The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-02-05

l1O1Ohdi.
A sharkskin drum which Dick had
not heard for years was booming
somewhere in the gorges, and under
its sullen reverberations sounded the
dull, far-carrying beat of the great
ground-thumping gourd pahus. The
sound followed them almost all the
way to the beach, seemingly no
nearer and no farther away, as if
those throbbing rhythms were a
part of the ground, the forest, and
the air itself.
Later, after the Holokai had put
out from shore, Dick and Karen
found themselves sitting face to face
across a completely set table under
the cabins skylight. The main cab
in of the Holokai was trim and well
lighted, but necessarily very small;
here not even the lowering of the
Chinese mess boy could spare them
a sense of being shut in, very close
together.
Karen's eyes rested unhappily
upon her plate. Her fork fiddled
with broiIed pakii, but she was un-
able to eat. Her clear-cut poise had
returned in the form of reticent
withdrawal; but behind the thin shell
of that poise Dick Wayne was able
to perceive that the girl was nerv-
ously distraught.
Tonga Dick Wayne ate, for no 9TH
er reason than that he had not eaten
in more than eighteen hours, and
waited for Karen to speak. Now,
surely, he thought, she would have
something to say about her presence
at the death of James Wayne.
Then presently he became aware,
with slow amazement, that Karen
was not going to speak. She must
have known who had picked up the
broken ginger blossoms that would
have given her away. But did she?
Dick suddenly recognized that Kar-
en- perhaps did not know. Conceiv-
ably, she might have concluded that
Tsura, the japanese girl, had picked
up those telltale flowers, motivated
by nothing more than the house
keeping habit which clings to GER
tain women even in times of stress.
He let his eyes rest with some de-
liberation upon her face, and saw
that she was uncommonly pale; it
gave her an exceptionally fragile
look. "It seems to me-" he began,
that you might tell me"
He let the question he had begun
lose itself in the black race of the
sea past the lee portfolio.
Were making fast time" he
said. well be in Honolulu before
very long"
Karen murmured, "I'm glad" A
little shiver ran across her shoul-
ders, so that her two words made
Honolulu seem long-sought haven,
for her.
There's something want to tell
you, Karen"
She waited, relaxed and impas-
sive except for that sense of strain
behind her pale composure.
I'm sorry / shanghaied you.
didn't realize what I was letting you
in for"
"I'm not exactly used to being
pushed about" Karen said.
after ALL" he reminded her,
when you came aboard you be-
lieved me to be deceived even as to
your name. And though your visit
to Alakoa was against your will,
you yourself, and your friend, John
Colt, were partly responsible, /
think"
Karen was silent.
"But I'm not all sorry" Dick said.
''In spite of everything, know you
better now; and that has been worth
while.''
81 shouldn't have tried to fool you
about who I was" Karen said. In
spite of her concealed nervous ten
sion, she seemed very tired, so that
he could hardly hear her words.
'sThat was a very silly mistake"
There have been other mis-
takes" Dick said.
She met his eyes for moment,
and he wondered if she was think
ing about silent room, and a bro
ken lei. He wanted to tell her that
there was no reason for her to think
about that; and that he believed in
her completely.
Dick said morosely, "You and l
ought to be able to talk to each other
more easily than we do.'
ssDo we have to go into all that?"
eve can work these things out"
Dick Wayne said. "You and ! are
the only ones who can"
Karen Waterson stiffened and sat
back. II can only say this-if there
are to be any negotiations at all,
they will have to be carried on with
John Colt, not with me-"
'tIf the case came to trial as it
now stands" Dick Wayne said, 81
have no doubt that you could win.
After that would follow appeal after
appeal, delay after delay; and even
if you won in the end you'd be a
white-haired old lady before your
victory ever paid out. The Waynes
won't give in because they can't
give in"
Neither" said Karen, looking at
him directly, "do we intend to give
in."
What you mean is that John Colt
won't give in.''
Its the same thing"
Dick Wayne looked at her queer
ly. us it, Karen? Are you in love
with Colt? Are you going to marry
him?"
CHAPTER VII
Karen looked at him steadily a