The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-19

panR OIL always
people failed her, she turned to her
pet jaguar. She was like a discon-
solate child in need of comforting,
but she might be a dangerous child
too, and it was easy enough to see
in retrospect how Lilli would be
Jealous of Janet. Then, too, vi
cente's life Of insecurity had been
worrying the girl for a long time.
She had laid the blame on the
Blackland leader, and now that she
knew he was Janet's father, there
would be an added reason for her
malice. Walking away, Cliff told
himself he'd better talk to Lilli.
But she was in no mood to reason
with now.
Nothing was reasonable, for that
matter. His mind went back to the
puzzle of Janet. Her father was
Madison's greatest enemy. How
then did Janet reconcile the two
relationships? And what was her
own relationship to Madison? Was
she spying on Madison and the
rubber camp both? For a bare
second Cliffs old suspicion re-
turned, but in the next second he
dismissed it. Whatever she might
be, the role of spy just didn't fit.
And during those next few days,
despite the ever-mounting pressure
of work, Cliff found, Janet more
and more in his thoughts. Every
thing about her left him with a
sense of bafflement and paradox.
He couldn't reconcile the hard
working girl who sewed on buttons
for his men and labored nightly
at the drafting board, with that
evasive, u~nknowable person who
had come here on her mysterious
errand. He remembered that brief,
flame-like response the day he
kissed her-her lips had chung,
chung desperately, for the space of
a heartbeat-but that too had been
followed by instant withdrawal.
Just what was she after?
Weary of thoughts that got him
nowhere, Cliff threw himself into
his work, driving himself and his
men without rest. There was good
reason. Only ten days remained
before their first cargo of rubber
must be ready for shipment and
thanks to good organization and
hard work, Cliff was fairly hopeful
of meeting the deadline, but he re-
fused to allow any relaxation of eff
fort.
The building of the camps and
the main network of roads had
been completed, and although the
valley people were slow in respond
ing to his call for rubber gatherers,
the high yield of the rubber trees
more than compensated for the
scarcity of labor. Up in the plan
tations the smudge of a hundred
fires bore witness that men were
converting the milk-white sap into
great balls of smoked rubber, and
the weak, flattish smell of fresh
latex hung heavy on the air, night
and day.
Already along the banks of the
upper tributaries, Casey's men
were loading the flat-5ottomed
barges with their cargoes, tons of
pure rubber, ready for their trip
down over the rapids, where they
would be met by the freighter and
taken on the long journey to the
States. Barge after barge was be-
ing filled, and as delivery day drew
closer, the excitement spurred
ever. man in camp to greater eff
fort. Even Wing Toy, the cook,
sent hot suppers by launch to the
plantation, so that the men could
work throughout every precious
hour Of daylight.
Then, four days before the
freighter's arrival, Casey strolled
into the office where Janet and
Cliff were working and announced
casually that the job was done.
Eight barges full of the best
rubber that ever oozed from a
tree" he exulted. Ladies and gen
tlemen, by morning u first ship
ment will be on its way down the
river"
Cliff nearly upset the inkwell.
You don't mean you've got them
all loaded?"
Loaded and ready. I've had the
whole construction crew dom
nothin' but packin' rubber. Tomor-
row night you'll see those barges