The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, February 11, 1915, Image 3
' | > ' :. . \" '" '" , .' ""'I
k| ?'* ? - - - ?.V.S-. ^...W.<.:.>I ,-,
Parrot
V'l
& ' ; ;'; rfS yr^A
L CC
"B1 biHi . ; .; ,7^,
I; Isoo/ikj bi?Ji
I Harold MacGrath
SSSeSSSMMSSEMMroSSieSe!
|> >:>* as rrf vijji<> : .;
j| : B&V<lai;A 1 {
iyt | <>f .livnvj)rm(>ocio,V;; > 3|
I rfrjh ot?noSot^c5..ii jj^: oi ?i ! f
| (GQcSSnrTy^'cib bs^grrUl'cSnptUiy' If
p ? 8YNOP3I8.
$j- -i
i"? i'^^V'&frJriKtnftinin: American
I adventurer, atti* i^nes. his ^orytlnt. iHV.ith
<; a caged narrbtl': IK??- Irlo trhouln' I'm 'i itmiM
I :V> flown the Irruwaddy as Parrot & Co..
kj-travel alon^ tl^ road to the . lttjtdinK.
Imf- .> bound for lUngQon to c&fll) 4 draft Cor
V-j^ jj 300,0)0 rupees.
' . . OUAl^TJS.R.!! II?Klaa. Chetwood. rich
" 'hAtneplettn glri tourist, sees Warrington
s - cyme, aboard .the .bout, at the lundiivK and,
!. ajuused at . his likeness to her fiance,
Arthur Kllison, asks the purser to Introduce
her. Conservative. English., pasapnjfv,
ers are shocked at her breach of the con-VonfiomalU^o
H * vrfca altogether a lew purser who
h looked up. "Twenty thousand pounds
'about, and only two rupees In your
J, pocket! Well, - well J' It t&keH 'the
I Iff ' .
East t^ bowl a man over like this A
^ -certified qheck on the, Uank of Kurwa
Kj nfeeds no further recominendatibh." \n
Mb tli? wordw of your countrymen, go as'*
|L . far as you lik?. Yon can pay mes in
Rangoon. Your boy takes deck passage?"
MlMHA '
"Yes," returning the check' to ttfe
t pallet
rail J "Now^ sit dowh/and eplii: tbei
R ' ft rhusCbe jolly Interesting."
\ "VH admit that it has been a tough .
struggle; but I knew that I had t^C
W bit. lleen flat "broke for months. Had
.' to: borrow my boy's savings for food
l',. -and shelter. Well, this 1h the way it,
runs." Warrington told it simply, as
if it were a great joke.
"Rlppln'! Ry Jove, you Americans
are hard customers to put over. Isup|
V pose you'll be setting out foi^' the
States at once?" with a curious glance.
!j "1 haven't made any plans yet," eyej
ing the choroot. thoughtfully.
J "I see." The purser nodded, it was
not difllcult to understand- "Well,
;,y good luck to you f herever you go."
Alone in his stateroom Warrington
1L took out Rajah and tossed him on the
IV counterpane of the bed.
M "Now, then, old nnort!" tannine the
parrot on the back with tlie perch !
which he used a? a baton. Blinking |
i
* ^ifl I
1 Slinking and Mutterjng, the Bird Performed
His Tricks. .... ?
Ih and muttering, the bird performed his
I tricks, and was duly Rewarded and ro-1
b turned to his ,bome of iron. "She'll
| ^.o.\vanting to tako you, home with her,
I .Jji|t ypn-re.nPt /on .salp."
He tii en opermdi his window and ;
V leaned :flg?ihBt tho sill, looking up at
r< tho stars. BuJ; unlike the girly lie did
I nq.t ,ask any) Questions.
|V.'..."Free,!" he.sahd.sqftly,
t chapter IIh
H-/) 'I f&oi 1 .I111 . i
I 1 The Weak Link,
i ' '..iTi'p day 4ib,feari tyHjtovbtti for,
K FebHi^ty nf^titd^n^ tijQrniiVgp a-rp hot
B ho^t 'tlW;.'
