The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1933-10-05
who live there are unaware. but
+hoir thouphtc fill tho eilancn

Nesta was not thinking of this,
but as she stood with her hand on
the door of the room opposite the
kitchen, little chill just touched
her and her heart beat audibly. She
had the bowl in her left hand, and
she had to keep it steady.
The door swung in. and she fol-
lowed it. taking three or four steps
forward and then standing still to
listen. The bedroom was on the left
the fireplace straight in front Of
her, the chest of drawers across the
corner, and the window on the right.
She listened, and at first she could
hear nothing at all because of the
drumming in her ears. Then, after
she had stood there for while, it
passed and she could distinguish his
slow, deep breathing. The window
was open and light, cool air came
in.
Nesta turned and closed the door
with steady hand.
There should be chair at the foot
of the bed. She frowned to find it
heaped with his discarded clothes.
When she had slid them off on to the
floor, she brought the chair to the
bedside and set the bowl of water
down upon it.
By this time she could see the out
line of the window and the black
jutting corner of the chest Of
drawers. The bed was just visible,
and when she had looked a little
longer she could see that he lay
facing the window with his right
arm clear of the bed-clothes.
CHE kneeled down by the bed and
- reached for the bowl. The chair
was too high. 1t hampered her. and
she pushed it away. She could hold
the bowl in one hand and have the
other free. Yes, that was better.
She put out her bend and felt for
his, bringing her fingers down upon
his wrist by the slowest Of degrees.
1t seemed as If an interminable time
passed before her hand lay on his,
and he had not moved. There was
something almost terrifying about
this contact.
His hand was heavy. inert, and
warm. 1t was warmer than her own.
She began to guide it very slowly
towards the edge of the bed, and all
the time she listened for change in
his deep, slow breathing.
The change came with an extra
ordinary suddenness. He cried out
and flung over towards her, startling
her so much that she jerked sharply
back, letting go of his wrist and
stopping some of the water over on
to the floor. Her heart thumped hard,
and through it's humping she heard
him say in a rapid mutter, Eight of
them--the finest in the world-no
one knows"
After the first recoil she stayed
quite still. The mutter died. The
bowl Of water became heavier and
heavier in her hand. He lay now
almost on his face, his left arm un-
der him and his right hanging over
the edge of the bed. His breathing
became slow and deep again. She let
the time go by.
At last she put her hand on his
and slowly, slowly brought the bowl
of water up to it. This time her
fingers covered his. Hers touched
the water first. And then almost i'm
perceptibly their two hands sank
into the bowl. He did not move. He
breathed in the same deep. slow
way. His hand was heavy and still.
She said, in a voice that was just
not whisper.
Where are the emeralds?" /,
And at once he stirred in his sleep.
His head moved on the pillow; his
band moved in hers. He said, as II.
repeating her words, -
1.-THE emeralds?"
Where are the emeralds?"
There was the same movement
again. He said, mo one knows" (
You know"
This time there was no movement
and no answer.
You know where the emeralds
are"
He lay still and said, muttering,
Il know"
'Where are they?" She felt
fierce excitement, fierce demand.
His hand pulled on hers. She
forced her will, and felt that ha re.
sisted 1t.
Where are they?"
He said, "No one knows but M
The resistance hardened.
'Tell me where they are"
He wrenched his hand from hers.
The water ran over the lip of the
bowl into her lap. Then, before she
could recover herself, he reached
out and caught her by the throat.
Copyright. 1885, '. B. Lippincott Co..
Tomorrow, Nesta finds herself In
sArioiia situatfon.