Argosy All-Story Weekly — 'The Metal Monster' — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

ee eee ap -_— - . THE DERELICT, inside the bridge-casing and then I’ll come down and we can lash them as you sug- gest.” They separated, Thorpe to strip the bunks, Katrina to join her three pets below. There she stood idly stroking a white head, her eyes searching—always searching the horizon. ‘After the sheep-pen had been attended to, Katrina stood in deep study. Thorpe watched her, wondering what this. strange woman would think of next. He had not long to wait for his answer. ‘We can’t do much besides keep the seas from breaking over her,” Katrina soliloquized. “‘ That means oil-bags. We'll get them ready. I’ve an idea where the canyas is, and the oil is easy to get at.” She paused afid scanned the horizor. Then she glanced quickly back at Thorpe. parently he had not taken his eyes off her face. Katrina started for the ladder, calling him after her. When they had gained the saloon-deck she went straight into the pan- try. She stood there a moment, an un- usual flush on her cheeks. Finally she said: ‘We better make some sandwiches and things first, and fill the thermos bottle. When it comes on to blow, we'll have our hands full enough without bothering about food. And we'll have to stay en the bridge.” “T’'ll get the stuff out of the ice-box—” Thorpe began. “No; I'll get it,’ Katrina interrupted. “You light the alcohol-stove, will you?”’ She moved quickly out on deck and fum- bled with the ice-box cover. The ice-box stood in a sheltered corner which was formed by No. 1 stateroom and the star- board rail. She opened the lid, and then cast a quick, surreptitious glance over her shoulder toward the distant horizon. Yes— it was there. A smudge of smoke—only a smudge like a lost cloud in the sky. Katrina’s lips were pressed tight togeth- er. Her face had gone white and her eyes were suddenly filled with their old haunted expression. “If he cared—” she told herself. “ If he wanted to live—it would be different. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to go back Ap-. to that emptiness any more than I do! Besides,” in hasty mental addition, “ there is nothing we could do. We might make a smoke smudge of our own, but how would that ship know it was a sign of trouble? She is miles and miles away. There is real- ly no use mentioning the matter to him.” She leaned over the ice-box and gathered up the things she needed. _ In the pantry Thorpe’s brow was creased into a troubled frown. “If she didn’t see it, there’s no use telling her,” he as- suring himself. ‘‘ She doesn’t exactly love life enough to care a great deal, one way or the other. If I did tell her, there’s nothing we could do. We'd only have to watch that other ship pass, as it probably will, miles and miles away.” His’ musings were interrupted by the girl’s return. Together they made up a lunch for the night. They were both silent, busy with the same thought, though little suspecting that to be the case. CHAPTER VIII. RESCUE— ? HROUGHOUT the day the atmos- phere had been oppressive. Now it seemed actually breathless. As the afternoon drew to a close, the sky became overcast, a dark cloud appearing over the ‘rim of the horizon far south of them. The swell beneath the Barbuda increased per- ceptibly. And the glass began to fall—to oscillate—to fall again. Katrina and Thorpe watched the ap- proach of the storm from the bridge. They had pilfered oilskinsgand sou’westers from the slop-chest, and Katrina’s legs, as well as Thorpe’s, were incased in regular sea- men’s boots. Once, Katrina walked over to the board rail of the bridge and searched f k- ly for the smoke she had seen on the hori- zon. The haze that now hung over the water shut out any sign of it. Katrina was actually glad. In the short time before night and the storm descended together upon the helpless ship, Katrina and Thorpe had done all they could to ease the Barbuda against the ter- COMMC AOOlK (CO