Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 7, 1925 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

~~ = <a = e ‘> 554 “No. There iss no immediate danger. We are riding well and the worst of the storm iss already over. The first blow was — the hardest. I aff decided to send for a tug. by wireless. 1 wish also to haff her bring a good surgeon. I believe that Mr. Bickers should haff expert medical attention at once.” 7 “By all means!” ‘“T wished you to confirm the matter of expense, also to ask your advice as for whom to send.” _ I mentioned my fondly physician and — ie assured that he would come at my re- uest. “But hadn’t we Better oak some passing ship?” I suggested. could get to us before a tug LS ee city. I go. There iss need for haste.” ~ He left me with the added “worry of the first officer’s condition on- my already over-_ me. ‘They wrought mind. What a mess the whole af- — fair had turned. out to: be! Eb shuddered — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. a . Git without a ae ~When I think—when TI think of the foolishness of mankind! For -years and years and years. men haif been sailing the seas in peace and in content, and then some wretched fellow comes alone and we ‘should haff- wireless. What iss more, we haff come to rely on the tamn thing. We are helpless withot ink in peace without it. And when we wail it—now—where iss it? It iss bust!” “ Perhaps he can fix it?” ““Nefer! We must content ourselves ith shooting rockets, to attract some pass- ing ship. There will be salvage.” ye doesn’ t matter. ‘No matter what the expense we must try to save Bickers’s life. = ‘There iss no liner within seach sho. “T knew you would feel that way. I shall have the rockets prepared at once.” I no longer attempted to keep pace with the surge of events. They had overtaken _ overwhelm sd me. My mind was a confused blur. [I began to appreciate : the viewpoint of the fatalist: what was to at the futility of it all, at our conceit in be, was to be, and nothing could be done having imagined that we, in our colossal - about it. it oy made any as inexperience, could handle it. It had gone a all when. beyond us and we “were helpless in its — yy 1; Ur A Ree a Be ee ie os Th NY Lire se tw ee are x 5 a ya “Ol Fe Vai ie wEDSS Me?g sal A sido ear rt RADI INNA ACNE uy LS OiSry Pde ie : ‘ YON " tne , S bee eee / gee \ iN hands. — Destiny, Micah Thrumm had called him- | self, and destiny he seemed te be indeed. Bickers’ life swung in the balance—Bil- lings’ life—and my own. It suddenly Oc- curred te me that there was no reason at all why I should not tell Billings of Micah Thrumm’s letter to me. He already was under the shadow of the man’s threat—I could confide in him without doing further harm. It would also accentuate his vigi- lance. I started for the door when it was suddenly burst open and Captain Wick- strom confronted me again. ‘““T knew this morning that I was right,” he said fiercely. ‘“‘ They are no goot. lot of them! The wireless set iss smashed.” “Smashed?” — 3 , “ZF do not know exactly, but it will not work, As for that Smith, he does not know at all. He says somebody hass been mak- ing monkey business with it.” “You mean we can’t send for a tug?” ‘““T mean we can send for nothing. If _ we should sink this minute, we should do The — rmed me that my eS =e the Alice, ings, and my nephew had succumbed to the strong motion of the yacht in the tumultuous seas and were seasick to a man. They were confined, he ‘informed me, already to their beds, wanted no dinner, and indirectly” hinted that their oné uppermost desire was to be set, as speedily as possible, ashore. _ I gave him abstract instructions to at- tend as well as he could to their wants and vaguely ticketed a mental memorandum that it was my duty as their host to visit each one of them and offer consolation. But that would have to wait. I must confer with Billings at once. I must stay with him’ continuously. Guard him. I did not find him in his cabin. JI went to the saloon. He was there in the com- ‘pany of my nephew and Alice. Alice sat beside her father on the lounge, holding his hand. My nephew sat nearby. They were not speaking. Billings stared straight ahead and his eyes looked tired. I knew that he was thinking of the future; that the whole direful business would have. to be comicbooks 21D) (E(0)