A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, February 1950 — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

THE SEAL MAIDEN remembering the snows through which she had climbed to him that night when she pave her heart into his keeping. The place looked desolate and strange, and inside the air was icy as death. She kneeled down by the door where they had kneeled that night together, prayed, wept, and looked over the tum- bling sea. She prayed that he might return to her; that she might see him once more, even in death. Suddenly old Mére Faguy’s words stirred in her remembrance: “Give back thy charm to the sea, or thou wilt never gain a lover.” She knew the island supersitition, but it arose in her instinctively also, that age- long clamor of the human heart for sacrifice. She touched the locket on her throat. In its thin golden shell lay all that she had dreamed of during those years of childhood, all her fond hopes that she had breathed to her lover. Marie had seen the pitying glances of the island women. They drew back from her now as of old, but not through fear of her. No one believed that Charles and Achille would return. He was foredestined to die as his father and grandfather had died, and Charles as Guillaume Robitaille. These were of the sea’s clan, her destiny, and none could escape that which was foreordained. Un- less one sacrificed— She tore the locket from her throat and flung it far out into the lapping waves. When she returned the curé was wait- ing up for her. He gazed on her compas- sionately; he feared to tell her what had to be told. He had grown to love her as a daughter. “Marie, my child, the governor desires to speak with thee,” he said. “Tonight, father? How can I go to St. Pierre tonight?” “He is here with me,” Pére Legouffre answered, and led her into his study. Before a fire of logs stood M. Floquet, and with him were two gentlemen, one young, one old. The younger was a dap- per Parisian, with a blond, upcurled mus- tache, who-eyed her admiringly. But when she looked at the other she felt the room begin to sway and held hard to the edge of the door. For this man, gray-haired, distinguished-looking, bear- ing himself as one should who wears the GET INTO THE BIG MONEY. ASA. weet pttete AGORA 175 ig dd instru § NAME j ADDRESS... Panty for Mee men, train you by sending you8 Ae kits of real, professional Radio parts—how I train you to build a powerful 6-tube superhet radio, a 16-range test meter rhs ep ve While You (pres tec G.I, Training under Public leon, 16 a se 346. Sprayberry Academy of Ratio, - Oost 53-F at edb: TREE BOOK & Suaok Lesion. | ow T LEARN AT HOME IN SPARE HOURS — @ EARN EXTRA MONEY WHILE TRAINING dio experi- ments. My training is practical — sticks with you, helps make money for you. You don’ tneed| revi sl a or experience, bashed NG—follow simple ae Wes ack you Oa TE EVISION from the ground up. GET SAMPLE LESSON FREE ACT TODAY! Fill tee and rush the coupon to me erform over Ra nd ake 'o Read Radio ia E aoe tell how you : Approved SENSATIONAL NEW ADVERTISING SIGN YES, MAKE $9.95 on 10-second demonstration to merchants. Write on glass with amazing mag- ic crayon and presto—a 5-color advertising mes- sage takes fire and glows like a brilliant neon sign! Three sales a day and $29.85 profit is for *‘lazy”"’ men. Workers can double to triple that amount. FREE SALES KIT. Don’t wait. Rush your name and address on a penny postcard for full details and complete sales kit—ALL FREE. MAXILUME CO., 125 w. Hubbard DEPT. L-792 CHICAGO 10, ILLINOIS 125 CO een nee G Bh nee | mah IOO < S C@ in