Show I 1 til G 0 I 1 a CHAPTER VIII continued 15 well if jinny lind had not spoiled it for or me I 1 had had bad a fair air chance vt of tearing the heart out of 0 graces secret sweethearts notwithstanding I 1 might have a chance yet ret at all events I 1 would not give up white while a shred of 0 hope remained on that resolution I 1 went reat to sleep next morning there was fine music when the carriers got to work clearing 1 and delfing filing the timber we wanted for or rafts jinny stood beside me on the river bank tall fall and thin and motionless tig As one of the long palms that grew in the sheltered ver verge ge of the bush bash her beautiful hungry face ace wi with tb its avid eyes was fixed on the fali sliding dinc romilly river the sound of the carriers clearing had bad shifted farther away hack back hark hack went the axes dully daily muffled by distance there wag a pause through it arise amse exultantly the voice of a cannibal singing the death song gone of the alie tree follows followed a rending crash and shouts in chorus there Is something in the fall all of a great tree that lets things loose things that have nothing to do on the surface with trees genevieve cr had bad been one woman to in the instant before that crash in the instant after she was another another of 0 the many jinnies to know all of 0 whom would have needed great part of 0 any mans days would haie hae beben worth it perhaps she swung round from roin the river she need faced me tall as 1 I filled its as 1 I with the fires and forces arces of youth strong supple as a tigress braie br ne as a tigress a woman made for the feuds it if ever one was so made im not askin marriage phil amory she said im askin im askan just a hut down somewhere at the mouth of the river and me waltin for you to come b back ack since you wont have me on the ti trip ap and ill stick to you and follow you she fought for breath you tou pulled me away from the sharks she said you sent your trip to blazes and never cared youre the first real man ive ever er eer phil will you leave me in that hut when you go she was as modest almost virginal in her self betrayal as any girl I 1 dont know how but in that moment I 1 recognized a truth that so far had not come roy my way I 1 realized how such a woman as jinny may regenerate herself I 1 realized with a wrench of soul and body painful beyond all telling that I 1 and no other was the man to help her to it but between us stood the wrath of pla pia my white rose my star pla who tome some day god willing should pass the ivory gate of dreams with me into a paradise of which I 1 was unworthy which nevertheless I 1 could not give up if the salvation of a hundred jinnies stood in the way f if there had bad never been a pla af r many jinny like many name flame haired flame spirited women was ever so little clairvoyant she read my thought phil strite phil she said Is it because of me goin gay same as you yourself have gone ill lay that you wont because it if all I 1 anwer answer her I 1 put my hands bands on her wide thin shoulders her ber fac was on a level eel with my own and I 1 kissed it ft youre the best girl in all the world and I 1 love you jinny 11 I 1 said unerringly aunert angly she read my meaning through my words im the best girl but oner one she said eald to deny pla was to trample on the cross of my faith yes I 1 1111 answered feeling as it if I 1 bad struck lier her then it there been any miss Laur lers in the world a been all right with you and me I 1 could not answer her there was no need she flugg me away with a suddenness and and strength that nil all hut sent me down amun amund tile the trampled ralin leaves by the river side she was transformed instantly into a hag of the streets As sliu site might look in twenty years time b battered att ered destroyed so BO she looked now cow in orie one awful mo ment dent of prophecy site sim gave a scream that reminded me of the screams or of torn horses bors during the war and ran wildly down the bank of tile the rier I 1 dont know where she thought she was going mabbe ma be to a spot faither fuit lier on where the current swept deep arid and oily past a high corner of the bink bank where if she had bad leaped the alligators would have hod had her before I 1 or any other could ajae have dune done oily thing to help but she was in another moment checked as I 1 was as checked in my pursuit by the amazing unexpected sight of a go government launch on a lower reach of the river rapidly heading beading towards myself and jinny they stopped as soon as they saw us and slung blung out a 1 dinghy I I 1 I 1 saw bassett was in charpe charge the launch was drifting iab the current bassett secured her by a cable passed round roond a tree before he came up to me and to jinny nho mho was standing white staring but more or less self poss possessed emed a little distance away well he be said bald with a certain forced cheerfulness so youve saved 1 l we be halt half my bay trip very obliging of you slay one ask I 1 demanded what the blazes the government Is doing up here you can ask without the blazes the government has business anywhere weve been sent up to save this young lady ady from being carried off by cannibals like the SO tr ix 11 picture by vontrice Hon trice by copyright by hughes hughe massie co service show the G S was at oani daru in the tauri arid and news came down the coast native telegraph you know knote that a white Sinn bada bad gone up the romilly in a canoe with liala a dozen boys meaning to strike inland d so the G S turned tarried a handspring ing and had three cat fits fit and packed me i olt off without ith my lunch so heres the eaurl to take her back b ick only I 1 se see e youve been beforehand with 11 ile he glanced with interest intel Inte fat jest at the figure of jinny who anns to lonk 1001 amazingly dignified in my kaald shirt and trousers illy ily the way sheep