Show I i yam r Y M CEO cE WO its rerat her I T Ta THE HE E STORY T THUS TRUS US FAR Zone Corey o a I Is eX expected by her ber employers employer's wife to delIver dellver some thirty Invitations to a a. tea cries A R R. but t becomes discouraged and handsome stranger comes along alon bears hears her ber story and destroys the Invitations 1 tier fiances fiance's grandfather Admiral Doncan Duncan Dun Don TE can calls on Zone and fairly forces her herto of 01 I to accept a Job writing his memoirs Zones Zone's Aunt Hannah annah endeavors to keep ND Nb Zone with her ber but Admiral D Duncan wins The handsome stranger who proves to toE toNIt tobe E NIt be Steve Duncan Dunca brother of Paul Duncan Duncan Dun can CaD her ber sweetheart picks up her suitcases suit cases eases and deposits them on the steamer OSIC Sl C Samoa During Doring the night the steamer Soft pulls away from the San Francisco pier 1100 1 for Ua wall CHAPTER VI VIp p PM M He was talking about Uluwehi as t lf l If it were a shrine Paul had told I her t her very little about Uluwehi He had told her it was a sh show w place she had somehow got the imin im- im in that there was a big red redbrick redhouse I Irick rick brick house with white columns and closely losely resembling the Ellen Haden Haden Had- Had i en Memorial Library but set in informal i ir r aast k v ast formal lawns She recalled call ST that hat at the full u l name of it was Uluwehi UI weh K Kai i which meant a profusion of rowing g things by the sea r al 11 The house is built in in a cove Steve was saying with the mountains moun- moun 1 coming down sheer on each ide side The front yard is a big lawn la shaded by palms Beyond them is a reach of golden sand and the Pacific Pacific Pa- Pa which shades off from jade- jade II green to bright blue and deep pur- pur pIe Behind the house is a hillside covered covered with purple bougainvillea fat at at some seasons and yellow trumpet trumpet trumpet trum trum- pet pet flowers at others ib Yes Zorie Zone was really thinking ore lore about Steves Steve's deep caressing voice foice than she was about what he hea a was saying It was a rich voice aa E he She was seeing him leaning against Ef palm tree with a guitar and sing- sing old Hawaiian to her ii f. f 14 ing ig g songs o co His father she knew had been a States naval observer with withe less le e a British fleet He had gone down it th rith the Invincible in the Battle of i f 0 Jutland utlande e fallen on bad ways h he ince since grandmothers grandmother's death he was wast t t A saying aying I UI hope you'll take hold holdt Jt t id d bring the old place back to life Stu fe e a used to have wonderful times I luaus here luaus and dances and big each parties You know you remind remind re- re mind lind me of her pictures when she shea Crr as a girl She had the same seU serene seway se- se U rene way about her you have Its It's pg very comforting to a man We need someone like you Zorie Zone I hope hopewell well we'll like us The music had stopped He stepped away from her holding his ha hand c lightly under her elbow to bal- bal nce her against the slight roll of Eb e a ship Miss Lanning saw her stared at ather dy her and smiled coolly then she saw d teve e and her smile promptly beame beame became be- be 1 ame came a bright living thing She waved at Steve She car- car Caroled Stevie Zories Zorie's heart was climbing into ik er throat For a moment she thought she would faint Her one wish was to be out of this room Steve was dancing over to them 1 and 3 and they were dancing over to meet Steve The four of them formed a slowly shuffling huddle in the middle of the floor The man with Miss Lanning was staring at Zorie Zone with lidded half-lidded d eyes His smile made his eyes even more sinister I heard you were aboard Miss Lanning said and her dark eyes end nd her smile and her voice all seemed to sparkle Her partner said in a suave cultured cul cul- lured voice Its HIts awfully nice to see ee you again Stephen Miss Corey Steve was saying Miss Lanning Winthrop Lanning-Winthrop Winthrop Lanning We Ve know each other Amber Lanning said with no enthusiasm II We have the same cabin I uI think we almost met earlier Winthrop Lanning said He was still staring at Zorie Zone I It was his eyes under their partly I lowered lids that Zorie Zone would remember re- re member member so so cold so knowing so i questing that they frightened her with their betrayal of the life he heI had led Their voices hardly reached I her brain All that she could cope j with just then was the stupendous fact that Steve knew these people that he was on the friendliest of terms with them She wondered if she could have been mistaken mistaken-if if this faced dark-faced man with v his evil eyes was the man she had seen in the green sedan s 2 But it was only a passing doubt cj She was certain he was And Amber Amber Am- Am ber ben Lanning was his niece The ship rolled Steve and Zorie Zone 4 i were carried away from the Lan- Lan pings Zorie Zone felt suffocated Steve was looking at her with grave tude Do uDo you feel the