The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

580 “Steady, Oakes!” he called. “Don’t. go to the ladder. The American’s all right, of course, but just as a matter of form make the two Orientals look you up. Stay where you are, my boy.” The American ran lightly up the lad- der, and, seeing Oakes, he came for- ward, raising his hat slightly. “T beg your pardon,” he said polite- ly; “ but can you tell me if Miss Downs is on board? ”’ Marjorie came forward quietly. “Ves,” she said, “I am Miss Downs.” “IT am Mr. Shenstone, Miss Downs. Mr. Mills wrote me from Peking last week about you—’ Marjorie nodded and waited. “They came down last Wednes- day,” said Shenstone. “ Mrs. Mills’s sister, who was on her way out from San Francisco, was taken ill suddenly at Yokohama, and they came down last week and sailed on Friday. They said that I was to impress upon you by every means in my power that you must sail to meet them in Yokohama on the steamer that is due to sail the day after to-morrow—the Lorelei.” Marjorie gasped. “Good gracious!”’ she said hurried- ly; “I seem to be literally a sea-waif. If it had not been for Mr. Oakes here I do not know how I could ever have reached this place, and now I am to be passed on again to another vessel, ma- king all kinds of worry and anxiety for you again. I seem to be a modern- ized version of the Wandering Jew, with no one to say: ‘ Tarry thou till I come.’ When does the Lorelei sail, Mr. Shenstone? ”’ “The day after to-morrow, I think. You are quite comfortable aboard ship here, are you not?”’ “Yes, indeed. Thanks to Captain Innes and Mr. Oakes. But I can go ashore, can I not?” For a. moment Shenstone did not answer her directly, but turned to Oakes and to Captain Innes. “Tf I can see you gentlemen for a moment,” he said tentatively. Innes led the way qutetly to the bridge. THE ARGOSY. As he passed the girl Oakes laid his hand gently upon hers. “You are not to worry the very least bit in the world,” he said gently. “Tf Captain Innes, Hemingway, and I cannot look after you, then there are not three men on this coast who can.” There was that in his voice that made Marjorie blush, even in the dusk, and for a moment she felt herself col- oring warmly as she watched the three men pass up the narrow companion ladder to the bridge above. To say that she was not aware of the fact that Oakes was in love with her would be crass nonsense. Every woman knows that. In his case love hal come like a storm at sea—with the difference that the rush of the storm had not been presaged by the fall of the barometer. Then, too, he had no well-defined law of storms by which to work his plans, for the man does not live who has been able to reduce or elevate love to a science. She walked aft and stood by the rail, tapping her foot gently on the deck as she waited for Oakes to return. When the three men reached the shelter of his own cabin, Innes turned to Shenstone. ‘What is it, old chap?” he asked. ‘“ We’ve known each other too long to beat about the open roads when there’s an anchorage in sight. What’s the trouble, an’ why don’t you want Miss Downs to go ashore?” Shenstone poured with one hand a drink from the decanter that Innes proffered him, while with the other he wiped the sweat from his forehead— it was a cool evening, too—as he re- plied nervously : “Mills took his wife and daughter to Yokohama because there has been an outbreak of the plague in Peking. All the interior is quarantined against the capital, and so are the coast towns. I saw it start a month ago, when the rats came down in swarms, You know how the rats always come ahead of the plague?” COMicdoo S CO@