K ,riyw. ^i?99thly ^nqi;*o.i8$ep.sly< *
Et qji tiat: the,-sun .^honp. th^ Bhorhiiines
I!iy^rei ;^M11 rblUfcl*. riThere ivefra i&s hiiri-'
I^OXfM-y'-w :wore >natwes i squatting jq j
groups on the dt^Ui'ujThey*''Nyer^ '
t>wihpf>fedAn<i&ifce<rdhttMri? cbtftfh* tugs '
Qt ^olM-ekknd woolen blankets',
I'ttfifPtAefi; ^WbAtii gwero .as bright atid v '
h oIftit'4^ ft" HOtfIna tli\Vp"-tjbd, (pme
|a.1d3"
kinoggjftWcjj^j oX^rqvs w^;. nM still'
\ io^f?~:wftrq ,paMJar>rtp4: apd Cutty! out !
of little brown cop pot pots/ There-were ;
} very few . iBurmeseA among? them. ,
I They >#er& Hindus from 'ceritrfU and
f.satithem ilndlai' with- % ^catfceHn* !
I Cingales^. LAy^enevpr a Hindu feefctir '
I together'A ifeW rif^ees, he travels. The '
| pa?lr i^^ttoef $Mft, tdhid1rr6wr,1s> toinor* /j
I row, butitoday t6d#y: 'lioWea a&d' I,
| >vorko and- travels; prisoner to! this r
Ml CrCOd.tMU bi:-; vi-f.'i <.VOii:. -. : ' "{, ,j
1^^ Elsa never strqllocj apippg.thept.iSho
was dainty. She stood framed In tne
dobV^'Ay. a'pIMu'rd tare tiirfedd to the
dtarkeyCs that sped their frank glances
V J j j ft 'J- .!> ' "
hi her dl?eithm."~ ?? -j
-V?m.;#.' .the <
partUiai^.aluiOHt withiu touch pflher 1
luiuui. *at,t,h^man Warrington amjl his
sferfanj, jiMTRtang over their acfuijqtih t
Th^ fbritter^ battered helmet |ro4i l; :
tilted at p. qojnfortahle apgle and an 1
Ancient cutty hun& pehdcnt fr<jn$ his.., *
teeth, an idle wiirft'ot smoke hwfljplng* I
.O.ycir, the. hhijtUoufd? bowl.j I %\ '? :/
felsti quietly returned to;her chltit in t
the'ho^'ahd trfed to bucbfne interested
in a novel. Ua~.<a&ft>h^tli4.3>ook limbed {
from her fingers to her lap, a^aKher*3 c
eyes closed. But not for long! $3he i
iiaard the rasp of a camp-stool) toeing 1
drawn toward her. .s ( 3 !*&! l
ll >-'ShodTdh't 'hWve dlstdfb^d yoil'j^ftid i
th?:- ^utletv^hpologtirti^Jinsf, "but |Hur ?
orders <jy^r?; .taut whteaoypr I qhjj|:-hn t
in.tqrestings stqry abput 4tho lifp ilpVer c
fvcr'e, I was tb tell It to'you instaittly. i
AAA thW otti^ fe just rlWrifil'-lj pjj' ' t
"Begin,7 said E<l?a~ 6h.d'sat ijpCand j f
throw back her c|o#^,..f9rl it waa^bjaw L.
growing warm: *''*&*(? about Pajrrpt t
Co,,., KifatygltVk ;7
Jbc^ter- .tjhan any story ypii'li ]
read in W rii'bh'tnf'of Sundays Oi^r-.pian j
lias just turned the trick, as you Ameir t
ifcajjS . say. for twenty thOiifiaodt! j
A,.**.' rv. '.H I IlK . i
"Why, rd 10
"Por some of us, yes. -You. see, t
whatever he was in the pant, it was 8
something worth while, I fancy. Pn- ^
ginoering, possibly. Knew his geology 8
and all that Ileen wondering jj fof j
months whist keiit hiiiii hanging arc i|nd
this bally old river. S$ems;.he f< und (
oil, borrowed the savings of his i erv? n
ant and bought up some land on the. VCV<0
line of the new discoveries. Thei ?he
waited for the syndicate te buy rhey
Ignored him. They didn^t send Jany ^
one- -even to 'In-vestigate- ",Mw""tJklim.
Stupid, .rather^ After, a whiles he wfeht
.toJ;thptP, fLt ;Prpnaefc at itangoon.. They a
thought .tfteiy < kne* his kind.: Tea
tootoWfid* IrtoWef* ftfe * Asked a
T^i^y. laughed. The next, time "he ^
Wantedj. ^; hundred thousand. They
laughed again. Then he left for the *
teak foresee. He, had to; liva. Hd c
came back in four inont hs. In the fl
meantime they had secretly lnvebti1- ^
gated. They offered him fifty thou- j,
sand. | He. laughed. Ho wanted two ;
hundred thousand They advised him fi
td raise fcbcoanuts. What do you sup- r|
pose he did them?" , . t
"Got some other persons interested."