motion Will will will you take me out of here she answered Steve took her firmly by the elbow She glanced up at him as they left the floor He looked as if nothing had happened or was happening J They crossed the deck to the rail and leaned on it Steve was studying studying study study- ing h her r face with v the tender solicitude solicitude tude tulle of a lover The breeze was cool coolon on her hot cheeks checks A moon a little past full was rising off the stern In a moment Steve said in his deep musical voice it will lay a silver silver silver sil sil- ver carpet all the way across the ocean for your especial benefit She wanted to question him about the Lannings If she didn't do it now shed she'd never have the courage again But whatever it was that made her so meek held her back as asit asit asit it always did Steve was watching ier with con con- cern His blue eyes were dark with sympathy the matter Zorie Zone His voice was so tender that for a moment she was almost sure he had said not Zorie Zone but darling I she began and faltered Who Vho are the Lannings really very pathetic people people people peo peo- he said and putting up a avery avery avery very brave front They are sad muddled people Refugees Refugees Refugees-he he from Paris she from Martinique They're homeless and almost broke Its It's really a sad story Winthrops Winthrop's father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther was British but his mother was French and he grew up in France When the Germans moved in he lost everything everything barely barely escaped with his life Steve was speaking with deep feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing as if he sincerely meant what he was saying but Zorie Zone did not believe him She did not believe the Lannings were pathetic people r M Y r rt t tr r. r ie q rj h t tV V r y W The breeze was cool coolon on her cheeks A moon was rising off the stern Amber wasn't pathetic She was a selfish cocksure arrogant girl Winthrop Lanning was suave and cold and dangerous They did not have the look of sad muddled people She wondered who the man was who had been standing outside her stateroom door lighting a cigarette the the short powerful-looking powerful sloping sloping sloping slop slop- ing shouldered man she had seen at atthe atthe atthe the bar with Mr Lanning Amber Steve was saying has spent most of her life in Marti Marti- She was driven out when Martinique went to Vichy I suppose Zone Zorie said trying to control the quaver in her voice old friends of yours In a way Im I'm awfully sorry for them Where There did you meet them I met him in Lisbon He had been hiding with friends in Cannes and hed he'd just got across the border I met Amber when we reached New York Shed She'd just got out of Martinique Martinique Martinique Marti Marti- with her skin She's a charming charming charming charm charm- ing person isn't she she Zorie Zone echoed The Lannings it wasn't hard to guess were also Nazis Why were they on this ship going to Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Ha Ha- But why most important of all was Steve being so solicitous so kind so sweet to her Amber Lanning smiling and beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- was coming across the deck deck l toward them Stevie l I she cried gayly When I are you going to ask me for a dance That was the way Zorie Zone thought enviously to do things Be gay Be sure Be bold If she lived to be bea a hundred shed she'd never have the courage to walk up to a man in that cocksure way and ask him for a dance She could if she wished make things difficult for this lovely arrogant young woman She could assert her proprietorship and Steve would have to decline as gracefully as possible to dance with Amber L nn in p. p If If you Miss Lanning said gayly to Zorie Zone dont mind my stealing him for a moment Oh no Zorie Zone said effusively I HI have some things to attend to Ill I'll see you later Steve Thank you Steve said but he said it hesitantly and he was watching watching watching watch watch- ing her with tender solicitude almost almost almost al al- al- al most with reproach as if he regretted regretted regretted re re- her not asserting her rights When she wondered bitterly as they walked away would this stop Where would it end When would she bestir herself and stop letting everyone use her for a doormat Her meekness was nothing but a habit into which she had fallen years ago The people who took advantage advantage tage of it the it-the the Professor the Mrs tie the Aunt Hannahs Hannahs Hannahs Han Han- the Pauls the Admiral Duncans Dun Dun- DunI I cans had cans had no respect for her I Her meekness Zorie Zone realized was wasa a fault that if not corrected would ruin her life Paul treat treated d her as ashe ashe ashe he did only because she invited It it He hadn't treated her that way at first He had been as solicitous as admiring as Steve was now Little by little because she never protest protestS protested ed Paul had acquired this unfair attitude The blame wasn't Paula Paul If Steve knew