lie be went on borome of your expedition for he like filhe aery one pise else down west had known of my departure it was ditl cult to anster ansher him 1 came back was my luine lame reply well he said well after a pause during bich lie had bild looked swiftly ly keenly at both of us 1 I I 1 suppose im to hine hate the lie pleasure of fetching you along to daru darn also I 1 was thinking thin kinc rapidly calculating just aliat this new turn in my affairs affair 8 might mean the eaurl was a fast li launch she could take me home in a day arid and a half hilf half a day to fix up matters there and get stores then a day and a half back in the taur I 1 to arz 41 ra I 1 41 h Z 0 W 1 4 J 1 1 I 1 Q e 0 it 21 im not askin marriage phil amory she said again I 1 calculated that the government would owe me so much for doing its work tit at my own cost half a day for contingencies two dabs da a to get through my four days cut in the bush eight days in nil all from now ought to see me should see me if I 1 were alive once more at the point where I 1 had turned back if there was no one ahead of me 1 I suppose I 1 said to the waiting bassett that you see ee any sign of another party on the river bassett was busy lighting a cigarette you suppose wrong then he be said his head bent over his hands bands tit theres eres a prospecting and exploring party down at tile the river mouth at this minute ile he did not look at me as he spoke bassett was is a little gentleman allow soon can e get away was my reply As soon as you can chuck your carriers on board and got get you and this lady on ue he kicked me slyly silly and I 1 replied as intended with an introduction to jinny im sorry to offer you such rough accommodation abc acc miss hiss tie he apologized fixing her with his bis grae ministerial stare but you tire fairly lucky to he be alive tills this minute nute which I 1 suppose Is some compensation do you said jinny 1 I dont and turned her ter back yn on him I 1 could only tap my mv forehead and nod big at bassett tit the e bush I 1 explained as he moved a little uway away it was explanation enough for anyone who saw less clearly through a oo stone wall than bassett usually did we made a very client party dropping down aler with the current and the speed ol of the launch it was a comparatively short journey dusk of next day found us on the opening reaches of the Rom illys lys estuary with the gulf of cuplin flat and gray as ag a i pewter table opening out before i there T here was a long sirle of beach at the river mouth could scarcely see it at that hour but it if you could riot not see the bench beach you could see quite clearly that which stood upon it the lie pointed shapes of several canvas tents well stop here for a few minutes said the magistrate 1 I cull call going up just hailed them and asked if they had seen aio thing of a white woman I 1 what did they say I 1 asked one of them it was I 1 think thinh I 1 bear he went with them shouted back that they and asked who she was and what it was about I 1 I 1 said who were the others only one other white you know him spicer lie he gave an order to the brown bare steersman and our boat took a wide ulde sweep and began heading inshore PI I 1 thought spicer Is not such a tool fool as he looks for old time end arid survivor of a past era of mining successes was about the ablest prospector who eier eer washed a dish between daru darn and the mambaje SIam Mam bare do me a kindness kindne bas bissett B issett sett will you I 1 said dont mention to anyone ashore just where it was that you picked us up right you not coming wo no fear miss trencher coming TI 1 I dont doat silently jinnys jinnis head app appeared eared above tile the cutting off my words she stepped out on deck there was still some light left I 1 could see that eliat she had found bassetta bassetts Bas store of clothing and looted it ruthlessly A cummerbund of dark blue silk circled the waist of her my t trousers rouse rs she had white socks on and a silk tie about her neck deck I 1 looked at her in amazement as she swung lightly down into the boat avoiding my eyes she had not looked at me or spoken to me since we came aboard I 1 saw her go ashore with bassett disappear among the tents before I 1 had time to grow more than a little impatient Impat lent the boat was back again and the launch under way what had jinny been saying doing out there in the camp why had sh she e been so anxious to go ashore and why by now that she had returned was she still keeping hidden avol avoiding diu sight or sound of me bassett was sitting on the cabin roof a whitish blur in the dark I 1 edged up to him and asked him point blank did you anyone say anything ashore lie he knew what I 1 meant ile he did not look up or turn his face but he answered immediately in Bas bassetta bassetts own crisp precise way 1 I saw spicer I 1 asked him waft the delay was asked it if I 1 could assist in any way lie ile said no it was all right they had stopped because be wished to buy sago be off tomorrow at daylight dai light I 1 got back to the boat then miss be spoke carefully seeming to weigh his words even more than usual miss trencher stayed behind for a while I 1 waited for ht her r was she I 1 stopped it was difficult to phrase there appeared said bassett precisely to he be something in the of a friendly understanding between her and mr spicer I 1 gathered art an impression that she was pointing out to him something in connection with the course of the Ito romilly milly river oo on purred the launch the stars felt away right nod and left from her wake going fo forward rard where I 1 could be more or less alone I 1 sat on deck and dl di i as best I 1 could this unwelcome news it did not help matters or make me more hopeful that I 1 heard beardi once in a way a sound liko some soma one down below trying to stifle bit ter vve weeping TO ITO BE CONTINUED 00 C t DOC r |