black dr 4 4 one ad IN 1 TSe bentrice dirice grimshaw ur tesla I 1 f 1111 OY IRWIN WN U L CHAPTER XII continued 21 to the pair within the tent drunkenly singing drunkenly caressing one another the sight eight or of pla in the open doorway pla slim erect rigid ns as a young soldier in her sporting khaki pla with cold accusing eyes beneath a B heavy patrol patro helmet come came its as a disturbing d 8 vision tron from some som other eother world d they sprang apart and it would he hard to say any whether the man or the girl uttered the foulest words you head belong you bellowed sergeant enraged what name why you talk had bud along my Sin abadal dyn dy by n by me break you frost froat along bayn bayonet neLl enough sergeant warned pla fla walt wait outside for me she IS h e stepped into the tent and fixed a steady accusing gaze on smithson who suddenly lenly sobered sober crl had risen to his feet its the by he muttered leaning one hand band on the disordered supper table and storing under his bis tattered locks of hilr calr mr smithson asked ilia ila with cold courtesy will you kindly tell me why you are not at my husbands claimer plenty of time retorted smithson picking up courage under a secret nudge from jinny going back to it when I 1 get good and ready 1 I believe bell eve you aro are a gold miner dont you know that p J claim Is forfeited if left without just cause for thirty days he dont need you to learn him came jinnys jinnis shrill voice pla pin did not ignore her she turned toward jinny and sent her a glance in which pity kindness and a certain fear the chaste comans womans irrepressible fear of the unchaste were strangely mingled you are mrs spicer she said im sorry to see you encouraging this man in n neglect of his duty mrs spicer as much as mrs airs anybody said jinny more mrs spicer than youre mrs amory by all accounts she laughed coarsely pla ilia ignored that she was feeling for her feet in this strange medium she remembered jinny remembered tier her well how the girl had altered since alnee those days on the great liner 1 how her beauty had coarsened ho how w the slim firm graces of her dancers dun cera figure had slackened lito ugly tints lines I 1 so thin was jinny always that perfect condition was her only chance of grace it had bad gone the grace was going with it youth tind beauty too soon were passing away from genevieve la in the first moment pin could not account for so great a chanze change but jinny uncomfortable beneath that pitying guze gaie seized her half filled champagne glass and emptied it att at a gulp hoarsely crying as she took it from her lips yours youral drink hearty well weil soon be dead dandl I 1 and pla saw sav that the vice of jinnys jinnis kind long avoided had caught her up at twist site she was in deed drinking hearty now she was evenwell even well on the way to fulfill the latter half of her facius war cry champagne for the lady indy proclaimed smithson still not quite him belf though considerably sobered he reached for a bottle thanks no fell from plas lips like an icicle you told me yet mr Smith smithson soi why you come to be here I 1 might t as a well tell lell you that I 1 hold my husbands power of attorney and nd am going up to the field to act for him 1 I came to be here answered smithson with painful effort he be cause icamen 1 came to be here ue he offered this brightly as a complete ext explanation lana were prospecting contributed jinny putting down down tier her glass glam and fixing a defount stare upon pla pin af me e and be theres other gold beside that thai on Tata tata which dont belong to my friend anyhow As for powers of attorney 11 slie site went ont 0 hur hurriedly riedy pouring out more wine and keeping her face turned somewhat away 1 I reckon this Is a free country I 1 reckon my friend dont have bae to run when anybody whistles even mrs philip amory she loaded each word with contempt if pla in her pres ence was shaken sh alcen somewhat by the fear of the chaste for the unchaste jinny on her part was consumed bj b the tight light womans comans and perfectly genuine scorn for an innocent girl here dont you ladles get quarreling over tie rie 11 thickly said supporting himself by the tent poles he had moved over towards the door was looking owlishly yet yel with a curt curl OUs oua interest at the velvet star siar be sprinkled sky 1 I came awa away y be said aid because this lady n wanted anted to g go 0 and tine gold mines I 1 let lei her go one fine gol mines all alone newl she and tut und the whisky and chals H has that poetry il etry about a jus of wine tua eta a cuse of whisky and gangling gin Gln sling gling bugla alongside of you sheana she and me and 4 a the new moon at that jinny much the soberer of the two let out a sudden shriek flung herself holf across the 06 tent and slapped her fil iggers tin nn SmIth sons bubbling mouth hold your tongue fool 1 she cried to ita ilia ile he dont mean mean anything I 1 monn menti tie lietins that the moon diakes liliu worse than tie he la is its like that with loonies leonies of nil all sorts lie he gets sort of wild you know she had pulled herself together mth marvelous completeness wits lighting and smoking a ei gurette she did not look nt at ilia any more mind us slie she suld were rough but were honest rough hough diamonds me and him excuse us please ill get gei him back to tile the field tor for you im fed up with prospecting I 1 mude made love to him and got him to conic come away with me because I 1 wanted him to work for roe me you ou can put that in your pipe and smoke it if you like site she stood dont mind Us she said were rough but were honest with her hands on her tean lean hips staring at pla pla ilia straight helmeted armed as a young joan of arc with blue pure eyes burning in a face of mountain snow paused still as the night