Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 103: what you’re looking at

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

and simplicity, its small affairs, each magni- fied to adventure, to romance, and under- neath it all, as deep and broad and tragic as the sea itself, a restless current of great loneliness, the empty longing of the heart of a boy for a home, and for the mother ing in it; a longing guarded behind thick walls of scoffing reserve and only ad- mitted at odd moments on some long, still watch at night, beneath the friendly sym- pathy of understanding stars—kind, godly eyes, that would not mock this one love that was sacred. Miss MacTavern slept a little and, later, insisted on relieving the other two watchers in turn while they snatched some much- needed rest. The sun pursued its leisurely passage across the heavens and sank in the western sky. The darkness greedily began to blot out the light. After an unusually lengthy silence, Miss MacTavern suddenly stated “ I’m thirsty.” Rutledge and Sparks were thirsty, too— had been so for hours, uncomfortable hours of parching dryness. “I wonder if there isn’t some water in this place?” Miss MacTavern pursued the subject hopefully. Rutledge shook his head. He had al- ready looked for water in the container above the basin in the bunk room. It was quite empty. He said nothing about the bucketfuls of water that had been splashed up on their deck by unseen hands from the deck below; deliberate, wasteful bucketfuls, Suggestive agents, sent to augment and to force to the breaking point the scorch in their throats. Finally he answered her. “TI guess that’s what they’re sort of fig- uring on doing, Mary. It’s cheaper for _ them that way.” Both of them momentarily forgot their _ thirst under the electrifying thought that he - had called her Mary. Then his full mean- _ ing struck her: starvation or thirst would ‘dither let er be shot down or captured. She dis- _ ‘Unetly did not want Rutledge to be either ‘S80 Gown or captured. She wanted to at- to the capturing part of it herself. For a long moment ed looked at —. DIRTY WEATHER. falling so swiftly. There was no sense in renouncing her again—for the third time. What was the use? He was going to die for her. “See here,” he said, “ Mary, we’re all thinking about the same thing—no chuck, no water—Mary. Suppose that message Sparks sent out was picked up? It may be days before they find us. Well—Mary —so far as I can see, our only hope is to keep alive for those days. There’s no chance of their getting us while we stick — in here. We could shoot them down one by one. Sparks and I both have a pocketful of bullets—Mary. It’s this way. There’s sure no hope for Sparks or me if they get us, but they wouldn’t dare touch us so long as they were safe themselves. But don’t you see, if some blessed gunboat should happen to pick up that message, and should come alongside to capture the pack of them why they, I guess they’d just kill you too—Mary. So—so you’ve got to stay in here where it’s safe, and one of us two has got to stay alive to keep you alive, and one of us two has got to go outside and get chuck to keep all of us alive—Mary. seer” Nothing but the lack of breath stopped him. It was an enormous, an unheard of, speech for Rutledge. Sparks later referred to it as his “ Mary ” speech. “TI do see, Peter— Oh, I’m not worth it—I—” “Cut that! You, Mary, shut up!” “Yes, Peter.” “ As I say, we’ve got to get chuck and water. It’ll be black as pitch in ten min- utes. I figure they won’t expect us to break out so soon, certainly not to-night. They'll be expecting us to wait until we’re driven to it, say to-morrow night.” He paused a minute. “I’m going out.” | Sparks firmly but politely snorted. “They’d be watchin’ the door, Pete. They’d see you open it.” | “ Got to take that chance, kid.” “T got a better idea.” ‘gx “ Shoot.” » “T’m skinny and small.” ae “You are.” ey. “Well, medium, anyway. There's porthole in the mreomienooks.c com } $