Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

WAR SPAWN. sling English just like you do! I ain’t never heard no one talk like you before.” Stephen laughed outright. The girl was deliciously naive. He would not object in the least to teaching such an adorable pupil. He meant to teach her how to love, one day. He was amazed at the absolutely sexless attitude of the girl. She was a revelation to him. The girls he had known had been different. The stowaway was femininity plus, and yet was as frank as a young boy. Animated by a sudden thought, Judith turned toward him, recalling the skipper’s words addressed to him upon the deck. “What did the captain mean about trouble? A fight ain’t nothin’. *Twa’n’t no trouble for you to fight, was it?” Stephen shook his aggressive head in a decided negative. ‘‘ No trouble at all, I assure you! It was one of the most rare- ly happy moments of my life. “What Lang meant was that on account of the seamen and the necessary control of them that the officers must have on board ship, the mate and I should have waited, probably until we got to land, to settle any little difference that we might have had.” Judith’s low laugh rippled. “ Oh! I guess that wouldn’t be your way, would it? You ain’t the cautious kind!”’ “ You have learned something about hu- man nature, at least, no matter what language you learned,” complimented Fen- wick. The girl’s pretty curved lips tensed in a straight line. ‘‘I guess I had to learn that, much,” she volunteered reluctantly. Her mind was carrying her swiftly to the hut on the river bank, and back through the horrible years of her youth and childhood. Just then, above the din and thunder of the sterm there boomed the report of a gun—another, and another! A gun of the Psyche in a moment an- swered in kind, while the two occupants of the dining salon listened. The thrill of the firing couldebe felt. “What was that?” queried Judith, wide- eved. | ‘A ship in distress, I imagine. I had 398 better go and see. You won’t mind re- maining here alone just for a few min- utes?” “No,” she assured him. ‘“ You go. Id go with you, but the captain would send me back, I s’pose,” she said wistfully. “Yes, I suppose he would,” agreed Stephen gravely. ‘ Besides, you look fagged. Let me fix you up comfortably here on the sofa. I'll get pillows.” Stephen left for his stateroom to secure the pillows. _Owonto was to follow with blankets. When Stephen returned to the sofa, Judith was fast asleep. Despite the storm and attendant anxiety, her eyes had closed almost as soon as he closed the door. He raised her head carefully, tempted to leave a soft kiss upon the curving red lips. He beat back the desire, though when he straightened, after placing her head on the pillow, he was shaking. He had mastered himself; that was the great point. Biblical quotations were not much in Stephen’s line. But now he re- called vaguely that, somewhere in immortal Scriptural history, some one had observed that “he who ruleth himself is greater than he who taketh a city.” Now to see what all the fuss was about on deck! Everybody aboard seemed scrambling about the craft. With a last look at the sleeping girl, he hastened to his stateroom. Owonto had reached there, and was cowering in a corner. ‘Psyche; he sink!” he chattered, his teeth clinking.~ ‘“ Big gun, him shoot!” “Get my oilskins, and keep your teeth in your head. You may need them after the storm,” advised Stephen succinctly. Weak-kneed but obedient, the Japanese secured his master’s rain clothes, and helped him into them. In a moment Fen- wick was climbing the salon companion- way. As his head emerged he found that he had thrust it into unexpected furies. A smother of rain and wind rendered him breathless. He staggered out upon the deck as a seaman reeled toward him, fum- bling to batten down the companion hatch. ‘“What’s the row?” bawled Fenwick. ‘What’s the—” He stopped abruptly, CORNICE OO KS (EO)