CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
|>«-.vi WICK CAUNKS Mood on
the iuul It"1*'. 'I 'In.', n at the
t - >1 Ik iu'Ii Til -iv was scarcely
a sound iil'oiit th** hotel I ho ter
raci' was disei'Ud also All nv.als
were set v i«l Indoors now uml
guest* seemed t<> talk hi muled
v.iie.s as >1 afraid i>l l»«M«K over
heard Instead ot lighting against
Hi. memory »l I'll' as il linil been,
less lli ui l'< limit ^ oailier. tlio man
uave m to it That was a mistake,
r.'ir il made him evi n more miser
" !', heard C'h»»j>i»o answer the
u.|, . h<,il I li on." the yomigsU't
.1 Utility said:
"Tell liiin to c.iine up! Olioppo
obliged ,
Dv.r the youngsters freckled
fac- was the tools <>t a perturbed
ho>t "What ll we ilo to entertain
Deiiisoii?" lie had walked out to
lean In side Rusty.
"tvni ioii and 1," spec i lied the
man. "will have cocktails You will
po down and have your dinner. A
sensible ditnt r" To relievo nis
stei iini f '. hi- smiled and said, "Buy
some suit 1.1' same for us to play
tome,lit during III'* blackout. I ll ex
pect voll back in nil hour."
The strained feeling between
Rusty nnd Penison Ware was so in
tense* that for a few minutes they
scarcely spolte They sipped their
Scot eh. pulTeil cignrets nn.l made
comments ahout the attack.
Finally the red-haired man
b'.urted. "1 found nut nliout Eu
genia Paige t<>!.l me 1 would some
day mil" ,nd win n I did she want
c.l t.» hear aht.ut it. She said she
want"'I to watch the i ::uression on
my laee. She said it would he her
revenge for the v.ay I d treated her.
Well, she should lie here now."
Penison Ware looked at his
host s knotti .1 h inds "I'm glad >'ou
found out that Paige is a right girl,
hut. you know, von don't have to
rehash 'the affair for luy sake. 1
don't have to »><■ convinced. I knew
she was i.n angel."
1'isi viik ("allies' !nu~h was dry
"And 1 thought Eugenia was. 1
won-Vr li w any s-irl :nn appear
to lie such an angel anil be so rot
ten "
"Rusty." his guest said riiu^hly,
"there's no need for this conver
sation 1 don't want to hear ahout
Eugenia's faults. You should he
man enough l» keep them to your
st it." He set down his empty glass.
"Tbre's no need of any further
talk- unless, do you have some
it!.-» of trying to hold Paige to the
111. ;i I-■••? Could von possibly?"
I; tviiU Comes fixed himself
an r 'siik. "That all depends."
"-:ti v" .it ?" Ware's hands were
sha' .'T eo 'li t' he c«-uld not pre
.. , .-•••'.te|i and soda for
l,i , ji ,. 'ed the amused
. • . V . host's facc as he
, • (m i ! 'i "t)n v.-hat?" he rt
... t, ,i < i . r ami he quick
r*Is >'■*
• a v'' «r she loves you or
• . ■: • • vi.-it.'miding was that she
. • , i -n. ! in you. come hack
.i.n s i IVnison. I have a
, iM 'I'ling lift i.ot l«t do auy
,i,t i: w. vi had a chance to
| "That's pretty bad. Rusty."
"Why she ulil ytm worry If you're
Mllv s!u« loves you?" The mock
ing gaze in K est wick Carnes' sup
j pituc blue eyes faded. "Relax. Den.
won. tfs all up to Paige Actually.
! I don't care. If she wants to stay
| with me. that's all rij-lit. If she
■ walks out. that's all right, too 1
just don't care. 1 ilon't care about
|anything." Ilis freckled race ciin
i kled. "When 1 learned about Eu
j genia, Denison, it was like death
, It was woisc than death. If slu
were dead I'd be rid of her. As it is.
I live in a sort of clammy fear of
having to see her. I want her off
the island, out of my sight." He
brought his eyes back to rest on
Denison Ware's face. "Everything
is over, for me." •
"Oh now. Rusty, It Isn't the end
of the world, for lord's sake."
"Yes it is. It's the end of my
world. Everything is changed now.
I can't have what I want and I
don't want what there is. So it's
the end so far as I'm concerncd."
Somehow he managed to put a
smile across his freckled facc. "Are
you breathing any easier about
I'aige now?"
The dark-haired man answered
the grin. "A little." He stood up.
finishing his drink In one sxvirt
gulp. "And now I must go, Rusty '
This time he offered his hand.
Restwiclc Sarnes had oilier call
ers, immediately after Denison had
gone. The lawyer who handled his
personal affairs and two other law
yers from the Carnes Trust.
Their dismay over his bountiful
bequests to Choppo escaped Ru«tv's
eye entirely. Not that he would
have cared. But he was too en
tranced by a vision of the fntife
The red-haired Chicago street boy
—or man—whichever he would be
when he learned of his good for
tune, would be dumbfounded when
he learned that the Carnes name on
the building they had passed that
morning actually was Rusty.
