Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

8 350 Gravely -she surveyed him, Rusty’s tanned skin flushing under the inspection; of the two she was the more self-possessed. “Well?” he at length grinned at her. “Am I up to standard?” “Yes, amigo mio,” she slowly rejoined, her searching gaze never leaving his face. “Your eyes, senor, they tell me that. Blue eyes, to trust. Easy eet ees to see you are the kind of man one can rely upon. What ees your name, please?” ‘““ They hung the handle of Russell on me when I was a kid and not able to object,” said he. “‘ But my friends generally call me Rusty.” “Oh, I like that much better myself,” she cried. “‘ Rus-tee!” There was a quaint- ness about the way she said it that Rusty found tremendously appealing. ‘‘ And you are an American cow-punch’, are you not, Sefior Rus-tee?” “You guessed it the very first time,” Rusty laughed. All his customary self-as- surance had returned. “ But ain’t it about my turn to run the question mill, senorita? What’s your name?” “ Rosita,” she replied softly. “‘ Rosita,” Rusty repeated. ‘* Little Rose. That’s a right pretty name, but not too pretty for the girl.” “T am ver’ glad you like eet, Senor Rus-tee.” “ And I’m glad you’re glad; but I ain’t through asking questions. How come a young seforita like you is wandering around loose a night like to-night? I al- ways thought they kept your kind under lock and key.” “T cannot blame that you wonder, Sefor Rus-tee. Tell me, did you not ever be- come—what you call eet—bored, ready al- most to go crazee with the sameness of everything? Have you not been afflicted in that way, Senor Rus-tee?” “ Have 1?” Rusty cried. “ I’m that way most of the time. So I keep hopping along excitement trail, hoping I'll hit something.” “You can understand then how eet ees I feel. To-night—I—I ran away, senor.” “ You ran away!” he echoed blankly. ‘““Of a sureness, senor. Why not? Oh, JT don’t mean I ran away forever. In awhile _ must I go back again, and [ shall most pos- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. sibly be a ver’ good little girl all the rest of my life. But to-night I saw the streets full of people, and light, and laughter, and I want to be among the lights and laughter, too. You compre’nd, senor? Eet all seemed to me so harmless, this fiesta that ees being celebrated. We do not live here in thees town, but my father, Don Eugenio, he comes on business, and I tease him that he breengs me also.” Rusty nodded. ‘I figured you were from somewhere be- low the line,” he said. ‘‘ Of course, comes weeth me Tia Maria.” Her face wreathed in a grimace of distaste. “Tia Maria ees my duenna, you see, Sefior Rus-tee. Without her I cannot so much as budge. She ees old and uglee, thees poor Tia Maria, and she wears a mustache here ’—a slim thumb and finger touched her upper lip—‘ weeth hairs also sprout- ing from other portions of her face. Poor old Tia Maria! I am ver’ sorry for Tia Maria, but what does she know about a young girl’s feelings and yearnings, and de- sires to be alive? “But just to suppose I say to her: ‘ Tia Maria, I desire thees evening to stroll among all these people on the streets. I. weesh to go ’—how did you say eet, Sefior Rus-tee—‘ hopping along excitement trail.’ Suppose I tell those theengs to Tia Maria. Oh, dear!” . The girl’s shoulders twitched gleefully, and her black eyes fairly snapped in their merriment. ‘Oh, dear, Senor Rus-tee! Thees poor Tia Maria would of a sureness fall een a faint, or maybe burst a blood vessel, or other theeng. And worst of all would she tell my father, the Don Eugenio, about how weeked ees hees daughter. One does not enjoy to contemplate that, Sefor Rus- tee. “'To-night, my father and Don En- rique—” She hesitated a moment; then explained: “ Don Enrique ees my father’s friend, who comes with us. They go out, my father and Don Enrique, to enjoy thees fiesta, leaving me to spend the evening with Tia Maria. What a prospect! Ees eet not so, senor?” “IT believe you,” Rusty grunted sym- CORMCOOOKS (EO)