about the girl’s looks.
The girl’s skin was an extremely attractive, but rather unusual, shade of gold, like dark honey. Her reddish-brown hair had lighter streaks in it that enhanced its beauty, but, somehow, didn’t seem to belong there. She didn’t have muscles that stuck out to mar the symmetry of her body, but it was nevertheless plain at a glance that she had more muscle than most young ladies.
It all tried to spell something to Nellie, but she couldn’t guess what.
Benson took the vacant-eyed beauty by the hand and led her to a comfortable chair. Then he sat in front of her, staring into her eyes with his own eyes like polar ice in moonlight.
“There may be a hint of her identity that could be brought out by word association,” he said. So then he tried it.
“Jungle,” he said to the girl.
She didn’t say anything, just looked at him.
“Mine.”
“Radium.”
There, that had drawn an answer.
“Snakes,” said The Avenger.
“Uncle.”
Nellie looked at Smitty. That was pretty senseless. Unless the girl had an uncle she didn’t much care for.
“Guide.”
“Snake,” said the girl, vacant-eyed.
Now she was just parroting The Avenger’s previous word, Nellie decided.
“Distance,” murmured Benson, looking as if this was, impossibly, making some kind of sense to him.
No answer.
“Radium.”
“Towers,” said the girl.
Nellie gave up. But The Avenger didn’t, till he had asked two more questions—or rather, had uttered two more words.
“Letter.”
“Radium,” said the girl.
“War.”
“Home,” said the girl, like a phonograph that plays what it is set to play, but has no choice about it.
“I think she’s just a little bit better,” said Benson to Nellie.
“Doesn’t look like it to me,” Nellie said. “How much longer will she be like this?”
“Days. Maybe weeks. She’s lucky to be alive. The bite of that spider is fatal in two cases out of three.”
Nellie shuddered again.
“Take her to her room again,” The Avenger said.
Nellie went out, leading the girl. Smitty turned impatiently to the man with the deadly, pale eyes.
“We can start for Brazil right away, now, can’t we?” the giant said. “You’ve got the antitoxin ready. We don’t have to wait around here any more, do we?”
“We can start at once,” nodded The Avenger. “Heber can guide us—”
Nellie burst back into the room, blue eyes blazing, face showing excitement.
“Heber!” she cried. “He’s gone.”
“What?”
They all stared at her. Even The Avenger’s pale eyes were narrowed a bit, though that was the greatest extent to which emotion ever showed in his masklike countenance.
“He’s gone,” repeated Nellie. “And Josh— He hit poor Josh in the back of the head with a lamp base or something!”
That was enough for the pretty Negress, Rosabel. When something happened to Josh, she flew.
The rest followed out and down the stairs. She had her husband’s head on her knee when they got to the rooms Heber had had. Josh was just coming out of it, but he had a nasty gash on the back of his head.
“Heber?” Josh said, in a minute, looking around.
“He’s gone,” said Nellie. Josh groaned.
“Sorry. My fault. He acted like a maniac. I should have watched him. Turned my back just for a minute—”
“Hey, here’s a note,” said Smitty suddenly. He picked a folded sheet of paper from the bed and read it. It was from Heber.
“Sorry to run out on you after all you’ve done. But I have a hunch if I stay here another minute, they’ll catch up to me and kill me. So I’m going. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can without being traced. The antitoxin is wonderful stuff. I’m much better already.”
Josh rubbed his aching head and nodded, when the giant read that part.
“He was better, too,” said the Negro. “He wasn’t walking so bent over, and he said his joints didn’t ache so much.”
“That would seem to prove it,” said Benson, pale eyes
The girl’s skin was an extremely attractive, but rather unusual, shade of gold, like dark honey. Her reddish-brown hair had lighter streaks in it that enhanced its beauty, but, somehow, didn’t seem to belong there. She didn’t have muscles that stuck out to mar the symmetry of her body, but it was nevertheless plain at a glance that she had more muscle than most young ladies.
It all tried to spell something to Nellie, but she couldn’t guess what.
Benson took the vacant-eyed beauty by the hand and led her to a comfortable chair. Then he sat in front of her, staring into her eyes with his own eyes like polar ice in moonlight.
“There may be a hint of her identity that could be brought out by word association,” he said. So then he tried it.
“Jungle,” he said to the girl.
She didn’t say anything, just looked at him.
“Mine.”
“Radium.”
There, that had drawn an answer.
“Snakes,” said The Avenger.
“Uncle.”
Nellie looked at Smitty. That was pretty senseless. Unless the girl had an uncle she didn’t much care for.
“Guide.”
“Snake,” said the girl, vacant-eyed.
Now she was just parroting The Avenger’s previous word, Nellie decided.
“Distance,” murmured Benson, looking as if this was, impossibly, making some kind of sense to him.
No answer.
“Radium.”
“Towers,” said the girl.
Nellie gave up. But The Avenger didn’t, till he had asked two more questions—or rather, had uttered two more words.
“Letter.”
“Radium,” said the girl.
“War.”
“Home,” said the girl, like a phonograph that plays what it is set to play, but has no choice about it.
“I think she’s just a little bit better,” said Benson to Nellie.
“Doesn’t look like it to me,” Nellie said. “How much longer will she be like this?”
“Days. Maybe weeks. She’s lucky to be alive. The bite of that spider is fatal in two cases out of three.”
Nellie shuddered again.
“Take her to her room again,” The Avenger said.
Nellie went out, leading the girl. Smitty turned impatiently to the man with the deadly, pale eyes.
“We can start for Brazil right away, now, can’t we?” the giant said. “You’ve got the antitoxin ready. We don’t have to wait around here any more, do we?”
“We can start at once,” nodded The Avenger. “Heber can guide us—”
Nellie burst back into the room, blue eyes blazing, face showing excitement.
“Heber!” she cried. “He’s gone.”
“What?”
They all stared at her. Even The Avenger’s pale eyes were narrowed a bit, though that was the greatest extent to which emotion ever showed in his masklike countenance.
“He’s gone,” repeated Nellie. “And Josh— He hit poor Josh in the back of the head with a lamp base or something!”
That was enough for the pretty Negress, Rosabel. When something happened to Josh, she flew.
The rest followed out and down the stairs. She had her husband’s head on her knee when they got to the rooms Heber had had. Josh was just coming out of it, but he had a nasty gash on the back of his head.
“Heber?” Josh said, in a minute, looking around.
“He’s gone,” said Nellie. Josh groaned.
“Sorry. My fault. He acted like a maniac. I should have watched him. Turned my back just for a minute—”
“Hey, here’s a note,” said Smitty suddenly. He picked a folded sheet of paper from the bed and read it. It was from Heber.
“Sorry to run out on you after all you’ve done. But I have a hunch if I stay here another minute, they’ll catch up to me and kill me. So I’m going. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can without being traced. The antitoxin is wonderful stuff. I’m much better already.”
Josh rubbed his aching head and nodded, when the giant read that part.
“He was better, too,” said the Negro. “He wasn’t walking so bent over, and he said his joints didn’t ache so much.”
“That would seem to prove it,” said Benson, pale eyes
Similar Books
