Argosy All-Story Weekly, March 15, 1924 — page 128: what you’re looking at

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

d MYSTERY LAN‘). | EY my mind. While mother was alive she used to tell me about them. We'd talk about them, and that sort of satished me. But since she’s gone | keep thinking of them all the time. There isn’t anything you can say about the East that would make me believe it isn’t a better place than this!” “ Eve,’ said Warren gently, his eves aught with understanding: ‘“‘ your memory of those things was what took vou to Red Mesa the other day, wasn’t it? You had that old rose dress with you. Your mother’s. But it is too big for you. Did that dress take vou to Red Mesa?” “T ordered one almost hke it,” she ad- mitted. ‘‘ I wanted to see how I would look in one. But now, I suppose Kinney will cancel the order.” “Tf he does I'll take a train to where they make them and bring one back to you!’ promised Warren. Eve’s pulses leaped. The sincere ring in Warren’s voice thrilled her. Various serv- ices had been performed for her, by Chan- ning, by Vallon, and others, but always those services had involved something nec- esssary or vital. And here was this Eastern young man offering, perhaps somewhat recklessly, to serve her vanity. “You like to see girls wear nice things, I suppose?” she asked, “You!” he answered pointedly. “ As a usual thing I never notice what women wear. But vou haven’t had anything nice to wear in a long time, and I am anxious to see how vou will look in them. Stunning, of course. But I want to see.” For a time they sat silent. Their thoughts were somewhat tumultuous. Eve particu- larly was conscious that her senses were being assailed by an enchanting giamour, a captivating exaltation that had in it a completely satisfving sensation of marvelous understanding. There flashed into her mind at this in- stant a passage in the poem, ‘‘ Mazeppa,” which she used to read aloud to Bassett: “We met, we gazed—TI saw, and sighed; She did not speak, and yet replied.” The language was new to Eve. A mani- festation of speech without the use of words. Words were futile and unnecessary, anyway. * at Sr se init ne type ie . . See SORT ee aye When she saw Warren get up and walk toward her she trembled, but smiled. When he came and stood at her side she looked up at him. She arose. around her. An hour later Mrs. Bailey came to the door and looked at them. Eve was again in her chair. Warren had drawn his beside Eve's, and his right arm was over Eve’s shoulders. Has left hand had captured both ot Eve's, and his head was very close to hers. Mrs. Bailey smiled and stole softly away. In her kitchen she indulged in words. ‘“ By me faith,” she said; “ it’s a sickness that overtakes all of us!” And then his arms were CHAPTER XXIII. TOO QLD. IDING. the east trail and heading al- ways southward, Bassett came to the crest of the slope that descended to the basin in which Warren’s cabin stood. From the crest of the slope Bassett could See a light in the cabin: he could trace the outlines of the cabin itself in the faint light of a crescent moon. Bassett would have preferred complete darkness. Yet he had no choice, and he eased his horse cautiously down the slope until he reached a level. There he paused to study his surround- ings. He contemplated no violent action to-night, for the reason that he didn’t know what he would discover on his nocturnal visit. He wasn’t at all certain that Eve was here. In spite of his suspicions Eve might be elsewhere. Channing might have taken her to an- other hiding piace, or Eve, obeying a will- ful impulse, might have left the country. Channing might have told her about Green and the deputy; might have helped her to cet away. He had to determine her whereabouts, but he had no intention of going openly and directly to Warren’s door to ask him about Eve; for if Warren and Channing didn’t want him to know where she was they would hide her and lie to his questions. comiclooaKks