Part 7 (1/2)
”Only partly,” continued Aldous, his face white and set ”It is necessary that you should know uessed, for your own protection
If you were like most other women I would not tell you the truth, but would try to shi+eld you from it As it is you should know There is only one other erous than Bill Quade He is Culver Rann, up at Tete Jaune They are partners--partners in criold Their influence a the line of rail is coly entrenched that they have put contractors out of business because they would not sub the steel have been unable to touch them They have cleaned up hundreds of thousands, chiefly in three things--blackmail, whisky, and women Quade is the viler of the two He is like a horrible beast Culver Rannserpent But it is this o on with Joanne's blue eyes gazing so steadily into his
”--e have made our enemy,” she finished for hi his head away ”You cannot go on to Tete Jaune alone, Joanne You o nowhere alone If you do----”
”What will happen?”
”I don't know Perhaps nothing would happen But you cannot go alone I a to take you back to Mrs Otto now And to-o on to Tete Jaune with you It is fortunate that I have a place up there to which I can take you, and where you will be safe”
As they were preparing to go, Joanne glanced ruefully at the table
”I am ashahed, and tucked her hand under his arh the little clearing, and the darkness of the spruce and balsam walls shut them in, he took her hand
”It is dark and you ized ”This isn't much like the shell plaza in front of the Cape Verde, is it?”
”No Did you pick up any of the little red bloodshells? I did, and they e stories associated with the ahead into the blank wall of glooht of the bloodshells, but of Quade, that ht hand was gripping the butt of his automatic Every nerve in hi of caution or preparedness in his careless voice
”The bloodstones didn't troublethat upset me more than the snakes I a that craithout feet I will run froer--in fact, I'rass snake as I a_, and not its size, that horrifies me Once I jumped out of a boat into ten feet of water because ht an eel on his line, and persisted in the argument that it was a fish Thank Heaven we don't have snakes up here I've seen only three or four in all hed softly in spite of the uneasy thrill the night held for her
”It is hard forafraid,” she said ”And yet if you were afraid I knoould be of just so like that My father was one of the bravest men in the world, and a hundred tiht of a spider If you were afraid of snakes, why did you go up the Gampola, in Ceylon?”
”I didn't know the snakes were there,” he chuckled ”I hadn't dreamed there were a half sothat confounded river I slept sitting up, dressed in rubber wading boots that caot out of the country at the earliest possible e of the Miette clearing and saw the glow of lights ahead of theht the sudden upturn of his coht
”Kind, thoughtful John Aldous!” she whispered, as if to herself ”How nice of you it was to talk of such pleasant things while ere coh that black, dreadful swa for us on the side!”
A low ripple of laughter broke fro to put the autoht of it the aht his arm, and one of her hands seized the cold steel of the pistol
”Would he--_dare?_” she deun in his pocket ”And that was a creepy sort of conversation to load you doith, wasn't it, Ladygray? I iine you'll catch me in all sorts of blunders like that” He pointed ahead ”There's Mrs Otto now She's looking this way and wondering with all her big heart if you ought not to be at home and in bed”
The door of the Otto hoht was the good-natured Scotchwonal which she and her nized, and hurried on with Joanne
Before they had quite reached the tent-house, Joanne put a detaining hand on his arht,” she said ”The face at the as terrible I am afraid I don't want you to be there alone”
Her words sent a war will happen,” he assured her ”Quade will not come back”
”I don't want you to return to the cabin,” she persisted ”Is there no other place where you can stay?”
”I o down and console Stevens, and borrow a couple of his horse blankets for a bed if that will please you”
”It will,” she cried quickly ”If you don't return to the cabin you ain?”