The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-05-29

IL SV W Nunu nAtds hovC W 80
aware of weak but persistent hope
that something had happened to
cause John Colt and Karen Water
son to break up; and he wanted to
find out from Garrett Waterson il
this might be the case.
Karen Waterson was taking an
hour ashore, so that her grandfather
was alone. He was propped up on
clean pillows, smoking cigar which
he had probably taken this oppor-
tunity to steal; and though he looked
| feeble, and somehow chastened, he
was surprisingly himself.
"Where the hell have you been?"
he demanded gustily, in what was
evidently meant to be roar.
"You've got to get me out of this!"
That Garrett Waterson was nota-
bly, tanned in spirit needed no more
proof than his concession that he
needed any help from anybody; but
other evidence was not lacking.
Such a change had taken place in
Garrett Waterson's quarters as Dick
would not have believed. ALI the
great litter of charts and miscel-
laneous duffle had disappeared; even
the bulkheads, which had been a
scaling and ancient green, had been
scraped and painted white.
"We've got to go to Nuku Hiva,"
Garrett Waterson announced, land
we've got to go now. This fool Jap
doctor and this girl of mine don't
understand.
The old man, it now appeared, had
worked himself into state of mind.
Dick knew enough about Garrett
Waterson's scattered and loose-knit
affairs to know why he thought he
had to go to Nuku Hiva. Once the
old man had purchased an option
on site for wharf, or something
Of the sort. Then he had forgotten
about it, only to remember it sud-
denly and inauspiciously just as the
option was about to run out. Dick
| did not believe that either Water
son or Nuku Hiva needed a wharf,
but it was no use arguing, he sup
posed.
eff we don't take that thing up
by the first of the month";" Waterson
declared, "that English outfit will
get in there, and the opportunity of
a lifetime will 60 up in smoke-just
like that!" He blew a a blast of
smoke at Dick to illustrate what was
going to happen to the opportunity
of lifetime, and it made him
cough, so that he spilled cigar ashes
on the highly scrubbed deck.
''All right, all right" Dick said.
''I'n 60 to Nuku Hiva."
''Have to 60 myself" Waterson
insisted.
you'll stay here" Dick said,
cor I'll have nothing to do with the
business at all. Then where will
you be?"
The old man finally had to be salts
fed with that. Not until the long
depression about lifetime opportuni-
ties in Nuku Hiva was settled, was
Dick able to raise the question
which had really brought him here.
He put out tentative feeler. 81
see John Colt has gone back"
$50 I hear"
cts none of my business" Dick
said, "but I'd kind Of like to know
| why he should be rushing back to
Honolulu while Karen is still here"
81 sent him. back" Garrett Wa
terson said complacently.
"You sent him back?"
"He was over here with some
scoundreHy proposition, whereby !
was supposed to throw in with him,
and we were supposed to get the
| island Of Alakoa away from the
Waynes. He made me kind Of mad.
Seemed that all I had to do was
offer proof that I'm out Of my mind
that gets US the islands back.
told him to get to hell out. ! told
him If he wasn't out of the bay
in twelve hours was going to have
my crew grab him and keel-haul
him. ! guess he must have taken
me literal"
''But Karen is going to stay with
your"
'Td like her to-; but she says not.
I believe she'll be following Colt to
Honolulu directly"
Following Colt?"
"She's kind Of little poker face"
Garrett Waterson complained. "It's
past me to make out what she's GO
ing to do. But If you want my pri-
vate personal opinion. think she's
going to marry the guy"
Dick managed to say, Glow are
you going to like that?"
fTO BE CONTNUEDl