The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-09-25

| nis?"
'sCreo que fue al Tigre, Senor.''
Curt went to the old wall phone
and turned the handle sharply. The
bell in the box tinkled. The thick
soft voice of the exchange opera
| tor answered.
s'Ring Finca Tigre." He waited.
ssSenor McInnis there? How long
would it take to bring him to the
phone? Oh?" He thought moment.
"All right, thanks, won't wait" He
hung up. He couldn't risk half an
| hour.
His eye fell on a typewriter. Seiz-
ing piece of paper, he rolled it
into the machine and began to punch
out note: n
"Jerry. You've heard of Fora
Mitchell and Bill Henderson without
doubt. Convinced of danger here,
but don't know what it is. Old Man
Moore has confidential file on every
one of consequence in TERRA Libre.
Hates to give out but / must know
all can about Montaya. Make him
spill to you, and meet me at River
bend about nine Saturday night. Hir-
ing Collins, no chance to talk to him
yet. c."
He cast about for an envelope,
found one, sealed and addressed his
message.
The native timekeeper had been
staring at him throughout all this,
half in amazement, half in resent
ment. Curt asked his name.
Rafael Diaz, Senor."
"Bueno, Rafael" said Curt "Tell
no one about this. See that Senior
McInnis gets this as soon as posi-
BILE. Phone him to come here. Put
it in his hands yourself. Under
| stand?"
AS Curt made off at trot across
the clearing, to disappear under the
banana plants, the timekeeper, note
in one hand, money in the other,
shrugged his shoulders, muttering,
"Locos = todos locos, Americanos.
Siempre tienen prisa :" (These
crazy Americans, always in a hur-
ry.)
On his way back to the river Curt
thought of his sweat-sodden shirt.
He ripped it off as he trotted and
let the breeze he created nearly
dry it by the time he reached the
hill, when he put it on again. It
would still show wet but that could
be accounted for by his exertions
along the river.
| He saw brilliant orchid in bloom,
an epiphyte fastened to a slender
dead tree limb within reach. It
was one of the butterfly" orchids
Lee wanted, and had two three-foot
candelabra branches covered with
dozens of small bright yellow
blooms, like butterflies alighted.
Here was his excuse for lost time!
Curt put on the rest of his act
with elaboration. He studied the
opposite shore, the rising hills be-
hind, put away his field glasses, took
his pictures, then fought his way
through the underground down the
hill to meet the launch.
'It was some time you were gone
from view" said Emilio, when at
last picked up. The man was jit-
terry. 81 worried. You had diff
culty?"
/ 'sSome," admitted Curt. "But
! this is what lost me many minutes.
My wife wants an orchid collection.
She had one when we lived here be-
| fore"
Curt exhibited the plant with such
real pride that it appeared to salts
fly Emilio, and the man fell into
narrow-eyed sullenness.
''Well, I'm through here" said
Curt, tapping the camera. Lets CO."
They picked up the flags Emilio
had planted-in his pictures they
would mark 100-foot intervals,
though this was no more essential
to Curt than the pictures. But the
ruse had worked. During this proc
ess Curt also hunted couple more
orchids to bolster his excuse for
the delay across the river.
Then they proceeded to eat lunch
in the boat, in the frightening after
noon shade Of a stand of mangroves.
Roots of these trees, sprouting from
branches in midair, had taken hold
in the river bottom, making nat
ural awning against the sun.
Perched on a branch not far from
the launch, noisy kiskadee jawed
necessarily. Esteban, the Carib,
called it "heet-gee-gee." At first
it was merely annoying, but before
the meal was finished the bird had
become a definite nuisance.
Curt pulled his pistol, took aim,
fred. His brows shot up in aston
ishment!
There had been no kick when he
squeezed the trigger, and the bull
let, expelled without force, made a
curious arc and plopped harmlessly
into the water.
He tried another shot, but with
| the same result. Then he removed
the clip and examined the remain
ing bullets. They seemed to be all
right. The brass shell case from
the first shot had elected over the
side, but the second had fallen into
the boat.
Curt picked it up and examined