Show SYNOPSIS TilE THE STORY SO FAR FAit Janice Trent runs away from wedding Ned Paxton n rich but a aay gay fray blade By Ry a device she becomes secretary at a 1 wilderness camp campIn In Alaska Out But Dut Bruce Druce Harcourt newly appointed chief ehler who has known her since girlhood was not aware of It till later Mrs Hale wife of the deposed chief engineer Is also attracted to Harcourt Her lIer husband treats her badly Hale lIale su suffers ers a stroke or fel feigns s one The departure de de- de of the Hales from Alaska If ii postponed Hale lIale is believed to have an affair with an Indian girl Her lIer sweetheart Kad ama resents it Hale Dale calls Janice in the absence of Millicent Hale to take some dictation a codicil to his will MillIcent suggests going with Bruce Druce and his assistant Tubby Grant on an airplane visit to the city Janice Is Invited also At the last minute Milli 1 cent cant can't go Janice enjoys the trip and the bustling Alaskan city When unexpectedly she encounters Paxton she tells him she Is married to Harcourt The latter overhears it and Insists on a marriage marriage mar mar- that day Janice becomes Mrs Har liar court Now continue with the story CHAPTER IX The smile Janice loved flashed in Bruce's eyes his hands tightened on hers That makes it unanimous He raised her hands dropped them quickly said lightly What will you do with your half hour What do you want most Beauty parlor No uNo much as I longed to come to the wilderness I wouldn't have dared had I not been born with a permanent permanent permanent perma perma- nent wave I want plants Dozens of plants Any color any kind that the florist thinks might grow in front of the Samp cabin Why the Samp cabin Why not in front of mine The question tap-danced tap round and round in Janice's mind as she kept pace with Tubby Grant along the concrete walk They stood for a moment looking in at a fur sale Janice watched the bargaining without a quickening of her pulses only to stop with an ecstatic Oh before the window of a Japanese shop in which was seductively draped a sumptuous mandarin coat of turquoise blue Want Vant it inquired Grant Want Vant it I would want a potato sack if it had that divine coloring Get it We Ve have time Just like that You dont don't realize realize realize real real- ize Tubby that my total principal is fifty dollars I had left from the family estate after buying a trousseau trous trous- seau I had to plunge One cant can't marry a Croesus and go tp tc him with clothes like a a. maids They They were x b back k kt t to th the fl flying i field fieldin fieldin d din in time Why U didn't you bring the greenhouse greenhouse greenhouse green green- house Harcourt teased He drew Grant to one side Janice heard the murmur of his voice punctuated by an occasional eager assent from Tubby Sure Great idea As Harcourt turned away with a final word he caught hi his sleeve Hold on Bruce I forgot something some some- thing He held his chief by a strap on the coat Of course get it Look for us at five She watched in amazed unbelief as Grant returned to the plant-laden plant taxi The plane had more the look of a sinister-eyed sinister creature than before as Janice approached it Hop in He fastened the straps Decided that I would stop on the way back and inspect a gang which is repairing a stretch of track not far from the shore of a beautiful lake The c camp camp mp has a good land land- ing Well We'll fly over hidden reservoirs reservoirs reservoirs res res- of oil more extensive than any yet discovered above gold deposits deposits deposits de de- de- de posits richer than the Yukon They are so far fr from m the railroads and shipping facilities that it would cost more to develop them than they are worth Its It's a grizzly and Kodiak belt Might see a bear His laughing eyes met hers No uNo danger at this time of day or I wouldn't take you Arent we to wait for Tubby No He will charter a small plane which will take him him and and those million or two plants directly direct direct- ly to headquarters He has things to do for me On and on through a thin cloud out again Janice's thoughts were a chaotic jumble of past present and md future What had she done to the thel l life e of the man sitting as still as a abronze abronze bronze pilot beside her What had she done to her own l life e Shut the thedoor thedoor thedoor door of it in Ned Paxton's face She had that satisfaction She hadn't been fair to him about the army