Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 2 — page 87: what you’re looking at

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

THE TORCH. bent spine, raising as homely a face as ever a man wore. Like his spine, his features were cruelly twisted so that the nose had no bridge, and the wide mouth was set slantwise across his cheeks. brown and strangely luminous. They were large as a woman’s eyes, and held a quick intelligence, “A big fellow,” Tringe observed coolly, as if Fortune were some sort of strange fish the other had hauled out of the sea. ‘ An overcaptain, if that uniform doesn’t lie. Why, Shard, this looks like the man For- tune—you know, the man who fought on the wall that I told you about?” “Well, wherever he fought, he’ll fight no more,” rumbled Shard. “Come,” Tringe ordered, “is that your name? Are you Fortune?” Fortune glared at his crooked little ques- tioner. ‘‘ Go to the devil!” he gritted. “T believe it is he,’ mused Tringe. “Well, well, this is a catch. I must tell Zorn. Ho, Mary, is that you there in the skadow? What d’you think, this looks like that Captain Fortune who held the wall! Zorn must know of this.” Tringe clattered down the long stairs far ahead of them. The girl had made no re- ply. Fortune was pushed on by his giant captor. At the foot of the long stair they passed through a room of considerable size, where several men pressed forward to stare and ask questions. Then they descended more steps of stone into a chilly underground warren of passages that ended at last in a small, stone cell. Into this Fortune was shoved without ceremony, and the thick _ wooden door slammed and bolted upon him. Before that door was opened again, For- tune had regained his composure. Who these captors were he had no notion, but one thing was clear—for all their talk of a trial it was plain they meant to kill him. He experienced a certain cynical wonder that any of the folk could be so banded together as to avenge a wrong against a mere woman. Among the Tower People such a thing might be expected, but for the Folk to talk of laws was something new. He was prepared to die with all the dig- nity a soldier should display when his cell His eyes were 2357 door was thrust back and the gigantic man seized him rudely. He was hustled along various corridors and up-stairs, finally to be introduced into a lighted room where a tall, spare figure in a black robe sat at a table, reading a book. So great was Fortune’s surprise at finding this man engaged in what to-day would seem a simple, every-day act, that for a time he was blind to all other details. <A book! Once he had seen a book such as the ancients used and examined it with live- ly curiosity, but little understanding. He knew that books were made in char- acters different from the common handwrit- ing which -young officers were taught to un- derstand and employ to a limited extent. Only great scholars possessed the key to the riddle of printed book pages. Never before had he seen a man read one. If the man at the table had been ‘turning water into wine or making diamonds from pebbles, Fortune could have been no more fascinated. Shard grumbled in his throat to attract the reader’s attention. ‘‘ Comrade Zorn,” he said respectfully, ‘‘ this is the man who attacked Mary. You asked to see him?” He addressed as Zorn laid aside his book | with a sigh, methodically marking his page with a small knife that lay before him. For- tune was at once impressed by the vigor of the man and the keenness of his glance. He wore no head covering and his hair was black on the crown, but white about his © temples. It was close-cut. Beneath a noble forehead eyes of light-blue, rather deeply set, blazed with some hidden fire of thought. Zorn’s robe of somber black without an ornament, shrouded about his spare frame gave him an ascetic appearance which was enhanced by his pallid skin and the thin- ness of his tapering hands. “Very good, Shard. Leave us alone.” Zorn spoke quietly, and from his tone For- tune instantly recognized that this was no man of the Folk. . The giant shuffled undecidedly. Zorn gave him a quiet glance. Shard released his prisoner and left the room with the air of a stubborn and rebellious child. ‘They tell me you are that young cap- tain who held the wall against the Wild COMMICOOOKS (C@)