| Show SLA installment TWO THE STORY SO FAR karen waterton waterson san francisco girl convinced by her lawyer john colt that she has a claim to the island estate of her grandfather garrett waterson arrives in honolulu to attempt to gain control of the property one evening while she and colt are dining and discussing plans tor for pressing her claims richard wayne or tonga dick as he is known enters their dining place he is a member of the wayne family that has been in control of her grandfathers island alagoa since the old mans disappearance inasmuch as karen believes that tonga dick does not know her identity she suggests to colt that she talk to him ad a nd learn what she can colt at first opposes the idea but begins to change his mind now continue with the story kLup suppose pose there any really practical objection he said but this notion just slightly on the silly side you can hardly expect he started to say something more but let it pass then bowed with exasperating courtesy and walked away when he was gone she sat quietly a little while trying to relax presently she turned her chair a little so that she could look into the shadows where tonga dick sat three tables away alone in the obscurity of palm shadows she still could not clearly see his face but she upon the coal of his cigarette and waited she let her eyes rest there almost to the limit of endurance then smiled faintly and returned her attention to the dance floor tonga dick stood up wound his way to her table he laid a hand on the back of the chair where john colt had sat may I 1 perhaps if you wish richard wayne sat down crossed his knees comfortably and took his time about lighting a cigarette karen waited determined to make him lead the way but she watched him curiously with a sharp interest that was partly caused by his name alone in the world she knew you could no more be called tonga dick in seriousness than you could be called red handed harry or terrible pete had she had no other I 1 relationship to this man than that of a casual tourist she still would have stared just because of the name he was called tonga dick surveyed her slowly with grave eyes you wanted to see me richard wayne watched with admiration mi ration the perfect serenity of karens poise as she turned a little and coolly met his eye she was much more interesting to look at from across a table he decided than from across a number of them yet he had noticed her in 19 wast moment in which he had S frfd rfd upon the lanai that of course was the reason he knew who she was he had landed but a few hours before and had no more than shaken hands with his brothers there were no means by which he could have identified karen waterson if he had not noticed her and been interested of his own accord from the shadows of his obscure table at the edge of the lanai he had watched her for some time for no other reason than that it gave him pleasure to look at her after a little while he had signaled a table captain and asked who the girl was and had obtained a correct answer knowing who she was it was odd to be sitting at the same table with her now this was the girl who had come here from the mainland to lay 1 I 1 to I 1 the island of alagoa the N renghold rong hold in the sea dea which no one but a wayne had held for more than two decades it seemed to him that karen waterson did not look the part he understand how anyone with a face like that and eye that could get herself hooked up with a shenanigan that differed from a common swindle only in the boldness of its scope if I 1 wanted you here she said hardly be here would you and so so nothing I 1 wanted you to come and sit here because I 1 think you look romantic and I 1 think you might introduce yourself now my name is richard wayne he said 1 I belong here in the Islands more specifically I 1 am connected how many waynes are there richard wayne said to himself you know cockeyed well young lady how many waynes there are but aloud he said four my uncle who is really the owner my two brothers and myself its like owning a little empire of your own it I 1 cant think of anything nicer than that A good many people seem seem to feel that way dickseid Dick said what makes an island so hard bard to hold on to you have trouble holding onto it oh yes indeed just now tor for example there is an insufferable little snip of a girl trying to get her IVA 1 1 ve AMP he laid a hand on the back of the chair where john colt had bad sat may 1 I perhaps it you wish with a small privately owned island called alagoa he watched for her reaction and was fooled again for no reaction came that certainly is very interesting karen waterson said 1 I wish I 1 were an islander perhaps he suggested you would like to tell me who you are my name karen improvised is katie higgins something a white girl from about four miles south of dubuque I 1 teach school some place and I 1 think I 1 would like to get in the movies 1 I should have said dick commented that you were from san francisco she glanced at him im sharply but he added hawaii is a kind of a crossroads people from every part of the world come through here sooner or later so that if you live in the islands you get to recognize inflections of speech oh 0 they raise very good looking girls in san francisco dick said it must be a wonderful thing to own your own island karen said are many islands privately owned only a few in this part of the pacific is privately owned and so is lanai which is the sixth largest in the group and the waynes have had alagoa for about twenty years claws into alagoa by due legal process interesting karen encouraged him and just how does she expect to do that the waynes bought alagoa from her grandfather now the girl wishes to prove that the sale was illegal because she says her grandfather was a congenital idiot she says it runs in the family and she can prove it karen studied him for a moment