The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-03-20

Karen'S next words were lalntly
contemptuous. eff you think that
your brothers are capable Of stand
ing against such q man as John
Colt"
He shrugged impatiently. ''Kar-
en-" he said, 81 am the one that
you are against now. Don't you
know that?"
Karen faltered and her eyes
dropped. But she said, eyes; yes,
of course. suppose it always did
have to come to that, in the end.
didn't it?"
Suddenly Dick reached across the
table and caught both her hands. Il
don't want to 60 to war with you"
he said. 81 don't think you want to
60 to war with me. Do your"
"It doesn't have to be war;" Dick
said. His voice had neither pride
nor distance. ''It can be anything
you want TO make it."
Suddenly he came to his feet,
stepped around the little table; and
though she sprang up he caught her
in his arms. Her face pressed hard
against his blue jacket, so that she
smelled tobacco smoke, and salt
spray. He spoke to her almost in
audibly through the sudden tumble
of her hair.
81 don't want your island. I don't
want anything on the face Of the
sea, except one thing. You know
what that is. I want you."
Her arms went around him then,
and she chung to him. II don't want
the island either, Dick :"
eff it brought you into the Pacific,
I guess Alakoa served its turn"
"You-you'n have to see John
Colt" Karen said. Somehow you
have to fix it all with him."
She felt the breath 60 out Of him.
@'Colt?" he repeated. SIN Gods
name, why Colt?"r
Everything he has left has gone
into backing me. He's the only rea-
son I'm here"
His arms loosened, then, so that
she swayed away from him; and he
held her shoulders between his two
hands.
"You feel so definitely tied to John
Colt as that?"
81 have to stand by him, now
even now" Karen said. 81 couldn't
possibly do anything else"
She saw his eyes harden, and dis
engaged herself from his hands.
"You hate John Colt so much?"
''My uncle would never have
yielded one inch Of Alakoa to John
Colt" Tonga Dick said. He spoke
slowly, but to Karen it must have
seemed that his words carried an
implacable finality. Neither will
I; and neither will my-brothers,
while I i've"
''I'm sorry" Karen said.
'You mean?"
there's nothing more to be
said"
''It's war, them"
sThere-there doesn't seem to be
any other way"
''Karen-if there's anything / can
say"
She was in possession of herself
again. "You might say" Karen
told him, "you might say to the
Chinese boy that would like a cup
of black coffee"
He turned away from her, shout
ing to the mess boy in q furious bel
low that shook the lamps in their
gymbals.
As he did SO great Lift Of the sea
swung a portfolio Of the Holokai
high above the water; and through
the thick streaming glass Karen saw
distant lights.
Honolulu was rising, coming to
them across the black water.
Karen Waterson, deeply fatigued,
did not talk to John Colt that night;
and the brilliant but peculiarly soft
sunlight of the Islands was flooding
the lanai of her suite when she next
awoke.
Looking at the sunlight on the
clean rainbow water, it was hard to
remember a ightless and uneasy
sea with its long miles whispering
under black rain. Her memory Of
Tonga Dick Wayne, though, re-
manned distinct, as sharply detailed
as if he had been with her in the
sunlight. She could almost see him
standing there, tall and balanced,
his sea cap slapped jauntily any old
place on his head-grinning, Of
course, but with CLINT Of blue steel
in his eyes narrowed against the
brightness of the sea.
Later, eating breakfast on her own
lanai, she was only half finished
when John Colt tapped at the door,
and was let IN.
Colt paced morosely back and
forth along the railing of the lanai
while Karen sat down to finish her
breakfast. "You look as IL the sail
ing did you good" he complained.
you've worried me half to
DEATH" be told her now. Unim-