Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 72: what you’re looking at

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

698 end. Rehearsing all that had happened, she was convinced that her own rash threat had been her undoing. Her vow that she would marry the first man to walk through the gate had opened her mind to him. With- out that, no doubt he would have remained only a stranger. Full of that thought she went on slowly down the path, until a glimmer of light across the window of the library made her raise her head. She had to look again before she saw that this was strange. It was as though some one had turned the electric current through a globe which was burned out. There was that orie flash and then no more light. Curious, she stepped to the side of the house and looked in. In the farther corner she saw the great steel globe of Commodore Dascom, the great inlaid globe on the sur- face of which he had been wont to trace his journeys and locate the sites of his adven- tures. Over the globe leaned the figure of aman. He held a pocket electric torch in the one hand. The other was pressed upon the surface of the globe, which he appeared ‘to be searching inch by inch, with the most patient scrutiny. And Samuel Chester Logan, why had he, also, been turning the globe and studying it while he listened to the talk of her father? In her interest, she moved a little closer, her foot caught on a stone, and she stum- bled, only saving herself by throwing out a hand which struck sharply against the lower part of the window pane. That noise caused the man at the globe to spring erect, while, as he turned toward the sound, the electric torch flashed one gleam of light across his face and she saw that it was John Hodge, his teeth clenched, his eyes glittering with a savage ferocity. Then the light was out, but she could hear the swift footsteps crossing the room. She turned to flee, but a nightmare weak- ness numbed her limbs. All the strength was gone from her knees. She crossed the path which rounded the side of the house and reached the farther side of a border of shrubs. But there all power failed her. She dropped to the ground, drew the gown close about her, and waited in dread. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, The window was raised softly. There followed the soft thud as some one sprang down and landed on the garden mold ‘be- tween the walk and the wall of the house. Then a step crunched on the path. She looked up in speechless terror. She could clearly see the dark outline of his tall figure. Could he see her, lying as she did under the shadow of the shrubs? Would he dream that she had dared remain so close? By the turning of his head it seemed that he was looking far off, but all the time he might be well aware that she was there. He might be reserving his knowledge for some mys- terious and terrible purpose. Or what would he do if he discovered her? Nothing seemed too much to expect. The possibilities of his action were limitless. If a blow would assure him. of her silence until his purpose in the room were fulfilled—even that was not too much to expect. The shadow of John Hodge withdrew, melted back into the steep shade of the house. She heard him scramble back through the window. But even then she waited for deadly minutes before she dared to stir. At length she went slowly on hands and knees under the shelter of the shrubs until she had covered a considerable dis- tance to the corner of the house. Then she rose and peered about her. The facade of the building was gilded white by the moonlight. The windows of the library which looked to the front of the mansion were black and empty of light. Nothing could be more quiet, more innocent than the appearance of the building. But in it was John Hodge, aware that he had been spied upon and, apparently, ready to strike down the spy with a summary violence. How should she be sure of cross- ing the gap between the hedging shrubs and the house in safety? Or should she scream, and thereby rouse the house? It was useless to do that, she knew. Or, if not useless, it would be shameful. There would be an outpouring of people, and be- fore they had secured her and brought her in, John Hodge could be safely in his bed. Or, if he preferred, he could be far from the house. As for the tall figure which she had seen bending over the steel globe of the commodore, it would be laughed at. They ae Eomicbooks, —_ ——— 9 od ~~. f= _— — ——~ —_. - e = - >= a - ——)* > >" va aa Ft a, ——_— Om a ee Se