Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 90: what you’re looking at

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

880 “What about them?” “Oh, I am so sorry—it is dreadful to have to tell you—they—are dead.” She told him what the account in the home papers had said. He grew even remoter; in a queer way she seemed to feel him gathering himself together in some secret place where he alone would ever dwell. She felt that she could never really know him, that no one could —not the entire personality that attracted like a strong magnet, and yet itself re- mained aloof. He walked to the flap of the tent and looked out into the darkness. Midge sat on the bed, her whole heart going out to him, He came back and stood before her. ‘They are all gone, then,” he said in a strange, subdued voice. ‘‘I am alone.” “Your brother?” she faltered. “ My brother—who is mad about danc- ing and is going to marry a rich woman!” He spoke as if to himself. Midge wondered how he knew that. There was something so mysterious about it all. He looked at her, his eyes dark and wild. “ But you—what were you doing at Ban- zat? You have just been married. Where is—your husband?” ‘TJ haven’t been married,” she answered in a small voice. ‘“ Something happened to—prevent it. I am staying with the In- glises again.” “Not married!” He stood perfectly still, but she could see his hands tremble. She could see an incredible joy creeping into his eyes. ‘‘ Not married! You are free!” “ Yes—no—oh, don’t let’s talk about me! Don’t let’s waste time! You have got to get away.” “You are not another man’s wife,” he persisted. ‘‘ You are free. You can never be anything to me, but I love you—I can trick myself into thinking that if things had been different—” He broke off and stooped down to her, his arms shaking with the passion of long- ing that possessed him. But he drew him- self up and his arms dropped to his side. The girl looked at him with swimming ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. eyes. That magnificent control awed her. She knew the temptation. Did she not feel it herself? And she glimpsed the danger, though she could not gauge the depth and strength of this man’s passion for her, this outlaw who had lived alone for twelve years among an alien race. But his iron will, the self-discipline that he had learned in the wilds reached her very sotil, and in that still moment her whole being surrendered itself to him forever, whether she ever met him in this life again or not. “ But things are not different,” the White Horseman said in his ordinary voice. “I am always treating you like a monster. You have risked everything to come here and warn me, and I am trying to make you sad. I have no right to ask you even to be my friend.” “T am,” she said, smiling wearily. can’t help myself.” “ Good girl!” he said. His face lightened; he smiled his wonderful smile. ‘‘ Ah, and here comes the food and drink you so badly need!” aoe CHAPTER XVI. RENUNCIATION, IDGE ate and drank—she did not know what. Those old wild joys had come back. The man’s per- sonality was so strong that he even made her forget his danger. To sit there listen- ing to him talking, watching the erect figure in the night-blue tunic, with the bronze hawk face melting into the dark rich turban —she knew again what it was to live. With him she seemed to live a thousand years in a minute; away from him she did not live at all. He was making swift decisive plans as to how to get her back in safety. As soon as the dawn broke, he would send her off under a trusted escort, and then he would make his way farther into the mountains to some fastness where nobody would look for him. ‘“ Not that I like running away,” he said bitterly. “ But I don’t want to go back to England—not like that.” As he spoke, there were sounds of shout- b A Comlclooks C©