outside tier her mind on full stretch over this new problem what had the moon to do with it there was small email charce chance of finding out anything here in this reeking tent from the half drunk pair who were certainly not prospecting whatever their business in the bush might be without a word pla ilia turned and walked away followed by the sergeant she lingered a little on the way back to the camp the carriers were noisy she could bear them shouting and singing how they were shouting 1 dancing too when she carne came out into the open clearing she could see by the light of the fires dark forms whirling and leaping as aa if possessed by den demons ions they made such a noise that at first she could nondis not distinguish ting what they were singing although some words seemed strangely familiar then over the lienden shouts of the mambaje Mani bare and fassl fassl carriers ca lers came loud and clear the cry of some port moresby boys sall ol 01 sall ol OP pla pin knew the custom of saluting the new moon with that cry she glanced to westward where the forest sloping down showed a wide stretch of sk sky there in the west almost gone hung one clear small strip of diver cliver like a light peeling dropped from froin some fairy fruit cult new motin moon I 1 t what had those people in the tent sal said id about the moon why had jinny Tr struck smithson when he be spoke rf cf it why must she pla nothing about the moon the moon which measured off months ohl oh it was wasa a sudden cry leaping over a hundred hundred unnoticed links her mind had sprung to the end of the chain of thought she knew thirty days of without lt M 4 0 due and sufficient cause made vold void a claim smithson who resist drink or garls was waa here in the fori esl cat two days da a away from Tata tata with jinny and jinnis jinnys or cases of champagne there were no calendars in the bush dronkers mem orles are treacherous if you wanted to stay amity thirty days claya guessing do but tut lf if you ion did not guess it if you counted by ething that drop a day daj liere here or there if you left nt at new moon and gave over your to something that was sure to come buck allne 10 lo e acely twenty eight days something that every native in eight would hall with salutations and loud artes then ou might be ba perfectly sure that you would stay away an ay just long lond enough sergeant almol P j said eald pla ilia 1100 go and get roe me ono one of mr Smith sons ca car r hers Yes dessir sir lr samol CB as if she had asked for a handkerchief 1 I bring him lead dead or I 1 bring him live stan bada sir alive of course and don dont t let anyone see you getting him inight sir the sergeant molted into the bush it was some minutes before he r returned e driving before him an extremely scared and very naked nuked capuan come on you black cow encouraged kimol you like I 1 handcuff him Sin abada no certainly not dont frighten him ask him when they left the field and be sure eure you get the answer me savvy nodded an interchange ter change of questions and answer followed 11 said bald the sergeant saluting alja say any this man title this woman leadem Tota tata athass time the new moon come bee fore ulm nim leadem twel sun he stop on top give him some som e tobacco and lot let him go Serge sergeant antl I 1 tell him not to talk about this 1 I all right proffered the sergeant on returning 1 I I 1 bakem head belong him cleaned head all same earne along pire him head up along my dubu clubhouse suppose him too much talk Sin abada well sergeant ilia bla looked into the face anxious kindly shrewd of the he dark kiwal sergeant the savage dressed in serge and recognized a man almol bad sensed without understanding the crisis in which she found herself was as offering blindfolded his help its this sergeant elie said gaid briefly mr smithson was left to took look out after my husbands gold if he runs away from it for one moon and two days another man can steal it then there Is no gold for my man no gold tor for me sergeant nL do you know tile way to t the he dele I 1 mean know it well 1 I no savvy him too much sina bada one carrier he savvy plenty village belong him stop two day along bush t what I 1 youve got a Tata tata man V I 1 my word yes Sin abada bee fore him killem one white man along ta batata road him go to jail along daru darn this man he be good man he savvy plenty bet him here pla ordered another wild naked creature was herded up yes he said in answer to the i sergeant nL me savvy load road too much Tata tata tomorrow we walk we walk strong nother day we walk we walk strong nighttime we sleep morning time sun lie he co come e up big we come up along batata Tata tata t I 1 sun he go down we come come along go gole 8 fiell fiel twenty eight days today counted pla pia twenty nine tomorrow thirty the day after thirty one to arrive Serge sergeant antl askham ask him does docs he know another way a shorter way no savvy said the carrier promptly pla watched him film he seemed to her mind a little too prompt offer double pay she ordered no savvy was the result not without a touch of temper pla pia turned berback ber her back and walked oft off to her tent her man his bis fortune were hanging in the balance the cat streak that bides in all women come came to the surface she became cruet cruel in defense of her own make him talk she rung flung over her shoulder as she he went my word me well make him was the sergeants reply tie he reached for a strip of lawyer cane it wits was only a minute or two before the ef ex murderer appeared sulking Bul king shaking whimpering driven by almol pla sitting on hercamp her camp bed as on a bench bene bof of justice questioned him and the serge tint translated Is there another road 7 almol replied him say nay yes plenty bad road full up ap along devil TO BB CONTINUED MM 40 I MM 4 10