Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-10-20

first. He had been as Solicitous, as
admiring as Steve was now. Little
by little, because she never protest.
ed, Paul had acquired this unfair
attitude. The blame wasn't Paul's.
If Steve knew her long enough, he,
too, would slip into the same atti-
tude.
Zorie was so furious at herself
she was almost crying. She did not
hear Paul coming along the deck.
She wasn't aware of him until he
stopped beside her and spoke.
my God" he said. Look at
you! Just look at you! I've never
seen you so radiant since I've known
you! Or your eyes so starry!"
She started to smile. 1t was the
first time in ages that Paul had said
such nice things to her. Then she
saw his expression. He was white
with rage. His green eyes were so
dark they looked black. And his
mouth was thin and hard.
He stared at her. II was afraid
it might happen, but I never
dreamed it would happen so fast!"
"W-what?" Zorie stammered.
Something was terribly wrong, but
she could not guess what it was.
NO." Paul said in a brittle voice.
"You can't realize how obvious it is
how you've gone overheard for
| him!"
"Who?" Zorie walled.
"Who!" he Knocked her. He looked
angry enough to strike her. "All
right" he snapped. Let me tell
you couple of things neglected
to mention about this big glamorous
humbug you've gone overheard for!
I thought you might take my word
for i'll thought you might use some
| discretion You've asked for it-and
| here it isl"
He paused a moment. She had
never before seen Paul really lose
his temper. He could hardly articu-
| late, he was so furious.
my lovely big brother is nothing
] less than Nazi spy! If he isn't now,
he certainly has been! He's been a
traitor to his own country! He was
kicked out of the United States Navy
for INSTRUMENTATION. He went skulk-
ing and sulking off to Germany and
turned Nazi! But even they got fed
up with him! Why do you suppose
they kicked him out of Germany"
Paul hesitated. Zorie saw sweat
running down his face.
because he was having an affair
with one of Goering's girl friends!"
"Paul!" Zorie protested.
'It's all true! And that's the kind
Of man you prefer to mel"
He wheeled away and strobe down
the deck. Zorie turned and looked
at the moon, which had unrolled
a silver carpet all the way across
the ocean for her especial benefit.
How much of what Paul had said
was true she could not know. She
didn't want to believe any of it. But
one of his accusations, she realized,
was true. In spite of what she knew
over the protests of all her in
stincts-she had fallen in love with
Steve
Zorie returned to her stateroom to
find that someone had gone through
her trunk! She had disarranged
things little when she had dressed,
but she hadn't left them like this.
Things that had been on the bottom
were now on the top. Everything in
the trunk was topsy-turvy.
Amber Lanning was evidently de-
termined to leave no stone unturned.
On top of the tumble of the trunks
contents was the carbon of thesis
To,;o bod oo,,ioJ co,aro1 ya,rc am
1t was entitled: A Critical Survey
of the Rctooling of the Waffenfabrik
Krupp Plant for Increased Wartime
Production.
Zorie had saved it because she
had thought. for a while, that she
was in love with the young man who
had written it. He had been an en-
gineering exchange student-a Ba-
varian, bluceyed and haxen-haired,
the new Germany, loved everything
American. He was an ardent anti
Nazi.
The Stateroom door seemed to
burst OPEN Amber Lanning came
in, humming loudly. Zorie closed
her eyes, played possum.
"Asleep?" Miss Lanning cried.
Zorie said nothing and kept her eyes
shut
Miss Lanning slammed the door,
switched on the light. Humming,
occasionally breaking into clear So
prano words, she undressed, hung
up her things. turned out the light,
and went to bed.
While resenting the very presence
of this rude, selfish girl in the same
room, Zorie fell asleep.
She was awakened by a persistent
irregular humping against the foot
of her bed.
A bar of moonlight was shining
through each of the portfolios. The
door of the closet at the foot of her
bed was open. Miss Lanning had
evidently left it Unattached, and each
time the ship rolled, the door swung
and thumped the end of Zories bed.
She got up and closed it. She
tried it. The latch held. She went
back to bed and to sleep. She was
awakened sometime later by the