Adventure, November 1915 — page 166: what you’re looking at

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

164. The door of Mary’s room still swung open, and I carried her in there and deposited her upon the bunk. She lay with her eyes closed and her red lips half parted, alto- gether beautiful and disturbing. I glared wildly about for assistance. I was unskilled in feminine vagaries, but I had gleaned from occasional novels that water was the thing I wanted. There was a carafe upon the table. I seized it and sprinkled some of the contents upon her face. Immediately I was re- warded by seeing her long lashes quiver, and then her eyes opened. I dropped to my knees beside her. “You ave recovered?” I said. ‘Oh, girl, you gave me a fright!” I took her hands in mine. They were icy cold, and I commenced to chafe them. Sud- denly a racking shudder shook her body, and she raised herself upon her elbow. “‘Where—where is he?” she asked. “Where is Roger?” I felt the jealous stab her mention of Dacy’s name always gave me. “Don’t worry, he is all right,” I told her. ae is in no danger; they are afraid of She sat up, and withdrew her hands from my grasp. “Thank you, I am all right now,” she said. And then, her eyes suddenly widened. “Oh, that awful Thing—that awful Thing in the moonlight!” She covered her eyes with her hands as if to shut oui the visioned horror. __. Blunderingly I tried to soothe her. I thought of Dooin, and his entreaty that I ‘You are safe now,” I told her. ‘‘There is no danger. I must go—I am needed on deck.” But at that she clung to me like a fright- ened child. “No, no, do not leave me!’ she cried. I sat down beside her and comforted her, and straightway she buried her face in my shoulder and burst into a storm of weep- ing. It is terribly disconcerting to have a girl cry upon your shoulder. It makes you feel like a guilty brute, even though you are per- - fectly innocent of the cause of her distress. Mary’s outburst filled me with a panic that increased when all my attempts to assuage _ her grief resulted in her clinging the tighter to me and weeping the harder, Adventure I was in despair. And then, as abruptly as they had commenced, the. sobs ceased. She drew away from me, and I, somewhat abashed, realized that I had been murmur- ing wild endearments in her ear. Tears glistened on her cheeks and her mouth quivered, but she had control over herself. Her cheeks reddened as she return- ed my gaze. “Oh, how weak I was to break down like that,’”’ she said. ‘Please forgive me; I am ashamed of myself.” Dooin’s word to hurry to him was din- ning in my mind. “You are all right now?” I inquired. “I must return to the deck. Do not worry. You will be safe now.” I held her hand as I spoke, and she gripped my paw nervously at my words. She was still badly shaken but she had her- self in grip again. Stooping quickly I pressed my lips to her hand, and left her side. As I closed the door behind me I saw her press the hand I had kissed to her bosom, and her eyes gave me farewell and a © promise. the hatch and again gained the deck. The night seemed breath- lessly still, and as peaceful as a benediction, were it not for that sinister figure sprawling face downward upon the deck. I listened ©) ALL was quiet as I slipped through a moment, crouching by the hatch. Not a sound came from forward. Quickly I scurried across the lighted square of deck. I slipped forward along the starboard side, keeping in the shadow cast by the funnels. A soft whisper hailed me as I came abreast the middle stack. “Flere, Mac, here!”’ I strained my eyes toward the voice, and made out a dim form in the lee of the forward stack. “Thought you would never get here,” said Dooin, as I joined him. ‘“Everythingis lovely—they are all busy searching the fore- castle for booze. ‘There is nobody on the bridge or in the chart-room. We can make it all right.” “Where is Podd?”’ I asked. ‘“‘Here,”’ he indicated with his foot. I looked down, and almost at my feet was what appeared to be an inanimate bun- dle of clothes. But at the sound of my voice, the heap stirred into life, and the wireless operator arose to his bony length. —-CONMIELOOKS (S@)