Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-02-27
CHAPTER XII

SAAAAA = Law <AAA
He said hoarsely, his lips against
her ear: 81 could do anything, with
woman like you
He was pressing her down. She
had to fight away, to fight to her
feet in a sort of blind panic, to
face him with blazing eyes, scrub
bling at her lips which again now
he had kissed, crying in low tight
tones:
"stop it, Peter! Stop it! Get out
of here!"
She flung him back. He stood
against the door, muttering broken
ly. 'Im sorry. / couldn't help it.
You're so sweet! l lost my head!"
"Get out of here!"
He said in sudden sullen wrath:
"You're not fooling me, you know!
You've always been crazy about
Dick! You never would look at mel"
She took quick step toward him,
so angry that he recoiled; and he
opened, behind him, the cabin door.
She said: eff you ever come in here
again, I'll :"
He exclaimed in quick alarm:
"Sh-h! Don't yell, Mary. George
will hear - He turned and ran
up the companionway to the deck.
After that whale which Richard
killed had been tried out, and the
decks secured clean again, there
were long lazy days when the ship
and those aboard her seemed asleep.
Sometimes Mary, looking up at the
men on watch at the crosstrees, saw
them nodding on their lofty perch.
When the Venturer was on whaling
ground, she carried at night only
enough sail to make her handy; but
now Richard was making passage,
counting on picking UP enough oil
to fill their casks off the coast of
South America.
Richard for the sake of warm
weather did not yet turn southwark
and the sun shone fair and fine, and
the winds were favoring. The watch
on deck might be busy with scrim-
shaw, listening perhaps to one of
Corkran's yarns; and the squawk
of the parrot sometimes came aft.
Richard, standing with Mary one
day, watching Corkran and his lis
tenerS, said:
''He's good man, good sailor;
and a story-teller in the fo'c's'le
helps keep the men contented. Some
one to tell 'em stories keeps 'em
amused"
Mary reflected thoughtfully: "You
know, Corkran's really fond of
George. That's why he deserted the
Sunset at Gilead, in case George
needed him.
George is a fine fellow, Mary. /,
like him too"
''The queer part is, he likes Cork
ran," she said. "Corkran lived with
the natives on the island and George
knows it, and yet he doesn't seem
to blame him."
Richard looked at her. "You know,
you may not understand George
yourself he said. "He's about the
bravest man ever saw. He's pref
ty small, and frail; but he's never
afraid" He added: "He wants to
60 in one of the boats next time we
strike whales"
She was astonished. Honestly?
After seeing that fight the other
day? He said then he'd stick to being
preacher, don't you remember"
He chuckled. ''That was partly
to make me feel good, and partly
because he saw how-impressed you
were, and he was trying to please
you by agreeing with you. George is
grown man, Mary, small as he
"Will you let him go in boat?"
"Maybe."
George had long since made his
peace with Mary after that ugly
hour in her cabin when by defend
ing Richard she reused his anger
He was humble and contrite and
ashamed of his harsh word. Peter
too came to her with apologies;
and Mary guardedly forgave him,
as woman can always forgive a
man for loving her; but sometimes
when she looked at him suddenly
she surprised a sultry hunger in his
eyes that made her wary. She tried
not to be left alone with him again.
There were other reasons too why
her nerves drew tight and tighter.
She saw much loW-pitched CONVEX
sation among the men forward.
Even Corkran was changed. Ma
ry, when he had the wheel, some
times talked with him, puzzled by
the difference in his bearing. She
and George discussed it too.
Mary asked Corkran straightfor-
wardly one day why he had
changed. He was, he confessed, un-
easy. "I- don't like the looks of
things forward" he said. "Nor the
talk I hear"
"What talk?"
''They're saying there's a packet
of pearls aboard this ship that's
worth a fortune" His eyes touched
hers. "You mind, pearls made trou-
BILE enough back there at the island,
for himself and you. don't like the
pretty little things"
RIO BE CONTINUED)