The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1942-01-29
CHAPTER vi

asked Karen if fire had been laid
for her. He did not know that Lilua
had put Karen in almost the only
room in the house that had no fire.
place at all.
A heavy lei of golden ginger BIOS
SONS hung on the foot of the bed; the
blossoms filled the whole room with
a spicy fragrance, heavy and pun
gent. Instantly Dick knew who had
made that lei, and put them there:
and for a moment he was troubled.
Then, on an impulse, he picked up
the lei and went walking through the
house. He recognized Karen's room
when he came to it by the crack of
light under the door.
He knocked and the door was
opened.
Here" he said, pressing the lei
into her hands. He was unable to
keep a shade of irony out of his
voice. aloha" He turned and went
back to his room. He half expected
to hear her door slam behind him,
but it did not.
Dick stripped to his shorts and put
out the lights. AS he flung himself
between the cool sheets the many
voiced wind was drowned by the
swift rush of rain-first a whisper,
then drumming roar as water beat
against walls and easements by
sheets and buckets.
For little while he lay wonder
ing what he was going to do; for he
knew now that he was caught in the
worst dilemma he had ever known.
He knew now what his uncle must
already have known-that Tonga
Dick Wayne ~~-as the only man in
the Islands who cor.3 stop John Colt.
He could stop John Colt. That
fact was definite and specific in his
mind. The cost, if it came to that,
was going to be severe-just how Sc
we're he could not yet tell AS yet
he only knew that it would begin
with the breaking of his word; and
that when it ended he would be fin
ished in the Islands.
The rain was still coming down in
torrent upon torrent as he went to
sleep.
He was awakened by the touch of
a hand upon his shoulder; and,
though it was gentle hand, it was
so dripping wet with cold rain that
the shock brought him bolt upright.
The fire still burned, its slim flames
twisting and kissing from the spat-
ter of rain in the chimney, and by
its light he saw that Lilua was there.
what the devil is this?"
"Dick," Lilua said, "you have to
get up"
Whats happened? Is there any
thing wrong?"
Something is terribly wrong" Lii
lua said. Something has happened.
It's happened just now-within the
last ten minutes
"Well, damnation! Will you tell
me what it is?'
The girls voice had low strange
note in it, something like the voice
of the wind in the rain. 'I don't
know what it is. Dick, you have to
find out!'
"Oh, good heavens, Lilu'! Did you
hear something, or see something,
or what?"
"As I came toward the house
think saw a kino-wailua going
away. 1t was moving off through
the trees"
Dick had to grin a little as he
visualized the ghost Lilua reported,
making its way through the branches
probably swimming overland, to
judge by the density of the rain.
"Lilu', this is the most elaborate
bunk"
mo, no! I'm pretty sure-some-
thing terrible has happened" The
girl was shivering so violently that
she could hardly control the chat
tering of her teeth. ''Dick, get up
and put your clothes on. Quickly!"
"Oh, Lord!" He got up then, and
turned on the lights.
"I'm sorry to wake you up, Dick
but tell you, know"
Dick, pulling on his fannels, looked
at her curiously. She had dropped
to the floor the huge ii leaf with
which she had sheltered her head
as she came running through the
rain, and her hair bushed wildly
about her shoulders. Her eyes were
no longer quiet, but alive with ter
ror she was helpless to control.
Look here-you've got to get into
some dry clothes. You want to get
pneumonia? We've had enough trou-
BILE stamping tuberculosis out of
here aren't you ever going to
learn?"
He flung a blanket at her.
Sulkily and unhurriedly, Lilua
wrapped herself in the blanket.
II don't know what I'm going to
do with you," Dick grumbled, hunt
ing for his pipe. Seems to me"
He stopped. Under the voice Of
the rain, barely perceptible, yet un-
mistakable, he had heard the sound
of running feet.
In another moment there was q
quick futtery tapping at the door
and a thin little voice outside was
calling, mister Dickl Mister Dick!"
At the door when he opened it was
the tiny figure OF kimonoed Japa-
nese girl. Her hair, usually as neat
as polished ebony, was down all
about her face, and through 1t her
eyes stared so widely that they
showed the whites.
Mister Dick-you comet"
"What is il? What is il noW?"