Show black ta au 9 il aas afis CiC y U eatrice cumshaw 5 5 T MAT S V W N U denvir r CHAPTER XII continued 21 to the pair within the tenth tent drunkenly singing drunkenly caressing one another the sight of pla fla in the open doorway pla slim glim erect rigid as a young soldier in her sporting khal khaki pla pin with cold accusing eyes beneath a heavy patrol helmet came as a disturbing vision from some other world they sprang apart and it would be hard bard to any whether the man or the girl uttered the foulest words you head bead belong you bellowed sergeant almol S mot enraged what name flame why you talk bad along my Sin abada cy by aby n by me breal break you ton front froat along bayonet enough sergeant warned pla walt outside for roe me she stepped into the tonel tent and fixed a steady accusing gaze of oa smithson who suddenly sobered had risen to his feet its the by 1 he muttered leaning one hand oo on the disordered supper table and starlus under noder ills his tattered locks of hair bair mr smithson asked pla pia with cold courtesy will you kindly tell me why you pre are not at my husbands claim plenty of time retorted smithson picking up courage under a secret nudge from jinny going back to it when I 1 get good and ready 1 I believe you are a gold miner diner dont you know that a claim Is forfeited if left without just cause tor for thirty days ile he dont need you to learn him came jinnys jinnis shrill voice ilia iia did not ignore her site she turned toward jinny and sent her a glance la in which pit pity Y kindness and a certain fear the chaste womans comans irrepressible fear of the unchaste were strangely mingled you are mrs spicer she said im sorry to see you encouraging this man to in neglect of his bis duty mrs spicer as much as mrs anybody said jinny more mrs hirs spicer than youre mrs amory by all accounts she laughed coarsely pla ignored that she was feeling for her feet in this strange medium she remembered jinny remembered I 1 her well flow the girl hud had altered tince since those days on the great laneri how her beauty had bad coarsened how the slim firm graces 0 of her dancers do cers figure had slackened into ugly local lines 1 so thin was jinny always that perfect condition was her only chance of grace it had gone the grace was as going with it youth and an d beauty too soon were passing away from genevieve in the first moment pla pia could could not account tor for so great a change but jinny uncomfortable beneath that pitying gaze seized her half filled champagne glass and emptied it at a gulp hoarsely crying as the she took it from her tips lips yours drink hearty well soon be dead and pia ilia saw raw that the vice of jinnis jinnys kind long avoided had bad caught her up at lost last she iv was s indeed drinking hearty now she was even well on the way to fulfill the latter half of her famous war cry champagne for the lady proclaimed smithson still no not qu quite to h himself though consid considerably erab Y sober sobered d ile be reached for a bottle thanks no fell from pias s PI like an icicle you hagent told tile me yet sir mr smithson why you corne to be here I 1 might as well tell you that I 1 hold my husbands power of attorney and am going up to the field to act for or him 1 I cams came to be her here e answered smithson ith painful effort 1 I because I 1 came to be here her e he offered this brightly as a compi complete cie eipl explanation I 1 a were prospecting contributed jinny 71 inny putting down her glass and fixing a defiant stare upon pla pia me end arid he be theres other gold beside that on Tata tata which dont belong to my friend anyhow As tor for powers of attorney she went on hurriedly pouring out more wine and keeping her face turned somewhat 1 away if I reckon this is a free country I 1 reckon my friend alend dont have to run ran when anybody whistles even mrs philip amory sue she loaded each word with contempt coD tempt if pla in tier her pres ence was shaken bom ebat by the fear of the chaste for the Oli unchaste chaste on her part was consumed ill b the light womans comans aud arid perfectly genuine scorn for an innocent girl here dont you ladles ladies get over me thickly said Snut lison supporting himself by the tent poles he had bad moved over towards the elie door was looking owlishly yet with lith a curious interest at the velvet star be sprinkled sky 1 11 I came caine away he said bald because this lady wanted wailed to go and fine fide gold mines I 1 let her go fine gop gol mines miner all alone nawl she and UK and the whisky and the champagne abas that poetry about a jug of wine find and a case of whisky and gln gin sling alongside of you she and me and il i n the new moon at aft that jinny much the soberer sota of the two let out a sudden shriek hung flung herself halt half across the tent and 81 slapped her fingers on bubbling babbling mouth illoyd hold bour our ton tongue gue tool foo 11 she cried to ilia ila lie ile dont inc bican anything I 1 mean he means that the moun moon makes him worse than he be Is its like that with lo ariles of oil all sorts he gets sort of wild you yon kno know she had pulled herself together with marvelous marve lons completeness was lighting fighting and smoking a cigarette she did not look nt at pla pia any more dout dont mind us ns she said were rough but were 11 onest honest rough diamonds nip find and him excuse us please ril get him back to tile the field for you sort im fed up with prospecting I 1 made love to him film and got him to come away ary with me because I 1 wanted him to work tor for me you can put that in your pipe and smoke it if you like she at stood I 1 P it alil N A 15 flir J I 1 X 1 0 w 4 1 0 1 1114 E S dont mind Us she said were roush rough but were honest with tier her hands on her loan hips star ing at pla pia pla pia straight helmeted armed as a young joan of are arc with blue pure eyes burning in ID a face of 0 mountain snow paused still as the night outside her mind on