Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 76: what you’re looking at

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

710 world, poor kid! Not a soul to go to. Jim traveled too much with her. They never stopped long enough in one place to make any friends. And now— “T wish to glory Jim had let her marry young Gordon-Channing. They’d have been happy, probably. He’s risen—I al- ways told Jim he would. He’s mate or skipper or something of some big cargo- boat now. J wonder if Katrina hears from him? Poor girl—Jim and the sea are all she’s ever known of love, except that snatch of it with Gordon-Channing. | ‘‘ And all the happiness I could offer old Jim’s kid, when I stumbled across her in New York, was a round trip with me in this packet. By glory, life’s hard on women- folks!” He sighed again, and resumed his pacing of the bridge. Late in the afternoon the Barbuda began to roll. and away, with a peculiar quiet. Sunset looked like a freak picture—a queer haze. over the western horizon gradually turning into an ugly black blatch. It was warm below, as all the port-holes were closed. The tables were set for din- — ner, but with the racks on. There were signs everywhere of preparations for the ap- proaching storm. Katrina was in her room. Sinking down on the settee, she took from under the pil- low there, a picture. She smiled at the kindly eyes which gazed at her. She smiled and whispered sadly: ‘‘ Daddy darling, I’m . go lonely without you! I’ve tried to be brave—I have tried! thing left in life for me. I’ve tried every- thing in order to make a living, but I just don’t know anything useful! I don’t know anything but the ease and comforts you gave me. If only Clay—” She broke off with a sigh. “ If things had been different, and Clay and I—” A knock sounded at the door. It was the stewardess. “ You're not ill, Miss Fleming? The old boat is rolling a bit, but I cannot imagine you ill!” Katrina laughed softly. ‘ Never, Miss Dare! I don’t know how to be. But I dare say the other women are, aren’t they? The big swells surged under her But there isn’t any- | ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Oh, dear, I love storms so—I wish people didn’t have to go and get themselves sick and scared!” ‘There are hurricane warnings being wirelessed,’”’ the stewardess remarked, with a frown. “I'll have my hands full!” - ‘ Let me help you if I can!” Katrina ex- claimed impulsively. The stewardess looked at her speculative- ly. “ You could help,” she said slowly, ‘“1f you’d just be about a bit, and let ’em see your courage. They get so terrified, poor things! It’s what makes half of ’em so sick!” “T’ll be up in the social hall in a few minutes. And I'll do whatever you sug- gest—play the piano, tell funny stories, or hold heads and hands.” ‘Holding heads will be about it,” Miss Dare answered grimly. ‘ There won’t be -much music with the ship rolling like this.” She sighed, then shrugged her shoulders, and went about her duties. The Barbuda was now indeed rolling. Dark iell over her in one quick swoop—a dense, impenetrable dark. And then, of a . sudden, the wind came. It did not come with any preliminary gusts. It came, full- fledged, with a mighty roar, and it flattened the sea as an angry horse flattens its ears. CHAPTER JWI. DISASTER, | HE Barbuda. had been constructed for the Suez Canal trade, and was a pe- culiarly built ship. At the forward end of the saloon-deck stood the dining- saloon and pantry. The open deck which ran around this house continued aft down two alleyways, which terminated where lad- ders led below to the after-well deck, with the steam steering-gear house in between the latter. . These alleyways were not enclosed. The staterooms opened inboard, and the wind had a clean sweep from one end of the al- leyways to the other. In the center of this deck was the engine-room fiddley, with the linen closets built in at the forward end of it. A large bunker hatch lay forward of the linen closets, with a steep companion- GOR GDOO «Si (CO