Arkansas State press., 1944-04-28
CHAPTER NH

@H N~f'N NNhN ~ 80 - - ffNAA
fields Of sugar cane. The cutters
with the sun CHANGING on the bright
steel blades Of their maehetes were
like pigmies.
They were going through a village.
Perhaps she could think Of some rea-
son to make them stop -.
'It's interesting, the pattern of
the central plaza with the church on
one side and the municipal build
ing on the other, that even the
smallest villages follow" Mr.. Taus-
sig was saying.
The car stopped. Anne could
smell the sweet, slightly acrid odor
Of molasses in the air. She leaned
forward, watching the tiny train
start, and in the fields the great
lovely oxen dragging the cane 10 the
derrick that picked it up and loaded
the cars on the track. The mo-
mentary fear she'd felt was gone in
the sudden fascination of the scene
in front Of her and Mr.. Taussig's
running commentary.
Finally the end of the train passed
by. Ahead Of them on the road were
half a dozen great wagons loaded
with cane, drivers lashing the sleek
creamy sides Of the oxen, their yoke
heavy above their great soft eyes.
The chauffeur started the car. They
turned into a long shady lane of
mango trees running to the mill
yards and got out of the car. Except
for Graciela. who stayed where she
was with a light shrug of distaste
for the dirt and heat and dust.
They crossed the Uttered yard into
the rundown wooden building. 1t
was long and narrow, with a high
pitched roof. The deafening roar Of
machinery made it impossible for
Anne to hear what they were say
ing to her. She followed the fore
man and Diego Gongaro across the
sticky dirty floor to the middle of
the room, under the great watts built
almost to the rooftree. Mr. Taussig
came behind them. Gongaro took
her arm. He pointed to the steep
narrow steps leading up to a catWalk
at the top Of the progressive sue
cession Of refining units. Anne
looked up at it dizzily.
do you mean WI have to 60 up
there?" she shouted, trying to make
him hear her above the din and
roar Of crushing wheels and rollers.
He nodded.
The dark flower opened inside her
again. 1t was like the dream.
II can't CO." she thought des-
perately. Il can't"
She turned to look at Mr. Taussig.
He was smiling at her. He knew
she was afraid. She could see it in
the cold blue eyes, unsmi1ing
through the concentric circles Of his
thick lenses.
She started toward the stairs.
~'Ha~as .gt
Pete could not have said he
smelled a rat when all he could
smell was the pleasant odor of fresh
bread across the inner court from
the Army bakery under the Gen
erals office. 1t was a combination
OF a lot Of things too intangible to
put his finger on. From the mo-
ment he put the phone down with
Anne's voice still in his ears he had
become increasingly restless, He
couldn't get out of his mind, for one
thing, the girl who'd risked her neck
In the line Of Army trucks. He
wasn't so sure, now, that he'd got
the gist Of what she'd said as well
as he thought he had. Obvious con-
illusions had a way Of being wrong
as often as they were right.
Then he'd thought the heck with it
and gone back to his work. He got
up, went to the water cooler and
came back again half a dozen times,
unable to settle down to anything.
He got up again. got the file on
Miguel Valera and the file on Diego
Gongaro and went through them
both. He took the Brooklyn saloon
keepers letter out Of his desk and
read it for the fiftieth time.
"You let somebody like that man
over there come down here and show
him the works." he remembered
Anne saying. II she could say that
after her pointed question about
Taussig the day she came, it must
mean she was on to something. II
she was, and Gus was right, Taus-
sig probably knew it. She was as
transparent as a two.day-old jelly
fish anyway.
Finally 1t was too much. He
reached for the phone.
Get me Senior Aware Valera" he
said. He hesitated, and added, "Or
Senior Miguel Valera IL his father
isn't there"
He waited impatiently.
I'm sorry, Captain Wilcox" the
operator said at last. Both Don
Aware and Senior Miguel Valera
have gone to Ponce for the day.
Senior Diego Gongaro has taken some
Americans out to the plantation. He
has just left"
Pete put the phone down. II was
all perfectly open and above board,
on the face Of II. Only one thing
bothered him. II was cockeyed too,
but II stuck In his mind. Why
hadn't Miguel taken her out TO the