Argosy, Vol. 118, No. 4 — page 45: what you’re looking at

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

- WHISPERING nearer and nearer to her own. The slob- bering lips were filthy in their anticipation of being planted against hers, and her blood curdled as she read that intention. The arm about her waist burned her, then left her cold and shivering. Through the growth of whiskers that reached close up to the lustful eyes she saw foul red blotches come upon the man’s cheeks. She crumpled in his grasp, and had to summon all her power to keep from fainting as he turned his head to the side and spat out the tattered cigar stub. Every second was to the girl an eternity. Not only was she struggling physically, but she was beset mentally as the pure white of her nature was stunned by the enormity, the grossness of the purpose that reeked in every line of that loathly coun- tenance! She was in the grip of a horror such as she never had imagined, that had risen out of nowhere; and her brain ran riot. She forgot where she was, forgot Dorothy, who with chattering teeth had dragged her- self to her feet at last and was tottering toward the rock with some idea of lending help. She forgot all except that she was in the clutches of a beast who was over- powering her, whose very touch was pol- lution! : As they swayed back and forth and round about she lost her sense of direction. All her effort was centered upon retaining her footing and holding her face away from those cursing, bloody lips. Viciously she kicked her assailant. The act brought her within an inch of defeat, for at that moment he swung his weight upon her and threw her off her feet. With a sobbing surge of strength she tore her arms loose and threw his face up- ward as he would have kissed her. At his throat her fingers found the huge > pin that held his coat together. Scarce knowing: what she was doing, she pulled it out and ripped a jagged laceration from his ear to his mouth. ‘The spurting blood fell on her face and a greater and more nauseating terror en- compassed her. Her sight, blurred by the turmoil of the conflict, became clearer for a flash. The wound that she had inflicted, ROCK. 515 glaring through the uncouth bristling whiskers, made his distorted face infinitely more terrifying. It seemed that the mouth which sought her own had grown to de- vouring proportions! The bleared eyes were more animal- like now with their blending of lust and rage and pain. He would kill her now— kill her—and she in that instant of chaotic despair felt that death would be prefer- able. She got foothold again, and braced her- self for the final effort. Out of the dim- ness she heard her name: ‘* Jacqueline! ”’ ‘ Near the end of her strength, realizing that she must soon succumb, that she was swooning, she placed the voice vaguely as that of Dorothy—Dorothy, who should be running for assistance. Then the impatient resentment against Dorothy gave place to a prayer that her chum.would escape. Dor- othy was of a different mold, not weak, but timid; not cowardly, but lacking the bod- ily strength to obey her will. Had she known that Dorothy was drag- ging herself step by step, compelling her re- bellious feet back along the path to the rock, Jacqueline could have given her no more generous thought. Had she known that, she might have clung to her attacker until Dorothy could arrive to create a di- version. Not knowing, Jacqueline made her su- preme endeavor. She saw a dirt-ingrained fist with fearsome knotty knuckles, upraised to smash her in the face. She saw the leer- ing features twitch in a fury of cdfften- trated brutish desire, the yellowed and bloodshot eyes bulging—the slobbery lower lip which she had split with her head, hang- ing loose, and sickening to behold—the-. wound that the pin, still in her hand, had ~ made. More than all else, she saw the fist descending, and she knew that if it landed that would be the end. ‘‘ Jacqueline!” Dorothy’s voice rose again, and to Jacqueline it was less distinct. She gave up all hope of help arriving be- fore—before— A convulsive shudder shook her as she visioned herself at the mercy of this man. Clouds rolled across her brain. She was NOOO (C(O) SJ (C(C)