Show Ben Ames Williams 1 SYNOPSIS George McAusland was 38 years old when he sailed from America to undertake his post as a missionary In the FIJI A crime he had committed In a fit of excitement had shattered all his confidence In He felt forced to avoid pretty Mary who boarded the ship at She was en route to visit her who were missionaries on Mary was attracted by George's attempts to One day George accidentally fell Mary unhesitatingly dove Into the sea to rescue George Is falling In love with When the boat approached her home on Gilead they learned that Mary's parents had both George volunteered to take charge of the CHAPTER ni Continued Mary a secret amusement In her for our reputations' sake you think we ought to ask John Gale to marry and stay and work Is that what you she urged did you decide you wanted to stay Something for a moment rose In choking He came strongly to his he cried In a sort of I won't leave you here with Joseph She seemed almost said that will do for I George Her eyes were isn't very Most men would say But I think It's a lot for you to I'd lots rather be married to you than Shall I tell you It hasn't anything to do with duty at She had come close to maybe you'd like to tell me why you don't want to leave me here with Her eyes were teasing He took a backward like one he don't Mary smiled as if at a secret of her maybe you'll find out by and she She touched his If you do find promise to tell will It's a thing a girl likes to George and all their possessions in trunks and bags and boxes on the ground about stood on the ledges above the landing place to watch the Sunset put to But they did not wait to watch her out of sight Willing hands had borne their gear away up the trail past the bathing pool toward Eph-raim Doncaster's and when the ship yonder passed out of the roadstead George McAusland sneezed that cold he had contracted when he fell overboard had said we'll want to settle ourselves before dark Shall we go to the John Gale had married them that on the after deck of the with canoes in a circle under her stern for and the sailors watching from Mary noticed that Corkran was not among the men and she was a little hurt by his but she asked no lest George too be CHAPTER IV When they came into the since Mary had not been ashore she looked around with brimming recognizing familiar objects She softly as though she might disturb someone to look Into her father's and she called George to was she this is Mother's next to He saw the two beds close the flimsy wall did you he She led him across to the other bedroom In the opposite end of the and they stood in the doorway think you'd better take your father's he take this Then you can have two rooms to won't be She said In a soft you take and I'll be In close beside He shook his This arrangement will give us each some She smiled amused and thinking Bhe won't have much at Willi no no no shutters on the arrange Now a girl came In carrying a gourd cut into the shape of a filled with a yellowish viscous stuff which she presented placing it on the table set for The girl was There were two or three faint lines tattooed near her mouth and on her and she wore blossoms in her Mary told her is brought her to take care of He just a isn't Must we have Where's the I And what do we eat this Mary your finger I In twist it and stick it in I your she much the easiest It's too string and sticky tor a fork or a I spoon George and don't care for the he as soon eat and Ieni stood beaming He looked toward the girl and lowering his voice as though by doing so he could avoid being we persuade her into a more What's that she has make the cloth by soaking some sort of bark like flax and beating it over a they call She Ieni has on her prettiest In our Usually she won't be so dressed you an old dress you can give wouldn't wear her and will in the Mary He took her old she her with the length of the house between Mary lay long drenched in the night sounds half forgotten that had once been so Once she heard George and she called my Warm In the morning he appeared in the heavy black suit he had worn on The first shower of the day pelted on the thrummed among the passed to leave a stifling humid heat Mary was cool In in a dress she had worn in school which she now left unbuttoned at the and I nave my she reminded without petticoats or other George said in a low She did not understand he I think you have forgotten your She left them You surely don't expect you must realize how ridiculous you and how uncomfortable you will be in that heavy He almost a fool of but to keep my head I'm going to have to hold on to It's so easy to begin to live as these savages to lie around unless we hang on to our own ways of doing And he I were strong I could let down my standards In some ways and still keep them in but I He half laughing at know wearing this suit is but I guess it's a symbol or She would find always in him this humble consciousness of his own weakness behind any outward arrogance of certainty he might put She and went to dress as he wished her From her own room she heard bis voice raised and called a and he can't have the house full of these people staring at us all the I'm trying to send them And when you come bring something for Jennie to She called to scold You just frighten They're ready to love you if you give them a After they'll do anything for but you'll have to go easily at Those first weeks after her return to the Island were for Mary pleasant George maintained a reserve toward her which she waited for time to break but she had the delight of seeing him happy In these scenes she He was full of intensely interested in every aspect of the Island going to and fro along the many trails that led to the thatch-roofed houses of poles built on rock platforms like their There were houses near and along the and by the beach at the end of the The beach ended on the farther side at a low cliff not easily to be which limited their but one night George spoke of the fact that there was a considerable traffic of canoes across the notice men going over to the other side and landing he never any She remembered the explanation from her childhood never go In the she are tabu for The men go over to the I know Father never went they let She agreed to ask He was firm In saying but reticent in giving Mary told think they're entitled to some don't Just as we value He agreed not to force the But Mary was more curious than manner had puzzled She did not believe the Islanders had any secret temple consecrated to pagan as George and she questioned What she heard was Ieni said a white man with black hair lived across the who had insisted that his presence there be concealed from George and The white man talked very loud and he had a talking The white man had come down out of the mountains the day after the Sunset with the bird on his and he now lived happily In a house above the cliff beyond the Mary recognized He must have swum ashore from the Sunset the night before the ship and Captain Keen had known the uselessness of trying to capture the She was and angry Corkran's and the manner of his life as Ieni described would make George But as a result of Ieni's Mary herself sometimes walked toward the beach thinking she might encounter the So Mary had persuaded George to sleep for a while every and sometimes she left him asleep and went abroad among these people who were her It was on such an occasion that she saw the sailor emerging from the saw Corkran on the In white pants and a ragged lying with his head In a girl's watching the Mary was near before he saw Then he came scrambling to his feet in some dismay and touched his forehead said Corkran and looked past her toward the tralL himself he's be letting him know I'm he urged would bother She it Why did you desert the He flushed with embarrassment when I knew himself and you would stay says I to no place for the likes of They just might be needing a good fighting man some So that night when the mate that was watching to see we were good little boys and stayed where we belonged looked the other way for a I slid like an and into the jungle I went till the ship was I know himself would not like my being You'll never be telling rather he didn't she you'd better keep away from the He comes here that I wilL It was a careless chance I took A friendly impudence was in his I knew you had been told I was I sent that so you'd know there was one to call on If you ever needed have my she reminded and big and strong he is inside of in his heart and his But sometimes a fist saves trouble and argument and I'm stronger In the fist than himself will ever He said that little man has a hard time with but there's stuff in He'll surprise us all one and never a bit surprised will I She deeply think so she like him take care of him between Corkran assured with and me here If I'm But don't tell him I'm not see each other she If you send for George for some reason found it hard to learn the Island so he could not yet preach to the Mary sometimes thought he was because he often talked about his boyhood in and he liked to ask her about her years at school in New about her uncle who was mate aboard the and her young Tommy There were other occasions when George asked her questions about the and about the men aboard and especially about Richard As though Jhc secret thought in George's mind took shape in she sometimes wondered whether she would have fallen In love with Richard if she had been if he had ever wooed if they had met again before she mar ried Now of course it would never but she smiled remembering the dreams she had used to dream she was a child and Richard already a BE |