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Show vjf-F sv J"...iril Janice waved to those on the boat .data N.d Pto, flu. t,nbeJknTK? hora ,uc; &utt to bim. Bruc. fclJaales back. On m Rencounters Paxton tUn nd ,n,it, " Tbat nlbt, after t'rrwfed by the Samp of the Waffl. breaki In on the newly-. newly-. out her husband had She also say: " y Bruce." Bruce spends MijsUnt the murder. A irivei to conduct an offl- f'l, Chester, Mrs. Hale's ted ber husband, runs Braes and the Commls-(nd Commls-(nd blm. Ned Paxton Lin at the headquarters Iritk the story. Wr xv looked stern. ' a know of my scheme ant a woman at the ise, for the mother of Kho has an infallible e fine and beautiful nd the courage to go . nd I'm going to get I st have thought me 1 when we met at the I lazed by the news of . As the day wore ' icious. Asked a few overed that you mar-alter mar-alter you met me Why did you do it?" almost liked him lim as he confided his ) life. The savage con-jestion con-jestion hardened her I uthing. Find out" rather good authori- irt was not in love pect it was a case of on his part Girl she is married to Hi be do but come ! ring?" I ave to answer that ! lf, Ned. But, after , a? What do you know ' ds, struggles, sacri-pline sacri-pline which lie be-call be-call knight-errantry? want. You buy." s dark with anger, once before. I don't ve to you that I can II want that's you. mow that this mar-i mar-i bluff to save your ber close. She pro- ! go!" i door banged open, ito the room. Head drooping, one cor-snarled cor-snarled to reveal a j eyes watchful, he , nless as a creature and considerably over twenty-one, quite old enough to make her own decisions. Had it all been Tubby's insistence, or had she been glad of the chance to be away when Bruce returned? After supper last night, Tubby had held her up outside her Waffle Shop had begged her to second sec-ond his efforts to have Millicent Hale away from headquarters when the Commissioner and Harcourt arrived ar-rived the next afternoon. From the fact that his name had not been mentioned in the radio message, there was every reason to believe they were bringing Jimmy Chester. He had asked Paxton to co-operate by inviting a party on his yacht for a nearer view of the erupting volcano. vol-cano. Grant's plan had seemed sound. Now, on thinking back over the conversation, con-versation, she wondered that he had not referred to Tatima's startling disclosure as to the source of the money which Kadyama had lavishly lavish-ly expended on silver Jewelry. Where could Pasca get so much cash so suddenly? Was it part of that taken from Joe Hale when he was shot? It would account for Bruce' s revolver having been used, for Pasca's absence from the squaw-dance. squaw-dance. A ship's bell struck. She counted. Eight bells. Was it possible they had been sailing three hours? Tea time. She Joined the group under the awning. Paxton rose. "You stood so long staring over the rail we decided that you were making up your mind for a swim." "Not in this Icy water. I was wondering if we could approach the volcano near enough to get a picture. pic-ture. I brought a movie camera." "I'll talk with the Captain and the native pilots. We have two aboard. Meanwhile, will you show Miss Mary the interior of the boat? You know every crack and cranny of it, though you haven't seen it since I had it re-decorated for you." The last words were so low that Janice wondered if anyone but herself her-self heard them. Miss Mary admitted: ad-mitted: "I'd like real well to see it" Mary Samp's eyes shone, her ' cheeks reddened with excitement as they passed from one part of the yacht to another. The silver and blue, black and rose and gold of the staterooms reduced her to a state of thrilled speechlessness. On the threshold of the main lounge she clasped ecstatic hands. "Well, now! I suppose this is what folks call modernistic!" Two Filipino boys were bringing the tea things when they returned to the lounge deck. Janice's hps twitched with laughter as she remembered re-membered Pasca's high-held tray. That reminded her, where had the Eskimo procured the money to pay Kadyama? "Janice!" She looked up. Paxton Pax-ton was standing before her fastening fasten-ing a holster belt "That's better. You were a hundred miles from here. I'll bet you couldn't tell whether wheth-er you've had tea or not. You have. The sea is running smooth. If you want to get near enough to the volcano vol-cano to take a picture, the Captain says that it will be perfectly safe for the native pilots to take you in the launch." Janice's premonition nerves tingled tin-gled Darn her imagination. Here was the opportunity of a lifetime. Would she let her fear-complex rule? She would not "I'm all excited! Am I to go alone?" "No I'll go to make sure 1,131 you don't fall out of the boat in your excitement. The sky is not quite so clear as it was, we'd better get a move on. The yacht will follow. We will turn back the moment you say the word." Seated in the launch, Janice waved to the two women and the Captain bending over the rail to watch them start Miss Mary s eyes were troubled, Millicent Hale s inscrutable, in-scrutable, the Captain's complacent as he listened to the purr of the motor mo-tor rhythmic as a kitten s breath-tag