Show como BURST a alq GRANVILLE CHURCH 5 ICE L THE STORY SO FAR jeff curtis and ills his wife lee ar are already on their way to tierra e w when h en jeff receives a n note 0 t from zora zara al matchell Ml 11 warning t them not t to come it Is to too lite late to turn back so jeff decides not to tell lee who was wai opposed p sed to their returning to the tropics 6 she h a finally agreed to go only after jeff had persuaded her that the job of 0 chief engineer for or it a newly organized fruit company Is the chairo of a af lifetime lime they arrive in tierra libre to find zoras zara husband dead in a conversation with jerry IvIc innis jeff learns that mitch ells death wa was 5 murder and that hat there Is something strange going on jeff and lee are walling waiting now for sener non Hon taya who hired jeff la in spite spile of the tact fact that his investigation of the company revea revealed led nothing jeff Is suspicious NOW CONTINUE WITH THE STOUT STORY CHAPTER III M shoved off for puerto a soledad at once his launch was built for service not speed and bucking the tides along the coast aou would id slow him down further on the dock it took the combined efforts of both lee and curt to keep the boys out of mischief presently a down river boat snuggled into its berth with the ease of a ferry it gave a pair of toots delicate as a french railway trains as the gangplank was wheeled to the vessels side and the job of berthing completed senor was unmistakable tall erect of bearing very clearly the gente de pelo the gente principal of these countries he wore faultless whites a crisp panama on curly black hair straight from the ship to the little group he came my sincere apologies mr cur mrs curtis were his first words ile he spoke with very little accent though the timbre of his voice betrayed his spanish origin he made a deep bow to lee held out his hand to curt 1 I have been more than busy since ah mr mitchells unfortunate happening you have discovered by now the reason I 1 need a new chief engineer no lee took the boys in hand holding their interest with the selection of a gigantic gaudy straw hat for each of them from stock piled a dozen high on a vendors head while senor led curt on a quick survey of the docks and facilities here in ili the sheds two items instantly caught the eye two boxes forty feet long ten wide and quite thin for these dimensions curt cocked a brow at them said briefly spare wings we have two planes one of them was tied up for weeks once by a damaged wing so now we have spares on hand 1 I heard youve had considerable use se from your planes yes was the monosyllable monosyllabic reply PI what make are they it was a conversational question it would have made no difference one way or another what answered yet the question brought brough t a sharp quick glance from eyes that were beady black here in the gloom of the big receiving shed and a rotund vagueness in reply one end of the bodega was piled high with barrels bearing the stencil of a well known chemical firm curt paused before them looked them over with considerable interest lime so you treat the soil before planting he asked over acid I 1 suppose from centuries of flooding A frown definitely stamped mon forehead at this but was immediately chased away by a smile that showed even white teeth that mr curtis the senor replied smoothly is a question that would come under the head of chemical research we have a chemical expert dr Toon jes from amsterdam if he likes you he may be willing to answer your questions but I 1 count on it lie he said with another flash of teeth dr is quite jealous of ills his theories which I 1 expect will produce more and better fruit than associated across the river As As curt curt was turning this over in his mind senor pulled at his lower lip a lip unusually red even for his swarthy skin 1 I expect you to work along with us in this fashion you are responsible for the engineering work assigned to you just as dr is responsible as agricultural superintendent in just as mr lannestock is responsible for aviation and mr for transportation lannestock most of our contract employees are americans these two are swedish I 1 ii brought them here as pilots but wo we no longer need two full time pilo alts ts As mr proved himself capable in transportation matters I 1 have given him charge of that department curt had a long established habit of fiddling with his pipe when mullins mulling over some point that needed thought ile he suddenly discovered hed been stuffing it during this polite harangue since the senor while talking had been leading the way into the open curt now lit up expelling a huge cloud of smoke before he said mildly with a smile all of which is by way of telling me to mind my own business well all right youve hired me for 0 the engineering end of your venture and where my interest lies ill try to curb my wandering curiosity senor eyed curt a moment moin in en t 1 I am quite sure we shall get along mr curtis they took a rapid look see in the port office introducing curt casually then returned to lee and the children seated on their pile of luggage the boys leashes were on them again much to their audible disgust A pair of quick toots now came from the river steamer t that hat had been loading all morning even as the pisces docked the baggage was hauled aboard the little party followed As they headed slowly upstream senor made his guests comfortable under a deck awning iced coffee was served as the children exhausted from heat and excitement cit ement slept on a garape spread on the deck each jealously clutching his new hat big as himself to jeff said casually 1 I suppose theres no reason why you say who recommended me to you no none admitted his host it t was mr mitchell mitchelll mitchell I 1 yes himself though perhaps unknowingly I 1 explain many times I 1 had to warn him about his attitude toward the men under him of course I 1 what do you say ah yes I 1 hounded him to get the work done for we have much to do before the rainy season and it has not gone too 0 6 I 1 A each jealously clutching his new hat big as himself well but certainly I 1 did not want him to antagonize the workers one can ah drive some men others not it is is a fine point to know how far one can go with workers erf when I 1 saw the many enemies mr mitchell was making I 1 thought but this is unfortunate I 1 feared ah an accident so it was