Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

60 ‘‘ And dance again!” he heard her barely breathe. He bounded erect. The old sheik chuckled. The ‘heady tang of the drinks came into Pierre’s throat again. The urge of the desire in him was terrible in its force. Merim leaned forward again, her arms were outstretched. Pierre bounded forward wildly. His robes fluttered behind him. He had lost, all restraint, recked not of old sheik, cus-— toms, dangers, the half-ring of the desert- born behind him. _ She clasped him as his breast touched her own that throbbed under its white robe. She. flung back her veil, and the moon showed him her face, more beautiful than he had dared to dream! He felt her swirl him into the rhythm of the dance, heard the savage yell of approval from the crescent of ‘humanity; heard, too, the old sheik’s dry chuckle. Then all was merged into one ecstasy of thrumming pleasure, of seething, passionate joy of the dance. What the figure was Pierre did not know—or care. He felt that she had swept thim-out of himself and that they two were whirling, swaying, clasped together as the mystic languor of the bar- baric music came to them, and that she was whispering to him words that set his veins on fire. He sought to read the depths of her eyes, but found them so deep-sunk under her great black brows that it was im- possible. The moon-sheen, as they whirled, only showed him that they were dully alight! The shouts of the people reached a fren- zy; the music urged them ever faster and faster; the old sheik’s shouts called for more and more speed of rhythm. Merim’s hot breath, that had a touch of chill in it, fanned La Forge’s warm cheek. ‘The fig- ure she was making with him closed in,: came to a finale in a furore of energy, and then they were erect for a single tense instant, her arms clasping him strongly, and he felt underfoot the stone of the tomb’s grim portal. Then Pierre sensed that the human cres- cent had doubled in upon them and that they were surrounded by a yelling, gesticu- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. lating crowd. The girl, frantic with the excess of excitement, drew Pierre down, down. The ring about them was broken by the old sheik.. With intent purpose he reached them, and the girl, her lips at Pierre’s ears, murmured: “Do not be alarmed; lie down with me.” She drew him down, down, and as the old man stood over them they were prone. At once the people, at a signal, began to heap sand over them. Merim drew her veil over Pierre’s face and her own, and it kept the sand from their mouths, nostrils, and ears. : She told him to use his elbow to make of the veil a support that kept the sand from his face. She protected her own. The flavor of the red drink was in Pierre’s throat; the urge of the strange ad- venture strong upon him. | Their bodies were weighted by now with the sand. The talk of the people ceased or was blotted out by the sand’s deadening screen between ear and outer air. Pierre could feel the girl’s warm body beside his in their bed of sun-kissed sand. She was murmuring something to him that chained his ears as the tang of the red drinks chained his will. It was something about the “eyes of the dead,” about youth, strength, the desert wind, the tinkle of wa- ter over rocks— And then he felt her warm kisses on his lips, and heard her saying the most ‘un- believable phrases—that linked death to life. And then he seemed to forget that he was Pierre La Forge and to drift out and far on a ripple torrent of happiness, perfectly shared. | CHAPTER III. THE KISS OF VISION. N the half-light of false dawn Pierre | stirred under the sand heap. He felt that Merim was beside him. An irrita- tion, a repulsion, whelmed him. He wrig- gled from under the sand and found that he could extricate himself easily. He drew apart from the sand heap and watched her Go OOO ANG S C@