Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

PRIDE OF TYSON. “He lacks a devil, perhaps.” “Tt is true,” she answered seriously. ‘ But he may have one before long.” ‘How do you mean that, senor?” And her hand shpped under the broad sash. : “Tt was my devil that spoke in me,” said Tyson, and he smiled openly upon her. She stood tiptoe, as oii the force of her anger made her light as the wind; then she snapped her fingers above her head, and burst into laughter. It blended eceme yy with the woodland noises. When she could speak: “ Even Senor Kennedy would not have faced me then. You are brave!” More laughter, and then: “Why do I like you so much, senor?” She swung closer to his side as they walked on. “Is it I whom you like or the devil in- side me, Rona?”’ The wide black eyes glanced up and dwelt solemnly upom him. “Indeed, Senor Tyson, I fear Padre Miguel will give me many prayers to tell, and my knees shall ache again from the hardness of the stone!” She sighed. ‘“T do net wish to be wicked—no! no! But to be good always is like eating meat without salt. ‘“* Exactly.” At the mention of food his stomach clave to his ribs, and his head whirled. “Well,” he said, “‘as for the bit of silk, I hope it brings no bad luck to you. Per- ‘Is it not, senor?’ | haps there’s a difference, since you gave it to the man you. love.” , “Love?” she echoed, and then her laughter went through a bright cadence again. “Ah, senor, I do not love him!” The agile fingers snapped. ‘“‘ Not so much as that!” “The devil!” gasped Tyson. “gut he has seen the face.” ““What’s that?” She frowned. ‘You know very little, Senor Tyson.” ‘‘ Almost nothing.” “You are smiling again! Well, I shall say one prayer for your devil to-night, 6 Arcosy $1 senor—and two for myself! But I shall tell you about the face. Look back!” She turned and pointed a rather melo- dramatic arm down the valley. La Blanca and La Cabeza rose doubly tall and very dark with the late sun behind them. ““'You see the mountains?” iz 4 Ah?” “Would you ever guess that they are men?” ‘* Never!” “ Yet it is true. A very many days ago there lived two men, one in the west and one in the east. ‘They were both so very tall and so very strong that no other war- riors could stand against them. They were so big that they used whole pine trees to make a fishing-rod, and they fished in a big water and pulled out fishes bigger than horses.” ‘* Regular ae eh?” She flashed a sharp glance at him, and then went on, slowly, as though she dared him to smile again: ‘“‘ Six, ten, twenty of these fishes they would catch for a single meal, senor!” She waited. ‘* Wonderful!” She sighed with relief that he had not laughed. “Tt is true. So El Toro has Ree told me, and never cnanges a pil word mM twenty tellings.” “Then it 1s gospel, of course. Rona.” ‘““And when they left the great water they would kill in one day twenty bulls— and eat them, senor, for a mealf Think of that!” ‘““T am thinking of it!”’ groaned Tyson, and drew his belt still tighter, for there was a burning pain-in his vitals. His newly appeased hunger had returned in no small measure. ‘“* Does it seem possible?” “Twenty bulls for a meal? Why, well roasted, with the trimmings—very possible indeed. To have lived in those days—” It was impossible for him to continue; he was choked. “Yet I suppose,” she confided, ‘ that they had only one meal in many days. Otherwise, they would have soon cleaned up Go on, COmiclbooks C©