her long enough he he too would slip into the same atti attI- tude Zorie Zone was so furious at herself she was almost crying She did not hear Paul coming along the deck She wasn't aware of him until he stopped beside her and spoke My God he said Look at you your Just look at you your Ive I've never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen you so radiant since Ive I've known you I Or your eyes so starry She started to smile It was the first time in ages that Paul had said such nice things to her Then she saw his expression He was white te with rage His green eyes were so dark they looked black And his mouth was thin and hard He stared at her I HI was afraid it might happen but I never dreamed it would happen so fast what W Zorie Zone stammered wr was o terribly wrong but b g H J en she could not guess what it was No Paul said in a brittle voice You cant can't realize how obvious it is how how youve you've gone overboard for him Who Zorie Zone wailed Who he mocked her He looked angry enough to strike her All Allright Allright Allright right he snapped Let me tell you a couple of things I neglected to mention about this big glamorous humbug youve you've gone overboard for I thought you might take my word for it I thought you might use some same discretion I Youve You've asked for it and it-and and here it is I He paused a moment She had never before seen Paul really los lost lose his temper He could hardly articulate articulate articulate late he was so furious My lovely big brother is nothing less than a Nazi spy I If he isn't now he certainly has been Hes He's been a traitor to his own country I He was kicked out of the United States Navy for insubordination He went skulking skulking skulking skulk skulk- ing and sulking off to Germany and turned Nazi But even they got fed up with him I Why do you suppose they kicked him out of Germany Paul hesitated Zorie Zone saw sweat running down his face Because he was having an affair with one of Goering's girl friends I Paul Paull Zorie Zone protested Its uIt's all true truer And that's the kind of man you prefer to me I He wheeled away and strode down the deck Zorie Zone turned and looked 0 at the moon which had unrolled a silver carpet all the way across the ocean for her especial benefit How much of what Paul had said was true she could not know She didn't want to believe any of it But Butone Butone Butone one of his accusations she realized was true In spite of what she knew over over the protests of all her instincts in in- she she had fallen in love with Steve Zorie Zone returned to her stateroom to find that someone had gone through her trunk She had disarranged things a little when she had dressed but she hadn't left them like this Things that had been on the bottom were now on the top Everything in inthe inthe inthe the trunk was topsy Amber Lanning was evidently determined determined determined de de- to leave no stone unturned On top of the jumble of the trunks trunk's contents was the carbon of a thesis Zorie Zone had copied several years ago It was entitled A Critical Survey of the Retooling of the Krupp Plant for Increased Wartime Production Zorie Zone had saved it because she had thought for a while that she was in love with the young man who had written it He had been an engineering engineering engineering en en- exchange student student student-a a Bavarian Bavarian Bavarian Ba Ba- varian eyed blue-eyed and haired flaxen-haired who had after his experiences in inthe inthe inthe the new Germany loved everything American He was an ardent anti- anti Nazi The stateroom door seemed to burst open Amber Lanning came in humming loudly Zorie Zone closed her eyes played possum Asleep Miss Lanning cried Zorie Zone said nothing and k kept pt her eyes shut Miss Lanning slammed the door switched on the light Humming occasionally breaking into clear soprano soprano soprano so so- words she undressed hung up her things turned put out the light and went to bed While resenting the very presence of this rude selfish girl m hi in the same room Zorie Zone fell asleep She was awakened ned by by a persistent e. e sis en irregular thumping against the toot loot of her bed A bar of moonlight was shining through each of the portholes The Thedoor Thedoor Thedoor door of the closet at the foot of her bed was open Miss Lanning had evidently left it unlatched and each time the ship rolled the thc door swung and thumped the end of Zones Zoric's bed She got up and closed it She tried it The latch held She went back to bed and to sleep She was awakened sometime later by the same thumping It was hard for her herto herto herto to realize that Miss Lanning Lanning UShe's a charming person isn't she Lots Lotsof of fun Steve had said would said would deliberately deliberately de de- de get up and open that door to spoil her sleep But Zone Zorie was rapidly learning that Miss Lanning as well as being charming and lots lotsof lotsof lotsof of fun was a female fiend of infinite resources and with the unswerving determination of a pile driver c TO DE BE CONTINUED |