The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1941-12-25
Noao go on aUith the story.

Karen turned uneasy. She said,
"Dick-what is it,"
you're very lovely" he said.
'It's only fair to tell you this: in
every way that can imagine, you're
the loveliest thing I've ever seen on
the earth or the face of the sea-"
''Well, really, are you making love
to me now?" 1t was a f1imsy de-
tense; in contradiction to his words,
she knew that he was not making
love.
mo man of any sense pretends
to know anything about women"
Tonga Dick was saying. "The old
Island people drew headlines past
which no woman could come, and
those lines were drawn by darkness,
and fear. They knew the truth
that it is not possible for man to
know what things govern wom-
an. Yet I'll tell you this: it would
be easy for anyone to believe in
you, even without understanding you
at ALL"
He was speaking as if from behind
a wall. Suddenly Karen Waterson
knew what he had meant, and it ac-
counted for the fiat sound of words
that should have been love-making.
A sharp and immediate panic swept
her as she understood, all at once
and completely, that Richard Wayne
knew who she was.
She jerked her eyes from his face
and stood up, bracing herself against
the reel of the little schooner. A
glance across the face of the sea
told her a startling thing, before u1-
considered. All that day, since ear
ly morning, they had been striking
straight out from Honolulu into the
open Pacific.
ST think" she said, ''we'd better
60 back, hadn't WEI"
There was defeat and admission of
defeat in that; but, knowing what
she now knew. she could hope for
:. nothing in 2he world here, except a
means of return. "We'u be very
late into Honolulu"
"A little" Dick said.
''But if you'll turn now"
''The funny thing about it," he
said oddly, 'is that we can't turn
back. At least not yet"
''You mean-you mean"
Don't worry" Dick said: "there
isn't anything to worry about, Mean
while-if you'll look across the star
board bow, you'll see Alakoa-Kar-
en-
Alakoa, as seen from this ap-
proach, rose steeply from the wa
ter; the folds of her hills were of
shadowy and unearthly blue, but the
rays of the sun, slanting low now,
struck her tall up-thrusting ridges
with traceries OF red gold. There
was something terribly appealing
about Alakoa as Karen saw it then.
In one way it seemed so little in that
vast expanse of salt water, the very
intensity of whose deep blue seemed
to speak of a vital strength, vast
living will which nothing could with
stand nor deny. Yet Alakoa rose
bravely from the heart of the sea,
SO tall that it seemed slenderly tall.
Karen's throat was hurting, as she
looked at that steep little island,
lonely in the ocean, almost as II
she remembered 1t.
A peculiar awe was upon Karen
Waterson. She said to herself,
''They say that this belongs to me.
All this is supposed to be my own.
Well, don't think it rightfully be-
longs to anyone" Then, after mo-
ment-"And yet, am trying to
seize it, to capture it." The sense
of awe turned to one of swift panic.
Tonga Dick stood up, rising lightly
on one heel instead of two, and
reached for her hand. When she
did not give it he took her wrist,
and pulled her to the forward rail,
beside the reaching bowsprit.
''Of course he said, ''you don't
see much of it from here. There's
four thousand feet of rise in those
!. highest hills. The cane fields, the
rice paddles, and the little fishing
villages are all on the other side"
Karen stared at Alakoa with an
irresistible fascination. Before her
eyes certain things had suddenly
taken visible form. That rise of land
from water represented three mil
lion which she had set herself to ap-
propriate. 1t representation, at
least, a part of it did-an the her
itage of this man at her side,
heritage which she was about to
make her own. Oddly, the fact that
he knew this, seemed to make more
difference than the fact itself.
Karen dropped her eyes to the rail.
Suddenly, impelled by a need of
near, human comfort, she slid her
hand along the rail and slipped it
under the quiet hand of Richard
Wayne.
Ton-a Dick did not turn OF move.