Show I C G Y t yr o k It STORY SO FAR Janice Trent way from wedding Ned Paxton but nt a Kay gay ay blade Unbeknown to a family friend she beti be be- ti lot t secretary of an Alaska camp of he he be is chief engineer Millicent wife of the man whom he be sue sue- t i 11 also attracted to hJ him Bruce Brucel l t wants to send Janice back On a aJ ai athe she encounters Paxton J i the city tn Is him she is 11 married to HarThe Har liar t L f The e latter hears It and Insists on ong k Jn ing g that day That night after a ag PC g party arranged by the Samp t elder elderly owners of the Waffle WaMe 75 1 irs Hale breaks In on the newly newly- th the cry that her husband had hot dead She also says If you youad ad d waited Bruce Bruce spends t bt Investigating the murder A arrives to conduct an om f be Jimmie Chester Mrs Hales Hale's rE r who hated her husband runs r a plane Bruce and the Commis- Commis i net set out to find him Ned Paxton Is s yacht arrive at the headquarters continue with Ith the story li- li CHAPTER XV liI I e Paxton looked stern at do you know of my scheme rig fig g I want a woman at the of imy f my house for the mother of h nil dren who has an infallible for the fine and beautiful of life and the courage to go i hem n. And Im I'm going to get ou must have thought me meay mey J ay y mark when we met at the l was I-was was dazed by the news of As the day wore 7 trew rew rew suspicious Asked a few Discovered that you marI mar- mar Harcourt I after you met me Torning Why did you do it e had almost liked him again shim him as he confided his ideal lily r life The savage con- con of his question hardened her heri time i sleuthing Find out gave fave ave it on rather good f t 1 Harcourt was not in love loveI I you I suspect it was a case of of r errantry on his part Girl GIrles GIrle's frees cices es e's that she is married to tor r What hat could he do but come with rith the ring will have to answer that n yourself Ned But after can w can you What do you know ambitions struggles self discipline which lie benat be- be nat liat you call knight-errantry knight e. e e. e You want You buy face Yace was dark with anger said that once before I dont don't 11 Ill I'll prove to you that I can canne canne ne thing I want want want-that's that's you I I don't dont know that this marI mar- mar stuff is a bluff to save your drew her close She pro- pro sharply c Let me go kitchen door banged open dashed into the room Head Headd Jd d brush drooping one cor- cor his lip snarled to reveal a baleful eyes watchful he hess heas J as ss motionless as a creature zes fize ze Son on released Janice His laugh i fa a tinge of strain shuffled into the charged i ma in kitchen with deesh Ima amp mp mp send her nt t they coming Janice's dripped disappointment Tell Tella a to come in Pasca Grant d by the front door Tubby lad glad r d you have arrived to swell lot of those present it looks as ImY my party might be a frost fr firs s Si you How are you Pax- Pax j Veres Theres Mrs Hale Well what ow ow See who's here ma had come in from the thes s JJ j yes Samp send plate say tsay sorry they cant can't come comel ty l t them he m that I am terribly dis- dis The girl lingered twist- twist bracelets in conscious exey ex- ex cy ey I I never saw so much I iy silver jewelry Something pie e youve you've had a present Aria a assumed indifference i me geeve to me eve eve me much more I marry He chiefs chief's son Some day squaw was te e was a thread of excitement ants rants laugh s pay-dirt pay has he Wheres Where's his I me ine like gol mine Money TI long time for card game day ay man pay buy from Ossa A os o's s the rich stranger Id I'd l like likey ke y a little game with him f st st. ma Jia a sniffed scorn Stranger pay ay heem Pasca have bee beeg g 1 of money say It ing g aboard N Ned d Paxton's boat i told d memories twanging un un- ly Janice reflected uneasily I Samp's Samps eyes were big with I r. r She perched on the edge of I at t like a plump pigeon on a ady a J eady ady dy to take off at the slight- slight Millicent Hale in a I hair had removed her black er er r fair fah hair seemed fairer in int int t t to her sombre frock ice ce sniffed Why had the fragile in m black such power to hurt f Ned Paxton intrigued by her ted that it was a glorious at at t fact did not explain her here heron e on this boat Tubby Grant en n responsible That was un- un She he he alone was responsible for fori Bhe he e did She was white free i I ii r r s st r t S T L. L i r- r t. t y Janice waved to those on th the boat and considerably over twenty-one twenty 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 Warne Shop Shop had had begged her to second second second sec sec- ond his efforts to have Millicent Hale away from headquarters when the Commissioner and Harcourt Harcou t arrived arrived arrived ar 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 fo operate co-operate by inviting a party on his yacht for fora a nearer view of the erupting vol vol- cano Grants Grant's plan had seemed sound Now on thinking back over the conversation conversation conversation con con- she wondered that he had hadnot hadnot hadnot not referred to startling disclosure as to the source of the money which had lavishly lavish lavish- ly expended on silver jewelry Where could Pasca get so much cash so suddenly Was Vas it part of that taken from Joe Hale when he was shot It would account for Bruce's revolver having been used for Pascas Pasca's absence from the squaw- squaw dance