The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 214: what you’re looking at

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

916 paper. She searched the compartment further, then turned to the man. “Don’t stand there like a bump on a log, you!’ she snapped. “ Gimme a pencil! ” Machado looked suddenly worried. “T no got a pencil. Maybe thees doctor—”’ “You're a fine smuggler!’ she cut in, seemingly in a fury. “* Look on that shelf yonder. She directed him to a point near the foot of the bunk. It was a shrewd move, and her meth- ods for accomplishing it were calcu- lated to throw a more suspicious na- ture than Machado’s off its guard. She did not see, however, the strange flicker that entered his eyes; neither did she notice that when he turned to follow out her instructions his action was apparently secondary to the motive—as if he conformed to some requirement in the performance of a part. The instant his back was toward her she caught up the shotgun left by Dr. Lencia after his grouse-hunting trip that morning, and brought it into position across her hip. The Mexican swung arcund at the click of the ham- mer. “Now,” she said, aloud, a hard ring in her tones. “ Drop that gun! I won't tell you again!” With a torrent of his native oaths, the man obeyed. As the weapon clat- tered to the floor Peggy picked it up and edged around her prisoner to the tent entrance. . “Dr. Lencia!”’’ she shouted. But there was no answer. She repeated the call, again and again, louder, and with rising impatience born of a fear- ful suspicion that all was not right. At last, when it was certain that her endeavors were being wasted, she stepped close to her captive. He had been watching her sullenly. . “Did you—did you—do anything to him?” Her face was white and set, coarse almost with intense ferocity. He made no reply, yet seemed to THE ARGOSY. display more interest than alarm over the sudden change in her demeanor. “Tf you did,” she cried, fastening him with a sinister stare and hooking the revolver into his side, “ you'll suf- fer for it! Go on out there! Go on!” Her manner was too suggestive of rash determination to make prudent any course except obedience, and Ma- chado, to all appearances impelled by the knowledge of the six-shooter di- rected at his back, swaggered into the night. A few paces off, looming in the darkness, stood the pyramid tent. Peggy halted the fellow before its open flap. “Dr. Lencia—please.” - But, again, there was no response, and believing her worst fears to have found confirmation, she dropped im- pulsively to her knees with a cry. Like a flash the Mexican darted away. He burst into the willows with the crash of a bolting steer, and his captor realizing the blunder into which her emotions had led her, took quick aim at the disappearing figure and pulled the trigger. Six times she pulled and as many times did it snap. The cylinder was empty! Then followed a minute of feverish haste. A sweep of her hand over the cramped quarters of the tent told Peggy that Dr. Lencia was absent. Deep relief accompanied this discov- ery, even while the thought went charging through her brain that with Machado’s escape she had now a vig- orous, treacherous enemy with whom to cope. No doubt at that very instant he was listening, spying upon the camp, for indications of Dr. Lencia’s pres- ence. He would not be long in sur- mising that she was alone. Then would he bend his energies toward getting the upper hand of her. Be- sides, the unloaded revolver. Did he know it was unloaded? She measured the distance to the lighted tent-house, crept part of the way and leaped the rest. Not until COPMICLOOOKS (E@)