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Show r."ton, rich but " nt becomes secre- Mi wife. 1 Uo "il to Harrourt. The murder. When ".tf, brother, runs ' . hrinis Wm "".'ton invite. Suddenly It .Thitrandedonalonely fSnmoff with the Ij Id seep. the wolves (itttkt itory. Sixvii I isured Janicet than itajtaj herewith With those great gaps 1 toard!, the shack In- 1 1 safety zone might Ai we came up the ' M log by the side of t will last till dawn It here. It's not far. eyei glaring from 0131 ep between the shack with you." 1 you want to help, do i eyes burned like twin l:. .nnt.ctroflkpri face. Pasca clutched his arm. Pointed. Bruce Harcourt looked down at Chester lying on the cot in the cabin which had been built for Janice. Stephen Mallory bending over the unconscious man was real, so was the smell of antiseptics in the air. The coast missionary gave a final touch to the bandaged arm and straightened. "He'll be atiff for days, but nothing noth-ing more serious unless inflammation inflamma-tion sets in. , Better get to bed, Harcourt, Har-court, you look all in." "All in! You don't know the half. I've had hair-raising adventures and him mad. The overturned launch! Janice hurt Janice suffering. Janice Jan-ice on some lonely shore with Pax-ton. Pax-ton. "You fly up play tag with stars, yes sirree." Pasca's guttural voice came through the ear-phone in warning. "Gettin day quick. Look see. We fin' dem now." "Watch the shore for signs of a fire, Pasca." Below, the white yacht steamed slowly, like a fabled bird floating on the breast of the water. Still searching. From a volcano-top In BIS 5uut"ow-"- tut have been a gruer-acking gruer-acking experience for ad for years lived sof t-ulated t-ulated with sympathetic. sympathet-ic. rhatever you say, Ned. iome fires burning." ituff. See those two e trees that look like eads hoisted on pe-o pe-o Is under those. I lea we came up the on to the revolver but 1 shot Watch out. If s of light between me yell like a maniac but re you go I want to at I said about your earned anything. To-e To-e earned my unwaver-id unwaver-id friendship." 1! Think I'll be satis-t?" satis-t?" ds dragged Into inter-iutes inter-iutes as she waited, enei The rain had howl rose from beyond art in her mouth she , stealthy movement, ifting. The beasts had ;1 Suppose she yelled, ould that be to him? re would keep them ! Wood was what she i she pull a board from No. She might bring ibbly thing down and the ruins. The door! Within her welled a sical impulse. She e bullet-riddled thing rusty hinge. Dragging, is, she dropped it on flamed brightly, 'or that. Instinctively p. Were her eyes dear de-ar were those stars? I million lighted win-ftve win-ftve a sense of home Jgh the darkness, sent soaring like a captive ose. All her life light-ad light-ad fascinated hef. II her shoulder. She feet A sob of relief looked into Ned Pax-"eary Pax-"eary face. 'u get back?" "few the door on the need that log. Crawled Pink light in the bas changed. It's Moke away. They will 1 Meanwhile" he "kiness from his voice Really, "iefB sit 0n lu may feast on that t!- I'll smoke the last t him tremulously. ! Wu better than ever seem sc so different." "grim. "Different! f erent since you told everything I want-,re want-,re 'or that word 'like.' K Jan." (t hand on his. Could n understand? Ice Harcourt." faed spirit of the man nad been engaged J. "He can't have I . J can 8ive you. iJH(homes any- more than a how I've learned JJ weeks. I feel mistakes and strug-tlb71ove- "means El mUtual '"pons!-I '"pons!-I companionship. L Khome" She felt lhaT. ers clenh. "I L, ' reay I didn't K P 6 scorched. h ben. haggard eyes ItkH ve you- escapes since I came into this north country but nothing equal to the hell of these last hours. Came down twice on the shore. Had to risk it, though I knew if my self-starter went on the blink I was done for. Radio wouldn't work. Compass useless. use-less. Chester half dead, I thought Good Lord! Why am I living over that? It's behind me. If you are sure Jimmy is all right, I'll turn in." "I'll stay with him." Harcourt's tired eyes narrowed as he stepped out upon the board walk. Lights, voices in the dormitories at this time of night! What happened? Moonlight dappled the sparkling water wa-ter with silver. What did he miss? Paxton's yacht! Gone! Janice! He flung open the door of the H house. In the fanback chair, shoes on the rug beside her stockinged feet, sat Martha Samp. Her face was deeply lined, her eyes seemed to have been pushed back into her head with a sooty finger. ""Where's Janice? Where's Grant? What's happened?" She patted the hand on her sleeve. "Sakes alive, Mr. Bruce, don't get scared yet." "Scared! What do you mean? Where'! Janice? Has she gone with with are you here to tell me?" Bruce dropped his head on an arm outflung on the mantel. Martha Samp explained quickly: "She's gone with Paxton, if that's what you mean, but not the way you think." "Where is Janice? Where the devil dev-il is Grant?" "He's gone in the launch huntin' for Kadyama. That sneaky Indian Indi-an is out in his kayak an' Mr. Tubby is sure he knows somethin about the shootin. Paxton took M's. Hale, Mary