The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-13

"You NEAR there's likely to be
trouble with the Blacklanders?"
Wade looked noncommittal.
Gould be-" he admitted.
Cliff rose-he had wasted his
time.
But as he turned to go, Janet
spoke. Wade" she said, "if you
came up to camp as supply fore
man, Mr.. Bogard and I could
coach Lilli so she'd be better pre-
pared for school. It would be al
most as good as school itself"
The hunters face changed, and
Cliff heard Lilli's ecstatic, "Oh, I'd
love that"
Wade's eyes fixed his ward.
Seems to me you're takin' to
learnin' kinda sudden"
Lilli ran toward him. But I'd
really study-honest l would"
Wade pulled out the huge blue
handkerchief-sure sign of mental
turmoil-and mopped his bald
head throuh a long, e%xpectant
minute, then accepting defeat, he
sighed. We'll 1 guess I'm your
new foreman, Mr.. Bogard."
So Wade left his menagerie in
care of the two Indian boys and
moved himself and Lilli up to the
rubber headquarters. Casey re-
garded the addition obviously.
Another woman in camp" he an
nounced to no one in particular.
Il better cable for me evenin'
Clothes"
But the addition of another
woman wasn't all. Lilli begged to
bring Plato, and Cliff half-heart-
eddy protested. Cali we need is a
jaguar to turn this places into a
first-class madhouse," he grum-
bled, but in the end he consented,
and to the CONSERVATION of every
dog in camp, Plato's cage vas set
up beside the CAROLS shack.
Lilli's slant eyes were happy "a
gain. Casey made one-and only
one-attempt to win the affection
of the pet jaguar. "Lilli says that
cats just playful" he conffded to
Cliff later, "but I did find
the seat of me trousers"
Janet tried faithfully to keep her
promise about Lilli's education,
but she soon saw that the girl had
no real interest in studies. 1t was
only when Cliff undertook the role
of tutor that Lilli astonishingly
awoke from her profound indiffer-
ence to algebra and Latin verbs.
Meanwhile, she seemed content to
play wi h her pet jaguar, help
Wade on the trap lines, and in the
evening swim in the river below
the docks.
Sometimes Janet Joined her on
those swims, but always upon her
own initiative-Lilli never invited
her. For that matter, Lilli never
asked Janet to share any of her
activities. She was never lonely,
for she had always herself, or
Plato, or the jungle, and the one
person she gave any evidence of
pleasure in seeing was Cliff. Janet
she could take or leave-and if
she had any preference, it was to
leave-so after Lilli had thWarted
all Janet's attempts to coach her,
the two girls were together only
for that short hour just after dusk
had fallen, when they went down
to the river.
1t was the days most perfect
hour for a swim. The men had
finished work and were up in the
shacks, and usually the first
breath of air was beginning to stir,
so that the water itself, although
tepid, felt cool and refreshing after
the heat of the long afternoon. For
the first two or three swims. Janet
wore an improvised bathing suit,
but she soon discarded it to follow
Lilli's example and feel the thrill
of water on her naked skin. and
the ease and freedom of move
ment that came from total absence
of clothes.
After the swim, if there was
work to be done-and usually
there was-Janet would join Cliff
in the office, spread out the big
control maps, and transfer the
field notes that the construction
crews had brought in that day.
But one night soon after the ar
rival of the CAROLS. she was late
in arriving. Cliff, with a pile of
papers before him, sat checking a
column of figures, and twice look
ed over at Janet's empty chair,
then at last, throwing down his
pencil, he stood up. 1t was hot,
humid and breathless outside
deadly hot within the little office
and even at eight o'clock there had
come no break in the long, torrid
heat of the day.
Driven by restlessness that
made physical motion a necessity,
he wandered about the room, eyes
avoiding his desk piled high with
unfinished work. He didn't want
to work. Once he stopped before
the door. The jungle itself was
restless and vocal; a full moon
shone down over the palms, and
bats were fluttering endlessly back
and forth across the path of noon
light. The roar of the rapids
seemed to pulsate in the hot, still
air, swelling to a hollow %crescendo.
then dying away.
Everywhere, within him and
about him, a sense of expectancy
and of vague excitement. He
stepped outside. The moonlight
was so bright he could see the
orchids in the trees above him,
and with the thought that it might
be cooler down by the river, he
followed the path to the dock.
Halfway out along the wharf
he saw a little heap of cleaning
white, and walking toward it,
leaned forward-it was Lilli's
white cotton dress. For an instant
he felt his heart quicken with
alarm and st~raiohtenino neered