The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-01-28

had said to him one dawn, "Hear the
corn growing, sonny?" and he laughed,
whereupon the granddad had taken
him by one ear and marched him to
the nearest furrow. "Pick out stalk
and watch 1t, you little egg-sucker,"
he commanded. "See it grow, If you
can't hear"
Andrea was like that; she was un.
furling as though In the morning of
new youth. Never had her eyes been
brighter; never her checks 80 quick
to play with fire. Incidentally, she was
full Of q devil Of mischlevOus remin-
iscent innuendo.
Its all a great joke now, young
lady," Trevor would defend himself,
"but If you'd seen what have Of per-
niclous malaria, you'd keep grave for
n year. I've seen three Swahilis that
had nourished mosquitoes from their
youth up, fall like dogs, one after an
other. within a mile and a half Of an
infected camp and the best Of them
went stone blind for month";"
"Did you nurse them, White Man?
Did you see them through?'
These were the questions that drove
him nearest to desperation, but the
glcnm In the eyes above the dcmure
mouth from which they issued inva-
rinbly warned him Of the trap In time.
He was on his guard; he knew that
there were things between him and
Andrea that speech would turn into
ghnstly skeletons walking by day and
which only consistent silence could
nntDnl ca Il 1t,
symDathics that even In this lie under
stood her. 1t was not that she was
pcrvcrse, but that her pride demanded
constant test of his loyalty to her
other self-that internal self that had
lain barred, revealed, ana helpless ~
his arms.
About those things which might have
aroused a legitimate curiosity, she
asked few questions. Without q word
OF inquiry she saw him despatch twelve
picked men on some mysterious mis-
sion whose intricacics and Importance
ncccSsitatcd a preliminary palnvcr OF
an hours duration. Equally silent, she
watched his detailed preparations Of
well-nppolntcd snfari. Tents were
brushed and set to air; cots and mat
trcsscs put out for q sun-bath; provi-
siOns Of all sorts packed in one-load
cases; water boiled, filtered and hung
in canvas coolers. Only few days
before, just such signs as these had
made her heart heavy with unanswer-
able qucstionings, but her illness had
changed all that The successive mo-
mcnts Of the thrObbing present each
In It's turn filed her whole horizon.
She knew instinctively that he had
something big up his sleeve, and that
he would shake 1t out on the slightest
provocation. She also had n long men,
ory, and had no difficulty in recalling
his exact boast as to what he would
do when she was well. He was going
to take her In free fight. She was well
now, she reflected; she had never felt
better In her life, and If there was one
thing she hungcred for more than an
other, 1t was the promised combat.
There Is no telling how long An
drca's innate Stnbbornness would have
held out nor ut what point Trevor's
transportation would have driven him,
for their wordlcss contest was inter-
rupted by an event which he had both
forcscen and feared. They were sitting
Mt n table after dinner on n
cloudless night, brilliant under q
full moon, when a fnr-nway sound
came to disturb their purpose
full silence. Trevor straightencd in his
chair and leaned forward, his whole
body tense in the effort of listening.
1t came again, n ghost Of Il sound that
gradually assumed substance and
rhythmic form until after five long
minutes 1t was recognizable as the
cadcnced rumble Of an African river
chantey.
Instantly Trevor was on his feet. He
issued orders to Bathtub, who imme-
diatcly began to clear the table and
eliminate every item Of furniture that
would Indicate n dual occupancy Of the
white portion Of the camp. They had
dressed that night for dinner, not as a
celebration or any special event, but
because they were both bored with
too much time on their hands. Trevor
now excused himself to Andrea and
withdrew TO his room. In few min
utes he reappeared garbed in his
rOughcst khaki shirt and trousers. His
A'SS Nuo SluFc iS IlC uuStlCeu OH
Andrea with nod toward her hut
"MacClostcr will be here in half an
hour" he stated. II ask you to go to
your room, close and bar both doors
and stay there until call YOU"
Without waiting for her comment,
he turned and left her. She sat on,
with narrowed eyes, until she had fin
ished her cigarette. and then. with a