The Wilmington morning star., 1947-02-05

eousii. Maolson, but he only an.
swered, How should | know
know less about you every hour.
But there's just n thing we both
better keep straight = the minute
you interfere with my work, vol
and l are going to tangle. And il
| have to, l can get tough
She glanced at the square line
OF his Jaw. Il believe you cam
She nodded soberly. then, ..Wher
do l start work."
Right now. We're going with
Wade and Lilli to the rubber plan.
tatlons. Can you bring your sketch
box and make a rough map O.
them for me?"
I'm try"
Then we start as soon as
Wade's ready"
They started within an hour, al
four of them in the long canoe
Cliff padding at the bow, Wade al
the stern, the two girls seated be.
tween. For over a mile Wade KEEP
to the main stream, then turned
up a narrow, winding tributary al
most hidden by lianas. Behinc
them it was like a thick greer
curtain dropping. shutting them
Off within a world of hushed ano
dappled sunlight, tree-covered anc
vlne-woven. Far away they coule
hear herons crying, and 70 theil
nostrils the breath of the Jungle
rose hot and moisture = soaked
Turtles slid lazily into the water
as they passed, and at every benc
slow-moving alligators watched
them, undisturbed.
h e fathom1ess, unconouerec
jungle. Over the years it had be.
come Cliffs second home. Yet he
never lost that sense of beins
dWarfed to nothingness by its age
less, unchanging opulence, it's vas
Indifference tc the transient inva
sion Of man.
Once, with a little exclamation
0: pleasure, Janet leaned forward
and pointed - a hummingbird
scarcely larger than a bumblebee
ind~escribably exquisite, lowered
stationary among the flowers.
The movement caused the canoe
to tilt sharply, and with a dis
mayed, obi" she moved back
and began rearranging the col
ored crayons in her sketch box,
Cliff saw the hunters eye on her,
and they seemed uneasy.
Cliff looked at Lilli. Here al
least was one completely at home
in the jungle, even more thar
Wade himself. This was her ele
ment. Back in the clearing, par
of her seemed to be sleeping, but
out here she had come marvellous
ly alive, as if some new aware.
ness quickened and stirred her
messages of scent and sight ane
sound that came pouring in upo:
her and were hers alone. She was
a very part of the teeming in
visible life that went on abou'
them, alert as any wild thing tina
dwelt there, and as quietly watch
ful-but always the slanting eye:
returned to Cliff, padding in the
bow.
And she was n Cliffs thoughts
He remembered Wade's ambition
to send her away to school, take
her out of this environment which
was the breath Of life to her, anc
set her down amid the loneliness
of cities, to trade the warmth anc
color of the jungle for the pale,
cold wisdom of books. He glanced
back at her, and their eyes meet.
ing, they smiled.
For three hours now they hao
been passing neglected. weed.
choked banana plantations ano
small palm-thatched farmhouses
long abandoned and sinking into
decay.
Did the Blacklanders drive
these people out?" Cliff asked.
Wade shoo'e his head. "Just the
opposite. The people who owned
these farms we're Blacklanders
themselves. -Gadison's vaqueros
made things SO hot for 'em they
moved away"
tits like 1 told you. The va.
queros want all these river farms
to raise feed for the cattle and
fatten 'em before market time.
They claim when the Blacklanders
broke off from New Dixie they
forfeited their rights to any land,
and they're just squatters. So they
shove 'em out"
"Does Claribel approve of such
c4roy,0 r. avn vpo4hn1cCn