full stretch over this new problem what had the moon to do with it there was small email chance ot of finding out anything here la in this reeking tent from the half drunk pair who were certainly not prospecting whatever their business in the bush might be without a word pin pia turned find and walked away fill followed owed by the sergeant she lingered a little on the way back to the camp the carriers were 11 noisy she could hear bear them shouting and singing how flow they acre ere shout dancing too when she came out into the open clearing site sie could see by the light of the fires dark forms whirling and leaping as it if possessed by demons they mide made such a noise that at first she could riot not distinguish what they were singing although some words seemed reclined strangely familiar then over the herider shouts of the and barsi ya isi carriers came loud load and clear tile the cry of some port fort moresby boys sall 01 sail salio OP ria pla knew the custom of saluting the new moon with that cry she glanced to westward where the forest sloping down showed a wide stretch of sky there in the west almost gone lie hung bung one clear small strip of silver like a light ligh peeling drop dropped pelf from some balry ali y fruit new moon I 1 what had those people in ili the tent said about the moon why had jinny struck smithson vi allen lien tie he spoke of it why roust mast she ehe ilia ila know nothing about tile the moon the moon which measured oft off months oh I 1 it was a i sudden cry leaping cap oer a hundred unnoticed links her mind had sprung shruti to eo the end of the chain of thought she knew thirty days ot of deser desertion tiou without K S i lk l K due arid and sufficient clent cause made vold void a claim smithson who resist drink or girls was as here in the forest two days aay from Tata tata with jinny and jinnys jinnis or cases of champagne there were no calendars in the bush drinkers memories are treacherous if you wanted to stay away thirty days guessing do but if you lid did not guess it if you counted by something that drop a day here or there if you left at new moun moon and gave over your reckoning to something that was sure to come back bach in exactly twenty eight days something that every na tive in sight would hall with salutations and loud cries then you might be perfectly sure that you would stay away just long enough I 1 sergeant almol nol said pla go and get me one of mr Smith sons car biers lr replied kimol as it if she hard had asked for or a handkerchief 1 I bring him film dead or I 1 bring him live sina bada sir alive of course and dont let anyone see you getting him film right sir tile sergeant melted into the bush it was sume some minutes before he returned driving before him tin an extreme ly seared scared and very naked parman papuan come on you hack black cow encouraged kimol you like I 1 handcuff hlin him Sinn Sin bada abada no certainly not dont frighten him asli ask him when they left the field and be sure you get the right answer 1 I me eavey nodded almol an interchange ter of questions and answer followed Sin abada said tire the serg sergeant ilant saluting him say this num man this woman leadem Tata Trita tata abass time the new moon come bee fore him leabern twel sun he stop un on top 11 give him some tobacco and let mm him go sergeant Serge antl tell him not to talk about this 1 I all right proffered the serge sergeant aDt on returning 1 I I 1 bakem head belong him film clea cleabern head all same sookim along pire keiu kera him film head up along my dubu club clubhouse hou se suppose him too much talk ln abada I 1 well sergeant pia fla looked into the fare anxious kindly shrewd of the dark jiwat sergeant the savage dressed in serge and recognized a roan man samoil had sensed without und understanding the crisis in which she found lier tier self was offering blindfolded his help its this sergeant she said briefly mr smithson was left to look out after my husbands gold if lip runs away from it for one moon and two days another man can steal it then there Is no gold for my man no gold for me sergeant do you know the way to the bicio I 1 mean know it well 1 I no savvy him too much sinn finds bada one carrier he be savvy plenty village belong him stop two day along bush what 1 youve put got a Tata tata mant man 1 sly my word yes aln i badi lice bee fure fore him killem one white man along ta batata road him go to jail along darn tills this man he good man he savvy plenty get him here pla pia ordered another wild naked creature was herded up yes he said in answer to tile the sergeant me ile savvy load road too much Tata tata tomorrow ne e walk we walk strong nother day ne e walk we walk strong nighttime we sleep morning time sun h he come up big we come up ap along Tata tata sun he go down donn we come coine along gole fiel twenty eight days today counted pla pin twenty nine tomorrow thirty the day after thirty one to arrive Serge sergeant antl ask him dues does he k know n ow a nother another way a shorter vay ay yo no savvy said eaid the carrier promptly pla wati lied him he seemed to her mind midd a little too prompt offer double pay she oi dered no ko savvy was the result not cot without a touch of temper pla pia turned tier her back and walked off to her tent her man ills his fortune were ere fla hanging nging in the balance the cat streak that hides bides in all women came to the surface she became cruel in defense of her own slake him talk she lung flung over tier her shoulder as she went my word me well ivell make him was the sergeants reply lie ile reached rea chei for a strip of lawyer cane it t was only a minute or two before the ene ex murderer appeared sulking shaking whimpering driven by kimol pla ilia sitting or on tier her camp bell bed as aa on a bench of jub justice tice questioned him and the sergeant translated Is there another road kimol replied him say yes plenty had bad roar road full up along devil TO BE BB CONTINUED ev ik i K 14 |