The Ely miner., 1943-12-23


sentry box beside the protecting
battlement, and turned around. She
wasn't mistaken. It was Miguel. He
had come out again and was going
rapidly up the hill. She could see
him through the shadowed rectangu-
lar frame of the gate. She knew
the way he walked, the set of his
head, the movement Of his shoul-
ders. They were as distinctive as
the way his gray eyes smiled Slow
ly before his lips did, and the little
habit he had of pulling down the
cuff of his right coat sleeve. It was
odd how many things she was aware
Of about him that she'd ordinarily
never notice in people.
''I'm being crazy" she said to
herself. There could be dozen rea-
sons why he mightn't want to see
her just then.-Or be seen by her,
she added with vague sense Of un-
easiness. She glanced back at the
door. A man was coming now who
looked rather more as if he belonged
there. He was small and dark, with
blue shirt open at the neck and
cotton trousers and straw hat that
had both seen better days. He was
coming down the hill.
Anne moved out to the sentry box
and wandered aimiessly along, look
ing up at the blackened time-stained
wall. The man came through the
gate and went down the ramp to the
long pier stretching out into the
shallow dirty water Of the bay. The
pier was empty except for a man
at the far end leaning over the bar
rier, watching the harbor.
Anne went back to the stone bat
tlement in front of the pilastered
gate, watching the two of them. The
man at the end of the pier had
turned and was coming back, stop
ping once to level his camera at
the seawan with the gardens and
white round towers Of Fortaleza
shining above it. Anne leaned for
ward. It was Mr.. Richard Taussig
in his yachting cap, with the breeze
Tapping his white linen trousers
around his ankles the way it had on
the promenade deck of the ship.
She stepped quickly down from
the ledge and slipped into the SEN
try box. Through the narrow slit
in its circular wall she could see
Taussig shade his eyes with his
hand and look along the ramp.
The man from the house in Caleta
San Juan stopped from time to time
to look down into the muddy water.
In minute or two they would pass
each other. Or would they? Anne
waited. The Puerto Rican stopped
again. Mr.. Taussig was on the 9TH
er side of the narrow pier taking
another picture of La Fortaleza.
Then, as casually as an ordinary
tourist, he crossed over within a
couple of feet of the other man, and
to all intents and purposes devoted
himself to taking snapshots of the
unlovely expanse of beach and wall
under the Casa Blanca.
Anne glanced at her watch. Elev-
en- minutes dragged slowly by on
Aso 4oSC 0C4O4 C4LIlC4 VI LllC bWO
men below her moved-the tourist
or the native. It was a long time
for anybody to stand in the broiling
midday sun looking down into the
mud. Then quite abruptly Mr.. Taus-
sig moved away and was coming up
from the pier.
Anne slipped quickly out of the
sentry box and through the gate.
The hill up under the wall to La
Fortaleza was shorter than the 9TH
er. At the top, in front of the pal
ace, she glanced back. Mr.. Taus-
sig was crossing the street headed
up toward the Cathedral. Anne
looked at her watch again and wait
ed, ostensibly interested in the SIM
pie elegance of the palace facade
and the handsome field blue-uni-
formed policeman on duty at the en-
trance. It was less than three min
utes before the Puerto Rican came
slowly through the gate and disap-
peared up the hill.
"You can come in and see the
palace if you want to, MISS" the
policeman said.
"Some other time" She smiled
and turned across the tiny plaza into
Fortaleza Street. Richard Taussig
had certainly been waiting for the
other man. If there was nothing
illicit in their meeting, why had
they gone to such elaborate trouble
about it? And what did Miguel have
to do with it?
She walked slowly along the mar
row street. At the corner, as she
waited to cross, she felt a light
touch on her elbow.
"What are you doing out at this
hour, Miss Heywood?"
Her heart gave an excited little
leap as she turned. It was Miguel
Valera. It flashed through her mind
that he had been waiting there for
her to find out if she'd seen
him, maybe. But that didn't mat
ter, not really.
''I've been seeing the city-foot
tour Number One" she answered
gaily. II like to do things the
hard way. What you're doing out
at this hour is more to the point?"
He looked down at her, smiling.
"I'm taking you to lunch," he
said. Don't you know you'll be i'll,
wandering around in the sun and
not eating?"
He hadn't answered her, but that
didn't matter either. The sun had
made her little dizzy unless
it was the light touch of his hand
on her arm as he took it to guide
her across the street.
''I'm so glad I'm here!" she said
impulsively.