Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
THE GHOST GIRL

"Tell me. tell me truly" she said
urgently, IF you were alone here
would you interfere?"
He thought a moment. He had
answered that question inpulsively to
himself while ago, In the village,
but now, under the sting OF her scorn,
he said, stiff1y and stubbornly: II am
not at all sure that should"
She left him then; she ate her dinner
in the tent with her brother. Lovett
ate his alone at the table. From time
to time, he could hear their voices,
Bob's low-toned, sympathetic, hers In
cautiously indignant.
Then the brother came out to him.
Lovett was grinly glad to have man
to talk to.
He could see that the brother, while
not sharing the sisters flame of wrath,
thought this was rather poor-spirited
expediency, but Lovett's mood turned
colder and colder.
He let Bryce, who was boyish good
humored chap, expostulate with In
creasing feebleness, then told him to
turn in.
HE says there's nothing to be done,
kid" he heard the young man reporting
in his tent.
Nothing that he will do" said the
girl, with indignant distinctness.
Loyett walked out of earshot.
CLEEP was fitful for him that night.
~ He was possessed by dull, ranking
anger. And he was uneasy. The
porters had come, though sullenly, but
they had agreed to march in the morn
ing only II he would make camp by
noon. They said they were sick. He
know they were planning to make a
dash back to the village for the girls
death. He'd not try to prevent them,
once a camp was made at safe dis
lance. He wanted Sallie Bryce out Of
earshot. He wanted to be out of ear
shot himself. Once it was over, he
could reclaim the porters. Africa
taught compromise. Only fools chal-
lenged her.
The drums had fallen to a muttering
like rain on the roof, but there was an
incessant humming of distant voices,
like far-away vibrancy Of bees. And
there seemed, to his unquiet sense, to
be rustling and whisperings in the
trees beyond the tents.
He got up half dozen times during
that night to peer out into the tropic
blackness. Nothing to fear, he told
himself. The villagers had no interest
in this camp. The rustlings were only
some of the porters sneaking out.
He was up before dawn. The camp
was strangely quiet about him. So, too,
was the village. He strobe over to the
cook tent, where the cook was squatting
over feeble flame between three stones,
stirring the coffee. Through the dim
ness he discerned the figures of his boys
standing uncertainty about, falling silent
as he approached. The air OF disaster
was on them.
Not a porter about the place. De-
camped in the night.
Lovetts jaw frightened. He'd not en-
dure that. A bargain was a bargain.
He was in his rights there, and natives
believed in Justice. He was lost, If he
did not stand up for his rights. He'd
60 down to the chief and try to get some
pressure put on these fellows.
First to Bryce's tent
Bryce! I say, have to go down to
the village. Please have the boys take
down the tents, while you are break
fasting, to be ready when the porters
come"
Right you are" came Bryce's voice
from within From the next tent came
Sallie Bryce's clear tones, They can
begin on mine any time, Capt. Lovett."
AS she spoke she flung open the tent
flaps and came out. And after her. a