Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 80: what you’re looking at

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

390 him her reason for not accepting his invi- tation. The zest for life and adventure was also throbbing in her veins. She would like to go up on deck, and watch the moon with an agreeable young man rather than to return to her lonely, though beautiful stateroom. But the sad news must be imparted. ‘““{—I couldn’t find any shoes,” she ex- plained gravely, falteringly. Stephen smiled, though there was con- cern in his voice, as involuntarily he glanced down at her feet, concealed by the soft folds of her gown. “What are you wearing, may I ask?” ** Just—just my feet!” confessed Judith Sstammeringly. ‘Good Lord,”. cried Stephen. ‘“ We forgot that important item. I have some Japanese slippers that perhaps will fit you. Come into the salon, and wait while I go and look them up!” “Tm a lot of bother,” said Judith slowly. Wonderingly she raised her face to his. More kindness had been lavished upon her during her short stay upon the Psyche than in all the combined years of her life, except for the good-natured gifts of old “ Baldy ” Sowers. ‘No trouble at all,’ reassured Stephen. “ Come.”’ = Judith stepped across the threshold, her bare feet sinking into the soft rug. She shivered a trifle. Though the night was warm her diaphanous draperies were inade- quate protection. Stephen noticed. “ I'll bring you a coat, too,” he promised. ‘Sit here, and I'll be back directly.” Fenwick departed, his brain a whirl of conflicting emotions. To have started out upon a perfectly prosaic mission to his father’s sugar plantations in South America, and then to suddenly find himself in the midst of highly exciting romance was be- wildering. Z This girl appealed to him more than any one he had ever seen in all his adventurings | into the realm of the tender passion. She was delicious, beautiful, different; patheti- cally unspoiled, ignorant, too, but with in- finite possibilities. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. _ Her defiant announcement that she pro- posed to keep her own counsel amused him. She must have had a terrible experience. Stephen felt a desire to make her life from now on easy and beautiful. It never oc- curred to him that the girl might object. Judith sank back as Stephen left her, into the depth of a luxurious easy-chair. She was lost in admiration of the beautiful room, when a voice sounded at her elbow. Mate Allerton was gazing down at her, his handsome face vastly intrigued. “You went to a lot of trouble to ‘ hook’ him, didn’t you?” he queried cheerily. “What?” Judith’s incomprehension was complete. She surveyed him in her turn with much curiosity, femininely susceptible to manly good looks. Allerton nodded his head toward the door through which Stephen had disappeared. “It was staged pretty well. Calculated to arouse sympathy, eh? I certainly ad- mire your histrionic ability. It’s strange I never happened to see you on the stage. What show were you with? Luck must have been rotten to drive you to this.”’ Judith gazed with round eyes of wonder at the man who was smiling down at her like a handsome young satyr. She was figuratively as well as literally at sea. ‘“ What show?” she queried. The mate leaned over, and placed: his hand familiarly upon her shoulder. There was something in the touch that made Judith shrink as she had always shrunk from Jerry. “You are a fine little pretender!” he said, leaning over so that she could feel his breath hot upon her face. ‘““T dunno what you're talkin’ about!” she exclaimed angrily. Allerton laughed outright. ‘‘ Trying the ingenue role, are you?” he paused and sur- veyed the girl’s stormy flushed face, her beautiful, upturned angry eyes. ‘‘ But you’d do better in the ‘ vamp’ parts!” Judith rose from the luxurious chair. Comprehension had at last come to her. Silence and flight, as usual, were her only weapons. She started toward the door through which she had just entered the salon. The mate’s firm hand upon her shoulder brought her to pause. COPNICLOOKS EO