Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 4 — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

SO ENDS THE DAY. wondered if she had spoken too openly. He had not failed to understand. She could tell that by the way he sat biting at the amber of his pipe, gone out. She knew the riddles. of his eyes, though she could not always read them. There was a depth to his nature she had never sounded, but suspected. It was strength, but she feared it, if perverted. Under his repression the man was volcanic. He refilled and relit his pipe. “Thanks, Elizabeth,” he said. “I'll not pretend to misunderstand you. Sam- son is a good deal of a skunk, but I can handle him.” She gathered up her sewing and rose, as he did. ‘“‘ Man-handle, you mean. What sense is there in disposing of the man if you lose the girl? Good-night, John.” She looked in Mary. The moon touched one pillow, with a braid of hair, light gold. The girl’s eyes were closed, and she went out softly. But Mary Leigh was not asleep. She was less certain now that Martin had seen. She had lain wait- ing for the sound of angry voices, waiting for her aunt to come to bid her good night, but she shrank from discussion. Despite the warm, tropic night, she was cold, all but her lips. Something had suddenly sprung up within her. For one moment, when she had shrunk against the mate’s body and received his lips on hers, her flesh and blood had transmuted into flame. John had never affected her like that. Was there something lacking? Was she tainted with some streak of immorality to remember such a moment and thrill to it? She was plighted to John, but John did not rouse her to such a supreme moment that hinted of deeper transports to which her will and body had leaped. Was John cold? Were they mismated? ‘Was Samson the one man, as he had been the only one, who could fill her with such delirious desire? She was no simpering innocent, but passion had been born in her for the first time that night; she, a plighted girl, in the arms of another man than her lover. Surely she loved John? Her mind did—or was it only respect? _ Fairly in the coils, she tossed on her bed. Behind it all lay dread. A sickening fear of what might happen between the two men. Pinckney, the second mate, who was to take the middle watch, was, as usual, in the congenial company of the supercargo and the Welshman, in Sykes’s snug domain off the trade-room. The three ate at sec- ond-table, and, always somewhat embar- 661 rassed by the presence of two women - aboard, one of them the skipper’s fiancée, were glad to do so, keeping away almost entirely from the cuddy, where, as one of the few whites aboard, the carpenter, with the others, usually had right of entrance. The skipper broke in on their three- handed game of cribbage. “The watches have been shifted a bit, | Pinckney,” he said. ‘“ You'll go up at two bells and relieve the mate. I’ll take the deck for the morning watch, as usual.”’ “Very well, sir.” The skipper nodded curtly to Sykes and Evans, and, without his usual pleasant word, left them. ‘““ My eye!” ejaculated Sykes, when he was sure the skipper was well away. ‘‘ Somethin’ stirrin’. Wot-ho for ructions!” “Samson!” said Pinckney prophetically. “‘ Somethin’ in the bloomin’ wind,” said Sykes.- ‘And the mate to loo’ard. ’Arf a quid yo’re right, Pinkey.” “Td be a fool to bet against what I think,”’ said the Welshman. ‘“ Your deal, Sykes. . It’s none of our business.” The’ skipper returned to the cuddy, smoking pipe after pipe and brooding, brooding over what the aunt had told him, retrieving past incidents, cursing above his breath at last to find that he had nothing tangible for open grievance. “Tl. get rid of him at Singapore,” he muttered, and reached into the table drawer for the log. There was little to enter save the position, already jotted down in pencil. He was never prolix. He wrote in his precise hand: Becalmed all day. A fair wind at sunset. Taku sick with fever. Not serious. Admin- istered 15 gr. quin. At noon: 5’ 19’’ South. 134’ 27’’ East. 4 The cuddy clock chimed eight bells, midnight. Forward, one of the watch l NOOK CO