Even if influence had boosted him into a captaincy he had been decorated decorated dec dec- orated for extraordinary bravery The wheels lighted like a butter butter- fly The plane staggered a little shuddered a little stopped Harcourt Harcourt Harcourt Har Har- court cut the switch pushed up his goggles smiled Like it Janice released the breath she had been holding during the land- land Ing Love it Its It's marvelous How still the world seems A man with several days' days growth of beard grinned a welcome Glad to see you Chief Weve We've been hoping you'd get around Janice this is Johnson the section section section sec sec- tion boss here I wanted Mrs Harcourt Harcourt Harcourt Har Har- court to see this lake Know of a good spot beside the stream where we can have luncheon So easily and casually he an- an I r h A h TM c h 4 I A man with several days' days growth of beard grinned a welcome I his marriage Janice felther felt felther felther her color mount as she met the theman's theman's theman's mans man's astonished eyes He pulled himself together with obvious ef ef- ef- ef fort fortI If I you can call any place in this God awful country good As though we hadn't trouble enough fighting flies and mosquitoes a couple of hunters have been stirring up the bears Better take some cushions Ill I'll carry them This way Very shortly they emerged into a clearing through which the brook flowed swiftly singing to itself now softly now loudly as it tumbled and rippled its way to the lake Part way up the stream a fall a few feet feet- high plunged into a sombre rimmed bush-rimmed pool The pagan pagan pagan pa pa- gan beauty of the spot was awe- awe inspiring Harcourt arranged the cushions on ona ona ona a comparatively smooth stretch of ground Sit here while I get a fire started In a few moments twigs and small logs crackled cheerily Johnson having accumulated a pile of wood departed Janice laid a white cloth 41 1 C 4 1 1 t. t un LIle nuu UV lUIU de dered red it with feathery ferns She spread out the tempting lunch Gulls Gull's eggs stuffed with anchovy sandwiches sandwiches sandwiches sand sand- so wafer thin you bould could taste the knife as the English say Little balls of minced salmon coated with tomato jelly A jar of mayonnaise to accompany them Dates stuffed with orange marmalade or marsh- marsh mallows Coffee hot pungent From the distance came the sound of mens men's voices the ring of steel on steel But Janice was worried Her thoughts raced wildly She said finally I was thinking that it was a pity I hadn't been dropped from the plane before I messed your life up as I have done He clasped his brown muscular hands about one knee You haven't messed up my life Jan Today merely precipitated what had to be bedone bedone bedone done if you are to stay here When Ive I've been away from headquarters my mind has been half on you half halfon on my work When I saw you in inthe inthe inthe the kennel yard yard yard-it it stops my heart now to think of it it-I it I swore to myself myself myself my my- self that either you would go back to Billy or you would give me the right to look after you here I in intended intended intended in- in tended to fight it out with you to to- to night Patons Paxton's appearance merel merely precipitated the crisis I know now that I dont don't want Ned Paxton You think you dont Wait till he lie appears at the mouth of the inlet in his palatial yacht Meanwhile get this straight except that you will take up residence in my cabin and be called Mrs Harcourt life for or you will go on as usual You will have your secretarial work to help make time fly I shall be away days at a time I shant shan't bother you ou You wouldn't bother me if you stayed Bruce He stood UD no He w looked w wv i n imm e- e wv ly t tall ll his his f face e eb b l immobile b Thanks I will interview the section sec see tion boss tion-boss boss then well we'll take Ill be back in fifteen minutes Dont Don't mind what Johnson said about bears They are not feeding at this time of day You are perfectly safe here I can hear you if you call caIl Exercise all aU you can we have a along along along long flight ahead of us but dont don't wander away from the brook Janice watched till his tall lean figure was lost in the underbrush How still the forest was The fire had died down to blinking red coals and flaky gray ashes Violet haze hung above it like a brooding spirit A as large as a New York State crow which had perched