Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-10-06

sive occupancy, too" Zorie said
meekly.
Amber Lanning glanced at her
with raised eyebrows. She said Wig
orously: 1.-THE person who's in here
says she also paid for exclusive &C.
cupancy What? Well, do some
thing about it! I can't travel with
another person. I refuse
What?"
For some time Miss Lanning lis
tened with bored expression to the
explanation from the purser's de-
partment.
She hung up the phone with vio-
lence, jumped up and said, with ges-
lures: ut isn't even mixup. He
says they're packed. He says the
government demands so many cab
ms every voyage for defense work.
ers and navy wives and such and
that we're lucky to have accommo-
dations at all. He says he'll try to
do something about it. Well, he'd
better"
She tipped the three waiting stew
ards. She glanced at Zorie's worn
old suitcases and her battered old
trunk. 1t was the size and shape of
a modern field trunk, or foot locker.
Zorie's father had used it on camp
ing trips and it looked it.
Are these yours?" Miss Lanning
asked.
"Y-yes," said Zorie. If there had
been any other place to go, she
would have gone. But there were
no other places.
dark-skinned girl briskly unpacked
her bags and hung things up. She
hung up dresses and skirts and
gowns and nightgowns and lounging
pajamas and coats and other things
in both closets until both were full.
Then she went about hanging things
on hangers about the room until
there wasn't hook left.
Zorie was sure she was hanging
up a great many of these things
needlessly; that she would not have
chance to wear fraction of this
wardrobe on the trip.
The telephone rang. Amber fairly
leaped across the room to answer it.
"Yes?" she cried, on an ascend
ing soprano scale. "Who? Wait
minute" She glanced resentfully at
Zorie. cts for you"
Zorie tremblingly took the phone.
She was relieved and happy at the
interruption. Now Miss Lanning
could shower or dress or do what
ever she wanted without the feeling
that every movement she made was
being watched.
"Yes?" Zorie said meekly.
"Hullo, honey" 1t was Paul. He
sounded in much better spirits than
when she had last seen him, and she
hoped he had had couple of drinks,
although Paul disapproved of drink
ing.
Make yourself beautiful" Paul
said, land come and join us in the
admiraIs suite for cocktails and din
ner. Well dance afterward. We're
dressing. Will your"
"Of course" Zorie said meekly.
"It's number Twenty-seven, on B
Deck" Paul said. Make it snap
Ply, darling, will your"
yes" said Zorie.
When she turned from the phone,
she saw that Amber Lanning had
not taken advantage of her privacy
at all. She was wandering about
the room.
Zorie was, she realized, caught in
another trap set by her meekness.
She did not have the courage to go
OH +,o rol,+i,n1,y Al ioI -
undressing, showering and dressing,
because this girl, with her simple
egotism, her unquestioning self-as-
surance had her butfaloed.
Zorie glanced at her wrist-watch.
1t was almost six. Ten minutes
must have gone by while she sat
there, unable to move, frozen by
whatever the word is for the exact
opposite of confidence, surcness and
courage.
The bed on which she sat was
shaking gently, but this was not
entirely due to the state of her
nerves. Even as she wondered
about it, the stateroom tilted ever
so little, and she realized that, while
she was sleeping, the Samoa" must
have left its pier, and that when
Miss Lanning looked out of the port
hole and made her ecstatic remarks,
the last of San Francisco was to be
seen, and that they were now at sea.
Miss Lanning leisurely took from
hangers and drawers the things she
might or might not be intending to
wear this evening.
The telephone rang again and she
answered it.
Eyes, Uncle Win!" she cried.
Eyes, dear. But of course, dar-
ling!" She seemed very excited She
spoke rapidly in Spanish. Then:
mo! I'm sure. She's just a nice
sweet little American girl. All right.
I'll see you in about forty minutes"
Zorie glanced again at her watch.
Forty minutes! The time was now
6:28. More than half an hour since
Paul had phoned. But she could not
move. She was chained to her bed
by her meekness.
Zorie started to get off the bed,