Adventure Magazine Cover — page 42: what you’re looking at

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

<* * va; > (4 fot a4 et, ne | he > 5 ; es Ph etd Ce "Dees Al : ney: be - 2 ' yy < VF . AY 4 pry she bethought aes say 7 £5 a ? SES Oh, y yes, a suppose so. | “Suppose so!” echoed Vi, bwiddling | the wheel. ‘‘Good Heavens, what’s the matter with you? You look as if you had won a _ death sentence instead of a competence for life!”’ He turned away moodily and stared out to sea again. Presently he added as if he were talking to the tumbling expanse before “T suppose I ought not to grumble, but apparently when you get material desires you are bound to lose the other.” “Other? What other?” _ Vi could have bitten her lip as he turned and gazed at her. “Oh it, man,” she exclaimed exas- peratedly, “I’m not the only woman in the world!” Without a word he turned and walked to the other end of the bridge and, leaning over the dodger, fell to gazing at the sea with his eyes averted. “Oh, Heavens!” grumbled Vi to herself. “Why on earth are men so incorrigibly sen- - timental? I suppose the next thing is that © awful Selwyn creature will turn up and begin to bore me again! . . . Well, it’s about eleven-thirty, so I suppose I’d better call uncle if he wants to take the sun. “Mr. Carnell!” she called. “‘Would you mind taking the wheel a moment while I call uncle? He wants to take the sun.” “Certainly, Miss Kelvett.” As he walked swiftly along the bridge he stopped abruptly. “What’s the matter?” Vi had begun when she realized that something unusual had happened. The gentle sough of the wind and the swish of the sea seemed abnormally loud. Then she missed the limping thump of the engines. With a smothered curse and an apology the sailor in the lovelorn second mate awoke. He sprang down the ladder and ran toward the engine-room, shouting to Vi, who, startled by the importance which he seemed to attribute to the stoppage of the engines, nearly deserted her post. The little speed the vessel had rapidly decreased with the result that she refused to answer to her helm and swerved off the course. Seeing that it was useless to remain at wheel and wondering what had happened, Vi left the bridge. On reaching the deck if that she might as ell aed her melee as ae had feted 3 = - ae Entering the chartroom, she went over to him where he lay stretched out on ‘the locker-seat and shook him, saying—— “Nearly noon, uncle!”’ As the captain appeared to be sleeping heavily she shook his shoulder the harder, repeating the summons. Still he did not stir. “Uncle! Uncle! bending over him. ‘ Then she grabbed him by the arm. His body rolled over, inert. For a second she stared at him bewilderedly. Then, noticing his eyes, she touched his face. Although not icy the flesh was cold. “My God, I believe he’s dead too!” she exclaimed; and, rapidly tearing open his light cotton shirt, she listened for the heart- beat which was not. For a moment Vi stood back, feeling that shock which, no matter how used one had become to sudden death, never fails when the deceased is one of our own blood. As she stared at the dead face the expression and the position of the half-closed eyelids reminded her of the tragedy in the saloon, recalling too, despite the apparent in- consistence, the vision of the hairy face at the chart-house window. As, conscious of a pallid sensation about the cheeks, Vi turned to seek the second mate her foot crunched upon something upon the floor. Mechanically she glanced own as she passed and noticed a broken egg-shell. Chi Loo must have brought eggs for his breakfast, she thought—yet somehow the sight stirred vague associations. But as she was wondering what significance they could have she heard the footsteps of Carnell returning: - “Oh, Mr. Carnell!’ she exclaimed as soon as he appeared. “Uncle is dead!” “Good God!” He stopped abruptly and stared at her. She repeated the statement, adding: “But I can’t imagine what can .have happened. He appeared rather tired but otherwise quite all right.” the peculiar expression on the Second’s face, = - “Why, do you think it has anything to do with—with those others?” -“Yes—I mean—” he blinked and frowned as if trying to command his features— “Miss Kelvett, I’m afraid Some gning: serious” is—er—happening.” Wake up!’ she cried, She stared at oe —— _ ti