Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-07-17

word I want? All other women seemed
drab compared to you, Jane. You are
SO beautiful. NO. don't mean your
which is the essence of you"
She could not control the trembling
of her lips. Tears were running down
her cheeks.
Il am a dead man." he went on
"or as good as dead. Well. there is
no harm in my saying what is ir
my heart, in this last moment. Dc
you see any harm in it, Jane?"
NO." she faltered. "Oh, karl
He took a step forward and the
next moment she was in his arms. His
lean. bronze cheek was against hers
Then his lips, his lips against hers in
a kiss of passion. It was as though
those weeks of Mediterranean sun
light had lowered in this moment
She chung wildly to him. The pistol
clattered to the floor. The noise thrust
them apart as though it had exploded
Karl picked it up and laid it on a
small table beside her, its muzzle
pointing toward himself. She felt her
strength returning. She felt shame at
her weakness. She was trembling all
over.
He looked at her steadily. There was
an odd smile on his lips. 1t went no
further than his lips. Something vi
brated in the air between them. Some
thing clashed in fierceness and fear
Then his arms were about her. pinion-
ing hers to her sides. His arms were
like steel. His ribs pressing into her
body hurt her. In her wild fear she
screamed as she struggled. In three
strides he carried her into the little
cloakroom of the hall and held her
motionleSs for a space looking about
him.
This IS the end," he said. you
didn't capture me, after ALL" His ut
terance was thick, as though his Eng
fish suddenly had left him. Then he
added something in German. He
moved his face so that he could look
into her eyes.
You were lying all the time" she
whispered.
mo! I still love you"
Let me go!" she screamed, strug-
Cling.
On his face was a mask. He looked
about him as though in search of
ooAAASCAlAAA6 " U1llo 1lCl WILL UuG lllt
window was very small. He decided
there was no need to bind her. He
pushed her from him so roughly that
she would have fallen had she not
caught at one of Joe's coats hanging
there. He wheeled, went out and
locked the door behind him. The big
key grated in the lock. She heard his
footsteps then silence.
She chung. shaking all over, to Joe's
coat. She felt dazed and bruised. But
after a moment she pulled herself
together and sprang to the window
She would get through it! Small as
1t was she would force her body
through it!
But she could not. She ran to the
door and shook it with all her might.
Rage possessed her. Rage at herself
more than at Karl. She had let him
escape. God only knew what he might
do! Whatever he did it would be all
her fault.
The great lock would have resisted
a strong man. She could do nothing
with it. She sank into the squat oak
chair that stood before the coats and
buried her face in her hands. Pictures
swan before her eyes-Karl's face.
tender, ironic, cruel. Perhaps she was
in dream. Perhaps she could wake
and find herself still on the bench.
watching distant plane like silver
bird, coming out of the clouds.
But he had lied. It was no dream.
She could feel the purpose, see the
wariness in his eyes. as her mind went
back over their meeting. He had used
her old romantic feeling for him a.
q weapon against her.