Show BY BEATRICE illustrations by irwin myers IF copyright by co brylo CHAPTER XI continued 19 she did not kiss me back almost he seemed to shiver a little as if alth cold I 1 loosed looked round ind saw that my friend bassett was here lie was walking toward us the marshy grass had reached is was looking at me was speaking amory be said im sorry to ay I 1 have orders to arrest you for he alleged murder of sir richard fan haw I 1 turned not to him but to pla in ne moment I 1 understood all she be fearless rider the candid lover lad dared one more risk she had bricked me into doing that which lever knowingly I 1 would have done ink my life with hers beneath the t gadows of crime and death the t were said there was no un ayling them pla was married to an crested murderer anything you say warned bas ett may be used in evidence against on I 1 paid no more attention to him ban to the winds of the romilly river faced my five minutes wife looking her in the eyes you should not have done it I 1 said ila back at me and her eves did lot fall before mine in that duel its my answer to you she said 1 I now about everything that you dont I 1 was begin ing but bassett cut me short she does he said 1 I told her what d d reason had you to said bassett in his precise man her you don t seem to realize that you have no private affairs teft in any case all this Is very irregular must ask you to come with me and he police amory im sure you won t nake trouble 1 I wont I 1 answered him give y be five minutes talk first he went away remaining in sight turned to pla aliat Is it that you now I 1 asked her 1 I know she said calmly that was a leper richard not proved suspected at all events I 1 know jou met him and told him lecog ionized him and be said he did not care and be was going to the main lland for the wedding and you shot because you could not stop him any other way you know you might be hanged for it dear love its not might is ifs will be 1 I dont believe it but if you are A 11 go with you to prison and walk with you to the end and kiss you before you die like this j I 1 met her lips before they had time to reach mine and we clung together caring nothing for the men on the river bank caring nothing tor who saw us in an embrace fierce long as it indeed the shadow of the gallows 5 tree rose up above us ready to end nn I 1 she drew back the little feet that I 1 had swept up away from earth in the long passion of my came down again with their white wedding splashing in the mud they 11 take you in the government launch she bald the papuan chiefs down the river a little way waiting tor me where are you going back to port moresby I 1 never went away so many things began to happen mr salcer turned up he went to fisherman island and ques the old soloman man abos caretaker why I 1 never saw aso but it seems he was hidden away somewhere afraid to show mr salcer got it out of him he mr salcer knew all sorts of things I 1 cant think 1 I can I 1 said remembering that f night on daru and the meeting with salcer outside bassett s house i he set all this going before he and the other man started up country after you he must have known be waiting for you here all that had puzzled me all I 1 had 1 felt and feared was plain to me now too late well might they take y their defeat lightly when it meant ao i little I 1 well might they stick close on the way down to tre trap that was to be sprung upon me me their only rival to the gold of Tata tata 1 im going she said it has to 4 be good by as I 1 said but I 1 shall be near you all the time and if if she could not bring forth the black words a second time I 1 understand told her god s blessing on you darling and upon that we parted bassett took me 10 the launch it appeared that salcer and were going by the other boat bassett take them in the launch if we shall get there first he told me it may matter to yoi and mav not 1 anyhow you shall have the chance 1 appose you got something it I 1 leaned to pick up my swag opened li and turned out a pile of in coarse from alie bottom of a 1 I washed twelve dishes for that I 1 told him bassett s eyes 1 l opened wide what have you struck i be asked looks aa if been raiding a jewelers 1 I have I 1 told him A jewelery 8 floii aalde the local name lor some unusually rich urea or pocket but it likely to matter particularly if they break my heck at cokl jail I 1 shant have much time to enjoy it bassett had nothing to say I 1 think he hated his job BO touch that he even be civil I 1 understood his frame of mind more or less shared it and on the run to port moresby happily a brief one we scarcely ex changed ten sentences on the day when we made port the papuan chief lagging a few miles behind us I 1 was given permission to visit the mines office more or less in custody and make my application so far as precaution could do it I 1 was holding Tata tata but that my ten anre was perilous none knew better than L and apker were in court during the trial when it came on a day or two after they watched every point with the of prosecuting attorneys I 1 don t know what they made of it what 1 made of it that first day was that I 1 was not at all events going to be hanged I 1 had a lawyer he was doing his best and making the most of fanshaw s at tack on me and his attempt to run me down the old solomon islander was chief witness the boy I 1 bad hired in port who cleaned my rifle and found one shot had been fired a stray hula native who had been out fishing on the reef and had seen me come away from make a long sweep and return were others salcer when they called told shamelessly all that he had overheard over heird un der the house in daru and thereby sheeted home to me the one thing wanting motive I 1 was known of course to be in love with miss lau aler but that alone would hardly have fixed the crime if crime one must call it I 1 hive neer felt inclined to do so the end of it was that the jury found me guilty of manslaughter and that I 1 was sentenced to five years I 1 am quite certain that these twelve good men and true of port moresby stretched a point in order to save my neck and I 1 am equally sure that the judge and the crown prosecutor one of whom was officially doing his best to have me hanged while the other was officially ready ta pronounce the sentence were must better pleased with the verdict than they would boffl dally have admitted so I 1 was sent to kou jail and there was no gallows built up inside the yard for me after all