breath-tag observed the skill of the native pilots who had shed their - coats and caps, gold braided with the yacht s insignia, and had stolidly wriggled Kamalaykas. which looked Ihke waterproof overshirts with a hood. When at a proper distance. Jan-ice Jan-ice focused the camera on the group on the deck. She cranked until the faces were dim. ""iiere! I wonder what Tubby will say to that He is teaching me the motion-picture art. I've even learned to develop films. When I return to civilization I will be equipped to go on the lecture platform." plat-form." "Then you expect to return to civilization?" Apparently absorbed in the intrl-cacies intrl-cacies of the black box she held, she answered abstractedly: "Return! Of course. Then some day we are going to South America to build a bridge." Paxton laughed skeptically before he crouched down behind the engine to light a cigarette. From whence had that iridescent bit of fabrication bubbled, Janice demanded of herself in dismay. From the rows and rows of Spanish books in the H house? Had those spelled South America to her subconscious? sub-conscious? The launch was running parallel with a green shore from which twin mountains lightly clothed with alders al-ders and willows, arid, with volcano vol-cano ash, rose in a graceful sweep to taper into dazzling white cones. Beyond towered higher peaks like purple shadows. She could make out an abandoned Indian village, its tumble-down huts shining weirdly white in the distance. Were those uprights carved totem poles? She turned eagerly to Paxton as he came aft "See that Indian village, Ned. I wish-" The sentence died on her lips as a rain of tiny rocks showered upon the boat They burned as they struck her hands, hissed as they fell into the water to float away like dingy snow-flakes. Orange and scarlet flames fired curling vapor, belching smoke, till the sky seemed one frightful conflagration. "Hoi' tight! Hoi' tight!" Janice hadn't needed the hoarse shouts of the pilots as a warning. Instinctively she had gripped the side of the launch. "Come about! Make for the yacht!" Paxton shouted. Too late. With the roar as of all the thunder-bolts forged in Vulcan's workshops let loose, with a crash which rocked the world, the volcano vol-cano blew up. Fascinated eyes on the spectacle, Janice saw what looked to be the back of a great sea monster rise to the surface. An island being born? Paxton caught her in one arm, clung tight with the other hand. A wave which seemed mountains high rolled toward to-ward the launch, caught it as though it had been a chip in a puddle, swept it shoreward with incredible speed. Sweat ran down the bronze face of one pilot as he strained at the wheeL The eyes of both bulged with terror. Overhead feathery, scooting clouds merged. The world which had been all sapphire, emerald em-erald and crystal went dreadnaught gray. Stinging white foam flew back in drenching spray. Smoke rolled and twisted like a boa-constrictor in the throes of acute indigestion. The boat climbed a huge roller, lunged sickeningly in the trough, staggered and shuddered when a fresh wave struck it The sea snarled and hissed under a shower of hot stones. Spray blurred Jan-ice's Jan-ice's eyes as she strained them in an effort to see what lay ahead. Another mighty smash and shock of water, greater than its predeces-sor, predeces-sor, lifted the boat like a toy and flung it on the shore. For a dazed instant she sat with eves tightly shut She had thought that last plunge would end every-thine every-thine Paxton touched her shoulder. "We're safe, Jan. Don't, don't go to pieces now that the danger iSGor'to pieces!" She blinked, forced a smile. "I was merely ori-entS ori-entS myself, that's alL" The launch was stranded on a pebbly peb-bly beach. The native pilots were EmMled in the bow. Paxton, livid. Sse was standing over them. With Tfuial word he came back to her .Wll have to camp here until the yacht picks us up. The men Sav there is a hunter's shack somewhere some-where on this shore. They are dumb fth fright That was all I could rcSw out ofthem. We'd better find it before another wave catches us." (TO BE CONTINUED) ed Janice. His laugh of strain. d into the charged kitchen with deesh. isters send her." J coming?" Janice's . isappointment "Tell ' b in, Pasca." Grant front door. "Tubby, ave arrived to swell present, it looks as f might be a frost." jHow are you, Pax- n Hale? Well, what 6 who's here!" come in from the Jseesters send plate, y they can't come ) at I am terribly dis-girl dis-girl lingered, twist-i twist-i rts in conscious ex-I ex-I 'ever saw so much ) ewelry. Something had a present" ed indifference, lyama geeve to me. uchmore. I marry ef son. Some day juaw." toad of excitement "Kadyama's has he? Where's his !e gol' mine. Money irte for card game. Pay. Kadyama buy 1 stranger? I'd like lle game with him ! rn. "Stranger! pasca have beeg ;y. Kadyama say." J Ned Paxton's boat "ones twanging un-' un-' "fleeted uneasily. I chLWere bi with 'Med on the edge of ) plump pigeon on a ) I the slight- f 'nt Hale, ta amoved her black !'r kerned fairer in ombre frock. , had the fragile such power to hurt "jiguedbyher? Ii? as glorious not explain her -stbyGrant was,. 1 was un-j un-j " was white, free |