Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

THE DANCING DOLL. _ She kicked off her slippers and stepped into dainty mules of blue and white, then filling the basin with cold water she washed _ her face and neck and arms, glad of the refreshing chill. Finally she slipped into a negligée of blue _ and white and seating herself before her dressing table, shook out her hair and be- gan to brush the cloudy black masses. But as she looked in the mirror she was not studying her own features, fine and spirited as those of a gypsy princess. She was looking at the reflection of George, who was stretched on her bed, his brows no longer knitted and his mouth no longer drawn in suffering, but relaxed in the bless- ing of sleep. As she looked at him the girl was think- - ing of that other girl who had won this man so easily and as easily tossed him aside. ‘I wonder!” mused Tina. “1 wonder what I would have done? Suppose it was my act that had knocked over that theater manager! Suppose Mr. Harbison had said to me ‘ You’re positively the world’s best _ demon-dancer. You come to New York with me and I’ll give you a thousand a week! And what’s more I’ll have your name in the biggest lights on Broadway! The whole town will be talking of Christina Bianca!’ Suppose he’d said all that to me, instead of to her—” Tina mused on the vision of glory for a moment while the brush caressed her black hair, then she said aloud: “ ‘ You go plumb to the devil, Mr. Harbison!’ That’s what I’d tell him!” With difficulty the girl restrained her im- pulse to stroke the head that was dreaming on her pillow, but as she stared at it with her big black eyes full of tenderness, there was a sound at the street door. Who could be trying to enter at that time of night? CHAPTER XIX. TINA’S WILES. S the girl strained her ears, listening to Pine ominous sounds without, she heard the low mutter of peremptory com- mands; then there were footsteps of men coming up stairs. She hurried to the window. Two figures were standing by the opposite wall, look- ing toward her apartment. Tina’s eyes grew wide with apprehension and she ran into the sitting room—to listen at the hall door. 2 There were men—how many she did not know—moving about outside. She thought she could distinguish the clank of metal. There was a click as if a revolver was being cocked. © Swift as a darting swallow the girl snatched up George’s cap and threw it back of a mirror. She fled into her room and shook George by the shoulders. “ Quiet!” she whispered. ‘ Not a word! There are men outside! Valdez’s men!” George was awake instantly, his jaw set, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun, eager to jump in and fight. But the girl cautioned him with finger on her fips. ‘““Not yet You’ve done enough oe Suddenly there was a sharp rap on the outer door; then a succession of knocks as if somebody were tapping the panel with a revolver butt. “‘'Who’s there?” cried Tina, and she left George for a moment to throw back the covers of her bed. ‘“‘'Who’s there?” And as she called in tones of surprise she was backing George against the wall beside her bedroom door. “Stay there! Don’t make a sound!” she whispered and, as the knocking was repeat- ed louder than ever, she ran to the hall door and opened it a crack. Instantly it was forced open and three men had crowded into the room while a couple more could be seen in the corridor. One was in uniform, a young, smartly- dressed police lieutenant, with a military mustache, black against his clear olive skin. He carried himself with the swaggering air of an army Officer. The others were in plain clothes, detec- tives of a nondescript appearance that would never have been picked out among the half caste population of Rio. “What do you want?” asked Tina back- ing away from them. The officer twisted his mustache and gazed at her with insplent_ admiration, com