Evening star., 1935-09-21
INSTALLMENT XII.


TT WAS early afternoon before Ann
came back. Every muscle of her
body felt drawn and strained
Il Lee had seen her when she was
still far down the mountain and the
throbbing in his swollen knee had
been momentarily forgotten while he
watched her slow, laborious progress
Too. he had seen the canteen hang
ing from her shoulder and known by
the way it pulled on its straps that
she had (". thank God!'O found
water
You'll never know what happened
inside me when I saw the heavineSs
of this thing" he told her, holding the
canteen aloft.
Smilingly she had handed him the
canteen before throwing herself on
the ground. She lay now with her
arms thrown out. eyes closed, breath
ing audibly through her barely open
mouth, marveling that she had been
able to do this thing Time and
again she had stopped to lean heavily
against a tree, feeling that she had
used up the last ounce Of her
strength.
Perhaps the hope of finding a
stream down there, or the fear that
she would not, had so completely ab-
sorbed her consciousness that there
had been no opportunity to think of
herself as she went down the noun
tain Then she had caught the tiny
tinkling sound of running water
at first a small stream twisting down
narrow, rock-walled gully; then,
stumbling in her haste. she had come
Unexpectedly to an open space where
the grass was Summer green beneath
her feet, and overhead the wide can
opy of sky was blue and warm and
friendly. And at that moment, even
before she flung herself down for her
first drink of the cold water, she de-
cided that by some means she must
bring Lee Monday here
Carefully, Lee screwed the plug into
place and laid the canteen on the
ground. Personally" he said, grim
ming, Il feel thousand per cent bet
ter. How about you, Ann?"
She grunted agreement, but her
eyes remained closed. The rise and
fall of her breasts beneath the leather
coat was more regular now. IT found
a place-perfectly beautiful. And in
the open . We've got to get down
there somehow"
Lees head shook, hopelesslv. mo
chance, I'm afraid" He put a hand
caressingly on his injured knee. THE
hinge of this darn leg is broken, or
something. Maybe-say-did you hear
that y"
Ann was on her feet, staring up
through the little jagged holes in the
trees, Straining her ears to catch that
distant, hollow sound again. She
heard nothing but her own heavy
breathing. but Lee cried, tits plane
it's a plane! He's coming nearer,
Ann He's coming this way.
How
AIMS hands were on his shoulders,
forcing him back. "They can't find
us here, Lee we're hidden .
we might as well be in a tunnel as
under these trees"
The muffled exhaust of the plane
was nearer now. Lee fumbled in his
pockets. Where are those matches,
Ann? They ought to be dry by now.
Ann ran back with the matches
and, under Lees directions, raked UP
a little pile of leaves and twigs and
pulled off a yard or more of torn
linen from the fuselage.
The moan of the motor was very
near now and Lees trained ears told
him the plane was flying an irregular
course, swinging from left to right and
back again.
A hand cupped to protect the flame,
Ann drew match across a loose stone.
There was no flicker of flame, only
soft gray line across the rock.
Lee almost jumped at her. use
the match box. Strike it on the box,
Ann! It's almost here now. He'll be
flying over in a second. Strike it,
strike It'll"
The full, even purr of the motor
was a roar in her ears as Ann pulled
the match along the sandpaper side
of the box. The match head was
like paint she tried again.
Again. Again. In desperation she
thrust the box into Lees hand. He
tried match after match.
His shoulders sagging, the fame Of