Argosy All-Story Weekly, August 9, 1924 — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

518 and he wanted to go back to Cheng’s at least every five minutes. If she should come in while he was away! Perhaps, after all, it were best to remain there. But no! She had gone away—left him without a word, for some good reason of her own. She wouldn’t come back to Cheng’s; no, never while there was a chance that he would be there. And up he would get and stumble down the dark, dirty stairway with the faithful George close behind him. Now, Jewel had made a firm resolve to stay away. There was every moral reason why she should; and for twenty-four hours she fought sturdily against the awful pangs of her heart-hunger, for she starved for that which she had never known—had hard- ly dreamed until she saw it in Billy’s eyes. She knew she had no right—that that food was forbidden her warped and wanton soul—that the end must be destruction for herself and Heaven alone knew what evil for the boy as well—but there are limits to the moral strength of the best of us. So it is not at all surprising that Jewel went back to Cheng’s. All evening George had been laboriously raising a structure which, when completed, should be the truth about Jewel. Time after time it had gone down to its founda- tions before the inattentiveness of Billy, or the sway of his distracted moods. Now even its foundations crumbled—and that was not all. For Billy came to his feet awkwardly, with a suppressed gasp—for a great joy hurts: has been known to kill— and his chair fell over with a clatter. Of course every one looked, and they compre- hended what they saw—although not all saw alike. : Some saw this soldier making eyes at Keng’s woman; some saw Keng’s woman ‘click with,” a soldier; there may even have been a few who turned away with a hand shielding the eyes and a catch of the breath, as though they had seen a forbidden radiance. Some shuddered as one who has swallowed a bitter draft; and some were pleasantly exhilarated, as they viewed the certain prospect of what Keng would do. For Keng would hear of this. Would hear ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. —why, he doubtless knew all about it by now! Among them all, whatever, they thought of the affair, not one made any sort of move to interfere. Some were simply and purely afraid of Keng Ah—and they had a right to be—and some merely told them- selves: ‘“‘ The soldier’s got her; now let him keep her.” It wasn’t any of their business. Of course, the soldier was a white man, but —‘‘blimey, a man couldn’t tyke no com- fort for ’is kind ’eart wiv a blahsted skewer in ‘is gizzard.” Keng had the power, the means, and the inclination, to hire a suf- ficient number of killers. VI. TIME went on, for every one except Billy and Jewel. Imperceptibly at first, the crowd began to filter away. Some went in pur- suance of their own inclinations; some de- sired to remain but hastily changed their plans after receiving a whispered hint or a meaning look from one of the waiters. Presently the waiters would go, too, and then— That was the why of the bold or shifty quick last glances thrown back by each and every one of this sifting throng of depart- ures. That was the reason for many a sudden wave of sickness, or a licking of dry lips, and for a few morbid stares of the more calloused, who turned away and spat and shrugged, and then simply forgot. Meanwhile Jewel sat with her arm around Billy and laughed recklessly. George plead- ed with her, urged her, by warning look and muttered word, to go away, but she only laughed yet louder and clasped the boy yet closer and smothered him in long, burning caresses. And when she told George she couldn’t go away, he understood. There was nothing for it but to wait, and to nurse the Luger hidden under his unbuttoned tunic. And George knew that Jewel knew far better than he what was to come. It was that which he understood as he bowed be- fore a power he did not comprehend. ‘““Love me, boy!” commanded Jewel, with a terrible recklessness. ‘Love me!” with straining eagerness. “ Love me!” with GomiilGeboo @) S (C(O)