The Tomahawk., 1920-03-18

with fright; his eyes came back with
snap from their sensual feast. Many
Of his companions laughed aloud, but
others only licked thick lips in bestial
hunger for more slaughter.
"You" cried Trevor, pressing the
muzzle of his revolver into the CULVER
ing naked stomach of the man he had
frightened. "Get your crew together.
Take me home"
Half an hour later Andrea found
herself once more in MacCloster's
boat, but in spite Of the fact that all
its appointments and the crew were
the same with the exception of the one
black who had been killed, it seemed
utterly strange to her eyes, now no
longer glazed by misery. She turned
to Trevor, who had not spoken to her
since first he had Joined her In the
Gaia. ''The boat is quite different" she
said. cts as though saw it for the
first time"
He gave her no answer beyond
noncommittal grunt, nor did he look
at her. His eyes were fastened far
ahead on the river, tracing out the
swirl Of the current and deep water.
A troubled look came into Andrea's
face; she glanced at him and her lips
parted twice in the half-smile that
precedes kindly speech. "You think I
ought to thank you?" she asked. Il
haven't the words; if tried my heart
would choke me-"
"Thank me?" said Trevor, casting
her a casual look. "What for?"
Andrea's lips trembled. If only the
fire hadn't happened just when 1t did,
she thought, if only it had given him
time to find her, to take her in his
arms! 'For saving me-" she answered
simply.
"For saving nothing" affirmed IRE
vor. "For saving the nothing that is
left of your beauty and freshness and
honor after the touch of that beast"
Overwhelming shame stained her
cheeks; she felt all that was noble and
generous within her shriveling into a
strangling knot. She tried to speak,
to protest against his hardness and in
justice, but she could only gulp. For
hours they sat in absolute silence, and
gradually the cold that had struck her
heart spread through all her body un-
til her teeth began to chatter.
"Why are you doing that?" asked
Trevor sharply. 1T isn't really cold"
I'm d-d-d-doing it b-b-be-
cause c-c-can't help it," chartered
Andrea. II. am c-c-cold!" She
pressed herself against his body. as
though she begged for his arms around
her. He drew away from her.
She crouched back in her corner
and turned upon him the accusing eyes
of a child that has been cruelty
wounded; then her womanhood came
to the rescue. It reasoned with her.
told her that the time for pride had
passed, for If she lost this man she lost
all men forever. No longer could she
say my world" and think Of parties,
Bond street, taxicabs and the smartest
restaurants; her world was here be-
side her, to win or lose.
When 1t came to describing her
hours with Manchester. she harped
with supreme feminine intuition on a
single fact. Again and again she gave
him to understand that except for lug
ging her across his shoulder to the
boat, Manchester had not once so
much as laid a finger on her. So care
full was her narrative In its logical Sc
quence of detail that it could not fall
to carry conviction with it. Trevor
gradually melted to the extent Of fill
ing his pipe and lighting it.
She told Of her entering the court
around the great Gaia with Manchester,
of his discovery that a case Of gin had
arrived with his freight and Of the
oily change that had come to his voice.
At this point in her story Trevor for
got to smoke. He clutched the hot
bowl Of his pipe in grip that made
his knuckles show white. She could
feel him listening with his whole tense
body. She hurried on to her climax !;
to the description Of her strategy In
removing Tie CledIS Uuu VI mdSOAVo-
ter's terrifying attack. She even re-
peated some of his words. HE said,
waiting up for me, dearie?' and then
I drove the nails into his hands and
when he snatched them back, hit him
across the head and he fell. And then
I heard you coming. I thought I had
gone mad, that it was not with my ears
but with the longing Of my heart that
I heard you coming. When I called
and you answered I forgot that I had
ever known fear; I knew that was
safe, forever and forever"
"Good GIRL" said Trevor huskily. He
reached out and patted her hand but
his thoughts were not altogether with
her; they were lingering behind, how
ering over the scene Of her elemental
battle with Manchester as though he
sought to steep his soul in that recol-
lection in an effort to drown for once
and all time the memory Of twenty
-