"Right-o! Some Americans in'
Rangoon said they'd take it over for''
two hundred thousand. Something
about the deal got into the newspapers : ^
The American oil men sent over a ;
representative. That settled the syn-, ^
dicate. What they could have origi- ^
nally purchased for ten thousand they ^
paid three hundred thousand." (
"Splendid!" cried Elsa, clapping her c
hands. She could see it all, the quiet
determination of the man, the penury
cf the lean years, his belief in himself s
and iu what, he had found, and the (lis
interested loyalty of the servant ^
"Sometimes 1 wish 1 wore a man and f
*K!? I t I Al-- * 99
vuuiu UU Llllllg? IliVU LlUll. I
"Recollect that landing last night?'' t
Elsa's gesture signified that she was
glad to be miles to the south of it.
"Well, lie wasn't abo.ve having his ^
revenge He made the syndicate c
come up there. They wired asking ^
why ho couldn't conic on to Rangoon. }
And very frankly he gave his reasons s
They came up on one boat and left on
another. They weren't very pleasant, v
but they bought his oil lands. He f
came aboard last night with a check a
for twenty thousand pounds and two G
rupees in his pocket The two rupees t
were alt he had in this world at the ^
time they wrote liihi the check. v
Arabian night; what,?". , c
"I am glad I like pluck; T like en- ^
durance; 1 like to see the lone man i
Xin 'against ddda Tell me, is he going
back to America?." ..> v
"Aji, the weak part in the t
chain."; 'Thb| purser looked diffidently v
ht tlid de6k -floor. It would have been I
easy enough to discuss the Warring- c
ton of yesterday, but ,thq Warrington j
of this morning was bricked by twenty s
thousand good English sovereigns;
lie* Was a different individual. "He
says he doesn't know whut his plans s
will be.; Who knows? Perhaps some
ope ran away with his best girl. !TVe r
kuown lots of them to wind .up ' out 11
riATO nn rnof omf "
y y.nuv V V/\> U 11 ti I ! ' ? '{
"When do \ye rbach t^rdme?" . ;
"Aboutfdx/'Aindorstandlrtg thtft the
WarWngton'ineideivt Was' clbsed.' ; ".It
isn't Worth while goirtg ashore/tho^gh.
Nothing to ifeee abiiightJ.fi ori* no | '
"I have.;no.iii>(iV^naUojii'tp Jeavetthe
boat hh,Ul wp .rofvcfe ltyfiffpon/; !
Sfto,.met,^w.ftrrJto&on M: .jubcheori, 11
and sho ^reeCQiji liiip ithiiably. To Uer/ mfhd
there Xi'hs" sdhiethitig'^tfViii in i
tfra wa^rihe! bisd. tf WdotP ! tys. f
MSh&XMmMM,
vv^e1 'C o h v f n c etr "ihh t ii (i we H ^ w o u T d lefts \
bhoaghtr; 6t;ithfls Imandfade fcoranptefc^fy ' J
49?^fT to&Af^S
ing likeness nor tno romantic bacKu. r.
4i^iftrtyttriBfintt0V'<iwihfetthf- it his j
conviction,' (t i Itftf wwroJfceJ 1 maofc'fti i jukiou a
nolBSMlOfl <ri won ! I
Co. all the morning, she said.,
ten:*^* ? ^ & .vawno'J hlti/A;
N 'HsaU&It fc&nternof the stag*; r
and even the colonel forgot his llvmti I li
long-etrotlgtrtb xflrucMewhen the bln^'cT
turned somersaults through the
hoop. EliaMtfAtt'delighted. She M
E$?d?offered tyn* h?r41 o&hlM. flnteer,
a finger without flying" at it i.ix a rkige, "
lt'w&& the1 poll tds^xhfrjji hef had fjver ^
Adtfe.'" : ovleiw jwoda | t<
; *"'I*n*t hA' a httle hefegaf*'* if ^
laughed the-owner. ^ThKt'i the *\tnV?
his hand, or claw, rather,. hgalnfct alii *
the world. Wo had hiiii htaif a d^awi
.):: hi HI ,'K; j r; 7. j . >:<
I
rwn?"mt6~b* hates uie justas thui*
>ugiay now #?- h* did <wi?** 4pntefced
lim | ^gaiAM^S ri 1
"Havfe* ^bu c^frictr hiiVi udcuV all this
colonel.
