Imperial Valley press., 1936-12-27

time! And the countryside in May
new green grass under the
great oak trees in Kent. Surrey
and Somersetshire. the fields
riot of buttercups the lilacs,
may, hawthorn and laburnum in
bloom. | miss all that. And there
was a little cafe in Soho where
used to take-but that's all over
and forgotten now-the sentimen.
talism of an old man, my dear.
My work is here in Africa, not
so far from merry old England
vet, don't believe I'll be going
Jackson"
How long lave you been
dway?" Faith asked, suddenly.
unaccountably interested in her
companion.
1T will be 81 years next
month";" he answered, and smiled
to see the surprise on the girls
face at his answer.
You've been in Africa all that
time without ever going home ?"
she asked, incredulously.
Warwick laughed. a deep reso-
nant, amused laugh.
Not in Africa alone. Miss Mere
dith-China, Malaga, Borneo, In
dia, Arabia. For the last eight
years, however, l have not left
Africa. This trip across to Alden
is my first in that time"
Faith marveled at the man. She
had been in Hongkong for just a
little over a year, and it had
seemed a lifetime to her.
The faint sound of a bell on the
bridge came to them, then the
splash of the big anchor and the
scraping, creaking noise of the
chain playing out told them they
had arrived. It seemed that al
most before the engines had
ceased their throbbing the ship
was surrounded by small craft.
Fueling barges, cargo lighters,
native merchants coming aboard
to barter their wares, motor
launches to carry passengers
ashore. Darkness came almost in
a moment once the sun slipped
below the horizon, and Faith
gazed shoreward at the blinking,
nodding lights of the city that was
the French outpost in East Africa.
Djbouti, coffee and coaling port,
burnt to a crisp by a scorching
desert sun. unkempt, dirty, bar
rem. Faith shuddered at the
thought of spending her life In a
place like this.
A befezzed black boy, his per-
spring body glistening in the
lights seeping out from the ships
ports, expertly maneuvered his
boat alongside and cried out to
Faith in French.
"Voules Uous debdrquer, Made
moiselle?"
Faith turned to John Warwick
and laughed.
You're going ashore, pre-
sumo, Miss Meredith ?" he queried.
II didn't intend to, but l rather
think ! shall now" she told him.
It's been ten days since I've been
on dry land-I didn't go ashore in
Alden, you know"
Perhaps you would be my
guest tonight? My son is to meet
me here. 1t would please me to
have you know him. He's a nice
boy" the old man said, fondly,
"and he doesn't meet many girls
from home. Not like you, any
way" he added. smiling a little
sadly.
John Warwick seemed such a
pathetic figure TO Faith. Away
from England for 30 years. And
he had a son - probably born
somewhere in the East, and never
been west of Suez. Suddenly she
wanted to please this lonely old
man, to meet his son, to talk with
them. She smiled at him and
nodded.
I'D love it" she said.
At that moment a deep-tanned
young giant in cool white ducks
swept down upon them.
"Pater." he cried. wringing the
old mans hand.
A TEAR on John WarWick's
~ cheek caused Faith to glance
quickly away. There was some
thing beautiful about that greet
ing. When she turned again
toward them, Faith studied John
Warwick's son. He was well over
six feet, slender but powerfully
built, his skin burned by the trop-
ic sun a deep coppery color, and
his eyes-he had his fathers eyes,
steely blue, determined. like his
chin. His hair was black and very
straight, she saw when he re-
moved his spotless white sun he'll
met. He wasn't handsome. that is
if handsomeness calls for regular
features. His nose was crooked.
his ears too large. she thought.
and there was deep disfguring
scar on his forehead But even
now, before she had met him,
Faith sensed charm, a whole
someness about him that she
4 liked