The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-04-16

y
that the death of Karen's grand
mother had been (unscientihcally)
ascribed to a broken heart. Ger
tainly nothing that Garrett Waterson
had ever been or done had met with
her approval, or been entirely un-
derstood.
No." Dick said. "She isn't like
that. There isn't anything like that
about her at all"
Garrett Waterson rolled question
ing eyes upon Dick and waited.
She has blue eyes, like | said,
but she has black hair; and she's
the color of a gardenia, and she
doesn't ever tan at all. There's no
preaching about her-for all I know
there isn't even any morality. And
she's more alive than anything you
ever set eyes on yet"
There was a silence again. $50
that's the way the wind sets," Gar
rett Waterson said at last. well, I
guess that's the worst of ALL"
Doesn't anything ever please
your"
From what you say" Garrett
Waterson said, "the girl takes after
me. What worse luck could you
have than that, I'd like to know"
There was something ridiculous in
the suggestion that Karen Waterson
took after this gnarled and huge
old man; yet Dick could see that in
both there was a certain essential
spirit that was the same.
The old man seemed to rest for a
moment, and DR.. Shimazu took the
opportunity to attempt a counting
of Waterson's pulse. Waterson made
an irascible resistance. "Get this
Jap's hands off of me! Who do you
think
you'll either let him examine
you," Dick said, ''or I'll walk out
on you altogether, and you'll proba-
bly, never so much as set eyes on
this grill"
There was anger in old Water
sons eyes, but he must have known
his disadvantage. He attempted to
ignore the situation by pretending
not to notice ShimaZu as the Japa-
nese put a stethoscope to work.
mo wonder" Garrett Waterson
said to Dick, that she goes rafting
all over the Pacific, trying to grab
stuff that doesn't belong to her. II
you take my advice you'll stay away
from this girl! She isn't going to
come to any good end. And neither
will you, if you fool around with the
likes of her!"
That's hell of a fine way"
Dick said, ito talk about your own
granddaughter"
Don't you think" Garrett Water
son said savagely, 81 know my own
breed? She's no good, you mark my
word! Or else what's she doing here,
at this late date, trying to dig up
old trouble?"
Old Waterson closed his eyes, ex-
hausted again.
Shimazu looked at Dick queerly as
he rolled up the tubes of his stetho-
scope; he came to the door and con-
suited with Dick in whispers.
"I'll take his temperature as soon
as we're sure he's asleep" Shimazu
said. "But even without that, l can
tell you, this is a very weak man.
He should have been in hospital
long ago-certainly he should never
have tried to come here now. We're
going to find out there's more than
one kind of fever in this case. Black
water certainly; and maybe some
thing worse"
do you think he's in danger this
timer"
Shimazu permitted himself a
queer waxy smile. cat his age, and
with SO much wrong with him,
there's no reason why he should
be alive at all. His heart is very
irregular, weak, and slow. My ad-
vice is if you want anything from
this man, get it soon. For all /
can guarantee, he may never talk
lucidly again."
"It's as bad as that, is it?"
Shimazu shrugged. This is
worn out machine. Yes" he added,
returning to the understatement that
he favored, this man is sick"
They stood silent for the space of
more than a minute, looking at the
figure in the bunk. A huge flying
cockroach, with a body bigger than
mouse, few blunderingly across
the cabin, and hit the bulkhead with
metallic clatter; it recovered itself
Immediately, and ran behind a large
chart of Rotoava Anchorage.
"I've got to get up" Garrett Wa
terson mumbled. ''I've got to see
James Wayne"
They ignored this, and the num-
bling ceased. There were a few
moments of complete silence.
Suddenly the still figure spoke in
a surprisingly strong voice, voice
that seemed wrung from it by an
unexplainable emotion. Il would
have given my whole life-my whole
life, and a lease on my soul in
hell, just to see her-just to look at
her one time!"
For some unknown reason Shima-
zu looked appalled,.
"By God," Dick said, "then you
shall!" He turned to the ladder.
''It's no good" Shimazu said. by
the time you get her here, he'll nev-
er know her. Tomorrow maybe, if
he is still alive"
"Then she'll be here tomorrow,
too," Dick promised. He went up
the ladder like the jump of marlin.
Then, as he came out of the
companionway, he was instantly
checked. Now that he was on the
open deck he could hear, across the
quiet waters of the bay, the clatter
of the Seals loose-iointed Diesel and