Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-01-08

smooth and sleek as in the piping days
of peace. That was not SO with her
mate. When she nuzzled up to Ra jah.
she felt as if each of his strong hairs
was standing up separately, and she
could hear his big heart beating
quickly. thickly.
And soon, there was a good reason
for his terror. Had Jezebel been able
to count, but counting was beyond her,
she would have known that during the
awful hour which followed 10 high
explosive bombs fell on the Geological
Gardens.
Rajah pressed up against her closer
and ever closer: but he uttered not
even a whimper to show what he must
be feeling. Still less did he roar in
the selfish cowardly way Jane and
Jupiter chose to do simply adding, by
so doing to the noise and confusion,
for during the whole of the raid it
was as if every yard of the Gardens
was alive with men hurrying hither
and thither, putting out the tires
started by the hundreds of incendiary
bombs which accompanied and fol-
lowed the high explosives.
! At last--it seemed weeks, months,
years, rather than 60 minuteS-the
raiders flew away and the All Clear
sounded.
Rajah half believed he had driven
off those vultures. His sinewy frame
was filled with a sensation of glorious
strength and joy All thought of sleep
had left him, so he did not feel over
pleased when he felt himself being
propelled along by his ear to their lair.
Where was the hurry now? But even
he knew his cherished zezebel had
queer feminine turns and ways which
were hopelessly beyond his under
standing. And that fact was i'm
mediately brought home to him for,
as they padded along. he was amazed,
though naturally delighted, when she
murmured, in their jungle language,
pyar-kurro.
Pyar-kurro? Just two words which
signify, in the oldest of the Indian
dialects. the eternal theme of love.
Thirty-six hours leave to spend
with the dearest girl in the whole
world-his 2Oyear-old wife, Gertie,
whom he had only seen since their
weeks honeymoon three months ago?
No wonder Corporal Trim felt happy
on this beautiful spring evening!
The two were all alone in a big
house overlooking the London ZOO,
for the old folk to whom it belonged
having stood the raids for bit, had
left months ago for the depths Of the
country. But Mrs. Crabtree, their cook
housekeeper, who was Gertie's aunt,
had said she would stay and look after
everything, for she was a Cockney
born and bred. and didn't fancy hav-
ing to stay out of London till Hitler
knows he has to quit.
Mrs. Crabtree'S lady was real lady,
and just as she had been going off in
her grand motor car she had called
out to her husband, stop a minute,
dear" And she'd hoped down. for
all she was no longer young woman,
and exclaimed, II think you're very
brave to stay here all by yourself. Mrs.
Crabtree. I'd like you to sleep in the
blue room. for if a bomb drops on the
house you'll be safer there than on the
top story. And if a bomb falls in the
road, you'll avoid the blast which gets
at people on the ground floor
When Mrs. Crabtree heard Corporal
Trim was getting SO hours leave, she
said she'd take a trip to Coventry. and
see the damage, as shs had friend
living there. And that's how and why
SeTJle ana ION were llOW LII ILLS
grand room, after having had a cozy
supper in the kitchen.
Gertie sat on her husbands knee,
in a big easy chair he had drawn up
to the middle window, and to him, at
any rate, had come the perfect end
ing to what had been perfect day.
/ After she had met him at the sta
ton, he and Gertie had gone to Buck
ingham Palace for him to receive the
D. g. M. from the hands of the king
and the officer who had welcomed
them to the palace had exclaimed in