Eugenia, too. would be dumb
founded. He did not know what she
was expecting. Certainly not the
mere $200 a month that he was
leaving her. Carefully he specified
that she should have the same
amount after his death. He did not
intend for her to pounce upon
Choppo s inheritance.
"Those slight changes are all
gentlemen." With quick movements
he prepnred short drinks for the
three lawyers. Shortly after, he
dismissed them so that they might
get home ahead of the blackout.
Afraid of the dark. It fit! It lit
everyone.
• • •
Oddly, Monday had been le.-s
frightening on the Lorelei than
Sunday. Everyone was dazed by
now. antidote for the shock; too
there was the slight encouragement
of having come through one night
and so many knots farther that the
Japanese planes or submarines
would not bother to follow
That feeling of safety left Tues
day night with a jolt. " At least it
left Ahhy and Taigc. At •»m??er, !
their steward said, "I understand i
the entire l'acilic coast is in Ida' k- i
out."
Abby's response to his whisper
was. "For the love of heaven
why?"
"Jap suits hanging around"
"You mi :tn th • '1'! 1 wc K t
home. lilt? more danger?"
"Ixwiks that way
"That doesn't make sense " she
eyed lho turkey just placed before
her. "I'm iu>l hungry "
Paige said in the same voice
Aliby reserved fot Clioppo. 'Eat
ynui dinner "
Later they sat on the lanai.
blankets bundled about then logs.
Occasionally AWiy peered inli> the
skv at the few stais peeping out.
"Wish 1 knew where we were go
ing to land. It could be San Diego
or Acapulco—hey. that would t>o
all right. I like Mexico." However,
the enthusiasm of her words hail
no counterpart tn her 'voice. It
was toneless, very tired and fear
ful. .
But In spite of the captains zig
zagging. the Lorelei went into San
Francisco, where she had headed
originally. Abby and Paige heard
cheers from the outside decks,
cheers instantly hushed. And then
they saw the lights of Ran Fran
cisco. A long chain of lights, flick
ering like the tiny diamonds used
in clusters about a larger stone.
Because the tears were sliding
down her checks, the little white
haired woman took refuge in a
scornful remark. "Humph! Black
out, the steward says it's shining
like Cat-tier's windows."
Just at the instant she spoke,
the blackout happened. II was a
sight to stop all words. It was
magic. A city dissolving hefoi-3
your eyes. But it hurt also. Ther«
had been sue'.; comfort in the sight
of all those twinkling lights lliat
you knew were on dry land.
A nearby voice shouted to the
captain. Kventually Paige discov
ered the source. In a tiny tugboat,
blacked out dsn. a man was y< lling
toward the bridge. It was then the
two women realized that the chief
of their ship was taking it into San
Francisco bay ;n utter darkness, as
if it were a row boat. Hours ahead
of schedule, too. The time had lieen
set at S o'eloi k \Ve«!n« sday; here it
was scarcely midnight on Tuesday.
Once inside the GAIden Clate
briilge are i. tile lights of the town
again swarmed on. Not so. those of
the bridge. They flickered briefly,
just as the Lorelei went beneath
lis stately span, then they were
again lifeless.
In a typical cold gray Ran Fran
cisco dawn the passengers were al
lowed off the Lorelei, rushed off
rather. Tl*«re was no breakfast.
Soldiers with guns stood at all ex
its. It was a dismal contrast to Hie
usual excitement Of seeing a ship
come home. There were no pu-r
greetings, no photographers *
Thirty minutes later 1 a:?!< nail
picked up lier car, stored in the
hotel garage, and she and Abby
were headed across the Bay bri'i'ie.
Abby looked beneath her and
squawked, "rin l.oielei! It's gone!"
And it was. In less than "" min
utes It was ineredib'e. "I'll prob
ably not know it when I • < <• it
again. If I do. It will be .1 i!ull
siie stopped and set her
chili.
Suddenly Paige said. "Y«-ii i'.inw.
Abby. this is the i"ad to Palm
Spnngs I'm not g .inu to B no!"
(To Be I oiitilllicd)
rZXXXXZXXZarZZZXXZZZXXXXZZZZXXZXXXXXXXXZZ::
u "
EXCITEMENT
OR CONTENTMENT!
Can the two go together? Can marriage be suc
cessful when one of the two prefers fun and
night life to the responsibilities of a household?
Kay Stevens, pretty career girl, and Jonathan
Kerr, brilliant but shiftless young pianist, tried
it—and found out.
Their courtship and marriage arc typical of today.
And the final solution of their problems makes
not only intensely interesting reading but should
be the answer to the problems of thousands.
WIIEIIE CONTENTMENT EIES
A new ,wvel by SUSAIMNE SHEIIIIIAI\
Begins January 22nd in the
Iftpttfteramt thtilii Dtspairlj
n M
H.XXXXXZZ ZZ.:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXZXX3
LAUNCHiNG THE LOU GEHRIG
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Mi'., is tl»«- l.iherlv viu;> (iehrig. Tin* name i:i (lie ship
was eiiti.en h> ihi* si-imni iiiititri'ii til the State nl New \'nrk in lite
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