Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 143: what you’re looking at

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

BEWARE OF William, her husband, stumbled down the corridor, William silent and disgusted, for drunkenness always disgusted him. And as they stumbled, Mary’s suffering little heart fluttered crazily. It was bad enough—all this—yet she had been strong, up to this very second. She had under- stood; she had even thrilled at the wonder- ful inspiration of Thomas Henning; she had steeled herself to play her part—up to this very second. But now—yes, mow some- thing was giving way! It seemed to be just behina her left knee’ Everything in that region had been snug and uncomfortably heavy as they left the Thomas Henning home. Nothing was snug there now! ‘“‘What’s the matter with you, Pitt?” William snapped. ‘ Walk, you beastly jackass! Walk/ Don’t make me drag you!”’ “‘ Bong!” said the floor immediately be- hind them, as something hard and heavy landed upon its tiled surface. “Well, what the—what is it now?” Wil- liani growled. ‘“‘ Is that devilish thing com- ing to pieces?” He glanced back. One of the rear lég- plates, apparently, had tired of service with the knight and dropped away. William scowled at it. “ All right!” he snapped. “Can you stand alone, Pitt? Do it then! Stand where you are and [’ll fix it for you.” Muttering, he stooped and snatched up . thesection of armor, stared at it, and com- prehended the simple strap arrangement which had failed—squatted then and mut- tered once more as he prepared to fasten it back im place. Yet as he squatted, Wiiliam’s muttering ceased. As if a hook had jerked him for- ward, William dropped to his knees and stared—and stared and still stared at the sight the derelict plate had revealed. His hands rested upon the floor; his eyes bulged; a passerby must have suspected that William was trying to play that he was a little dog. And all this staring was discourteous to a degrec; it was even very highly improper —for the object of William’s absorbed gaze was a matter,of fourteen inches ef bright, THE BRIDE. 137 gold-colored silk stockin slipper at the bottom! — g, with a golden CHAPTER XXIII, OH, THOMAS! William’s position would have burst into ribald laughter and, sitting on the floor, would have set the Cypria echoes to ringing. Others, of a less wholesome type perhaps, would have chuckled wicked- EN vary so greatly. Some men, in . ly and nodded and then, rising, would have - brought flatly to the knight’s attention the matter of her sex and odd position. Others, possibly, would have been for an indefinite period too utterly thunderstruck for motion or thought. Wiiliam Emerson, however, fell within none of these classes. He was a person of character and very capable brain, in the way of reaching conclusions which did not involve—or which did not seen to involve— Mary. William, therefore, continued his 4nspection, second after second, his eyes coming nearer and nearer to the stretch of woven yellow silk and the portion of young woman therein contained. He did not smile wickedly; there was upon his square- chinned countenance rather the expression of a scientist entirely wrapped in contem- plation of a new specimen. The limb shook tentatively, as if its own- er sought to discover whether the plate were really missing. It shrank away from William suddenly, too—and with a sigh William came to the end of his inspection. Briefly, he looked up and down the cor- ridor, his brows lowering dangerously, his eyes resting steadily, at last, upon Thomas Henning’s door. Then, without a single word of comment to the occupant of the armor, William rose with a lithe bound, thrust the leg-plate under the iron arm and, unceremoniously, pushed the arm to suggest that the owner had better take care of her own property—and having done these things, turned and walked straight down the corridor once more. Thomas, in his apartment, was yawning. All eternity seemed to be passing as he waited for the clang of that elevator door. COUMIUC i Still AOO!K Colin