The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-10-22

1t. How could he sink so much mon
ey here when the cost of handling
fruit will mean so much in COMPETE
ton with you people?
There's one country that'd be
darned glad to subsidize him-wlth-
in limits-this close to the Panama
Canal-for favors received. The kind
of favors he's in a swell spot to
give. Nazi Germany"
Draw me picture" said Nc
Innis dryly.
Curt ran on. They could bring
in the bombers piecemeal, had
brought them in, and the bombs.
Secretly. Behind the backs of GUS
toms officials. Mitchell was the only
one to get around all over the place,
see all the separate transactions,
and have enough brains to put them
together. Pump machinery" "gen-
erators," they meant nothing to any,
one else. They meant lot to the
Chief Engineer, who knew his prof.
ects did not include the use of equip
ment that size.
A Nazi crew here, with Toenjes
y
Dutch than am. Overheard him and
Montaya talking once. Assumed it
was Dutch. Now I know it was
German. Ryden and Lannestock,
they're not Swedes!"
Curt sucked in his breath. His
voice came in croak. "And there's
the answer to why Montaya likes
children why he wants family
| man for his chief engineer. Lee!
And the kids! Hostages for my ST.
lence against the time they learn
I've discovered all this.
Jerry, those birds mean bust
ness!"
Curt returned to his side of the
Negro, his face the color of old news
paper yellowed by weather. Beads
of sweat lined his forehead.
He knew now what kind of spot
he was in-more important, the ter
rible position of Lee and the chill
dren. But he knew. That was the
saving point. He knew, and could
plan against every contingency.
And, he had two major trumps. One
was friend across the Negro. I'm
| like Mitchell, Curt was not going to
| play lone hand. Two-so far, Mon
taya and his precious crew had no
reason to suspect Curtis knowledge.
First, he must get hold of Col
Inns. At once.
Slipping the cayuca's line over its
shore stake exactly as he'd found
it, Curt returned to his office-bunga-
low. He must make certain his abb
sence hadn't been discovered. Too
much now depended on not tipping
his hand. The magazine he'd SHE'D
against the front door would tell,
but he couldn't see this from out
side. So he listened under his Win
dow, then climbed in.
A glance from the bedroom onto
the lighted porch sufficed. The mag
azine was just as he'd left it. Well
beyond, in the mess-hall, Curt could
see Emilio still at cards, but now
there were four men in the game.
The watchdog still faced the lighted
bungalow.
Who else was in the meSS-han
Curt couldn't see from where he
stood. He swung himself to the
ground again, took a position from
where he could view the whole long
room. There were several small
groups. Curt accounted for young
DR.. Fisher, a few of the transitmen
of the engineering force, most of
the trainmen-whom he knew by
now, engineers, firemen, brakemen.
But Monahan wasn't there, nor Col
Inns.
Skirting the pools of yellow cast
by the Tempujo lights, taking ad-
vantage of every shadow, Curt made
his way to the bachelor quarters
reserved for transients. It was here
Collins would have room for the
night.
The building was simply long
string of small rooms, with a
screened porch extending the length
of it. There was one entrance from
the footpath onto the porch. Each
room had window in the rear wall,
another in the front wall beside the
door which led onto the porch.
Soundlessly Curt made his way
from window to window along the
back of the building Standing on
piles as it did, Curt could only reach
the window stills by stretching, and
had to jump for hand grip, then
chin himself to see inside. Enough
light came through the front win
dows to show him each room dirnly.
The first six rooms were not only
empty but undisturbed, occupancy
indicated only by bag of sorts
dumped on a chair, or bottle and
glass on a table, or package
bought at the Tempujo branch COM
missary before it closed.
The seventh room showed q
mussed bed. There was no baggage
in this room, no personal articles on
table or dresser, just the rumpled
; bed and the mosquito bar swung
aside to show that someone had
lain here for while.
The eighth and ninth rooms were
. made up and undisturbed, but the
. tenth and last was occupied. Stats
Monahan, judging from the snore
, coming from under the mosquito
netting.
Huh. That meant that Collins was
/ abroad. But where? There were only
two places where he could be ir
Tempujo at this time of night-the
mess-hall or his room. And he
wasn't in either. There was nc
, other spot to hang out. Mulling this
over, Curt headed back for his bun.
galow.
He still kept under cover. Near