Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 17, 1924 — page 117: what you’re looking at

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

THE ROARING FORTIES. “Ye come frae the West, where ye think ye master the issues of life. But here, in the East, we ken the issues are beyond us.” One Lung MacBayne held up the book which he had been reading in the moon- light. “ What d’ye think this is?” “TI couldn’t say.” “Well, this is the Book of Marriage, for all places under heaven. In me pocket I hae red cords, with which the fates tie to- gether the feet of those who are destined to become man and wife. When this cord has been tied, though the parties are o’ un- friendly clans, or o’ different nations, their lives are fixed. ‘A man o’ the East and a woman of the West tied wi’ that red cord are tied forever. Will ye be tied to me daughter? Will it be yon captain? Will it be anither? Only the fates can say.”. Dunbar was still incredulous. ‘“‘ Whatever made you, a Scotsman, come to such ideas?” “T came here in a ship frae Aberdeen, long syne. One night I went to a fortune teller, who was reading the Marriage Book in the moonlight. ‘ Your future wife,’ said he, ‘ is the child of the old woman who sells vegetables in yonder shop.’ Upon hearing this, I started off in search of the old woman, and found her possessed 0’ sic a hideous bairn that, lest the prophecy should o’ertake me, I hired a man to kill the bairn. “Vears after, when I had accepted the Chinese faith, the prefect of a neighboring district, gave me in marriage a beautiful young lady, whom he affirmed to be his ain daughter. ‘Me bride always wore a flower over the left eyebrow. One day I asked her why, she replied, ‘I am the daughter of the prefect’s brother, who died when I was an infant, leaving me to the care o’ an auld woman who sold vegetables. One day when { was out wi’ her, a ruffian struck me, and made sic a scar that I hae to wear this flower to conceal it.’ “On hearing this, I recognized the im- mutability of fate, and syne then I hae acknowledged that the East is wiser than the West.” That night, Richard Dunbar slept in the home of One Lung MacBayne. He saw no further sign of the daughter until the 267 morning, when she came in gayly, leading Captain Forbes. At sight of Richard Dun- bar, they both stopped in amazement. Richard noticed that the girl wore pan- taloons instead of a petticoat, Everything about her was rich and gorgeous. She was indeed pleasant to look upon, the face told of the blending of Manchu and Scot, seem- ing to reflect the best of the mingled strains. Her bright coloring belonged to Scotland, but her eyes belonged to China. As the morning meal progressed it was apparent that Captain Forbes, that past- master with the ladies, in spite of an ex- tended sojourn, was yet completely baffled. The uncertainty and unexpectancy of the girl exercised a strong fascination over Forbes. Boldness and strength were here captive to beauty and mystery. After the morning meal, when the girl had retired, Dunbar attempted to persuade the captain to return to Valkyrie, but he was like a man drunk with strange wine. All reasoning with him was vain. As Dun- bar regarded his hypnotic condition he re- alized something of the power that had caused One Lung MacBayne to turn his back on his old blood and his old faith. Finding that it was useless to appeal to Forbes, Dunbar at last turned to Mac- Bayne to help him to prevail upon the skipper to return. ‘““What can I do?” answered the old man, with resignation. “What can I do? Aye, and ,what can he do? What will be, will be. Ye’ll hae to appeal, me lad, to the fates that brought him. He came by the fates, and if he goes, he’ll go by the fates.” Forbes did go that night. He went in the ecstasy of opium, with Wanda Mac- Bayne leading him out, even as she had led him in, ten days before. “Why d’ye take him awa’?” inquired the old man, at the gate. “He’s not for me, father,” came back the reply. That trip back to the Valkyrie remained in Richard’s mind like a journey of en- chantment. He knew that the same subtle power of the girl over Forbes was being exerted over him. She had pleaded with him to take some opium. He had refused. COmicloooks (C@