Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

348 She hurried away, leaving Mary a trifle warmer. Did she dare suggest that Mary was carrying on a deliberate flirtation with her wretched brother? Would she, per- chance, confide that suspicion to some dear female friend under pledge of secrecy, thus making certain of its becoming town gossip overnight? Another, a stronger, nervous thrill came upon Mary. Call all this internal excite- ment conscience or whatever else she chose, she might as well face the fact: she had done the wrong thing in coming here! She—yes, she Aad indeed done the wrong . thing! That Carmen girl who passed just now was Fay Steers, Billy’s first cousin and a cat! If ever she recognized Mary, she’d be as sure to tell as the sun is sure to rise. Mary’s hands turned to ice. She would have to flee. She turned to leave without so much as a single dance—turned and col- lided with a certain Sir John Falstaff, who begged her pardon in a deep, familiar bass and passed on, while Mary, quite involun- tarily, shrank behind a large artificial palm. Because that was Billy’s Uncle Steve! What did it mean? Was his whole fam ily here and watching her? Mary swal- lowed and turned again toward the main entrance. “ You’re mot dancing, I'm net dancing. May I have this one?” asked an extremely thin pirate, in an extremely familiar high voice. Behind her mask, Mary could feel her very eyes bulging. until they seemed to touch the fabric. It could not be, and still it seemed to be: this was Billy’s cousin, Horace. This was Fay’s dear brother, like her but infinitely meaner, Horace, who lived to make trouble and gloried in his mission. If ever, in his own fashion, he informed Billy of Mary’s presence here— “Tm not—dancing, thank you,” Mary. whispered hastily. _ “ Ah?” chuckled Horace, and continued his curious examination of her. ‘‘ Do you mind chatting a while, in that cute little whisper of yours?” “ My—partner—in this—”’ ‘‘ Until he turns up,” said Horace, easily; and in the very pursing of his lips one saw that there was much about Mary that puz- Digitized hb Google ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. zied bim. “Do you know,” said ke, “you're just the fifth girl in this whols crew that I haven’t identified at the first good. look?” ‘““Qh?” said Mary, in a strange little cack’ Mat Tad noutent to be @ pial giggle. She moved away and Horace moved: with her, staring quite fixedly at her. It was not a bit beyond him, either, to twitch off her mask and— Mary’s thoughts raced suddenly, like a machine gone mad! If he did recognize her, if Helen talked, if any- one of a dozen people had seen her go to Peter’s flat, if the whole mass of false evi- dence came to Billy, after her own promise that she would do nothing like this, what ‘would Billy do? Why, unless that wicked eye of his, yes- terday, had altogether belied the savage strain somewhere within, it meant that Billy would simply cast her off, it meant the end of all their happiness, of Mary’s whole life! She turned quite wildly toward the door. Horace came closer and kept to her side. “You know,” said he, “I enjoy these affairs in my own fashion, and it worrtes me horribly not to know all the folks be- fore they unmask. Sort of semi-scientific hobby. Now, there’s something familiar about your hair—” There was an odd significance in his odd words. Mary caught it, just as she caught the gleam of the eye behind his mask, and chilled anew. It was escape or face utter ruin—and she could not escape the eye of Horace. No, even if she attained the door and fled, head- long, into the night, Horace would see her enter the Cypria house, across the way! And—oh, there was Peter! Mary’s heart beat suddenly once more. There he was, armor and all, with a Dresden China maid on his arm. His vizor was pointed this way, too, and Mary waved a sudden, covert hand in his direction, beckoning. It really seemed that Peter had grown dense, though—or possibly he coukdn’t see through the wretched tin helmet.~At all events, he turned away again and kept on talking to the Dresden China girl. The musicians began to tune up once more. ei fron iG (9) Ts | OO () a) cD) S C@