The Argosy, August 1905 — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

- So she believed that he had allowed ‘ her name to be brought into a low row on the public deck of this steamer! Tarr withdrew without further words. He was too hurt to seek to defend himself or to deny what she believed true. He avoided Calvin when he went out upon deck, although he saw him in the dis- tance, attended by the ex-waiter. It was a fact that, more than he was troubled by the mystery of Crowding’s illness, Tarr was disturbed over this misunderstanding with Helen Trainor and her brother and aunt. And as his mind dwelt upon the fact, it was not for Calyin’s mistrust in him that he mourned. He thought first of Helen’s attitude. Dr. Meachem had evidently been on the lookout for him, and kindly insisted that Tarr go below to his, the doctor’s, cabin and lie down. But despite his wakeful night, the secretary could not sleep for long. Tis many worriments were with him in his dreams. Burgess and the Bab- bler, Kinney and Helen ‘Trainor, Crowding and the disguised Brown passed through his visions in continuous procession. . And finally the luncheon bugle ‘ awoke him as though it were the } sienal of some threatening disaster ! ~ which had troubled the latter part of his dream. Finding it impossible to sleep again, he arose, had a bite of luncheon him- self, learned that the doctor had re- lieved Miss Trainor as nurse, and felt able to go into the steerage before returning to his own cabin. As he drew near, the strains of a fid- die and an accordeon and the shuffle of feet announced the fact that the steer- age passengers were having an after- noon dance. Although there were few young people among them (aside from the small children), the returning emi- grants mustered a goodly company on the eleared space of the deek which answered for the floor of the ball-room. The couples were gravely moving about in time to the rather rasping i ee tee ass instruments. Tarr wended his way between them i ion to either the aaseee eae » aw 2 of first and second cabin pas- * ‘ » - , ™ - sengers that had gathered. He had spied the figure of the disguised Brown in an out-of-the-way corner and ap- proached him direetly. : He did not startle the supposed old woman this time, for his coming was observed. “T have a word to say to you in pri- vate,” he said in a low voice, looking intently down upon the shawl-shrouded figure. “Do you want to see me here? ” The supposed old woman showed no sign of understanding him. Her face retained an expression of perfect blank- ness, and she shook her head with en- ergy. “* No, no, signor! ” she whined. “Come, come!” exclaimed Tarr. “Don’t play the fool with me. I know you, and unless you want me to go to the officer of the ship and tell who you are -¢ “T no spe’k Inglese,”’ whined the creature again, vigorously shaking her head. One of the men who had been danc- ing came over to them, mopping his flushed face with a yellow bandanna and smiling broadly. “ She no understand you, sir,” he said, showing his white teeth in a broad smile. “She only speak-a da Italian.” “By Jove,’ muttered Tarr, “she writes English all right! ” “No, no! How can that be?” eried her fellow-countryman. “ She no spe’k eet: how can she write eet? ” “JT no spe’k Inglese,” declared the supposed old woman for the second time. Her face was swathed in a bandage, and she put her hand to it now and beeen to moan, rocking her body to and ro. “She haf one bad tooth—eh?” said the man commiseratingly, yet still smil- ing brilliantly. ‘“ What you want wit’ her, signor? ” Tarr saw that unless he was ready to make a row right then and there, there was no use in following his intention further. The creature wouldn’t speak or give him any satisfaction. be “ , Besides, so much did she_ character she appee ~~ <— ¢ comicbooks.com |