happy for me that I 1 led him into talk of competent engineers you wore were one he mentioned above others you see two hours of fighting the current upriver and they found at another modern dock with a long floating stage built to allow for the rise of the river in flood hood time now the river at low point the wharf towered high above them their baggage was swung upward in ili a cargo net a deckhand deckhard deck hand riding the hook to avoid the stairs while curt and the others climbed the long flight of steps from the floating stage to t the he landing above spread before them on the only rise of land for miles along this side of thu river river was a small town built arrowhead fashion around a fan shaped railroad terminus of storage tracks pointed out a centrally located bungalow your Tern pujo office mr curtis there is sleeping accommodation there for you there will be nights when you are unable to get back to san alejo led the party to two motorcars tor cars automobiles with hanged flanged wheels to operate on the narrow gauge railroad tracks aide side windows of tho the sedan bodies rolled completely into the framework making all weather cars for the variable ria i ble climate ordered the two m motor ator boys ahead with the baggage while he drove the curtises in the second car off of they sped acro across the hat flat uninteresting country far off of on curts right was what appeared to be a tremendous salt field but he knew it bo be that lime went his thoughts laid by a airplane before planting san alejo sat prettily on an out jutting hump of the range a full thousand feet above the flats and the railroad took to sharp curves and steep grades in climbing to the town slanting down from a bowl af of summits above was a pipe line indicating a reservoir senor preened himself A good site no the whole year there are winds that sweep across this f face ac e of the mountains in late afternoon and evening but never does dods the wind come up from the old swampland the result we are happy to have no malaria here where we live this makes the senora benora more comfortable no ile he pointed as the car rounded a curve and the town came into fuller view you see that long low building our hospital Ii larger than we need perhaps but it is more better to be prepared across the plaza is our clubhouse that building of two stories which looks out aver the valley from between it is our administration building the ground floor is commissary where the senora can itt get anything she needs we are very proud of san alejo reason to be grunted curt layout so we think too there is nothing to break our view in back of the club we have the swimming pool the tennis courts also the schools three of them for the different ages of the children no and now the car took another curve that brought into sight the farther down slope of mt san alejo below about a kilometer from the town was an exceptionally long cleared field with a broad well worn strip down its length A branch of the railroad led to it around the base of the mountain good sized field curt commented youve several buildings besides hangars yes just the one word but is that a fence I 1 see around the field your eyes are sharp mr curtis yes the field does have a fence our chief pilot nearly lost his life during his first month here because of a natives mania for souvenirs we had not thought to properly protect the planes it is a serious thing to risk ones life in the air mr curtis so I 1 felt I 1 should put a fence around the field curt saw a flash behind the livo ing quarters swimming pool yes a small one I 1 do all I 1 can to keep the men contented it is much worth the cost it pays well at the far end of the field was a sizeable copse of trees and curt wondered that they should be b e left standing within the field before he could see more however another switchback switch back of the climbing railroad lost the field to view the motorcar laboring up the grade came out onto a level stretch picked up speed and at once they were in the heart of the small town it is late was saying you have yet to unpack and get settled I 1 will take you to your house now I 1 trust senora that the cook and house servant we furnish you will prove satisfactory lee made a vague sound in reply in the morning turned to curt if you will cometo my office at eight I 1 will spend the day with you we shall how do you say it ah yes buckle down to work the sidewalks were not wide enough for the group abreast walked ahead carrying the two children whose shoes made smudges on his spotless coat the boys were silent with this stranger lee wrinkled her nose in distaste at the senors S L nor Is faultlessly tailored back hal she murmured look at him the dark lily sh curt tightened his hold on her arm ile he may have ears he whispered well I 1 dont care she muttered resentfully look how he carries the kids ile he likes children I 1 laugh hacia ha a deposited the boys carefully before a hedge of hibiscus opened the wire gate smiled them through onto the neatly scythed scythes lawn where a mango a fast growing tree already offered some shade to lawn and house lie he was about to turn away with a gallant lift of his hat when ahen cert mentioned mrs mitch mitchell ell for the first time we were close friends with the mitchells a few years ago it must have been a terrible blow to her he said 1 I think we should express our regrets as soon as possible ali ah senor pulled at al his lower lip it was a most terrible ble shock to her mr curtis he cast a glance at lee 1 I ah had not meant to speak of it before the senora but to be sure she will have to know mrs mitchell ah committed suicide only yesterday from grief this morning she was buried A sad affair yes that was what delayed me curt managed a blank face to hide the disturbing shock but lee was frankly astonished she reached for birts C arts hand not until was out of hearing however did she exclaim she beverl zora mitchell commit suicide not zoral she the type besides chenever she sh never enever cared that much for him she never seemed to admitted curt slowly they were a cool enough couple he turned to the house absently he held lees hand es as they climbed the steps but ditl hi i free hand in his pocket was crushing zora mitchells note before going to bed that night curt held a lighted match to the note but the words were burned into E his Es s mind TO BE CONTINUED |