but Sherrard,” he re- for the relativ ito Harper 7 sa’; ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, | was employed at the lowest kind of ual labor. Ugly lines had formed aro his mouth, and in his mae ’ eyes was the look, well known to Harper, of a fugitive from Justice. Despite his changed appearance Harper recognized him instantly, ; He paid no apparent attention to the . man, and, since he did not wear his sher- iff ’s star conspicuously, Allan paid no par- ticular attention to him. Harper wanted first of all, to confirm beyond a doubt He belief that Alice’s mission in Geyser was to meet Allan. Then he wished to see how the man would treat the girl who had gone to such pains to find him. Would he ap- preciate her efforts? Also, what was his relation to her? Since their names were different, he was evidently neither her brother nor her husband. Therefore he must be her lover. Allan made an insignificant purchase and sauntered down the roadway in the direc- tion of the Lone Star. He did not seem to notice the typing office opposite the dance hall, and Harper wondered if, after all, he was mistaken in thinking that Allan was the man whom Alice sought. Certainly he was the one described in the circular; but that did not prove that Alice was looking for him. Allan entered the Lone Star. Harper followed, and sat at a corner table where he could watch the man without being seen. He had felt chagrined at the possibility that his hypothesis regarding Allan and Alice was incorrect; but now, as he watched Allan, he hoped that it was. The man was not in the Lone Star five minutes before Harper was as well acquainted with his character as though he had known him for years. Allan’s first act was to order whisky; but there was nothing damning in that. It was the manner in which the fellow acted toward one of the dance-hall women—the one called Babe, who had wept when Alice begged the men to write to their mothers— that revealed to Sheriff Jim Harper what kind of man he had to deal with. Allan called Babe to his table, and she went readily enough, her business there be- ing to help the customers spend their ‘money. He talked to her low and earnest- comicbooks.com