and Janice out for a sail. They were goin' to get as near that belch-in' belch-in' volcano as they safely could. It was a beautiful day when they started. start-ed. Along about four a storm came up, sudden. There was a great rum-blin' rum-blin' an' then a wave which seemed mountains high swept up. Almost reached this plateau." "Go on! Go on!" "Even then we didn't get anxious about the boat, 'tis such a big one. About two hours ago the radio station sta-tion picked up a message from the Captain." f The color went out of her face. Her fingers picked nervously at his sleeve. "Well? Well?" "He said that the yacht was all right an' M's. Hale an' Mary, but that he was cruisln' round to pick up the launch." "The launch! The Modern Mariner's Mari-ner's launch! Who was in it?" "Janice and Paxton and two native na-tive pilots." "That message came two hours ago! -Pasca!" The Eskimo swung open the kitcn-en kitcn-en door in answer to his shout His beady eyes bulged in their slanted slits. His bronzed face was curl-ously curl-ously colorless. "Fuel the Sikorsky. Quick! Be ready to take-off. "Yes sirree, I hustle." Martha wiped away two big tears. Sniffed. "Sakes alive, I didn t know I could feel so sentimental. Got all worked up 'cause Mary didn t comeback. Now I know she's safe I'm kinder crackin'-up. Ive fot hot chocolate on the s tove at , toe Waffle Shop. You can t fly right if you don't take care of yourself You stop there an' have a ,cup. I U All a thermos bottle and pack a basket with food. When you find Janice, she'll be hungry as a bear, prob'ly.. Now don't you worry Remember Re-member there', a gate in every gate in every wall. Harcourt repeated the phrase over -and over as the amphibian climbed. It tag at bay thoughts which almost drove the east a column of smoke rose languourously, as though the force within the mountain was too exhausted ex-hausted from its orgy to do more than send out a puff of hot breath. "Look! See!" Harcourt leaned over the side to follow Pasca's shaking finger. Listed List-ed at a precarious angle, a launch was piled up on a beach under a cliff. He sent the Sikorsky wing-slipping wing-slipping down for a closer view. The launch from the Modern Mariner! Mari-ner! Each foam-tipped wave set the contents awash. Life preservers floated out with the receding tide. Harcourt strained his eyes till they seemed starting from their sockets, flew low over it Not a sign of life. No smoke rising from the woods near. That wrecked boat didn't mean necessarily that Jan had been in it when it struck. Paxton Pax-ton might have thought it wise to go ashore before. Paxton! "She's safe! I know she's safe!" Harcourt told himself savagely and climbed Into the air. On toward the mountain. Pasca, who had been leaning over, looking down, clutched his arm. Pointed. Above a clearing clear-ing on the shore hung a blue haze. Wood smoke! No mistaking that He leaned over. Shouted directions to the Eskimo. Could he land on that shore? He must The great winged creature obeyed his lightest touch, came down and settled on the water wa-ter with the ease of a mammoth swan. On th edge of the shore Harcourt touched the control which released the landing wheels. It tax-led tax-led smoothly up the sloping beach. He flung helmet and goggles to the seat before he climbed out Revolver Re-volver in hand, he gave a few curt directions to Pasca. "I do w'at you say. Your face white as crater-top. You fin' 'em pretty quick now. All fine an' dan-dy. dan-dy. Yes sirree." Harcourt nodded. His throat ached unbearably. If Janice were under that smoke haze she would have heard the plane. She would have rushed to the shore long before be-fore this. Perhaps she was hurt. Horror clutched at his throat, he stumbled into a clearing. Stopped. Caught at a scorched spruce to steady himself. Were those real persons on the threshold of that blackened shack? Their clothes were scorched brown, their faces smooched as stokers'. The girl s head rested against one side of the door frame which leaned like the Tower of Pisa. The man was huddled hud-dled against the other. Were they -Before his parched tongue could formulate the word, he had his hand on her shoulder. "Janice! Janice!" Paxton lifted heavy lids. Closed them Mumbled sleepily: "Damn you. SakL Why you wake me?" He tumbled over flat as the girl sprang to her feet She held out her hands. Sobbed. "Bruce! I knew you'd find us. Ee caught her close in one arm. His hand tightened on Mi revolver. "Look up at me, Jan." She leaned her head back against his shoulder. The grime about her m0uth was dented with dimples. Slighter shone through tears in her deeD-clouded eyes. Look at you! You don't have to growl that command. I never was fo glad to look at anyone in all my We-" "Thank God! His heart swelled in a pass on of latitude. She was living, safe un-harmed un-harmed He slipped the revolver , . h. hnlster The arm which held hTShSet She pressed her face gainst his breast before she confld-Id confld-Id with unsteady gaiety: I tote to seem grossly material at tois climactic moment, but you don't happen to have a broiled Bvj-fobster Bvj-fobster or'sea-food Newburg up your |