Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 12, 1927 — page 93: what you’re looking at

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

THE MASKED She was clinging to him as they stood there but, the moment the music started, she swept into his arms and they were off again. _There were only a few ccuples on the floor and Rod became conscious of the fact that the applause of the onlookers was all for himself and his partner. It bothered him a little because he knew that he and the girl would be awarded prizes and that they would have te unmask to re- ceive them. He, of course, would be rec- ognized without his domino, and there prob- ably would be stories in the papers, which, under the circumstances, would be rather undesirable publicity. But, nevertheless, he decided to play the game through with the girl. After all, in spite of her charm and beauty, she prob- ably was only some notoriety-seeking little dancer who had deliberately trapped him into the situation., But he would give her the benefit of the doubt until he knew. At last they were left on the floor to- gether and, for a few moments, the great band played for them alone. Then, in response to the beckoning hand - of the master of ceremonies, he walked for- ward toward a platform, the girl clinging to his arm. “Ts it all over?” she whispered in a husky voice. “Yes,” he told her, contest.” ‘‘ We’ve what?” she asked in amazement. “* Won the contest,” he repeated. “ They are going to award us the prizes, and we have got to unmask.” Her grip on his arm tightened con- vulsively. - “Oh!” she exclaimed, and her voice was faint with fright. ‘‘ I didn’t know—I didn’t understand!” “Tt’s all right, my dear,’ he told her. “Tl be quite proud to unmask with you ‘‘ we’ve won the by my side.” “No!” she said frantically. “No! I won’t do it! Take me out. I don’t want the prize. I won’t unmask!” “Tf you feel that way, it’s all right,” he assured her softly. ‘‘ Just be quiet. Every- thing is all right. Just wait for me a mo- ment. se fa ; 2 ee ee = ee eo , ~ = =" = —, SS > we : <5 tn - : Ss => = i : > ; 2 * ee 2 Pe eg a eee a -. ee te ae “ ~ ‘ ~ ENCHANTRESS. 87 the master of ceremonies and then turned back to the girl. “ Come,” he said,.“ the balcony.” : As they moved across the floor he heard the voice of the announcer stating that the winners of the first prize preferred to re- linquish the honor rather than reveal their identities. As they reached their seats the soft chimes of a clock struck twelve. ‘“Let’s go now,” the girl suggested to Rod. “It’s been wonderful—too wonder- we will go back to ful—and, if we stay, something might hap- _ pen to spoil it.” ‘“ All right, Cinderella,” he replied cheer- fully. ‘I would like to dance some more, but this is your party. Get your wraps and we'll go out and hop into the pumpkin.” IV. THE car was threading its way through the heavy traffic that flows through the Forties at midnight. ‘You can let me off at Park Avenue and Fiftieth Street,” the girl told Rod. “ Then I will be almost home.” “And you’re not going to give me even one more glimpse of that lovely face?” he teased. “One more glimpse?” she asked. ‘“ Yes—one more,” he said. “No,” she told him. ‘“ You never will see my face again. Just remember it as you saw it.” ' ‘“T’ll have to remember you,” he replied, “as a masked enchantress.” A taxicab rounding a corner skidded in- to the middle of the street and crashed against the car in which they were riding. The girl screamed and involuntarily tore the mask from her face. Rod, shaken up but uninjured, looked at her in horror. For it was a drawn and scarred and twist- ed face that he looked at, one that had been ravaged by fire. ‘ You—you’re—not the girl I met to- night!” he exclaimed in amazement. “‘ What has happened—where .is she?” he asked. Her voice became hard and bitter for a moment and she looked at him with ee comicbooks.com