^He^wteiooiVcSr ihe two frlendB I
lad, one of the two I trusted," quietly,
vith a look which rather dig<;ongsrted
hd Anglo-Indian. '. >>
i ?By/the Sotibns of hitn I.should say
bat he wa$-your bitterest enemy."! 'v"
"He is; yet I call him friend. There's
K Pec^r thing afcoim frie^hlp^[
laid the knefeling man. "We make a
nan our friend; we take him on trusty
"rankty and 'loyally; we give hiM the
test we have; in uff; but^w$ nev^,
eally, know. Rojali i^ frankly imy
memy,, and that's why I loye hjm aiid
rust him. I should have preferred^ a
log; but cine takes what' one Cad. Ileh
tides- . . 'Warrington; c paused
hrust the perch between the bars, arid
50t Up. .
, "Jah, jah, jah! Jah?jah?Ja-a-ahl'i
he bird shrilled. ..
"Oh* what a funny little bird!" crifed
21sa. lauehlne. "Whnt *1 no a >10 oov
. t r . - - -.7", "V WMJ V
"i'Ve often wondered. It sound like,
lie bell-gong you hear in the Shwe
lagori pagoda in Rangoon. He picked
t up himself."
The colonel returned to his elderly
charges and became absorbed in his
iged. Times. If the girl wanted to pick
ip the riff-raft to talk to, that was her
kffair. Americans were impossible, anyipw.
"Mow lohg have ydu been In the
)rieht?" jElsa asked.
"Ten years," he answered gravely,
"That is a long time."' :
"Sometimes it was liko eternity."
. VI haye heard from the purser of
our good luck." : l'
"Oh!" He stooped again and locked
ho door of Rajah's cage. HT dare say
. good many people will hear of It." .
"It was splendid. I :loVc to read
torieo like that, but I'd rather hear
hem told first-hand v
Elsa was not romantic in the sense
hat bhe saw heroes where there were
tnly ordinary men; it was the Obcure
and unknown hero who appealed
o her: such a one as this man might
le.
"Oh, there was nothing Splendid
i-botit the thing. I simply hung on."
Chen a thought struck hits. "Yea are
raveling alone?"
,'|With a companion." A peculiar
tuestion, she thought
"It is not wise," he commented.
"My father was a soldier," she redied.
: '"It isn't a question of bravery," he
sxplained, a bit of color charging unler
his skin. "This world is not like
rour world. Women over here. . . .
)li, I've lost the art of saying things
learly." lie pulled at his beard emmrrassedly.
"Are you warning me against your,elf?"
"Why not? Twenty thousand pounds
lo not change a man; they merely
iliange the public's opinion of him.
""or all you know, I may he the greatist
rascal unhanged."
"Hut you are not."
He recognized that it was not a
[uery; and a. pleasurable thrill ran
>ver him. Had there been the least
ouch of condescension in her manner
io would have gone deep into his
hell.
"No; there are worse men in this
Vfirlfl Jhon I II..* -
? nidi* ?. nut, v>e iii u away
rom the point, of women traveling
.lone in the East Oh, I know you
an protect yourself to a certain exent.
But everywhere, on boats, in
he hotels, on the streets, are men
dio have discarded all the laws of
onvention, of the social contract. And
hey have the keen eye of the kite and
he vulture."
To Elsa this interest in her welfare
v'as very diverting. "In other words,
hey can quickly discover the young
I'oman who goes about unprotected?
)on't you think that the trend of the
onversation has taken rather a renarkable
turn, not as impersonal as it
liould be?"
"I beg your pardon! Shall I go?"
"No. I want you to tell me some
torles." She laughed. "Don't worry
^ ^ r,
,. stories*., , [bita
fl01.*0/?! 'Ml* (t<> <>JOV ?>lJ J* (013' ) /
bottt^?wle{r'Mfj IVfuHtolktoiiVW'}iave*
f>n? anyt.'way aiobe sincewds sixsen.
