Adventure Magazine Cover — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

Forbidden Treasure of genuine distress had come into his face. “TI really can not,’ he said. ‘Just this once, Berwind! Just this once? You can see that I am not myself. I promise never to ask again. It is only a half-hour. But I can’t wait! I can’t wait!”? To Berwind’s horror, he came toward him, his hands outstretched and tears in his eyes. pleaded again, his voice becoming almost maudlin. The Doctor put a firm hand on his shoul- der as the two swayed face to face. ‘‘Non- sense, Mr. Lee!” he said sharply. ‘“‘It would be simply to undo all that we have done at so much pain and patience. For heaven’s sake, Mr. Lee,’”’ he went on miser- ably, “‘think of your daughter! Think how we are fighting for your future for her sake! And give me a little help. I will not jeop- ardize your advancement by yielding one tick of the clock!” His suppliant remained silent before him, balancing himself with difficulty on the see- sawing floor, while the Doctor waited, half expecting the old violent irritability to succeed this miserable weakness. But in a moment or two more Mr. Lee turned away and went to his own stateroom with the shambling step of a feeble-minded old man. Berwind watched him to the last, but he never turned or changed in any way. As the door of his stateroom closed upon him, the Doctor put his hands to his forehead like a manin pain. ~ ‘“‘And I believed I was succeeding!’ he said bitterly. “I hoped—like a fool—that he was getting well!’’ He sat down heavily on the cushioned seat that ran along the walls, and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his eyes on the ground.: CHAPTER XVII NORA SUGGESTS We WAS in this position of dejection that Nora found him a few minutes later, but as she hesitated in the doorway he became aware of her presence and rose. As his eyes lifted to her own, the smile that so trans- formed his ugliness came slowly to his rescue. “It is rather tiresome business, this being shut up below hatches, isn’t it?” he said. “But I think we may get out to-morrow surely.”’ The girl came to him, her eyes intent “Just this once!” he. 853 upon him. “You were not thinking of just that when I came in,” she said. ‘Oh, IT am sure you were not! And, Dr. Berwind, you must grant me the right to know the truth about everything. Are you hiding anything from me about my father? Are you telling me the truth when you say he is getting better?”’ Her hands fairly twisted together as she asked him her fervid questions. The eyes of her were alight with anxiety. “I have wanted to ask you this so often of late. And yet I was such a coward that I could not bear to. But just now, seeing you like that, it came to me that I must know, that I have no right to be in ignorance. Because, if I knew, I might help him. And I must help him, if I can, Doctor! You know that.” gia “WHY have you had this on your Situs mind of late?” he asked her. As he stood before her he was conscious of little but an insane desire to put his arms about her—she was so very beloved and in such deep distress. ‘“‘Because—it hurts me to the heart to admit it, but I must face it bravely now while I can—because I have seen a change in him. He is more irritable, more irra- tional.”” Her face lifted in a wistfulness. “But invalids—convalescents—are often like that, aren’t they?” Again he forced himself to smile at her. “It is true that we are not getting along as fast as I could wish, Miss Nora,” he ad- mitted. ‘The trouble is that there is noth- ing to amuse him—to take him out of him- self, as the phrase is. Yet he seems to dis- like having people about and I don’t want to take him to any gay place that will ex- cite him and wear him out. I so firmly be- lieve he will get well here in this climate if we can only keep him contented. If there were only something that would interest him! You know I thought last week he was going to take an interest in our ama- teur geology, but you saw yourself how that petered out. He watched the first little blast we made and after that it bored him. There’s all that dynamite and giant powder that I brought along going to waste.” He smiled whimsically. “If we could only find another silver bell, now,” he said after a pause. ‘‘You remember how he waked up over that? I verily believe the interest he took in de- COmiclbook CO