Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 18, 1925 — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

— 242 lace handkerchief. Then she rang for the steward. She gave him a twenty-five cent piece, and the letter, saying: ‘Please make sure that this is delivered immediately to a Mr. McGarry, one of the passengers. I don’t know the number of his stateroom.” “Tl find it miss, without any trouble,” declared the steward as he pocketed his tip. As he emerged from the stateroom and headed up the corridor he encountered Mrs. Thomas who had finished lunch and was in search of her daughter. The sharp eye of the mother caught the distinctive script of Gertrude upon the letter in his hand. She stopped him. “ My daughter gave you that letter,” she declared. “Yes, mar’m.” :. “ Give it to me.” - He handed it over and she read the ad- dress. “Hum!” she said to herself. ‘ Soft- hearted child. I might have expected this.” Aloud she announced. “ I'll take care of this letter. If my daughter asks if you delivered it you may tell her that you gave it to the proper person. Here’s something for you.” She handed him a half dollar and he has- tened on his way, quite content. Mrs. Thomas tore the letter into small pieces and went to a porthole at the end of a cabin alley and dropped them overboard. She was too honorable to’ read what Gertrude had written, but not too honorable to inter- cept a letter. However, her conscience was clear. Gertrude felt better after she had gotten her confession off her chest. She was quite cheerful when her mother entered and did not rebuke her as bitterly as the lady ex- pected for blabbing to the captain her expe- riences with McGarry. Mrs. Thomas was very sweet. As Captain Brown left the dining saleon he encountered. Howard Campbell. “Well, young man, has our prisoner re- pented and sent us his apologies?” Howard hemmed and hawed before he could make a coherent reply. “He says he’s been so humiliated he edismissed him. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. might as well stay there for the rest of the voyage.” “You mean he won’t apologize to me and to the young lady.” _ “He thinks you treated him unfairly.” “Well, well. I was a bit hasty. Let him apologize to the girl and leave me out of it. How’s that?” “The worst of it is, captain, that he doesn’t think he did insult the young lady, and he says he won’t apologize for some- thing he hasn’t done.” “Indeed. Indeed. Then let him stay where he is. I’m sure we won’t miss him.” The captain retreated in a huff. Howard went into the music room where he found Mrs. Potter-Dunlap and_ her daughter. He spent an hour making him- Self agreeable with considerable success. Mrs. Thomas fussed about her cabin for a while and went on deck. Gertrude made an excuse to remain and in half an hour she rang for the steward a second time. “Did you deliver that letter?” “Yes, miss.” ‘“‘ Have you an answer for me?” ** No, miss.” “You mean to say he didn’t send me an answer?” “No, miss, nothing,” said the steward with a most uncomfortable manner. Ger- trude interpreted this as confusion because he was compelled to disappoint her, and she Then she sat down to think. So, after she had lowered and degraded and humiliated herself to the extent of writing a letter imploring a man’s forgive- ness and asking for his acquaintance, he treated her with silent contempt. Perhaps she deserved it, but it didn’t seem that a decent human kindly individual such as he appeared to be, could be so cruel. Ap- parently she had no attraction for him at all. He wasn’t interested in her in the least and resented her part in his difficulties as a man resents the presence of a vicious and disease-bearing mosquito. Never in her short life had Gertrude reached a pitch of self abasement such as she experienced now. She threw herself on her berth and wept. She wept so hard she fell asleep, and dreamed that she and Rod Eomichbooks 2 (E@)