Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 43: what you’re looking at

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

-TWENTV-STICK ISLAND. -Faata was drawing on her imagination. Hope revived in Jimmy—if she didn’t over- do it. Thorpe slid a cautious hand beneath the drawer to insure its sliding out easily, It sometimes stuck. ‘“She speak along that trouble with Missa Toropi. He get her dress along store, He an’ my man Tubi they take her along native place, catch canoe, take her milikant (missionary). Missa Toropt he come back along time sun he come up.” Carter half shut his eyes, scrutinizing first the woman and then Thorpe. “ Let’s see that map,” he said. your money, dog face.” Faata scowled at the fresh insult. made no move to take the proffered bill. “TI think it’s in this drawer,” said Jim- my. “ There was a blue print chart of Twenty-Stick belonging to the company, but it was thumbtacked te the wall of the store.” Thorpe shoved back his chair slow- ly, fumbled in the drawer and took out a stack of papers. He could feel the bore of “ Take Carter’s eyes, knew he was still doubtful. His fingers touched the handle of the Colt, -and he drew it slowly to the front, looking up at Carter. A furrow was slowly con- tracting between the latter’s eyes, his gun muzzle was coming up. | “You speak you pay me ten tala, ” said Faata. “ What name you fool me? I speak: true.” - It broke the tension before Carter’s growing ‘suspicion changed to action. Thorpe had been certain he was going to insist upon looking through the drawer him- self. He had meant to ask him what depth the yacht’s launch drew, any question to divert his mind from the idea that Thorpe was fooling him. He should not have tossed out the first lot of papers or he should — have pretended one of them was the chart, Faata stood by the one easy chair in the shack. It was adorned with a trade cushion, its gay cover tasseled at the corner. Her fingers, brown and long and strong, played with the fringe, Carter laughed at her. ‘‘ Pretty smart you are,” he said. “ Wait till I see that map.” Then he suddenly barked at Thorpe, “ Take your hands out of that drawer!” 3A She > Jimmy did, and the Colt was in his right. But Carter had swung the auto- matic to a level, pressing the trigger. _ With the savage yell, wild and shrill, Faata flung the cushion by its tasseled cor- ner. It whirled end over end and struck Carter’s arm as he fired. The bullet went wild, tearing a ragged hole in the corru- gated iron roof. In one bound Faata was upon Carter like an animated catapult. She landed clawing, trying to bite, winding her lithe arms and legs about him, trans- formed into a species of human leopardess. Thorpe never knew whether he would ~ have answered that wild shot with one bet- ter aimed. He was thankful he did not have to. Faata had writhed her way across Carter’s body. Her brown legs, strong as steel, clamped about his middle, holding his left arm. Her left hand clutched his gun wrist, bearing down the arm. Her right was at his throat. Thorpe leaped across the room and wrested the gun away, laying it where he had set his own, on the table. He took hold of Faata’s shoulders, counter- ing the blow that Carter swung at her. ‘“ All right, Faata,” he said. ‘ You let him go now. He belong along me. I catch Pad Faata released her hold and sprang back, agile as a bounding ball. “What name he call me cross eye? What name he*speak me dog face?” she demanded, panting from her attack. “* Never mind that now. You take these two gun. Go back in room.” Then Thorpe saw that the door was wide open and Peggy Dineen was standing in it. Carter’s face registered a swift suc- cession of chagrin, anger, evil. — “Go in, Faata,” said Jimmy, and his voice was imperative. “ You too, Peggy Dineen. Please!” Her blue eyes were fairly lit. Jimmy’s interpretation of the look primed him with exultation. She knew what he meant to do. She understood. She approved of it. “ We're even up, now,” he said to Car- ter. take a licking.” Carter’s big jaw stuck out, -He grinned confidently. Eom CO f “You'll fight the understrapper or % ehook