A ships ship's bell struck She counted Eight bells Was Vas it possible they had been sailing three hours Tea time She joined the group under the awning Paxton rose You st stood od so long staring over the rail we decided that you were 1 3 malung making up your youx- mind mina for lor lUX- lUXa a swim Not in this icy water I was wondering if we could approach the volcano near enough to get a pic pic- pic- pic ture I brought a movie camera Ill 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 for for you The last words were so low that Janice wondered if anyone but herself herself herself her her- self heard them Miss Mary admitted admitted admitted ad ad- Id like real well to see it Mary Samps 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 If Two Filipino boys were bringing the tea things when they returned to the lounge deck Janice's lips twitched with laughter as she remembered remembered remembered re re- re- re Pascas Pasca's high-held high tray That reminded her where had the Eskimo procured the money to pay J Janice anice She looked up Paxton Paxton Paxton Pax- Pax ton was standing before her fastening fastening fastening fasten fasten- ing a holster belt better You were a hundred miles from here Ill I'll bet you couldn't tell whether er youve you've had tea or not You have The sea is running smooth If you want to get near enough to the volcano volcano volcano vol vol- vol- vol cano to take a picture the Captain says that it will be perfectly safe for the native pilots to take you inthe in inthe inthe the launch Janice's premonition nerves tin tin- Darn her imagination Here was the opportunity of a lifetime I Would she let her fear complex rule She would not Im all excited Am I to go alone No Ill I'll go to make sure that you dont don't fall out of the boat in your excitement The sky is not quite so clear as it was wed we'd better get geta 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 Marys Mary's eyes were troubled Millicent Hales Hale's inscrutable in inscrutable inscrutable in- in the Captains Captain's complacent as he listened to the purr of the motor motor motor mo mo- tor rhythmic as a kittens kitten's breathing breathing breathing breath breath- ing observed the skill of the native pilots who had shed their coats and caps gold braided with the yachts yacht's insignia and ond had stolidly wriggled into which looked like waterproof with a hood When at a proper distance Janice Janice Janice Jan Jan- ice focused the camera on the group on the deck She cranked until the faces were dim There I wonder what Tubby will say to that He is teaching me the picture motion-picture art Ive I've even learned to develop films When I return to to civilization I will be equipped to go on the lecture plat plat- form Then you expect to return to ci civilization tion Apparently absorbed in the intricacies intricacies intricacies of the black box she held she answered abstractedly Return Of course Then some someday someday someday 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 subconscious subconscious sub sub- conscious The launch was running parallel with a green shore from which twin mountains lightly clothed with al alders alders alders al- al ders and willows arid with volcano volcano volcano vol vol- vol- 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 tumble 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 wish wish- The sentence died on her lips as asa asa asa 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 Orange and scarlet flames fired curling vapor belching smoke till the sky seemed one frightful conflagration Hol Hoi tight Hol 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 thunder forged in Vulcan's workshops let loose with a crash which rocked the world the volcano volcano volcano vol vol- vol- 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 to toward toward toward to- 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 atthe atthe atthe the wheel The eyes of both bulged with terror Overhead feathery scooting clouds merged The world which had been all sapphire emerald emerald emerald em em- erald and crystal went gray Stinging white foam flew back in drenching spray Smoke rolled and twisted like a constrictor boa in the throes of acute indigestion The boat climbed a huge roller lunged sickeningly in the trough staggered and shuddered when a afresh afresh afresh fresh wave struck it The sea snarled and hissed under a shower of hot stones Spray blurred Janice's Janice's Janice's Jan Jan- ices 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 predecessor sor lifted the boat like a toy and flung it on the shore For a dazed instant she sat with eyes tightly shut She had thought that last pl plunge would end every every- thing Paxton touched her shoulder Were safe Jan Dont Don't dont don't go to pieces now that the danger is over Go to pieces She blinked forced a smile I was merely orienting orienting orienting ori ori- enting myself that's all The launch was stranded on a pebbly pebbly pebbly peb peb- bly beach The native pilots were huddled in the bow Paxton livid tense was standing over them With Witha Vitha a final word he came back to her Well Vell have to camp here until the yacht picks us up The men say there is a hunters hunter's shack somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where on this shore They are dumb with fright That was all I could coula screw out of them Wed We'd better find it before another wave catches us TO BE CONTINUED |