The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-01-10
CHAPTER x.--Contirued

credible flight Of sound, she stood, n
slim tense figure for once mn,Ie free
of that domain that Is beyond art. be-
yond genius and IL called quite simply.
GIFT of God. With toss and a back
ward shake Of the mans great hend.
the voice climbed smoothly to that stu.
pendous high 9 that has wrecked the
reputation of many pygmies and
brought fame to n daring few. II held
and still held until earth and moon and
stars seemed little things TINT paused
to listen. Obstructed In unimportant
courses. Breath suspended until her
lungs were near to bursting. Andrea
waited for that note to come down in
to the range Of normal belief. but to
her mind Mt least II was destined to
hang externally In the heavens. for the
man had turned.
Her eyes knew horror for the first
time. The mans face was hnlf oblit-
Grated. 1t Ind been plowed by confiu-
ent smallpox gnd destroyed by q. worse
disease. The nose wns gone, leaving
an ignoble ruin of stripped cartilage.
dried in the air till II was like wealth
cred parchment. One ear had been
ravaged I'm q clean cut SO that II rose
to needle-point That the wounds
were healed only added m inexorable
finally to their responsiveness.
Only the mans thick red lips and
his blazing eyes seemed to have es-
cnped the pestilenee. As his startled
gaze fell upon Andrea his mouth
opened 10 wide. soundless laugh
With broad shoulders stopped, his nh
normally low hanging hands curved m
like monstrnus tnlons ana his shaggy
beard wagging to that silent laughter
he advanced upon her. encircled her
waist with his fingers and shot her m
lightly SO that she fell doubled across
his back and chest. He gave low
whistle and sped from The craal Mt an
incredible pace. The boat-boys arose
stenlthily and fitted after him.
To Andrea's TRANSMITTING terror was
added n memory--a fieeting glimpse
Of Trevor, standing. hands In pockets.
before his door. On his face was an
ger-cold. white, unforgiving anger.
She thought she cried out to MacCloa-
ter to stop, to give her but one moment
to explain. to beg forgiveness. to
grovel at the feet Of the one man In
all the world, but no sound came from
her lips.
Not until she stood tottering on the
canted bottom of MacCloster's boat did
life come back to her heart and veins
and lungs. She threw up her head
and screamed MS she had never known
mortal could scream--a wild, terror.
winged wall Of desperate appeal. Mac
Closter snatched tiller from rudder,
struck her across the shoulders
knocked her. face down. into fetid
bilge-water.
The stencil Of the stale water pro-
duced In her a reaction; It was so
nauseating that II momentarily drove
thoughts Of all other things from her
mind. She drew away from II and.
crawling to the grated floor OF small
cockpit. crouched In the corner formed
by the gunwale md the after thwart
Just to her left. so close that even
with head bowed she could not avoid
seeing his enormous feet. sat MacClos-
ter.
He talked to her steadily In NUT
tering undertone. but long time
passed before she began to distinguish
one word from another. The mutter-
ing swelled slowly to clear ana
liquid enunciation; the voice became
like music undefiled. hut no longer
could Il drug her senses: she shud-
dcred. cringed under its terrible
caress. Its beauty had become forever
leprous.
Dear. lovely, vile and sullen per.
son." II was saying, "who would have
thought it7 Who would have imagined
that you. q Helen among women. pos
spssed Of beauty. youth and n really
lovely evening frock. should have
come SO far for manf Cheer up
You've found two; one dunghill BAN
tam and--nnd me-"
He laughed. not silently and still not
quite aloud. 1t was nm extraordinary
sound. II awoke In Andrea n chord Of
memory. 1t was not the stereotypeu
laughter of the stage; It was more spe-
cinltzed than that Then she reinei,i-
bpred. His was not the lnugh Of an
individual II was the clipped. staecn-
TO. mpddeningly deliberate. "Ha Ha
I'm Hin, Hn Hai' of chorus ana
In the "Bnllo in Mas
chera.
II asx you, who could have Imagined
III" he continued: then. his voice
thickening to sinister Intensity. he
added. II could. d your soft car
rnss. Women Fair women Ha Ha
Hal Dreams Of fair women CARR
Shawn of hell Pestilence that sleep
nv day and Turk In the shadows OF
night and wine. Domination OF the
filthy byways Of the world. pnrading
In the sweet likeness of God Z
andrea suddenly looked up. straight
into his blazing eyes. You yeursei
IRE speaking" she said In clear
voice. II am a woman, weak, miser-
able---never 40 miserable as In this
awful. night--but I'm not coward.
I can forgive not you but what you
aov. for YOU cried out just now from
hell infinitely deeper than mine.
Ia. M ri