I have traveled) .arll-'iOVjfjr this
ricked. worldL .with nobody but the
foman who was once my nurse. Now,
sll me hoijriMddng of- your adventure?,
y>0, years in this land must mean,
on?ctlvinK- am.always hunting Cor
lunti):4i-Kasci)id, or Sindbftd, or some
jic whp ha3. done something out of
j . .. .?'
v .0'
ordmi*< - ? >?m .......i^
l::'He inclihed against the rail and i
stared do w& at the muddy water. "AdY;eptuife
J" , He. frowned a little "I'm I
afraid mine wouldn't read like adven- | t
tures. There's no glory in being a I \
stevedore on the docks at Hongkong, a ' t
, ptoker on a tramp steamer between j t
Singapore and the Andaman islands. | I
"What haven't t been In these ton 1
> ijneArsT^.rwithra shrug. If'Can you fancy t
muade^Jk-stovyard on a p.. & O. boat c
. tucking old ladies in their chairs, stag- t
' ghring dboiil with a1 tray of broth- t
. bowls, helping the unsteady to the)*"
. ^taterpoms^ aud..touching uiy cap I
the end of the voyage for a few ahlll- t
' Tiita'in V"< "'i
r r% > - AAfW ? 1 0 - - ? I - ?
?i'eu'me' more." x
! lookod into her beautiful face, >
animated by genuine luterest, and n
Wondered if all mien were willing to i
? obey-hfe*. ' : t
;.;it al ways .interests me to hear from t
. the man's own lips .how he overcame I
' obstacles." * :
' ' "SbnrmtlmeS f didn't overcome them, i
jl, ran away. .-After all, the strike in I
oil was a fluke." I
"I don't think so. But go on," she1 J
^prompted. t
"Well,.-I have been manager of a *
. COddahut plantation tn; Penang; I've i
helped lay tracks in Upper India; had >
d band in bome bridges; sold patent
medicines; worked in a ruby mine; l
been a haberdasher in the Whiteaway, s
Laidlaw shop, in Bombay;.cut wood in \
the teak forests; helped exterminate t
tlie plague at Chitor and Udaipur; and I
never sa^ed a penny. 1 never had an i
adventure th all my life."
"Why, your wanderings were ad t
:': ' " ......
ventures," she insisted. "Think of the
things you could tell!"
"And never will," a smile breaking
over his face.
How like Arthur's that smile was!
'thought the girl. "Romantic persont
i never have any adventures. It is tc
the prosaic these things fall. Because
of their nearness you lose . thoii
values".
"There is some difference betweer
romance and adventure. Romance it (
what you look forward to; adventure
Is something you look back upon. But
I always supposed adventure was thi
finding of treasures, on land and or
sea; of filibustering; of fighting wit!
sabers and pistols, and all that rigma
role, i cau't quite lift my imaginatioi
1111 tr? Itin r\P ? * 11s ~ ?" ?J
vv/ vtiv ii^igut yjk reining my BI?
months' shovel-engineering on th(
Galle an adventure. It was brutal hart
wo:Y; and many times 1 wanted t<
jump over. The Lascars often got ou |
of trouble that Way."
"It all depends upon how we look a"
things." She touched the parrot cag<
j with her foot, and liajah hissed. "Wha
would you say if I told you that I wa;
unconventional enough to ask the pur
S'er to introduce you?"
The amazement in his face was an
swer enough.
''Don't you suppose," she went on
"tile picture you presented, standin;
on that ledge, the red light of tin
torch on your face, the bird cage ii
your hand?don't you suppose yoi
roused my sense of the romantic t
i the highest pitch.? Parrot & Co.!'
I with a wave of her hands.
She was laughing at him. It couh
not be otherwise, it made him a
one? sad and angry. "Romance! i
Irate the word. 1 again affirm thai
young women should not travel alone
They think every bit of tinsel is gold
every bit of colored glass, ruby. Ho
mance, adventure! Bah! So mud
twaddle has been written about th<
East that cads and scoundrels are mis
; taken for Galahads and D'Artagnans
Few men remain in this country whe
i can with honor leave it. Who knows
i
manner or man I am?"
lie picked up the parrot cage and
strode away.
"Jali, jah!" began the bird.
Not all the diplomacy which worldly
wise men have at their disposal could
have drawn this girl's interest more
surely than the abrupt, rude mannei
of his departure.
! , , , |
CHAPTER IV.
...... 'I ; J . ; ; '
Two Days of Paradise.
At firpt Klsa did not know whether
she was annoyed or amused. The
man's action was absurd, or would
have been? in any other man. His ad
: vice to hfcr to go homo was downright
impudence;,,and yet.the sight of the
parrot cage dangling at his si/de made
it impossible for her tp take lasting1'offensp.
