Page 108 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Sorcery and Everhard 103

"--" and "--," and on occasion, of nearly half that many. She was not small,
more strenuous words; which, in these days she was very nearly stately in fact, and wore
as in those of good Queen Anne, may rather a magnificent blonde wig. She had assured
signify high spirit in a lady, since I under- me that it was the original, natural color of
stand that the most respectable women the hair; and that it was her own.
swear a little as well as paint their lips and "I paid fifteen hundred dollars for it!"
shave eyebrows. Which, I reflected, ought to have been
"Come on," she said. "I'm starved for a enough to make any woman feel that the
talk." hair she wore was her own.
And she led me down the hall and into "A woman's hair is her crowning glory,"
one of the rooms with its oppressive, sense- she had said. "And like most women who
distracting colors. wear crowns, I took it from the head of an-
"I said they'd never get you asleep--un- other woman."
less you were doped. About as hard to dope Her eyes were dark, very dark; so that
you as a saint on a fast--don't smoke, don't the contrast between the wonderful yellow
eat, don't drink, and don't believe a woman. hair and the black eyes was arresting. Her
Mother ofof Satan, you ought've been a features were what is called "good," but
preacher!" · rather hard. Her voice was not pleasant,
At her gesture I leaned against a heap of though neither hoarse nor harsh. It was
pillows almost to my waist, and, sitting, cold, devoid of the soft, nearly inaudible,
sank down, down, down until my knees were overtones that give sweetness to the voices
higher than my chin. She laughed. of many women.
"Put your feet up. Be comfortable." She wore heavy, black-pendent earrings
As there was no chair in the room I had and many rings. Her long :fingers were
looked around with a kind of baffled ex- stained, perhaps with opium. I do not
pression that amused her. I feel awkward know how much was from opium, how much
when lying down except for. purpose of from cigarets.
sleep, so I stood up. She smoked cigarets all the time, which
She sank back into another pile of cush- may account in part for the voice. She said
ions and struck a bell. Almost at once some that the cigarets were not doped. How-
one scratched at the door, and she had a ever, I could not see why she should feel
chair brought to me.- much virtue on that account; she used a
"Now tell me about yourself." pipe, and when we first became acquainted
She lay forward watchfully, apparently used to beg me to try it with her.
interestedly. It is no wonder that women "Just to see how you like it .... Oh,
make fools of men. Even I felt the warm once won't hurt you. . . . Don't be a
urge to tell her all about everything for no fool. . . . Just get the sensation . . . once.
other reason than that she was not an un- .. Come on. ·•· . What you "'afraid of?
attractive woman who had put on an en- . . . Oh, go to --- then!"
ticing expression of eagerness. But I did Which, I reminded her, was a strange in-
not tell her anything more than I retro- junction to bestow upon one who had re-
spectively could approve. sisted temptation. And for answer she
She said: gave me a long, hard, enigmatic tare.
"Come along, preacher-boy. Who've you It is true, I suppose, though she would
been saving from continuing in the evil never admit it, that opium-smokers get a
path? And the papers did things nicely for satisfaction out of pulling others into the
you. Wonder what they'll say of me? habit. How else can a habit that r quires
'Madame Hazel Guigane, Queen of the so much of a layout, so much preparation,
Hop-Heads, croaked this A.M. Thank and, so I have been told, o much "skill "
God.' But you! What happened at Pitts- have increased so rapidly in all direc-
burg anyway?" tions?
One may, so far as I can guess, more or
MADAME GUIGANE probably less by accident get into the use of other
knew her own age. I doubt if any drugs-be after something to run off in-
one else did. It is a very stupid wo- somnia, oror be taught in their use by doped
man who can not continue to look thirty for med1cmes; but-I am not bemg "scientific·"
at ]east filteen years. I had known her for I am only expressing deductions-to smoke