Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 140: what you’re looking at

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

BATON) ya Re 7 ae. te ae —-— 562 Ah Long now took a seat, and drew it up to within a few feet of hers. “Mr. Quimby,” he related in silky tones, without inflection, “may have difficulty in explaining to you what has happened. I will spare him the neces- sity and tell you myself.” He turned to the hook-visaged person, who now appeared to be wholly overcome with shame or remorse or despair, yet Rova felt that he was acting. “Tf I err in statement, pray correct me,” the Chinese said to Quimby. “Go on, tell her,’”’ Quimby flaccidly intoned. “Tt is this way, Miss Hollins,” the Chinese went on softly, “ your friend, Mr. Quimby, has found in the past that he required financial assistance, and he has then come to his friend, Ah Long, who has invariably .been fortunate enough to secure the desired financial requirement. “Tn return Ah Long has asked only that he be secured against the muta- tions of this mundane change by the accepted form. Consequently it has come about that for everything that Mr. Quimby owns Ah Long holds a mortgage. “Tt is so with his ownership of Man- aloa. It is so with his race horses, in- cluding the fleet Flapper. It is so with the moneys he has advanced to your father, the respected Mr. Hollins. It is so with this yacht, the Stingaree. “Tt was in a rash and unthinking moment this afternoon that he offered to bet with you this yacht against your horse on the outcome of a race. I will not blame him for his lapse of memory. Doubtless he had expected to win and had good reason to think so. “ Perhaps for the moment the fact escaped his memory that the real owner of the Stingaree is Ah Long, and so, Miss Hollins, you will pardon me, I am sure, if I notify you with great regret and my most humble apologies that it is impossible for Mr. Quimby to pay his bet in the form in which it was made.” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ~ Rova’s head was throbbing with be- wilderment. Was this true? it only another subtle ruse in a plot whose purpose she would not fathom? She decided to throw herself on the mercy of the courteous Chinese, whom _ she had seen before on occasion at a distance, for he was well known as one of the prominent capitalists of the island. “Very well, then, Mr. Ah Long,” she said, in an attempt at brightness, “that’s all right. Only turn the yacht about at once, will you please, and set me back on shore, and help me find Lance Houston?” The Chinese smiled indulgently and looked at Quimby as if they mutually understood that the girl was suffering from a hallucination. “ Be assured we can return ashore,” he said. “ But as for Mr. Houston— pardon me—is this the movie actor in whom you are interested ?” Why should she persist in the fiction which she felt was useless? “ Oh, in- deed, Mr. Ah Long,” she pleadingly assented, “it is the great Lance Hous- ton himself. He rode Lightning this afternoon and won, and he came with me over the trail. He was here on deck with me just now. I saw him ly- ing unconscious up there only a few minutes ago. He has disappeared. He must be on this yacht somewhere. Help me find him.” Ah Long reached up both of his hands. The gown fell back to his el- bows. The hands were long. The nails very long. He brought the palms to- gether smartly. The door to the galley opened. A Chinese servant appeared. Ah Long spoke in Chinese to him, a long command. The servant disappeared. Ah Long turned to Rova. “ The boat will be searched,” he said, “carefully, Miss Hollins, be assured.” “And will you turn around and put back to shore at once?” she asked, her voice almost breaking. “Indeed, Miss Hollins, be assured.” Or was. €omicbooks.co ~s.~ - - = al —_ =. «ee = e " 2 i ee — _ Ea oe ei ee oe <~ . oP le