and I 1 chose out of a dozen who offered a friend to go to Tata tata and do the work that was necessary to hold my claim for me they did not consciously make it h I 1 tor me in jail they were kind ly cold coldly kind as jail justly are bolly the head jailer with his sharp blue eyes and the smile that a smile and the voice that could rake the hide off a delinquent native prisoner turn him with two words into a heap of shivering brown jelly holly my friend kept me to the letter of the jail regulations slacked nothing that might have been slacked allowed nothing thit could be refused 1 suppose he was justified I 1 could learn working to order 1 mind piling stones by myself on the new little jetty far removed from the black criminals who were doing similar work I 1 made DO trouble about keeping my cell tidy dlan t grumble nt the plain sufficient food what I 1 could not learn was to avoid answering back letting my sore and angry spirit flash out in sudden fury at the least reproof what 1 did not realize for long was that in losing my freedom I 1 had also lost my rights as a hu man being and a man it is so in jails it must be so there were times when I 1 could have murdered holly smashed his black warders into butcher meat yet there was no time I 1 think when right according to prison custom was on my side this had a bad result when tha three months were out and visitors by law could be permitted I 1 got my one hour on sunday once a month and not another minute I 1 got my let monthly always read and in Itla led the letters I 1 wrote were read and initialed also it I 1 could have fitted myself into the prison shape so tar as to behave decently 1 civilly 1 remember I 1 was in jail and not in the hotel australia headen knows I 1 was admonished often enough I 1 might have wangled many g little indulgence such as are granted to the model usually experienced jail bird but for pla and for me there were no extra visits no unread letters worst of all though perfectly legal and right was the presence of holly at all our interviews he reid a paper and pretended kindly enough not to be listening but 1 ask yon what Is love making under such con I 1 pass over months I 1 cannot remember tor certain bow many it may have been about come to a day when it was visiting day and pla darling pla was awaiting blow at the gate of the palm until the hour when she might justly climb the hill always she was a little thinner always the lovely apple round of her young cheek wa a little more wasted like a fruit L that frosts have prematurely touched she was egiy almost merry before me merry with the self mastery taught the well bred girt aa letters and languages are taught her she strove to put aside the weariness loneliness despair that ravaged her heart even as they ravaged mine and show a bright ace throughout our little hour we may have been the better for our pretenses I 1 cannot say I 1 only know that they were hard to keep up pla s parents I 1 knew maintained a ceaseless siege of her mrs laurier had even visited port moresby more or less incognito had practically gone down on her knees to pla begging her as she valued the affection of her people her place in society her am mortal welfare characteristically by mrs laubler Laur ler placed last to leave the black sheep into whose pastures she had so unfortunately staved and return to her own fold it would be easy according to mrs laurier to manage a divorce she was sure I 1 be unreasonable evidence could always be arranged so mrs laubler pla in reply but I 1 will let her speak for herself mum almost went on her knees I 1 was most frightfully sorry I 1 petted her and told her she austn t worry so I 1 her how shed have felt if father but that made her worse she said I 1 compare him to to never mind 1 I dont I 1 assured her there s only one person on earth I 1 mind and mrs daughter but all the came I 1 wis sorry for my mother in law according to per lights I 1 felt she was justified she said some more about calm finals and I 1 told her that you had made yourself a criminal for me and she said that dian didn t matter she an der stood how I 1 felt oh mum half bad when you know her but she said the point waa how would society feel and that I 1 was young and dlan t know what I 1 was giving up and that I 1 must simply must come back with her and that it be too late I 1 could rebuild my life my people would stand by me she Is a quite good little mother you know phil even if ell I 1 told her that I 1 was twenty one and had my aunts money and I 1 was very sorry but I 1 must judge for myself I 1 quoted that thing from the Bible Wither thou gocht I 1 will go and where thou lodest I 1 will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy god my god the lord do so to me and more also it aught but death part thee and me I 1 was shaking all over when I 1 said it phil it was like pronouncing vows and mother what did she you cant down mum she listened as if she had been at church and then she said in that clipped way of hers very nice my dear but dont forget that all that was said by ruth to her mother in law not her bus band and dont forget that by and by she married boaz like a shot I 1 I 1 help myself I 1 laughed and heid jailer bolly that man was nearly human got so far behind his newspaper and cleared his so much and noisily that ell what would you have done you had something more to tell me I 1 reminded her when holly had finished gargling with his feelings and plas hat had resumed its usual saucy angle over one ee yes she said suddenly grave 1 bad I 1 should have known about it and told you before if mums visit badat put things out so until she was gone she simply absorbed me and I 1 phil im afraid its something serious as it about the gold claim yes it Is I 1 made as much as I 1 could of that to mum but you cant get the better of her she shoots so straight she went to the point more thin id dared to do myself and said all very well and people will forgive most things to millions but my good girl she said do you think that gold s going to lie loose till hes ready to pick it up and I 1 said lies sent a friend to look after it and she said 1 I understand mum does get to know everything that a gold fields been proclaimed and hilt the bad characters of australia are there what do you thinks going to happen to a fortune left lying loose dont tell me she said one never does tell her she always does the telling and ashes so right except about you TO BB CONTINUED |