The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-11-19

fought right out there, Miss Hey
wood" Pete said. He waved his
hand out over the rolling green golf
course in. front Of Ell Morro's Off,
GERS Club. ''It was in 1925, in case
you have your notebook with you.
I'll try to supply you with one fact
day. It's usually tourists who sup
ply us with facts, but you don't
seem to have your guide book with
you."
Anne put down her coffee cup and
looked at him across the table.
"Pete," she said evenly. WHATS
the matter with your"
"Who, mel"
"You," she said. you've been
perfectly foul all through lunch, and
you know it. What's the natter"
He took his last cigarette out,
wadded the empty package and
dropped 1t into the ash tray in front
Of him. He could see the warm flush
creeping up into her cheeks and her
tortoise-shell cats eyes getting dark
er storm warnings flying in
the Caribbean.
'I'm sorry" he said. II suppose
it's because I'm worried about you"
Then he could have kicked himself
across the graveyard into the At
lantic. That was just the thing he
shouldn't have said. He waited for
her to flare up and make some sting
ing retort. But she didn't.
MAY I ask why you're worried
about me?" she inquired calmly.
Somebody must have told her
about counting ten since he'd left
New York, he thought.
"You may ask, but can't tell
you," he said quietly. "That's the
trouble"
He looked at her sitting there
cool and confident, and babe in
the woods, actually. If he could
just take her by the back Of the
neck, the way you did kitten-or
Latin woman-and put her in a
plane and say go homel" every
thing would be easy. But he
couldn't. Nobody could. Or IL he
could tell her why. His job pre-
vented that. Anyway, it would prob
ably be just the thing that would
make her stay ~. even II she
believed him.
Look, Anne" he said. They were
at the far end of the open porch.
The boys had cleared empty la
bles around them. "You know /
love you -. :"
IF it's jealous pique, dear i. :"
He interrupted her calmly. ut
isn't. You're probably sick of hear
ing me say it, so let's skip it. The
point is, like you, too. They're diff
ferent. And / think you like me-"
''Oh, Pete" she began.
He gave her twisted grin to try
to conceal the sudden ache inside
him. When her voice was like that
it reduced his insides to quivering
jelly.
''The point is" he went on I'M
steadily, "I'm going to ask you to
do something and not ask any ques-
tions, or try to guess the answers.
Just trust your Uncle Pete just
once"
He saw the shadow behind her
dark curling lashes and the almost
imperceptible lines between her eye
brows. He liked her eyebrows
they were dark and thick SO that
they accumulated her slim oval face
-. not thin plucked lines that
made her look like scared siren.
She looked at him a clear steady
instant before she said, "You want
me to 60 home, don't you, Peter"
"Yes. On tomorrow's Clipper. It's
full, but / can manage that"
She looked up at him. "Pete,"
she said. 81 know it isn't on ac-
count of Miguel. I mean, it isn't
because you're jealous of him, and
and like Sue Porter. And if
it's Mr.. Taussig ~" .' "
She hesitated.
swell, I'm not afraid of him. May
be ! could even +. even help you,
! mean" fi y ~
He stared at her. Without even
being aware of it, she had slipped in
the connecting link he'd been rack
ing his brain all morning to find for
himself. Taussig and his sanitary
engineering. Miguel Valera and Sal
vatore Vegas. And she was already
in it =. a child playing dolls with
a stick Of dynamite. He pushed his
chair back abruptly.
you're going home tomorrow,
Anne"
Her eyes flashed dark brown and
green.
81 am not!''
"You are too. You're crazy fool.
You don't know what you're getting
into. This place is a key of nitro
glycerine, and you're Ii lighting
matches to powder your nose.
You're getting on that plane tomor-
row morning if have to tie your
hands and feet and put you on it my
self. And as for that spic you"
He stopped abruptly. She was
standing on the other side Of the
table, erect and vibrant as q streak
of flame from blow torch, her eyes
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