Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

The Road Lucia gave a startled exclamation as the stone settled almost at her feet, and then flung up her head in a listening attitude— the attitude of the hound thrown out who hears the distant chorus of the pack in cry. The flush died from her cheek. A mask of impassivity—or was fear the emotion? Katrine asked as she watched—seemed to settle upon her face. The whistler came pacing round the cor- ner, came to a halt in sudden surprise, and then stood uncovered, bowing elaborately. ‘“‘Signorina!’’? exclaimed Sarrasco, his voice as eloquent of amazement and satis- faction as Esuli’s own had been. ‘“Sig- norina!”’ Katrine looked at him stonily. During the last few minutes a sense of nightmare had seemed to enclose her. Through the weeks she had been losing her American— her civilized—points of view, but without conviction. She realized into what a world of hitherto incredible circumstance she had entered, but, 77 it, she had never got the sensation of being of it. And now? She found herself a leading member of the cast. For again her instincts serve?! her. She knew absolutely and completely that she was involved in some intrigue—even now she had a dim and undefined nature of its import—which was to affect herself, those she held dear, those with whom she was associated. And it was to culminate its results against the project against which all results seemed to culminate—the road. Esuli was an instrument of the conspiracy. And here stood another—Sarrasco. And she, a well-bred, advanced, American wom- an, found herself arrayed against such as these—experts in intrigue, relentless in savagery, men steeped in knavery to their fingers’ ends. She gave a little wondering gasp. This was.the year 1909! A CERTAIN exasperation seized her. She conceived a sudden loath- ing for these men—for their methods —for all the Old World knavery for which they stood. She would bare her weapons— she would not stoop to fence with such as these. She looked the Italian in the eyes and nodded toward the white-faced girl beside her. “You used this tool, then?” she said con- temptuously. ‘It came near to turning in your hand.”’ 1091 Sarrasco threw out his open palms with a gesture of bewilderment. , “I am of an astounding denseness, signorina,” he de- precated, “‘but your meaning is—what?”’ “T think—I know—that you lie!” she said coldly. ‘You or your confederate’’— she let the loathing in her eyes include the Turk—“hired this woman to play her sorry treachery for you. It was she, after all, who hid those cartridges—to be found.” Sarrasco stared from her to Esuli. His shoulders rose and fell with a sort of de- spairing wonder. “T am at a loss—utterly at a loss!’ he confessed. The Bey eyed him with sym- pathetic appreciation. ‘The Signorina Gresham has a grievance against us which it will take time, and in- telligence, to investigate,” he said gently. “T have no alternative but to make her my guest meanwhile.” The Italian smiled vivaciously. “But that is—from our point of view—- delightful!” he cried. “I deplore any in- conveniences you may be put to, signorina, but, consider the brightness you will bring into our purely masculine lives. Consider it!” She made him no answer. She stepped forward slowly up the path which FEsuli again indicated with a deferential wave of the hand. Lucia stayed, irresolute, watch- ing for orders, as it seemed, from Sarrasco’s beaming eyes. He looked at her, smiling still, but this time possessively and appraisingly. A tiny unseen shudder shook her. ‘“‘And the Signorina Gessi?”’ he quericd. ‘She refuses to be separated from her com- panion? But that 1s what had to be ex- pected. The bonds between them have grown strong through these weeks of com- panionship. . And the proprieties are served too, are they not? You will play chaperon to each other? Each will be to each the severest of duennas?”’ She dropped her eyes. She followed Ka- trine without another word. Behind them the two men closed in abreast, walking as warders walk, with impassive watchfulness. And to Katrine, looking up at the white walls of the house on the hillside above her, it seemed that the prison had already en- closed her in its grip. And yet? She dug her nails into the palm of her hand to con- vince herself that this was indeed no night- mare—that the almanac had not slipped CO MICLOOKS C©