Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 14, 1928 — page 101: what you’re looking at

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

GOLD. him bumped off—then all we’ve gained is to lose a man.” “ Suicide. That’s what we’re doin’ to ourselves,” Brass wailed. ‘ We got to get out. We got to burn our bridges behind us. Kill the old duffer. Tie the girl and throw her below with Joshua.” During this confab old Bartlett stood partly in the shadow dazed and mute while his daughter clung to him. They were two helpless prisoners at the bar. Whatever sentence these three judges passed upon them, they would have to accept. It might be death. That did not seem so terrible after all. It might mean separation. ‘That was far more terrible. “TI can’t leave him! I can’t. - You’re asking too much! How much more do you fiends want? Isn’t a fortune enough? What have I done that you want to keep this torture up!” “ Suicide!” Brass was grumbling. * Pow’ ful clever, Mr. Swope!” the sea-cook commented. She’ll tell the first man she meets,” Brass wailed. } “No fear of that,” Swope said. “ If she breathes a word to a soul, they'll come blusterin’ along in their boats, thinkin’ they can catch us. Well, they can’t. She’s a trim little whaleboat we got down there. “ We'll make for the shore up north- ward. Night’ll help us. And they can’t chase us in bigger craft without they shoal. We'll keep two men on watch. First sign of a boat makin’ for us, and we’re off—we and this old lub- ber. I mean what’s left of him.” “You say I must go ashore and sing!” the girl cried in dismay. “Sure you'll go ashore and sing,” Swope laughed. “ And bring back some more nuggets!” The situation appealed to Swope, its author. He was beginning to see the extraordinary possibilities of his own drama. <A girl sent ashore from a whaler to sing for gold. Three leeches waiting for her to return with her pay! 239 A girl entertaining in a frontier gam- ing house—not daring to expose the conflicts within her bosom as she sang! Gamblers and miners and barkeeps lis- tening to her, showering their wealth upon her. And the three leeches out on the water, waiting! What could be more dramatic than that? It was a master- stroke of Swope’s fevered imagination. “ And if you bring back enough nug- gets,’ he went on gloatingly, “ why, then the game’s over. We leave you and your precious dad alive. Afd what’s more, you'll never hear of us again.” * But to-morrow night—you'll make me do it again?” she asked helplessly. “Maybe. If you don’t bring back enough to-night. To-morrow night— seven more nights. I’ve got you where I want you now, lady, or else maybe you'll take a chance and tell somebody that your dad needs help? That would stop your theatrical engagement in a jiffy?’ “No, no!” she cried. “ No—you understand only too well. Not while my father is aboard here with you mur- derers. No—lI wouldn’t dare! If I go you can be safe. You know it. TH keep the secret. “T only pray that they'll give me enough to feed your grasping, fiendish souls! [Pll sing. TU go. TI bring back more. I'll beg them for their nuggets. I'll sing until I drop! But if you harm my father—” “You can be assured, lady, he’s safe —until we get a whiff of something in the wind. If you sic any one on us—”” “You think there’s a millionth of a chance of that!” she shot back ex- citedly. “Jt’s not a millionth, lady,” the mate answered with utmost assurance, “You've showed that you worship every gray hair of the old duffer’s head. You wouldn’t want to cause his death, I know. All right. Just remem- ber that!” comichbook (E@)