Adventure Isle — Cleo M. Stephens

Eerie. Mysterious. Dangerous. These were Lee Lamont's first impressions of Monaco's Isle, and the lovely young woman had learned to trust her first impressions. But she needed the job Cathryn Monaco offered in order to pay bills incurred by her mother's hospital stay.

So Lee shook off the feelings. But she could not so easily shake off the sense of unease aroused by the people on the island; they were a study in contrasts. On the surface Cathryn was elegant and beautiful, but when crossed, she revealed the temperament and vocabulary of a stevedore. And Robert, Cathryn's stepson--physically, he was an Adonis; mentally, he was a child, without even the power of speech.

Even the actions of the servants were disturbing; though considerate they made it clear that they wanted Lee to leave. After Cathryn and her paramour, Castillo, left the island, Lee was granted a brief respite. She grew to love the secluded Mississippi isle, the dark forests, even the people. And she believed that she was making progress, however slight, with her charge. Yet finally she was forced to return to the small apartment she shared with her friend Midge; forced to leave the wild, open country for a tiny concrete box.

There was nothing she could do, no action she could take to win the trust of the people she had grown to love. And so Lee accepted another job to escape the stifling city atmosphere. But she could not escape her feelings.