Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

286 In the sitting room which they shared be- tween them, George sank down in a chair and let his head fall on his arms that rested upon the table before him. He was tired clear through, disappointed and humiliated. Margot’s unemotional good-by kiss had told him more decisively than words that he was not her husband, not her lover, but only her good friend. That was something! But not enough from a wife! Tina stood behind his chair and let her fingers run through his dark Hair, wishing that she might dare to stoop and kiss the locks that curled so slightly under her touch. “Poor boy!” she murmured in a voice that was as tender as a mother’s. ‘“ You are so tired and so unhappy! I would do anything in the world to comfort you!” George had no words to answer her. He felt too sick and sore. Tina’s eyes brimmed with tears as she felt or imagined she felt him shrink from her touch. ‘Don’t worry, George. Things will come out all right. Margot will make a hit in New York and after a while she'll miss you ~ and will coax for you to come to her.” George did not reply. He did not raise his head. Only his deep and labored breathing showed that he was suffering and could not be comforted. “Things worked out fine!” continued Tina as if she were talking to a child. “Don’t you see, the girl is safe now? Away from Valdez and out of reach of that beast who calls himself her guardian!” “But she’s gone!—She said good-by without any more feeling than if I had been old Gian’ Bori or the pianist at the café. I’m nothing to her!” “Don’t say that! Of course, you're something to her! Why, she owes every- thing to you! When she comes to her senses she'll realize it!” Silence. Then Tina continued soothingly: “Vou know, dear, some girls are like that. They can’t show what they feel— why away down in her heart a girl may be just crazy with love and yet—and yet you may think by the way she acts that ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, she’s cold and reserved—like Margot—or she may laugh and cut up like a wild crea- ture—when her heart’s just breaking. You never can tell about girls! They’re like that!” Her hand which stroked his hair trem- bled a little as she smoothed his dark curls, but George shook it off as he rose im- petuously. “Oh, it’s hell, Tina! for anyone like that!” “TI know it is, boy! It’s—it’s some- thing fierce—but listen! You're all tired and excited. Can’t you settle down now and get a little sleep?” “No, I can’t sleep! My room seems like a jail. No, that isn’t it. I’ve got her pictures all over the place and I can’t bear to look at them. I don’t know what I want to do. Id like to get drunk!” Tina threw open the door of her own. room. “ Come in here,” she said. “ It’s cool here and—and there are no pictures!” . George glanced in at the room that looked so virginal in the cool light of the early morning, the little white bed, the floor bare except for a couple of small rugs, the gray walls. Over the head of the bed, facing the door, was a small blue and white image of the Virgin, above a tiny font of holy water. But Tina had not told the truth when she said there were no pictures in her room. On the little table beside a book or two, and a vase of flowers was a framed photo- graph of George. With a quick gesture she laid it flat and placed a book upon it. “Come in, George,” she said. “—Do you know, in all the time we’ve lived here you’ve never been inside my room?” Too worn out to protest, George stag- gered in, gazing about the immaculate chamber with bloodshot eyes, and threw himself heavily on the bed. In a few moments he was asleep. Tina listened to his deep breathing for a little while, then assured that he had sunk into the stupor of exhaustion, she silently and swiftly slipped out of her tattered dress, the black and scarlet costume that. had been ripped and clawed by brambles on the mountain trail, and tossed it into a It’s hell to care drawer. comicbooke.com