All-Story Weekly, Vol. 112, No. 1 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

TEACH: PIRATE DE LUXE. “ But don’t forget, if you’re feeling evil again, that I’ve my spear quite handy. Here’s your second egg. Catch.” “Tt seems,” said the architect viciously, “that I’m out of ‘the frying-pan into the fire. I suppose Teach would have robbed me, but he would have behaved decently over it. Yes, I will say that for Teach, and one way and another I’ve seen a good bit of him. He always behaved like a gentle- man.” " “ Here’s news! Also, a character for a notorious pirate. Are you speaking the truth by any chance—did you really know Captain Teach?’’ “I regret to say he was a member of the Beefsteak, which is my New York club. Don’t know how he got elected; but there he was; and a jolly popular member, too. He was a man who always could be relied on to order the best dinner avail- able, and that, let me tell you, is an art.” ‘““He once showed us there a portrait by Sir Godfrey Kneller of the original Blackbeard. I honestly believe it was genu- ine. Fancy- bucking about having a pirate for great-grandfather.” ‘It isn’t every one who knew what his people were in 1718.” “Well, there yov are. It’s an infernal pity he’s turned out the way he has. I used to meet him a lot till about a year ago— er—as I say till about a year ago. Haven't seen him since.” Miss Arncliffe thought a moment, and then: ‘‘ Why have you ceased going to the Beefsteak for this last year?” said she. Mr. Ghyll jumped up from his nest as though he had been stabbed a second time. The sticks creaked and crackled as he sank back on to them. “* What have you heard about it? There, I felt all along you knew Mr. Infernal Teach. I’d never have thought he was the man to distort things. Anyway, I don’t gare a row of pins what he said. “The plain truth is, I resigned. What the committee chose to do after I’d ceased to be a member, I can’t say. The whole thing was very damaging to me profes- sionally. ‘You see, Teach was so popular with the rest of the members, I felt I shouldn’t 15 have a look-in if it came before the com- mittee. So I resigned.” “[ wish you’d sit quiet, and not talk about things that don’t interest me. You’ve trodden on that second egg—vwell, I’m afraid it was a rich one. Here’s another. Catch.” But in spite of her austere proposals to limit Mr. Ghyll’s breakfast, Mary’s natural hospitality went further than her words. The man ate till he was filled, but even then he did not appear decently grateful to his hostess. His fine-blond face was sullen and lower- ing. Mary, despite her debonair manner, felt him to be menace incarnate, and kept the thin haft of the spear handy to her fingers. As a weapon, the spear was new to her. But &t school she had learned fencing, and she had kept it up at intervals during her service with the W. A. A. C.’s, and knew how to do that daunting thing, “ give the point.” The one item she had to keep in mind was to dart in and out so quickly that he could not get a hit on the frail bamboo shaft arid smash it. She was horribly afraid of Halton Ghyll, but viciously determined to damage him badly if he gave her the least opening. In the meanwhile she wasted no civility on him. ‘As you’ve finished your breakfast, you may now go to your own side of Maryland, and gather eggs.”’ - ‘““T’m fagged out. I’m going to stay where I am— Ough! You little hell-cat! I'll-wring your neck if I get hold of you!”’ “I’m sure you'd try. Now get a move on, or I’ll puncture you again. D’ye hear me, beast? March! Right—wheel!” Mary did not sleep in Maryland Manor that night, but in a burrow she made for herself, after dark had fallen, and before the moon rose, under the farther side of the wrecked sponge-boat’s ribs. As she ex- pressed it to herself, she “‘ had a feeling in her bones” that the devilish Mr. Halton Ghyll still imagined himself a power in Maryland. She lay awake, watching. The noisy seafowl of the isle dropped the main parts of their arguments at sun- COMICOooe C S C©