The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-10-29
CHAPTER II

OA1AA& 0ANA~ -
She looked down again at the peo-
pie on the dock. A girl was stand
ing there gazing up along the
crowded ships rail. She was so
lovely that Anne's heart sank an
other notch in spite Of herself. She
was slim and not very tall, with
warm peach-colored skin and dark
sparkling eyes and tawny chestnut
hair. Behind her was an older man,
with. the same arresting quality the
girl had, except that hers was an
almost breath-taking loneliness and
his was a rugged and aristocratic
dignity that seemed to hold him
completely apart from the crowd
around him.
Suddenly both faces broke into an
eager smile. The old man raised his
hat, the girl waved her hand. Anne
glanced around. Miguel Valera was
waving back to them, his face light
ed with pleasure.
THAT'S my father" he said.
Anne had noticed before the pride
and warmth that came into his voice
when he'd spoken his fathers name.
She could understand it now-and
vet for some reason it made him
suddenly remote from her, as If the
man ON the dock had moved in be-
tween them there at the rail.
And that's my cousin Graciela.
She and her father live with us. Her
smother was killed in Spain in the
civil war;"
"She's lovely, isn't she?" Anne
said.
Anne caught a final glimpse Of
Graciela's face as they followed the
crowd below. "He doesn't know
she's in love with him." she thought.
A'Or he doesn't care"
The reflection she caught of her.
self in the mirror on the landing of
the stairs had a new and sudden
radiance, and the touch of his guild
ing hand on the bare skin of her arm
had a kind of magic she hadn't no
ticed before. n ~@w
SIM sorry the trip is over, real
ly," she said.
''I'm glad you're going to be in
San Juan. I hope you'll let me show
you around"
Anne came to dead stop. At
the bottom of the stairs, coming out
of the purser's Office with two of the
ships officers behind him, was Cap
tain Peter Wilcox of the United
States Army. He was in tan tropical
gabardine, with a tan sun helmet
under his arm and an inlaid mahog-
any swagger stick in his hand. For
an instant he looked so different she
wasn't sure if it was really he; he
was older and harder and more au-
thoritative.
Then he grinned as he used to do.
Hello, Annie. wondered if there
was another Anne Haywood in this
part of the world
"Oh, Pete-it's swell to see you'll"
She ran down the last steps. It
was swell to see him. She would
have kissed him. For an instant she
quite forgot Miguel Valera. But he
held out his hands, so that was
that. She turned back. Have you
two met? This is Mr.. Valera :.
Captain Wilcox"
The two men shook hands. Some
thing curious seemed to happen to
the atmosphere all of a sudden. It
was like cloud crossing the sun.
IF you'll get your stuff together,
Anva - Data co;J ssT,11 h. nJ,,,.x i
help you get it to your hotel"
He grinned again. IF you'd like
me to, that isl
The passengers from the ship had
already registered. The clerk turned
to Anne.
"Are you Miss Haywood? It's
good thing you made a reservation.
It's the last room in the house. A
gentleman was just asking for you.
One of the passengers"
She took up the pen, wrote Miss
Anne" and stopped. Her eyes were
fastened on the top card in the stack
the clerk was holding. On it was
small curiously cramped sigma
ture: s'Mr. Richard Taussig, New
York City,
ssYou are in Room ITO, Miss Hey
WOOD" the clerk said. "It's a cor
uer room on the ocean side.''
Her eyes were still fastened on
the card in his hand. The room
number on it was 108. She wrote,
Haywood, Huntington, Long Is
land. New York." put the pen down
and turned around.
Pete was waiting, looking at her.
He took her arm. WHATS the
matter?"
Nothing" she said quickly. Then
she laughed. II don't know what's
got into me all of a sudden. I'm
just stupid, guess"
He gripped her arm a little tight
er. She looked up at him with warm
Laughing eyes. The idea that Mr..
Richard Taussig could exude any
kind Of pitch in room 108 that could
seep through and defile anything of
hers ii room 10 seemed suddenly
too fantastic to her to worry about.
Pm glad I'm here she said