The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-02-11
CHAPTER XVII


%were like small conical dips of green
land brick-red ice cream dotted over
1.-THE landscape. The narrow road,
winding and curving between the
sweeping lanes of flamboyants was
lovely. II must be very beautiful,
Anne thought, when the trees were
scarlet with bloom.
Where are we going?" she asked.
Mr.. Taussig turned back with a
Esmile. 81 think we might tell her.
Dr. shall we surprise herr"
I'VE are going to a coffee planta-
ton, Miss Haywood" Diego Con-
caro- said.
The road was full of Army trucks
now. She kept thinking how easy
it would be to call out to one of the
blond sunburnt boys at the wheel.
But she didn't do it. Then they were
climbing, the tires shrieking as they
went around hairpin curves with
steep banks on one side and SCARED
bare cuts on the other, in the face
Of the hill where they'd widened the
road. Below them was river and
a power plant. Mr.. Taussig opened
his guide book and unfolded the map
on the back cover. Anne saw him
take pencil out Of his pocket, make
a circle on the map and fold it again.
She Strengthened up little, sudden
idea dawning in her mind.
The map was not like the one in
her book. The island in the center
of it was not the same size, or the
same color. It was more elaborate
and detailed and took up most of the
page, while hers was small rec
tangle in the middle of lot Of ocean.
She settled back in the corner feel
ing Diego Gongaro's eyes on her
face. It was in the car again, the
thing she'd felt on the way to the
sugar mill. It was danger.
On the left the bank sloped across
a field of cane to narrow valley
of pasture land. She could see a
few cows grazing, and as they
rounded a sharp curve she saw a
yellow and black airplane sprawled
in the pasture, like great ground
ed wasp. She sat quietly waiting.
The road curved again, and they
came up to faded blue stucco wall
with a broad archway in the center.
They drove through open iron gates
and pulled up at the house, blue
stucco also, with dark balconies at
the upstairs windows, closed tight
and heavily suffered.
"Here we are," Gongaro said. He
handed her out onto the marble slab
IN front of the door, then reached
into the car and picked up her hand
kerchief. "-Is this yours, Sc
MORTAR"
Thanks" she said. "I'm always
doing that"
81 know" Diego Gongaro said.
She understood that the remark
had some meaning, but not knowing
what, let it go.
ssThe house is yours, as the Span
ish say, Miss Haywood" Taussig
said.
He followed her into the cool foy-
er. The irony in his voice tapped
out sharp warning in the back Of
her head.
.sUpstairs, please, Miss Hey
wood" Diego Gongaro said. He
opened double door at the top of
the stairs.
"There is your story, Miss Hey
wood" Taussig said. He pointed to
the plane lying in the field.
Anne waited. She was not afraid
now. It was as if the alert had
sounded, and she was ready, every
nerve poised and keen.
.sPlease = sit down, Miss Hey
wood"
His whole intonation and the rigid
posture of his body made it sound
exactly as if he'd said, ''Bitte-set-
zen Sic SIGH, Fraulein." She hadn't
thought of him that way before. She
sat down. Gongaro moved to the
gallery and stood there, his hands
behind his back twitching impatient
". Through the spindles of the
balustrade Anne could see a man
crossing the field to the plane. It
was their chauffeur. She could tell
by his cap and the outline of his
head.
She looked back at Taussig. He
was pulling open the fastener of his
brief case. She watched calmly as
he took out a small blue steel auto
matte and put it on the desk beside
him. She wasn't frightened. It came
no her with burst of something
like joy that she wasn't.
go on, Mr.. Taussig," she said.
.Airplanes themselves are no long
er news. Perhaps you know that. !"
"That plane is news, Miss Hey
wood" he said CURLY. "As you will
soon see."
The khaki-colored field car mount
ed the steep road above Cayay. Two
long fingers of light reached out in
the dark. The sharp empty curves
sprang into relief and vanished in
the blackness as the powerful motor
skirted high naked banks. Below
them the valleys were heavily blan-