Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 81: what you’re looking at

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

RED DARKNESS. Javalie walked out into the waves until he was waist deep. Then he plunged him under and held him there. When he let him up the boy choked and strangled and gasped. He fought furiously, but Javalie held him in an embrace of iron. He plunged him under a second time, then lifted his face to the surface and held him there by the throat. ‘When you are ready to admit that you are a coward and will listen to the rest of what I have to say to you, just stop strug- eling.” Ted Banning gulped and choked out: “TI . 1? will kill you for this Javalie submerged him a third time, and suddenly the boy stopped struggling. He came up, gagging and strangling, clinging to Javalie’s shoulders, and sobbed as he fought for breath. “Are you a coward?” Javalie said quietly. “Ves! Ves! Good God, let me go!” “Will you talk decently?” “Yes! Oh, please take me to shore!” Javalie threw him over his shoulder, car- ried him to the beach, and set him upon his feet. CHAPTER XVII. ““xIY WIFE IS AN OPEN BOOK.” OR a moment the boy glared at him hatefully, then his eyes filled with tears. He sat down heavily in the sand and trembled. He wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands, and the last trace of anger and hatred was gone. Javalie dropped down in the sand beside him. ; Teddy blurted: “ Listen. I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go for you that way. What you did was all right—that ducking. I—I needed it! I know you’re only trying to help me. God knows I need some one to help me out. I’m just about crazy. Do you—want to help me straighten things out?” “Teddy,” Javalie said gravely, “I am beginning to suspect that I ducked the wrong person. Now that I have had a good look at you, I can see something that I missed entirely when I looked you over before. When I looked you over before I thought you were a sulky, sophisticated brat. I apologize. You’re what every one means when they speak of a nice kid. You are a nice kid, but you are about a thousand miles off the track. “You got off without knowing how it happened. You're sore at the world, aren’t you? You're sore at your widesyour father and your sister—and Heaven knows how many others! You have been drinking like a fish, and raising Cain generally. On top of it all, you think life is a tragic mis- take.” “ How can I help it?” the young man cried out. ‘‘ When any one’s been disillu- sioned the way I’ve been, what else is there for them to think?” Javalie sifted some sand through his fin- gers. “ You’ve asked a man’s-sized ques- tion, Ted. What is disillusionment? Mar- ried people use the term so much. Let’s get this disillusionment business cleared up be- fore we go on to practical solutions. Let’s take it up in connection with the man-and- wife question. That’s what you have really got to settle, isn’t it? Your father is, really, a secondary consideration. The main issue is—you and Jeanne.” Ted Banning shook his head stubbornly, “Tt’s no use. I’ve no use for women at all. T tell you I’ve been disillusioned. I’m sorry I’m married. That sounds rotten, but I can’t help it.” “ Don’t you love her any more?” * No ”—defiantly, “Do you feel like telling me why?” “Sure! I want to tell you everything. You—you know about these things. If you can fix me up—go to it. But you can’t fix that up. I’m sick of her, that’s why. I’m sick of seeing her mope around. She hasn’t any more pep than a rabbit. I can’t stand the sight of her.” “Tet’s get this straight. How about other women?” “Absolutely the same! I can’t stand them.” “H-m. How about this—Jazzabelle, over at the camp?” The boy looked up sharply. ‘“ Who told you anything about that?” Comicbooks:com > — > ‘ td ‘ AM AT eS Cie