Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 94: what you’re looking at

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

Rosita was not ugly at all. Now that their eyes had met and he had seen the lure that lighted from under her drooping eye- lashes, he realized with a little shock that Rosita was a beauty, a savage creature, no doubt, but possessed of a violent and sen- sual beauty like that flower with the heavy petals that she had let fall. After a time George rose and strolled carelessly across the cleared space picking up the flower as he passed it. It was heavy. The petals were fleshy, and its heart seemed to be cloyed with rank honey. A sweet odor came from its depths, perfume so overpowering as to be almost repellant. George examined the tropical flower care- fully. He had never seen one just like it before. He held it to his nostrils for a moment, then stuck it in his belt and moved on, That same evening George caught a glimpse of the girl as she sat before the ranch house, nestling in the curve of Ma- noel’s burly arm. Even while her lover was in the act of caressing her, Rosita man- aged to flash a signal to this white man, her latest caprice. George quickened his steps to avoid a scene. He played cards with Dr. Ribiera until late that night. The heat was intense and the two friends retired to their hammocks, hoping that they had induced a drowsiness by their late hours that would send them to sleep in spite of the oppressive heat and the attacks of mosquitos. Dr. Ribiera was lucky. He managed to drop off to sleep, but George tossed and rolled until the hammock swayed under him and his single garment was wringing with sweat. His mind had been busied with thoughts of Tina. More and more her image, so gay and provocative, so daring and tender at once, had filled his waking hours and his dreams. Several times there had been messengers from Rio, ragged peons in charge of ox carts loaded with supplies. George had in- quired whether any of these had brought letters from his friends. Manoel had grinned carelessly and re- ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. plied that there were no letters, but that his brother Pedro had sent warm regards to his guest and assurances that his friends in Rio were well and happy—that they looked forward to George’s return. To Dr. Ribiera this sounded perfectly satisfactory and when George confided his doubts and anxieties to the physician he was promptly reassured. If his friends did not write, well—the doctor shrugged and threw out his hands! —It was because there was nothing to write about! Why worry? As soon as he was well enough, Pedro would return his guest to Rio. The duel and all other unpleasantness would be forgotten. So argued the confiding and generous- hearted Dr. Ribiera, a man of such gentle- ness and innate goodness that he could hardly imagine the depths of evil in other souls. But George had no such childlike faith. As on many nights before, he lay awake this torrid night and wondered about Tina and Margot. Margot was in New York long before this. Was her name already shining in lights on Broadway? Then Tina! His mind came back to her again and again. When would he see her to tell her that he had discovered it was she and no other that he loved? Finally, unable to endure any more, he sat up, touched the earthen floor with his bare feet and slid quietly out of the hut into the brilliance of the tropical moon- light. | Not a light burned in all the plantation: only the radiance of the full moon lighted © his path. It glinted from the leaves of the coffee bushes. It bathed the tops of the huge forest trees and cast profound inky shadows beneath their masses of foliage. The silence was broken only by the in- describable calls and twitterings of small creatures of the night, and by the raucous breathing from the house where Manoel slept. From the ravine that lay in the direction opposite to the ranch house, came the plash and gurgle of water. George turned and followed the trail to the stream. After a plunge in the cooling waters he might be able to sleep! 2 Gomichooks;com:,