Argosy All-Story Weekly, December 4, 1926 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

WAR SPAWN. haps blazoned all over New York as that of a supposed murderess! Fugitives from justice always changed their names. A sudden resolve seized her. She would change hers! ‘““My name is Violet Gray.” Stephen could scarcely refrain from laughing; the name was so patently not hers. ‘May I call you Miss Violet?” he asked seriously. ‘‘ Violet is prettier than Gray, don’t you think?” “T think Violet Gray is a pretty name. I’ve always liked that name. But you can call me Miss Violet if you want to.” “ Will you not be seated, Miss Violet?” he asked, nodding toward the chair. With quick perception Miss Violet Gray dropped into the first chair that had ever been drawn out from table for her. The well-appointed table, laid with shin- ing white damask and polished silver; the silver racks for the dishes; the dish of grapefruit before her with a red cherry in the center, somehow made the man oppo- site to her, to whom these things were all a matter of course, seem a thousand miles away from her. Judith would have liked to run away. She felt timid. It showed in her manner. Stephen chatted genially as he half un- folded his napkin, and laid it on his knees. He meant to put her entirely at her ease. But he had undertaken a larger commission than he realized. He selected a spoon, and began eating his grapefruit. “ Watchful waiting”? was Judith’s dis gan. She did likewise. She struggled bravely with the fruit until a tiny stream of the fruit malignantly squirted into her eyes. “Oh!” she cried through swift tears. ** Oh, it hurts!” Stephen was around the table in an in- stant. He whipped out a spotless linen handkerchief, poured some ice water from a tumbler. upon it, and bathed her smart- ing eyes. Owonto discreetly disappeared. The Oriental’s eyes had never betrayed his wonder at the presence of the beautiful lady. Beautiful ladies had dined and supped and breakfasted and lunched with his master before many times. Besides, he was pretty well shaken from the storm. 403 Stephen’s hand trembled as he went back to his chair. His head was in a whirl. How was he ever going to endure these intimate little passages, he wondered? Breakfast was finished with no more ne- cessity for his assistance in the capacity of “first aid.” He talked fast, to relieve his own emotional tumult. He told her of the condition of the Psyche after the storm, of the ship that had called to them out of the night, of the bravery of Captain Lang, and of the others of the crew. Judith was a splendid listener; her eyes : sparkled with appreciation. To her query, if he did not think her a coward, Stephen quoted Captain Lang’s words about fools, “We will go for a walk now,” he sug- gested as they rose from the table. ‘“ You need, the air, and this time I imagine you can remain up as long as you please.” “1 shall wear your coat and cap?” she questioned. ‘And if you ain’t too busy to-day, could you please—begin to learn me to talk?” she asked shyly. The request was so naive, so sincere; she was so adorably sweet, so wonderfully beau- tiful, that she upset Stephen's equanimity almost completely. “Tl begin the moment you have taken a brisk walk. We must not neglect to cul- tivate the roses that bloom in your cheeks, you know.” Stephen owed something to his remote Irish ancestry, when it came to love mak- ing. The roses that bloomed in her cheeks glowed a deeper pink, and an adorable little wave of color flushed her velvety white throat, and was lost somewhere in the collar of her silk blouse. “And while we are walking you can con over your first Janguage lesson. There isn’t eany such word in the English language as ‘ ain't. > 33 “ Ain’t there?” she queried bewilderedly. “There ‘is not.’”’ He shook his finger at her in a very schoolmasterly fashion. “Oh!” said Judith, ‘then where I’ve been saying ‘ ain’t ’ I should say ‘ is not ’?” “ Why, yes, unless you wish to say ‘ was not,’ or ‘are not,’ or ‘ were not,’ or ‘ have not,’ or—did you ever study English gram- mar?” “Yes. I studied it in school. But I om Gomilebooks: