Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 79: what you’re looking at

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

70 kill her when you cast for her left_armpit, near the heart.” But the knife, whirring, flaming, found its proper billet. Applause swept the room. The girl was erect, like a statue. Her smile “encouraged Pierre, and he found in it a new, unsuspected loveliness. He drew back hishand. He heard a dim taunt from Troiville. He was determined to disregard him—then. As his arm tight- ened for the cast a dart of pain swept into his eyeballs. He felt calm, sure, but— At ’Leesah’s side was Merim! Her fin- ger was pointing to the spot where the knife should strike. She was smiling. Her veil was up, over one shoulder. Her eyes seemed to phosphoresce from under her deep brows. Her. forefinger was at the zone of ’Leesah’s body, on the right side. The knife sped—thudded true just where Merim’s finger had ‘been held. Pierre smiled to himself. He was steady, cool. <A desire to make a tefrific finish of the act swept him. The bundle of knives in the crook of his left arm seemed as the weight of feath- ers. The sinister handles of carven copper seemed warm to the touch. Merim floated between him and ’Leesah, pointing now here, now there—knives whirred, flamed. He could feel his arm working, pistonlike. He was at the summit of human power, yet felt a vast reserve of strength within him, untapped. He finished limning out ’Leesah’s right side in sharpened steel in a burst of fiery abandon, each throw more perfect, daring, than the others. Wherever the fingers and eyes of the dead directed, he placed a huge knife. The carven han- dles, sinister, malign, were studded about *Leesah’s tense form, quivering and shaking as each new blade whizzed home and made the target board to jar and give. A whirlwind of applause swept the crowd. “Alons! Encore!” ’"Leesah was smiling encouragingly at him. up to a frenzy, that you may slay ’Leesah was the appearance of the desert-born girl, yet he could see past her! “* Fool,” came from Troiville, “ you are beside yourself. You are working yourself up to a frenzy, that you may slay ’Leesah for loving me. If you misthrow, phaff! ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. it will be only an error; you will not be tried.” Pierre wheeled to acknowledge the ap- plause. Under its cover he shot at Troi- ville: ““ Be easy, beast! You have ceased to live.” He turned. Merim, like ’Leesah, was smiling. She pointed to the point of the left shoulder where the next knife should go. Like lightning, Pierre launched the blade—a magnificent throw. He swung from there to the diffrcult casts between the limbs, snugging the fatal weapons close against the fabric of ’"Leesah’s pretty, rav- ishing costume. The eyes of the dead, the fingers of her, guided him to mark out thus the form of the living. Troiville continued to sneer, to taunt. Pierre forgot him, it seemed; the crowd. He took knife after knife, made his hedge of glistening death creep up the outside of "Leesah’s perfect left leg, to the knee, to the mid-thigh, to the thigh, to the waist—saw her smile. The eyes of the dead ‘ured him on; his own eyes had ceased to burn, save for a little. : _ Wave after wave of applause swept the audience. ‘Two knives yet remained, one for the spot midway between ’Leesah’s zone and armpit, one for the armpit. As Pierre drew his arm back for the zone-cast he heard Troiville: “La Forge, beware the last, the armpit cast. You will miss that and strike her through the heart. You want to kill her, mon ami!’ He focused upon the difficult throw. Merim’s forefinger was at the exact spot where ’Leesah’s flesh and the target board seemed to melt together, midway between zone and armpit. ’"Leesah was smiling trust- ingly. A wave of obstinacy, a desire to show Troiville that his nerve was equal to anything, whelmed Pierre. He cast— Thud! : The blade was in the wood, its flat gleam- ing side touching the girl’s warm flesh only. A perfect throw. , The café’s patrons were wild with enthu- siasm. Pierre was in a delirium of curious ec- stasy. He had the one knife clutched by GO DOOLK C@©