Once upon a time there had ,
been a littl& boy who played in .her
garden. When he Was cross he would' "
' t.^d hfis'playthings ahd go lidme.' The' -m
boy hiiight easily: havo been this
'Warrington; ?Vowtt up.se . .
Of course he would .come and hpolo >
, glze to her.?or[his rudeness, F Parlraife'
ho. had .fvesented her curiositv t nf?.r>w?t*: >
., r.,,i> . ?. , " ?; ?i? -UT- ")
qii^tiop^ been pressedi JjOP
Bard} and perhaps he had suddenly '1
doubted hef' ^niilnb'interest. At atiyrtftef1'W'4fas
ra \iAvel-eitpeHetticre. And? ?
that BawilffeMhg-ltkefteStff ^ r.
t '' '^hrbtuWiod ?0' h^r chiitr and bpeqed
the bnok-ia#ain; *,;Aud as shq redd h6iJf
WoThe diction wasi, test r )
quisite;_ there was style; but noW, a?
she reaijbpF? ^yas lacking the pne
,tMng (hat ^tQo^for, lifer- bjoqd. ItW< ' '
lnpt pulsate in 'the. vpips of thosn*
people. ?^htiV hdW shd had tiof recog,, >
tfclMratf fiOt, htid she Was Wftf-wa> ;
through the hodk/ What had'Happened r:
torhepjBinee yesterday? To what cnusc ; y
might Jbe assigned this opposite an$;itT] (Jj
of vision, {po teiearly defined?,' / {
The book foil .-.upon her, knees aW^' '
dreamily she watched the perspective it
open-'and; ?i,v^4cpte. The low baip ; .
with . their gojdpiv ^ay.o of dust, t?,
'cloudless aky/xhe shd'and lclflely wP
pagodA'i, '.charmed her; tutd the lr >
gnor'4)f the Basf'croflff Stealthily hu. ,
her northern blood: She was hot C(
scions of tho change; she on:
.; ?
mew Hint* the w?'id o# yeelei'day-ww*
ml.ike that fWtitff ::-: ,
VYafrineton. aff?r npnnaltlnc Ro<o)i
^ - *-? * r ?? ? 7 w ?%*%,!%?* | ^
i) the staterocfm, sought' the b^hch on
be atern deck. He tilled' his cutty ;
vith purser-loaned tobacco and jpundly
lamncd himself as a blockhead ,He*
lad forgotten all the uicetie? of civiizdtibn;
he no logger kheW how to 06-' "
love. The first young' woman in ail
hose years who had . treated him as an *
iqaal, and he had Straightway proceecl?d
to lecture her upon ?h'e evils of
raveling aldlib lif the Orient!
And iyet'he jigd thfi truth,
t was not ..right that a young and atractive
woman should wander about
n the 'Ktoist.r lihdttendetf ' save: by a
niudie-aged oompanion. ^ It wuuld provoke
the devil in.men. who were no*
vholly bad. Women had the falllblp.
dea that they could read human naure,'
anci never found dint their miaake;
until after they were rnrirriod.
de ;knew her kind., If..sbe .wanted to
yalk through the bazaars in the eve*
ling she would do so. If a: man folowed
her she would ignore the fact,
f he caught up wkh her and spoke she
vouid continue <Mi.;as if she had not
leard. If a man touched her she would
ely upon the fire of her eyes. She
volild never call out for help. Some
vonien were just that silly.;
He bit hard upon the stem of his
iipe. What was#11 this to him? Whyihould
lio bother his nead about a
voman he had known but a few hours? I
\.h, why lie to'himself? He knew what,
Slsa, usually quick and receptive, did
lot know, that he was not afraid of
ler, but terribly afraid of himself. For
hings ripen quickly in the East, men
and women, souls and deeds. And he
was something like the pariah dog;
spoken kindly to, it attached itself immediately
and enduringly.
He struck the cutty against his boot
heel. Why not? It would 1)6 only for
two days,. At Rangoon their paths
would separate; he would never see
her again. He got up. He would go
to her at once and apologize. And
thus he surrendered to the very devil
he had but a, moment gone so vigor
ously discountenanced.
He found her asleep in her chair.
