Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 171: what you’re looking at

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

TEACH: PIRATE DE LUXE. present to do whatever you like with. And here aré a couple more necklaces to add to yor collection of pearls. ‘“‘You’ve not done badly in pearls, Mary, since you’ve been with me. In spite of those you’ve chucked away on the Bahama Cays, I should say you are still the largest woman pearl-holder on earth to-day. “You'd better go ahead and start on any preparations you’ve got to make. I’m sure you'll appear as a most sumptuous bride. You’d better not come on deck this afternoon. That octrigamist scoundrel, Pickles, is having a sale of parrot-fowl, and proceedings are apt to be ribald. ‘Would you like to give me a pre-nup- tial kiss? No? All right, then. six in its place later.” Mary went below, shivering and despe- rate. Marry Teach she would not. did not deny that the man had been kind to her, and owned to his attractions. But his trade was horrible, horrible! And, as she kept on reminding herself, she was en- gaged to James Buckden. Besides, the mod- ern woman in her declined to accept mar- riage merely as a result of capture. Down in her stateroom, with its bunks and drawers full of costly clothes, and its cigar-boxes full of splendid pearls, she sat, pressing her temples for an idea—and sud- denly got one. Stowed in battens under the deck over- head was an ungainly thing of,cork and canvas called a life-belt. Never so far had she handled it, in spite of all the hazards the Littondale had gone through. Now she took it from its perch, swung it round her slim figure, and buckled the straps. It was an uncomely garment. it meant keeping afloat in any sea without the exertion of swimming, or the strain of floating. Well, she would rather drift away into the vacant spaces of the sea and die of cold and hunger and thirst than that Teach should get her. ' She took off the life-belt, ran out mto the saloon and up the companion, and peeped out on deck. The auction was in full blast forward, and the whole ship’s company were gurgling and ‘yelling with laughter. 11 A I'll have. She | But | 300 My. William Pickles never could under- stand why his simple habit of marrying rather copiously should cause so much mer- riment antong men whose ways were more normal and austere. So it can readily be understood why the stout gunner easily held the floor. Mary fetched up her life-belt, went aft, found a length of rope, and passed the bight of this round a stay. She got over the rail, gripped both parts of the rope with hands ‘and knees, and lowered herself | toward the clear, deep-sea water. Then she halted, and for a dangerous but full two minutes hung there shivering. A huge jellyfish, a thing as big as a hogs- head, of rusty-red and livid-blue, with pale- blue chiffon streamers ten feet long, was navigating past the ship’s flank, like some huge, gaudy umbrella Opening and shut; ting. Teach was above. She feared him des- perately, but not till that beautiful, dan- gerous thing had flapped itself thoroughly out of reach did she dare to venture into the water. When she did get there, she let go one _end of the friendly rope, and pulled it after her, so as to leave no trace of descent, and then set herself methodically to kick ahead, away from the Littondale. Now Mary Arncliffe was desperate, but she was by no means bent on drowning, or anything like it. Half a mile from the pirate ship the nitrate bark was still afloat and likely te remain so. Teach had refused to waste a shell on her. “Let her float,” he had said. “ She'll lure other gulls for me to pick up.” So there she lollopped over the swells, with white and green water running in -and out of her scuppers, an offense to the seaman’s eye, and a roosting-place for birds. Once in the water and away from the Littondale, with the warm, damp mist com- fortably shielding her, Mary slipped off her hampering skirt. As the life-belt had plenty of floating power, she tucked this inside for future use, being a young woman, who, in spite of a W. A. A. C. training, still scorned lonely breeches for everyday wear, however dashing might be their cut. COUMIE AOOLK COlini