The Argosy, August 1905 — page 148: what you’re looking at

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

x" aro It was evident that the garbled ac- count of his former trouble with Kinney had reached the ears of the powers that be, and Brier, seeing the two men to- gether again, had seized upon Tarr as the aggressor. The latter would not belittle himself by explaining. He left his luncheon and without a word to either Brier or the others about the table hurried out upon the open deck. There he paced to and fro the length of the promenade along one rail, boiling with rage and wishing with all his heart that he had never stepped foot upon the Yantie. And yet how he had been secretly de- lighted when Burgess insisted upon his accompanying the Trainor party across the Atlantic. And why? Not because he needed a yacation. He would haye been much more comfortable on the Babbler; the yaeht was a floating palace. Tarr’s eyes were being broadly opened to his interest in Helen Trainor. The fact that to his mind it savored of dis-— loyalty to Brandon Burgess made no difference to the truth. Tarr had looked forward to the companionship of Helen; that was the chief pleasure he would hare taken in the voyage under other cireumstances. . But whether he had been disloyal in thought and intention or no, the fact re- mained that his association with Helen Trainor was not fruitful of much pleas- ure. He really shrank now from going back to his cabin and relieving her in her care of the sick man. Her coldness was hard to face, especially when he knew he was undeserving of it. He awoke to the fact after a time, however, that for some reason he was attracting a deal of attention while pursuing his lonely promenade. Most of the passengers were on the shady side ef the deckhouse, but two of the junior officers—one forward, the other aft—watched him at every turn. At first he thought this imaginary on his part, but when he went into the smoking-room for a drink one of these young men followed him. Going out Baie the opposite door and passing und the other alley into the hows, the second man on a “ay ad a es hide « Se = a all ,.# “Confound them all!” Tarr mut- tered. ‘ Do they think I’m looking to pick a fuss with Kinney, or what is it? I seem to be under a ban.” — This surveillance made him nervous, and it seemed to him that every person he passed looked upon him askance. He could swear that more than one prome- nading couple glanced at him and whis- pered together. This became so unpleasant at Jast that he was fairly driven back to his own quarters. Mrs. Shackelford was evi- dently glad to see him come, and rose to leave the cabin at once. Crowding was muttering and crying out again, and Helen was bending over him, bathing his faee and moistening his parched and fever-cracked lips. “Your cousin is very, very ill, Mr. Tarr,” she said, looking up with a. curious expression upon her face. ~y “JT am afraid he is, I wish we were ashore.” “His mind seems weighed upon by something—do you hear him?” Tarr nodded and dropped his glance, for he felt that there was something more than ordinary curiosity behind her question. “He says the same things over and over. That must be what the doctor says is worrying him. Do—do you know what it means, Mr. Tarr?” “Sick people in his condition usually have their heads full of fancies. He is delirious, I presume, like any other person suffering from such a trouble.” “T believe that his worriment is the cause of his present condition,” Helen said firmly. “ And he says such strange things.” “T hadn’t noticed,” muttered Tarr. But as she went out, following her aunt, he knew that the look she gave him showed serious doubt. Tarr was in a cold perspiration. How much of Crowding’s babblings had Helen heard and understood ? “ By gad! if she is wise to much of it and knows what he means, she’s better at guessing than I am,” he muttered when he was alone. Ta. om a He was convinced, — ‘ahh had much b comicbooks.com