The devil which had brought him to
her side was thrust back. Why, she
was nothing more than a beautiful
child! A great yearning to brother
her chine into his heart. He did not
disturb her, but waited until live, that
1. 1-1 J '
nunc tuiu Buuei nuur, vviiun Kings mill
clerks stop work for no logical reason
whatever?tea. She opened her eyes
and saw him watching her. He rose
quickly.
"1 was very rude a little while ago.
Will you accept my apologies?"
"On condition that you will never
take your playthings and go home."
He laughed engagingly. "You've hit
it squarely. It was the act of a petu* j
hint child."
"It did not sound exactly like a
-nan who had stoked six months from |
Singapore to the Andaman islands.'
Hut there is one thing 1 must under-i
stand before this acquaintance continsaa
i Vi * 1
m I
"No, I Am Going to Singapore."
^ H f i
*;.p \( ' v*., t t.? ; *
hps. You said, 'Who "knows what
manner of man I tflni?'! Have yhu ever
done, any thin/? ,tluU .would conscientiously
forbid you to sneak, to a young;
'Jx -'li Mbli -?V !' > '&? * unmarried
wofnanT
! -? Takti^ciye-of'lictself ? lie rather belie
ypd sbe could,,;.The bluntneas'of her
question dissipated any ^oubt that reniafinedi
"N(*. "Khhven*t hpety'fhat "kind of a
mnn.V aimnlv ."I ^inniA i""'. * ?*??
Ti-\r?i iv'i|"Wl I"1-" 1UX
mother's eyes.JWlUiOUt..any, sqpse of
sHafne, If tiiat'is*' what you' Yne'an."
irph^t caVe tt>"lcuoW.^ Your
motlvw is? tr/^i oiii weld
''Yes., But I haypn't seen her. in.
ten* years." Hli ihotlier! ttis bro^s*
mat In .a frcMii. His pTOiid;1 beautiful
H*a ? 1 *. t i f. 2' if io :i 'U>
Elsa sgwv the frown and .rail
(har' She hart* approWehed ''delicate
groiihdvi She stirred hbt* taa&tidsipped':
ft fl|Qw)Xrt jj t: nnir.i
"There. Has been a .?eal ^of chatter
aHtnit' dmffy/'u^tl^twoVtt^ eyes," ho
saidi '5 '^hW>great6fe0jii&r3i I-'i'haVe ever
htfijovfifc <#nrj0 ^OQk,.,&tV|Reter:gtrfttght!
and serenely in the eye. .IVa a matter :
bf stendy netvis, Wmhltfi iftbi'eV' Swne;
body feays %httt so ahd so ie a fact, knd
ly.e.gS, pfcifcSliaydng it)ffofi?yea?s? until
someone >vho is not $ person but an
ijfidividu^l explodes hi"' ]
5? agrfete Wfth'xywi. 1 But itWere da ,
fc meshing wo reljt, upon fnrmorp than
oi Lifer eyes or, earp, instinct. It' is
that attribute of the aliiitiKiWhich
ii)viiu4iti6n' has not yet successfully
,lulled, Wot^ou rely upon, that more
r< adlly than, men/' ?** ?
"Ahd m:\he mote mist.YlteS,*' With a
?"nlf ism he could not' conceal.
She had no ready counter for this.
??????????
P.) vou ?<. ;-:otqv' from K^nguonr now
that you have made your fortune?"
h IjRfefe aligning to Singapore. t
shall ma^ nifc 'plans there."
Singapore., yElsa stirred uneasily. It
would-bo likehaving a ghost hy her
aitifej .She wanted: to fceli him what had
-tealldj drawn 'hbr interest, p But It
to her that tho moment "to do
so lihd p'attWdd.'1
^Vultures! How I detest them!"
pointed\\toward/a sand bir upon
which stood several of these .aboml*
nabie bin^s and, an.- adjutant, solemn
and aloof. ."At Lucknaw^lheiL.wero
red headed.. I,do not recollect seeing
one of thefn flyM But* I admire tho
kites; they look much like our eagles."
"And thU9 again the eye misleads
us. There is nothing that flies so
rapacious as the kite." .
Little by little she drew froth him
a sketch hete. & phase there. She was
given glimpses into the life of tho
lUa9t such as no book or guide had
ever giveni and the boat was,circling
toward the landing at Proroe. before
they became aware of the time.
