Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

86 “* Please!”’ Rod pleaded. ‘A little later, perhaps,” she temporized. She extended her hand for the water, but when he passed the giass to her she only half grasped it and part of the fluid spilled on her costume. “Oh!” she exclaimed, with a frightened little gasp. “It’s this mask. I can’t see very well through it.” She sipped the water with apparent relish and handed the emptied glass back to him. The orchestra was playing a waltz and the sensual and lovely music came drifting up to the balcony. “ Come,” he said. ‘I want to see if you waltz as well as you fox trot.” The girl drew back. ‘““Not this dance,” she said. ‘“ We will have the next one. I’d rather just sit here and talk with you.” She hurried on, as if fearing to give him an opportunity to plead with her. ‘‘ They say you’re just wonder- ful,” she breathed. “Well, what do you think of me?” he asked her, half-humorously. “1 am more interested in your opinion right now than in the opinion of others.” “Oh, I think so, too,” she told him. “ But I’ve never seen you on the screen because I don’t go to pictures.” “Then how in the world did you hap- pen to write to me?” he asked. Here was something to wonder at. “Oh, well—that is—” she stammered, “{ heard the other girls talk so much about you that I just thought I would send you that letter. You didn’ mind, did you?” There was a childish and appealing tim- bre to her voice that he had not noticed before. ‘“T would love to see you, though,” she told him, breaking in on his contemplation. “And I would love to see you,” he re- plied. “ Then, look!” she said hastily, drawing her mask from her face and darting a glance at him from the corners of her eyes. Roderick Randall had seen many desir- able girls, but never a face as beautiful as this one. The mask slipped back into place and, for a moment, he maintained his si- lence. ee “Tf is try to elt you! how ole yay ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. are,” he said then, softly, “it will sound like a lot of nonsense. So I’m not going to try. But,” he added earnestly, ‘‘ who in the world are you? That I must know be- fore the evening is over.”’ “[’m no one in particular,” she replied in a tremulous whisper. “ No one at all. But it’s nice to have you think ’m— lovely.” “You have become more and more love- ly from the moment I met you,” he assured her. “ You’re almost too wonderful to be real.” “Maybe I’m not real,” she warned him. * But, anyway, if you think I’m so. wonder- ful,” she added softly and whimsically, ‘you may bring me a lemohade. Then we will have the next dance together.”’ Rod hastened away, thinking of the ex- quisite face he had glimpsed for a moment in the shadow of the mask. Here was a girl, he thought, who was different. Then he smiled at the idea that he could fall into the error of thinking that any woman was, or could be, different from any other woman. But, nevertheless, she was different. His heart, to his confusion, protested vigorous- ly against the cynicism of his mind. Just as he reached her again the band struck into the opening measure of “La Paloma.” “IT don’t want the drink,” she said hasti- ly. “ Put it down somewhere. We must dance this tango.” She fairly flew ahead of him and then they were on the floor dancing. She danced as she had before and her verve and aban- don thrilled Rod like old wine. The music stopped suddenly. “Oh!” the girl half-sobbed. she said, “‘ more!” Again the seductive strains and broken rhythm of the Spanish air pulsed through the hall and once more they became a part of the very music itself. Again the band stopped and, after a moment, resumed. Rod became aware of the fact that the crowd on the floor was thinning out and ‘* More,” at last he realized that he and his part- ner were competing in a tango contest. This, then, was why she had wanted so particu- lary to dance ae esha sate. Bin. ——— Omitbooke cone