Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-03-29

tomorrow clearing that new field. Bling; would
you have time to show Mona around?"
Sure. I'd be glad to-"
co MONA rode with Bing along the green
- car roads, watched the guajiros cutting cane
throwing it expertly into piles to be loaded
into the tall ribbed carts These the bulls
("oxen" she called them at first) drew down
to the switch where the cane was weighed
and put into tiny cars on the narrow gauge
railroad to be taken in long, slow trains To
the mill. Bing explained il all to her, care
fully as If it mattered 10 her as obviously il
did to him. She listened attentively. but a.
the days went by she began to notice at the
same time how clearly blue his eyes were and
how above the line of his helmet his forehead
was white against his black hair.
Yet she was happily unaware of what was
happening to her She knew that inside her
hard shell she had relaxed a little but the
shell was still there. Each day she put il in
place with care. her only worry being for Fred
and Susy and whatever the thing was that
stood between them. This seemed perhaps
with the lessening Of tension because of her
presence, If not patched up at least quiescent
Shed been in the campo month and seen
Bing almost daily when there came a change
in their pleasant impersonal relationship
Shed held herself aloof from him uncon-
sciousy not thinking how such an attitude
in an attractive woman (she was even doubt
full Of that now might affect him.
They'd had a long hot ride one morning
and stopped on the way home TO rest in the
shade Of a pine clump Bing had been talk
ing Mona TO task, half-seriously for not
learning the language
You still say good morning 10 these peo-
pie he said. WHY can't you say 1t in Span
ish?"
ITS sclf-consciousuoss. / guess" she adj
mftted meekly. IT was that and also the Tact
that when she'd first come she'd felt too bat
tered to make any new effort. And now.
with her mother wondering if she hadn't bet
ter come home it hardly seemed worth while
Bing said, You studied Latin and French
Spanish is lot like both Take love, for in
stance"
He looked at her. and suddenly the word
he'd chosen seemed to simmer meaningly be-
tween them Mona aware that she'd begun
to color in confusion was both astonishedl
and resentful
DING glanced away. He went on as if trying
- to show that ne had not noticed her con-
fusion I'm Spanish. it's 'tc amo' you see how
near that is TO ! love you in Latin and then
in French p" He broke Off his eyes coming
slowly, almost painfully back TO Monas face
He looked at her a long moment before he.
said, There's a gag about love being the
same in every language"
The air around them was slowly becom-
ing charged with new emotion It lay in
Bing's voice in the grave scrutiny of his
blue eyes. Mona felt IT. Instinctively she
stiffened everything in her wanting to ward
off any vocing Of il.
She picked up her reins to move on II
wouldn't be interested in learning Spanish"
she said more sharply than she'd meant
Bing leaned forward and put quieting
hand on her horses name. Mona, what is
to" he asked gently why don't you come
out even little way to meet me-"
1t was the quality Of his voice, she thought,
that disturbed her. The stiffness vanished be-
fore it. Instead she felt hot expanding SEN
sation around what she supposed was her
heart She didn't like the dizziness that went
with it.. She waited to steady herself hearing
clearly the faint chop-chop of cutters in dis
tant field, the peculiar cries of many long
tailed backbirds in nearby guava bush, the
breathing of her horse
Bing went on. People are happier when
they're not all tied up inside you know.
That's what's the matter with Fred and Susy
They can't get their trouble out in the
shine to air it," His mouth twisted in a grin
LnaI was nan compassion, nan apology
thought if you could tell me. 4 want you to
be happy -"
She bit her lip nervously. The dizziness
wasn't getting any better and she had the
wholly unexpected desire to slip her hand UNI
der Bing's there on her horses name. The
impulse jolted her into sudden awareness
Good Lord. are you falling for the man? she
asked herself in alarm But as quickly de-
MED it. Certainly not! It's just the old prox-
nifty racket
Still the thought jerked her up enough