Warrington rushed ashore to find
the dry-goods shop His social redemption
was on the way, if vanity went
for anything. It was stirrfng and
tlqgling with life again. "With the
money advanced by the purser he
bought shirts and collars and tyes, and
as he possessed no watch, returned
barely in time to dress for dinner. He
was not at all disturbed to learp that
the, inquisitive^ German, the colone!
and his fidgety charges, had decided
to proceed to Rangoon by rail, indesd.
there was a bit of exultation in hi*
manner as he observed the vacant
chairs. Paradise for two wholddays.
And he proposed to make the moat
of it. Now htn rn 1 n rl waa ?o />!??
-- ft uu uo VJi
evil as a forest spring. He simply
wanted to play; wanted to give rein
to the lighter emotions so long, peat
up in his lonely heart. _ V
The purser, used to these sudden
changes and desertions in his passenger
'Hjrts,... gave the ( aiUifctipn no
thfought. Hut Klsa saw:uhniidHanger*
all the more alluring because-it"hun*
nebulously.: What harhi'could there
be in having a little fling? Ha wm
so amazingly like outwardly, so astonishingly
unlike inwardly, that the situation
had for her a subtle fascination
against which she was in nowise Inclined
to tight. She was not wholly
ignorant of her power. She could bend
the man if she tried. Should she try?
They were like two children, setting
out to plav a game with tire.
She thought of Arthur; Had he gone
the length of his thirty-five years without
his peccadillos? Scarcely. She
understood the general run of men
well enough to accept this fact. Whomever
she married she was never going
to worry him with questions regarding
his bachelor life. Nor did she propose
to be questioned about heC own
past. Besides, she hadn't married Arthur
vet; she had only promised to.
And such promises were sometimes
sensibly broken. These thoughts
Hashed through her mind, disconnectedly,
while she talked and laughed.
It never occurred to her to have Martha
moved up from the foot of the
table. Once or twice she stole a glance
at the woman who had in the olden
days dandled her on her knees. The
glance was a mixture of guilt and
mischief, like a child's. But the glance
l. i -- . '
nuu noi me power to attract Martha's
eyes. Martha felt the glances as
surely as if she had lifted her eyes to
meet them. She held her peace. Sho
had not been brought along as Elsa's
guardian Elsa was not self-willed but
strong willed, and Martha realised that
any interference would result in estrangement.
In fact, Martha beheld
in Warrington a real menace. The extraordinary
resemblance would naturally
appeal to Elsa, with what results
she could only imagine. loiter she
asked Elsa if sho had told Warrington,
of the remarkable resemblance.
"Mercy no! And what is more, I
do not want him to know. Men are
vain as a rule; and I should not like
to hurt his vanity by tolling him that
I sought his acquaintance simply because
he might easily have been Arthur
Ellison's twin brother."
"The man you are engaged tc^ marry."
"Well, Martha ?"
"I beg your: pardon, Elsa; but the
stranger terrifies met- He ja-isomething
uncapqyr".
"Xonsepse! You've, beou { reading
tales about yogi."
'Tt Is a terrible country." ,v '
"it is the East, Martha; the; East.
Here a man may wear a dress suit
and a bowler Without offending anyone."
i "And a woman may talk-to anyone
she pleases." ,.(<f
"You h^vp t l^een with me twenty*
years," began Elsa coldly.
' ' "Atid love you better than tVie whole
wp*hl!? And> I wish l.ponid'guard you
alway?. fpom.. harm. :an? evi^;1 ^Thos*
hprrid old Englishwomen . . ,w
"Oh; so tlrere's: bo eft already?
You know*rfly* Views regarding gossip.
tbatn^jifm doin*
<??* vV^?3. thelr
heads ore. rm not a kitten.
1 o*<*dfc*atfe tWeftty-ftVe, im y^tyou'r*
only a child."
"What do/D? ,that signify? That I
am top young to manage my, own affftM
? ^Th'dl f 'tnrftstrj sbt rAy^clock as
others order? O6od*B0pii!'Ci>irt<iitig her
ar^a^ato^jitth^ Q^en
worry about Elsa Chetwood. Her life
is her own, but ^nisuse
it."
fbW wfei%'bftly'Marled and
settled*d<nyp!7 ^nhub *i*b
, 4 "Xop mean if I. were happily married
and settled down. ' There"1 you nave it.
I'm in search of happiness. ^Thdt's the
Valley of diamonds. When I find that*
Martha, you may fold ;your hands la
peace." ,, v, , v . , .
"Grant it may bo soon! I hate the
East ! '* e> l : - v u ? \r:' > >
"And I have just begun. tx> hrve it.**
(Continued next week)