on a swaying branch across the stream regarded her from beady eyes in ina ina a pert tip-tilted tip head A hummingbird humming humming- bird flashed and stabbed into the I hearts of pink blossoms on a tall spike Bees hummed Long festoons of moss swung like flitting gray wraiths The shadows were turning to amethyst dusk She could hear mens men's voices the crashing of branches Squawking protest the curious took wing The martens vanished She jumped to her feet her heart pounding The sound of snapping branches wasn't coming from the direction in which Bruce had gone The alders across the stream shook violently A bear Darn her imagination Hadn't Bruce said that they weren't feeding at this time of day Just the same same- Her eyes dilated in terror Across the brook a great Kodiak crashed through a clump of alders It stopped Regarded her its head swaying from side to side as though in pain Two Tw bloody marks on a shoulder were alive with flies To the girls girl's excited fancy the creature looked as big as a house With an infuriated growl it splashed one great foot into the brook Coming for her She kept her eyes on it as she backed cautiously away She tried to call Her voice wouldn't come Nightmare that was what it was nightmare What That red eyes Terrible eyes An splitting ear-splitting roar That ought to bring the men They were coming She could hear their yells Branches crashing The bear stopped in the middle of the brook Jan Jan She tried to answer the anxious call Her voice cracked Dont shoot Johnson You might hit her Jan Jan Here The word was a mere whisper Nightmare If she couldn't call she could move couldn't she not stand as though she were With all aU the force of her will she dragged her fascinated stare from the red eyes coming nearer and nearer She ran in the direction of the voices stepped into a hole filled with water Fell ily The shock freed her voice PullI Pulling Pulling Pull Pull- I ing herself up she called She stumbled sturn- sturn I bled over a hummock Harcourt caught her before she reached the ground Jan Jan Youre You're not hurt She rested him a n hp struggled d i for b breath ih L Laughed sh shak shak- k ily Hurt No At last list list-I've-I've list list-I've-I've Ive I've Ive I've seen a bear Bruce For the love of Pete What a target A rifle shot followed Johnsons Johnson's shout of exultation Another Then Thena a crash splashing water A yell of triumph Eight feet long if its it's a foot and four feet high at the shoulders Ill I'll bet it weighs fourteen hundred pounds Chief Harcourt bent over the head lying on the pebbles How do you account account account ac ac- ac- ac count for its being out at this time of day Johnson Hunters See the two marks on the shoulder The bullets didn't kill the old fda fella and he hid in the bushes I bet they gave him a pain He grinned at Janice Well Vell send you the pelt for a wedding present M 1 Marm a arm rm Thank you Mr Johnson I should love it Johnson watched their take As the plane climbed Janice waved to him The wind flung her arm back across her breast it nave been Deen only this morning morning morning morn morn- ing that she had left the Samp cabin tingling with a desire for adventure she asked herself as hours later they came down in the field at head head- quarters Pasca his bronze face split by gleaming rows of white teeth charged from the hangar We all mighty glad you and get marry Yes sirree Harcourt swung Janice to the ground Thank you Pasca We Weare Weare Weare are mighty glad too Has Mr Grant arrived He come two two tree free hour ago Much flowers Much bundle Samp they cry They make for beeg party Yes sirree Harcourt smiled at Janice Im afraid that were we're in for a tion She looked at the grinning expectant expectant expectant ex ex- ex- ex Eskimo A flicker of amused comprehension in Harcourt's eyes was reflected in hers as she echoed debonairly Afraid I should hope that there would be a celebration One One One-one one doesn't get married every day S Harcourt thoughtfully bowed his black tie before the mirror in his room at the H house Little he had thought as he had shaved in front of the same glass this morning before before before be be- fore up sun-up that he would return to it a married man He spoke to Tong wa watchfully waiting waiting wait wait- ing on the threshold Together we ought to keep her safe and happy old fella The dog responded with a n promissory prom prom- lick of his rough red tongue TO BE lIE CONTINUED |