Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 18, 1925 — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

SOFT tions might be of the frailest, but under such circumstances they would serve. The purser began to do his duty. He brought a half dozen men across to the row of girls) mumbled names which he in- variably got wrong, and succeeded in aug- menting the couples on the floor. Taken by and large, the ball was rather dismal. The Thomases retired early. Gertrude did not dance. Nobody approached her. © When she had said that the men would consider her as an ogre she had not really believed it. But it was quite true! She was the girl who had had a man arrested for speaking to her. She was beautiful, but far too much of a prude to attract the Lo- tharios of the Durania. When Captain Brown made up his mind to be generous he acted at once. His many years at sea caused him to know the dis- comfort in store during a voyage for a young man who started off wrong, and Rod McGarry was certainly in wrong at the start. He deserved some reparation and the skipper decided to give it to him. So he inquired the number of Rod’s state- room and was presently knocking on the door. Rod was endeavoring to read by the one electric light in the cabin, and being very thoroughly miserable. “‘Who’s there?” he demanded. “The captain of the ship, Captain Brown,” replied the skipper. “Well, I don’t want to see Captain Brown. I saw him once; it was enough.” The captain’s anger was never far below the surface. “Open this door, or I'll break it in,” he proclaimed. “ Break it open. me.” & “Well, I’ll be damned! See here, young man, you are taking entirely the wrong at- titude. I came here in a spirit of concilia- tion, but one more remark from you and Ill leave you here for the rest of the voyage.” Red got up and opened the door. looked grimly at the uniformed official. *T don’t intend to be rude, but I’ve suf- fered enough at your hands,” he said bit- —terly. It doesn’t belong to He MONEY. 245 “T overlook your rudeness because you got what you Americans call a ‘ raw deal,’ ”’ said the skipper with an attempt at jovial- ity. “It seems there was a misunderstand- ing all around. I came down to tell you myself that I am sorry for my part in it. Shake hands?” ‘Well, this is decent of you, captain,” said Rod, accepting the olive branch grate- fully enough. “Fine. Now forget all about this arrest business. A very lovely girl interceded for you. You are lucky, young fellow.” “T wish I thought so.” “Yes, sir. And in case anybody on beard has gotten a wrong impression of the affair to-day, I’m going to give a party in my cabin to-morrow night to the nicest people on the ship. Only about a dozen of us. And among those who have agreed to attend is Miss Gertrude Thomas. You know who she is.” ‘Unfortunately, I do. Thank you, cap- tain, for inviting me, but I couldn’t attend any affair with that young lady present. I don’t want to see her. She'll feel the same way when she knows I am invited.” ‘ But she knows it. She feels an injustice has been done and she wants to come.” “She does? It’s not possible. But even if it is, I’m not going to have any fatted calf served to me, because, you see, I’m not a prodigal son. I'll accept my freedom, captain, though I think I’ll stay below just the same, but I don’t care whether I am vindicated in public or not. The opinion of the passengers, and Miss Thomas in par- ticular, does not interest me.” “Then you are a damned, ungrateful, young pup,” declared the skipper whose af- fability vanished. ‘It’s the first time any- body ever declined an invitation from me.” CHAPTER XV. MRS. POTTER-DUNLAP IS ROBBED. a young man for speaking to a girl with- out an introduction had given the pas- senger list a subject for animated discus- sion, they had semething really exciting to talk about next day. : I’ the little episode of the segregation of (E(0) _OOKS, Gon