Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-10-13

| .
be the first of my girls he's tried to
steal"
"Did he," Zorie asked demurely,
"have much luck with the others?"
Hes always had a very smooth
Gne," Paul replied. watch out for
| it,"
II SHALL" Zorie promised.
They started to dance. Paul
danced well but without much en-
thusiasm. He didn't dance often
enough to keep in practice, and il
you aren't in practice, you bump
into people. Paul kept humping into
people and apologizing. He became
annoyed. The slight rolling Of the
ship kept sending him off balance,
and that annoyed him, too.
The ship rolled more sharply than
usual. Paul and Zorie went sliding
to the end of the floor with a mass
of other dancers who seemed to
think it was fun.
Paul did not. "To hell with it,"
he said Grossly. Lets take a turn
on deck"
"All right" Zorie agreed.
Just then Steve's deep, lazy voice
said, SIS it against maritime law to
cut in?"
He was grinning at Paul. "Try
it," Paul said CURLY. I'm not the
shark gods type"
He walked away. Steve had his
hand lightly under Zorie's elbow,
balancing her as the ship made
another deep roll.
"Do you mind?"
"No," said Zorie. paul doesn't
like to dance"
His blue eyes were admiring her.
"You do"
eyes. I love it." She felt rebel
ious and reckless.
$50 do l." Steve drawled.
He took her lightly in his arms
and they started to dance.
Steve was evidently experienced
at dancing not only in crowds but
on rolling ships, because they
bumped into no one and when the
ship rolled he seemed to know how
to dance with the roll, so that their
rhythm wasn't broken and she lost
the fear she had had with Paul that
her feet were about to shoot out
from under her. Steve danced
smoothly and he led firmly. He was
so easy to dance with that Zorie felt
herself relaxing.
She looked about for Paul and saw
him 60 out on deck.
"Are you the shark gods type?"
she asked.
"I'm the shark gods adopted
child" Steve answered. "When I
was kid, on Kauai, I did lot of
surfing in dangerous water. An old
Hawaiian family took fancy to me
and their god happened to be the
shark god, so they put me through
the ritual. They wanted to protect
me against all dangers in or on the
sea-"
1T sounds pagan" Zorie muir
INJURED. 1t also sounded character
istic of Steve.
1T is" said Steve.
She laughed. Are you pagan"
He grinned lazily down at her.
"Incurably."
She wondered why he wanted to
dance with her-why he was bother
ing with her. There were many pref
ty girls on the floor, and every time
Zorie glanced at one of them, she
was staring at Steve. He could have
been dancing with any of them, yet
he seemed oblivious to them. Why?
"Why did you put this flower in
my hair?"
Because was delighted with you
for taking my advice. l happened
to be in the room when Paul phoned
you. thought he was being pretty
stuffy. The longer you kept US wait
ing, the more admired you"
So that was it! He thought her
hardness was due to her having de-
cided to show Paul that she couldn't
be ordered around!
do you know" Steve asked,
'that you've made my grandfather
as happy as kid with new red
engine?"
"Why?"
''He likes to have pretty girl
around" Steve answered, land he's
sure you're going to do wonders
with his book. You've got to be
tough with him. If he takes wrong
slant, don't hesitate to back him
down. You're clever. You can. Do
you mind if l sit in on some of these
sessions?"
Wont it be dull for your" Zorie
asked.
mo. I'm interested in the book.
Nobody's ever written up the family
and I'd like to see it done right. It's
really the story of Hawaii as illus
trated by one amazing family.
You're going to fall in love with
Uluwehi. Has Paul told you much
about it,"
mo"
Steve was still holding her lightly,
and dancing smoothly, and paying
attention to no one on the floor but
her. Zorie felt reckless and gay.
Steve was flirting with her. He was
managing to say nice things to her
without making love to her. Her
feelings about him were SO contra