Argosy, Vol. 120, No. 1 — page 66: what you’re looking at

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

56 The girl got down and across to the head of the ladder—ran out on its top platform. Dan could not bring himself to show that he saw what he was sure she would not see. He stood back on the deck. Again the captain’s voice reached him, as he talked with his daughter, from some- where up the steps of the ladder. ‘You naughty little girl. It’s nearly six bells. I ought to punish you severely.” He was teasing as he came. How could the man do it? Had Dan been right at all about the swaying, limp thing he had thought he saw in the stern of the boat? He waited for the rest, fasci- nated with almost incredulous astonishment. ‘“‘T stayed up to see that no wicked rob- bers killed my daddy on the way back to his ship,”’ the girl pleaded in the same make- believe naughty-child part she had been playing with Dan. “TI oughtn’t to give you this,’ still scolded her father, playfully. “ But I guess there isn’t so much of it but that its lacks will punish you. If you’d gone to bed like a good girl, it might have been a pearl necklace.”’ : He had got to the top of the ladder. He could stand. He dared to trust his fingers with the string and wrappings of a tiny package. He held up such a string of beads as Indians make the western world over. “The only thifig I could find. I was awfully busy, anyhow,” he apologized. For the first time, Dan thought he detected a little wavering of the voice. The skipper’s hand reached the rail and held it to steady him. ‘“They’re lovely,” the daughter assured her fond parent. , 7 “Qh, but I’m tired,” the captain murmured. And Dan’s fears arose again, lest this apparently enormous effort at self- control should break before it had been carried through. ‘“QOh, good evening, Mr.—” The skipper had just caught sight of Dan. That young seaman was glad the greeting called on him for his name. He was in the condition of one who has just discovered that a ghost is only a bit of white cloth on a tree, after calling on all his reserve will to get past the ghost. He could hardly have made any THE ARGOSY. answer demanding more thought than the remembering of his own name. “ Corwin, sir,” he stammered. “ Ah, yes—Cor-bin—” The man was drunk. He was on the verge of collapse from his tremendous will-strain to keep back the fog of brain and nerve and muscle. Conscious that he was betraying himself, he flashed a quick glance at the girl, and met a trace of sudden suspicion in her eyes. He seemed to stiffen again— “T hope, Mr. Corson, you’re finding the ship—quite comfortable,” he said without quite enough effort to show to one less suspicious than Dan. “Yes, sir—quite,” Dan replied, with really more effort at naturalness than the captain was making. ““J—I wonder if you’d be good enough to make—the round of the deck for the night—I—I’ve had a rather hard day, and —these hot—places—are very trying. You may report, if you see anything—that needs my attention.” Captain Hope had not done that so well. His daughter was showing again her traces of alarm. “‘'You’re not well, father,” she cried, as he clutched once more at the rail. But he got himself in hand again. He reached up and patted her cheek. ‘‘ Only a little tired, dear—good night,”’ he mur- mured, easily; but Dan noted that he was. careful about his breath and that he failed to avail himself of the upturn of her face which must have expected a paternal kiss. ““ Run along to bed, now—like a good girl,” he bade, and started to follow her across the deck. “Good night, Mr. Corwin,” she called over his shoulders. ‘“‘Goo-good night.” Dan thought her father was going to fall. But a clutch at the corner of the passage entrance saved him. In another moment the door had closed behind him, and Miss Hope _ had gone up and across the passage dnd into her room. Dan drew a long breath of re- lief, and started the round of the ship. He noted nothing of any significance save that the hatches were all battened down, which indicated that the loading of one had been completed, and that another would CO LOOOLK CO 7