with veiled suspicion but tonga dicks face was innocent what a remarkable person karen said she like well as 1 told you I 1 have had no chance to get acquainted with her maybe have a chance later Ps id rather like to you know dick admitted id like to find out what makes her tick but I 1 would hardly know how to godbout go about it just a simple island boy karen smiled well the circumstances are a lit tle tie awkward I 1 cant just go up to her and say 1 I understand you are the little twerp who is trying to get my island away from me and what are you doing this evening after the store closes or can I 1 well invite her for a sail on your boat show her selected views of the coast line show her this island ashes after what did you say the name of it was alagoa probably she even seen it ill bet shed be interested and just what said dick would be my idea get to know her you said you wanted to find out what the little fright was like maybe like her and then what and then what karen repeated say wait a minute do I 1 have to map out your entire life they grinned at each other and either one of them would have given a good deal to know what the other was thinking then its a rotten plan dick criticized now youve hurt my feelings karen said here I 1 practically work up a headache planning a beautiful day for you and what credit do I 1 get you tell me its rotten all that effort wa wasted richard wayne appeared to brighten no it it gives me a much better idea what I 1 s the use of wasting the whole program on a chiseling chi little frump no ill take you sailing instead me oh im afraid I 1 tomorrow morning richard wayne prompted her at some something like nine something more like ten she answered CHAPTER 11 II it was nearly midnight when richard wayne called upon his brothers they had been expecting him earlier in the evening and only an objectionable message he had sent them by phone had kept them waiting for him at an hour strictly outside of their habits richards two brothers ernest wayne and willard wayne sat in a large room which in spite of its prim order showed the wear of the humid years the whole thing managed a transplanted new england look obviously nothing had been changed here for a long time the two brothers who here awaited richard wayne seemed to have been bred and raised by the new england furniture both were older than richard and when he looked at them he was sometimes happy to remember that they were only his half brothers after all jt it does seem to me dick ernest wayne said fretfully that you would show a little interest in what is happening here ernest tall and thin did not look entirely well he wore gold rimmed glasses which did not seem to be strong enough for his purpose and when kept up late he developed a peaked look dick sighed and sat down it if I 1 interested I 1 be in honolulu at all he said now please try not to get all excited will you you dont realize the seriousness of the situation dick willard said heavily without heat this thin thing is critical in the extreme perhaps s even desperate uncle jim cant seem to understand that he is not invulnerable he has delayed and delayed As I 1 understand it from your letters dick said the complaint is that when our mutual father bought the island of alagoa from garrett waterson cateron he practically cheated the old boy out of his eye teeth is that the story father was an industrious and intelligent man ernest wayne said with annoyance do you know anything much about the original swindle 1 I object to your tone willard wayne said and dick was astonished by the vigor of his brothers resentment garrett waterson was a disreputable old pirate he was a waster and a speculator of the worst sort absolutely typing of a certain k kind ind of riffraff which troubled the islands in the early days it if father saw values in alagoa that waterson did not that certainly was Water sons lookout look out but now comes this girl this grasping piratical little adventuress intent on seizing not only the whole of alagoa but all the development which has cost uncle jim the best years of his life and have you checked the identity of this girl dick interrupted ashes garrett Water sons granddaughter all right willard said well brought up the family has no distinction whatever the girl has been working aa a stenographer her relationship to the island of pio b a bly would never have occurred to her as offering any possibilities if it had not been tor for this john colt and who is this john colt john colt is thirty six years old and was born in new york he is one of the predatory speculators who came to light in the boom days of the late twenties he acquired a considerable fortune through water developments in california in 1932 his stock juggling activities were investigated vesti gated but without success you seem to have snoot led around to very good effect tonga dick complimented them and now willard concluded karen waterson through her attorneys tor and undoubtedly acting on the advice and direction of john colt is bringing suit on the complaint that her grandfathers sale of ala koa was illegal that garrett waterson at the time of the sale was mentally incompetent that shows you the girls unscrupulous type she is willing to discredit her own grandfather prove him to have been virtually insane to gain advantage for herself same old story tonga dick murmured but not so easy in the case of garrett waterson I 1 should think willard wayne exploded 1 I tell you it is easy unless we find a way out it is most certainly going to be done this is what comes of dealing with of gar parrett Water sons type evidence can be brought in to show that garrett waterson was not only totally irresponsible but eccentric in the extreme I 1 myself am convinced he was more or less deranged let me remind you that weve had hun deeds of such cases in the islands mostly successful TO BE CONTINUED |
