The Argosy, March 1907 — page 50: what you’re looking at

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

With a shudder, ‘eciia as though some reptile had touched her, Madge at- | = _._ tempted to withdraw her arm. But this 3 _ off. An ugly look crept into the fat man’s. frightened girl. time the grasp was not so easily shaken eyes as he tightened his grip and leered up into the face of the now thoroughly He opened his lips to speak, but a howl of pain cut short his words. Barry Clive had brought down his riding-stick smartly across the na- tive’s pudgy knuckles. The fat man snatched away his hand and fell to nursing the bleeding fingers. Before he or his fellows could recover from their astonishment Barry had caught the bridle of Madge’s donkey, had swung the little quadruped about, and the two were galloping back up the alley by which they had arrived at the square. They had been only upon the threshold of the rectangle, and the crowd was wholly in front of them, so the ma- neuver was executed with comparative ease. Had the hour been ‘later a hundred running feet would swiftly have out- stripped the tired little donkeys and haled the pair of insolent foreigners back. But the sun had scarcely set, and the police were still abroad. There was also the danger of running into a party of British or Egyptian sol- diery. So the denizens of the Fishmar- ket prudently “desisted from pursuit. After galloping along at top speed for several hundred yards, Clive glanced back over- his -shoulder and perceived that they were not followed. He slack- ened his pace and dropped Madgé bridle. ‘For a brief space the two rode on through the tortuous alley in silence. Then Madge won the battle she had been waging against a longing to cry, and began to recover her scattered self-con- trol. With restored tranquillity came an impulse of gratitude toward the man who had extricated her from so awk- ward a predicament. Moreover, she was aware of certain twinges of conscience at having mis- judged him. ~The aloofness he had con- _ sistently shown toward herself and her friends Scere arose from extreme dif- “THE ; ARGOSY. Se es pieces _ Otherwise, how account for, this recent act of chivalry? “Mr. Clive,” she began timidly, yet with earnest gratitude, “I hardly know how to thank you for what you have just done. | = ‘Don’t try,” he answered shortly, urg- ing his donkey forward through the laby- rinth of alleys. She brought her own mount along- side, secretly admiring him for the ap- parent modesty that made him seek to avoid her thanks, but none the less re- solved to ease her mind and her con- science. “I won't try to thank you,” she con- tinued, smiling across into his stolid face, “but I shall never forget how brave and how ready you were. And,” as he made as though he would interrupt her, “there’s another thing I want to say: I’ve misjudged you—your manner and your behavior toward the rest of us. I see now I was wrong and I ask your pardon for thinking ? “It’s quite immaterial to me what you or any one els? thinks,’ he broke in crossly. ‘“ Look here, Miss Brant, we _may as well understand each other at- once and for all. What I did to help you a few minutes ago was no more than I—or any white man—would have,done for any washerwoman. As for my for- mer behavior toward the others of the party my aunt forces me to travel with, that is no concern of yours. But con- cerning my manner to you, let me as- sure you I’ve never given you a further thought than I would have wasted -on any other of Mrs. Chittenden’s servants.” ‘Servants! ”’ ~~ She echoed the word almost inaudibly, the friendly smile dying on her child- like face as suddenly as if the man had struck her. ‘“Servants?’’ she repeated, not com- prehending. ‘“I—I don’t understand.” “Then I must explain more clearly, and you'll excuse me if I speak with more plainness than perhaps you’re used to. These people we travel with have made a pet of you, and have given you perhaps a rather magnified idea of your own importance. In other words, they’ve spoiled you. get that you are a dependent of Mrs. Chittenden and have treated you as an They have made you for-_ Eomichboo 5 con Se