Argosy All-Story Weekly — "Sea Marauders" — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

ze THE SCANDAL ON know five languages and history back- wards and forwards; but she didn’t know how to play. After two hours of dancing instruc- tion, Gerald was exhausted. Never in his life had he done more hard work ina given day. At ten o'clock he said: “| think we'd better call it a day.” “Will I ever learn to dance?” Susan woefully asked. She was standing, drooping, before him. Her hair was disheveled. Her cheeks were flushed and moist from exertion, and her eyes were dull with discouragement. ‘In time,’ Gerald encouraged her. “ But you have got to stop being so formal. You have got to throw your- self into it. You act as if it’s a dis- grace to be in my arms. You must pretend to like being in my arms. You must relax. You must be gay.” “T don’t know how,” the poor girl confessed. ‘ All my life I’ve been told that only the serious things matter, and that frivolity is sinful. Try me just once more, Gerry.” Gerald obligingly took her in his arms. | “ Relax, Susan, relax!” Susan tried to relax. Gerald started the victrola. “Now throw yourself into it, kid,” said Gerald. Susan threw herself into it. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I kicked you in the shin!’ He backed away. ‘‘ The idea, Susan, is to keep your feet on the floor.” In her contrition over the agony of his shin, she seized his hand. And he liked Susan in this moment of her hu- mility more than at any time since they had met. She looked so small, so dis- couraged and so helpless. Her eyes were misty and her. lower lip was drooping, full, red. “Tet’s go out and look at the moon,” Gerald suggested. They went out and looked at the moon. It was a perfect Florida night. The soft breeze was disturbing, allur- ing, mysterious. And the moon, high A KITIKAT KEY. 513 and round, sparkled on the water, which, even in moonlight, was green. The light of a ship could be seen far off. They strolled down the path to the pier, and Gerald proceeded to carry out his plan. He knew that the results would probably be serious; but he didn’t care. He simply had to kiss Susan. “Just look at that moon!” he ex- claimed, as they stood there side by side. It was an old trick, and Susan fell for it. She tilted back her head and looked at the moon. Promptly the moon was eclipsed—for Susan. Ger- ald’s shapely head did the eclipsing. He seized her—but he did not kiss her. In a twinkling, she was out of _ his arms. “Any man who takes advantage of a girl’s inexperience,” she cried, ‘is a beast! I am going to bed. Good night!” He followed her into the bungalow, He heard her slam the door of the bed- room. He heard her shoot the bolt, He sat down on the couch and blew out the light. If only another thunderstorm would strike Kitikat to-night. CHAPTER XI. “wy cop! 1r’s EFULALIE!”’ USAN did not sleep well that night, although there was no thun- derstorm to terrify her. She knew that she was venturing nearer and nearer into ticklish waters. She was in love with Gerald, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he found it out. What then? Although the night was cool, her sheet, her pil- low seemed to be steaming. She wanted to run her fingers through his thick, curly hair. She wanted to take his head in her hands and kiss him. He was such a dear, | and so amusing. Susan fell to won- — comi