Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

. - ae °. : = 7 he i ann a “Cee ee 0 ER Use, = tes gets, 68 ‘““'Wonder where I managed to get hold of the name Barbuda? And why did I pack two or three trunks? The ways of the besotted are strange!”’ He scowled off into space. ‘“‘ Well, as long as I’m here I might as well carry out my program and finish my glorious career of uselessness, some dark night, over the side. I’m sick of trying to dodge that ‘ Physically unfit.’ What’s the use?” CHAPTER II. THE GIRL WITH THE EYES. HORPE turned abruptly from the rail T —and ran into the Girl-With-the- - Eyes. Thorpe had named her that, the first time he saw her on the Barbuda. Never before had he seen a woman with just such eyes. He could not label their expression. They were deep bronze eyes. Under their long lashes they burned with strange lights. She was a plain woman, but her eyes were “wonderful. There flashed into them such odd changes—tragedy leaping before laugh- . - ter—smiles banished by an expression of horror—an endless motion-picture of emo- tions. | She was young. She must still be in her twenties, Thorpe felt sure. Her black hair was waved softly back from her forehead. At times her face looked pinched, and this accentuated the size of her eyes. Her mouth—it had a startling way of-— Thorpe never could find a word to ex- press that change about her lips. Was it some sweeping pain that wiped the laughter from eyes and lips, or was it some hidden thought? Perhaps Thorpe would not have noticed her at all had she not, like himself, kept away from the other passengers. She spoke to no one but the captain and other officers. She was evidently well acquainted with the captain, sitting at his right at table and spending much time with him on the bridge. Thorpe had heard the skipper call her by her first name, “‘ Katrina.” In his lonely wanderings about the ship Thorpe had seen her fondling the captain’s Persian kitten, and once, when coming from ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ' a tour of the forecastle-head, he had seen! her coming out of the bridge-casing where ~ were twelve sheep consigned to some one in Grenada. The girl had made pets of them. And now Thorpe was raising his cap to her, asking her pardon for DESERET into | her. The girl smiled up into his eyes. “ Im glad you’ve stopped standing there looking as if you were going to leap over- : Doard in despair!”’ she said. Thorpe started. ‘“ Did I look like that?” “You certainly did. I never saw such an expression of battle, murder, and sud- den death in any one’s eyes before!” Thorpe laughed mirthlessly. “ Well, I confess I wasn’t writing a scenario of a comedy.”’ He wondered, as he spoke, why he felt the need to be absolutely honest with this wide-eyed girl. He could not imagine him- self varying from the truth with her. ‘It seems too bad to spend such a won- derful day in unpleasant thoughts, doesn’t ite” she suggested gently, resting her el- bows on the rail beside him. Thorpe started to lean beside her. Then he drew himself erect, and raised his cap stiffly. “It does,” he answered simply. “I’m poor company, I know. You'll excuse me?”’ ‘““T wish you wouldn’t go,” the woman said. “I’m lonely.. I haven’t made any friends among the passengers—won’t you stay and talk to me?” Thorpe hesitated. As a rule, he didn’t like women. But—it was one of those times when he really wanted companionship. ‘I'd like to talk to you,” he said slowly, “but I’m afraid you’ve chosen badly.” - ‘What do you mean?’”’ ‘““I mean,” Thorpe answered shortly, “that I came aboard the Barbuda in such an intoxicated condition that I didn’t know where I was going or how I came here. Your friend, the captain, would probably tell you that I came over the side of his ship in as inglorious condition as any sack of flour. “It—’’ Thorpe’s lips closed into a sharp, straight line for an instant. “It sickens me to remember it.” He raised his cap and moved swiftly away, leaving the woman gazing after him ecomiclooolkks UN (CO