The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-11-27


will be here by then or not. Then
get me John Colt; I think you al
ready know where in Honolulu he
is"
"And-what shall I tell hirn?"
"Tn talk to him myself"
The Holokai did not weigh her
hook until after dusk of the next
day; but as she beat her way slowly
out through the reefs, half an hour
after sunset, Dick Wayne was glad
that the day was over.
Tonga Dick had respected and ad-
mired his uncle, had understood
what his uncle meant to Alakoa. Ev-
erything productive that Alakoa pos
sessed had existed first in this one
mans mind. They had all depend
ed upon him and been guided by
him; all of them except Dick him
self had been controlled by him.
A careful conference had been
necessary with James Wayne's ply
stefan. Being already familiar with
the case, he had no trouble describ-
ing, in technical terms, the failure
of James Wayne's heart.
Gould this have been caused by
shock?" Dick demanded.
ga shock" Shimazu said with an
oddly hunorless locution, would
not have been necessary; but it
would have helped"
Dick Wayne experienced no relief
at this declaration. He was GER
tain that Karen Waterson had been
with James Wayne when he died,
and that she had sought to conceal
this. And he knew that almost any,
one else, knowing these facts, would
leap at once to a dark and savage
suspicion. He found, however, that
for himself he did not need DR.. Shi-
mazu's report; he was already con-
WINGED, beyond any shadow of pres
ent or future doubt, that Karen Wa
terson had not killed James Wayne.
When they had communicated with
Dicks brothers and with John Colt,
Tonga Dick Wayne threw the radio
cutoff switch.
What remained was a full day
with Charles Wong, repeatedly in
terrupted by the visits of cane field
bosses, mill superintendent, cattle
foremen. It was turning dark be-
fore Dick and Karen Waterson at
last drove steeply down the noun
tain toward the anchorage of the
Holokai.
Later, after the Holokai had put
out from shore, Dick and Karen
found themselves sitting face to face
across a completely set table under
the cabins skylight. The main cab
IN of the Holokai was trim and well
lighted, but necessarily very small;
here not even the lowering of the
Chinese mess boy could spare them
a sense of being shut In, very close
together.
Karen's eyes rested unhappily
upon her plate. Her fork fddled
with broiled pakii, but she was I'M
able to eat. Her clear-cut poise had
returned in the form of a reticent
withdrawal; but behind the thin shell
of that poise Dick Wayne was able
to perceive that the girl was nerv-
ously distraught.
Tonga Dick Wayne ate, for no 9TH
er reason than that he had not eaten
In more than eighteen hours, and
waited for Karen to speak. Now,
surely, he thought, she would have
something to say about her presence
at the death of James Wayne.
Then presently he became aware,
with a slow amazement, that Karen
was not going to speak. She must
have known who had picked up the
broken ginger blossoms that would
have given her away. But did she?
Dick suddenly recognized that Kar-
en- perhaps did not know.
He let his eyes rest with some de-
liberation upon her face, and saw
that she was uncommonly pale; it
gave her an exceptionally fragile
look. eft seems to me-" he began,
''that you might tell me"
He let the question he had begun
lose itself in the black race of the
sea past the lee portfolio.
Were making fast time" he
said. well be In Honolulu before
very long"
Karen murmured, "Pm glad" A
little shiver ran across her shout
ders, so that her two words made
Honolulu seem long-sought haven,
for her.
There's something I want to tell
you, Karen"