Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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l^'n , I.w* ..? .'? --. '* in j * >'?! ? 4U.'l^ ^ Si Jet iL viv |J^ & C?. P "o?w? ^ 0, , .j Harold ?dacGratft j| AiilTing* of ^ThoCarpct t .insflod," fl< i 4T1au lki?.iCo oa irjiiLyinoous," if ft Kic. || * M sf 6YN0PSI3. t^HAPTICH i?Warrington. an American adventurer. and James, his servant, with u caged parrot, the tiio known up and / down the Irrawaddy as Parrot & Co.. r travel along the road to the lundlng. hound for Rangoon to cash a draft for ^ SeO.UtiO rupees. CHAPTER IT?Eisa Chetwond, rich Amorlcan girl tourist, aces Warrington conic aboard ilu* bout at mo landing and, sniazod at his likeness to her llanco, Arthur Ellison, asks the purser to introduce her. Conservative En-dish pussengj era are shocked at her broach of the couCHAPTER III ? The purser tolls Elna that Warrington, the outcast adventurer, has beaten a syndicate and sold his oil Ha: ins for C2O,OO0. Warrington puts Rajah, the parrot, through his tricks l'or ' Elsa and warns her against acquaintance with unknown adventurers?himself, In fuct. ) CHAPTER IV?Warrington and Elsn pass two golden days together on the t river. Martini, Els.i's companion, warns her tliuk "hero Is gossip. Cl'APTl.'U V- T,. o. 1 . , III 111 "I MM! >> MI I banks Ilia draft, pays oM debts, and while Fettling with James in ills old lodgings iy Jerlioars and interfiles in a row over l . ?rds in llio next room \ CHAPTKR VI?Warrington finds that the row in the next room is eaused by an enemy, Newell Craig. and threatens to i shoot him unless he leaves town. Klsa I jfoeH for a walk witii Martha, is annoyed ik by Craig n.nd stabs him with a hatpin. Warrington bids Klsa good-by. She does not tell him that she is to sail on tho ' same ship for Singapore. \ CtiAPTKH VTT?IMartha writes to Arthur Kittson of the rnp'dlv growir.g j frlondslilp between Klsa a si the outcast American adventurer. Warrington dis! covers Klsa on' tlie Singapore steamer and / realizes his hop??less love and Ids duly 'o / protect tier against himself, Klsa tells A him of her engagement. CTTAPTKR VIII ? Warrington avoids Klsa. who thinks lie may he ill and makes Inquiries, regardless of the misinterpretation of bet -oneetn. ('rah; Is aboard, is 1 warned by Warrington. and calls him i Paul, so letting him know that ids ehivI airy and loyalty of ton years before have / Cone for nothing. ( CHAPTKR T X?Wa rrlngton ceases to /' avoid Klsa. Craig stirs up evil gossip. Klsa tells Warrington of tin hatpin inclV dent and ho hunts up Craig, on murder I bent, only to tin 1 him stretched out drunk \ on deck. i CHAPTKR X?Warrington turns tho * hose on Craig. Tie 'ells Klsa that lie is a man tinder a cloud and to bo avoided. but Klsa refuses. Sh<> gets the cut direct from society passengers. CHAPTER XT?At Penang Mallow, who drove Wirrlngton from liis plantntion |i when ho teamed his story, comes aboard ^ Warrington tolls Klsa that Malolw and \ Craig both will toll that he spent money that did not belong to him over the gamf blinpr table to Craig, and asks her not to | speak to him again. '! CHAPTER XTT?Mallow halts Craig. who keeps Ids temp r. At Singapore Klsa calls on her father's old friend the Amerl/ can consti! general. Mallow also calls i und relates the steamer gossip about Klsa. I CHAPTKR XTTT?Warrington calls on ? the consul general and sends a cable to the Andes Construct Son company, offering to restore the stolen money if they will j lift the ban. Klsa defends Warrington to j the consul general, who Is dubious. () The consul general laughed. "Now j you are appealing not to my knowledge J of the world but to my instinct." l] "Thanks." "Is there any reason why you should |J ^ ~? i*? - uL-ieiiu iur. \\ arrmgion, as he calls y himself?" :i1 The consul general's wife desperatot'j ly tried to catch her husband's eye. Y But either he did not see the glance or j he purposely ignored it. 1/ "in defending Mr. Warrington I am defending myself. My dear friend," i Elsa went on, letting warmth come j [' into her voice once more, "my sympathy went out to that man. He looked j so lonely. Did you notice his eyes? Can a man look at you the way he / does and be bad?" 'I have seen Mallow dozens of times, i know him to be a scoundrel of sorts; but 1 doubt if bald sunlight could make him blink. Liars have \j first to overcome the dickering and , L wavering of the eyes." |j "He said almost the same thing. Would he say that if he were a liar?" j "I haven't accused him of being that. Indeed, he struck me as a t.ruth J ful young man. By the way, what is the name of the firm your father j founded?" ; "The Andes Construction company. i Do you think we could find him someI thing to do there?" eagerly. "He builds bridges." ( "I shouldn't advise that. But we f have gone astray. You ought not to see him again." j "If la O UnfAfxl *".11 (iv ii c* nuiciui n ui m; filHit lip* i pealed to the wife. "It is, Elsa, dear. But James is I right." "You'll get your balance," said the guardian, "when you reach home. ' When's the wedding?" / "I'm not sure that I'm going to be ' married." Elsa twirled the sunshade again. "Oh, bother with it all! Din, ner at eight, in the big dining room."' "Yes. But the introductions will be mads on the cafe veranda. These people out here have gone mad over cock/ tails. And look your best, Elsa. I want them to soo a real American girl tonight. I'll have some roses sent up i to you." Elsa had not the heart to tell him f that all interest in his dinner had suddenly gone from her mind; that even the confusion of the colonel no j ^: r r-jf * olftrr wM!co. ! I 5! ? I\:-v \ i] >: f ' o wr.v to ?>? I rid 5 tnir rrah! \ V. !:* !s si > *>- ? ?\ tho consul gen: ' \\ i' ; ; ?M : "in >r 'til l 1" IUt Insbr.no iook tl iKioiis the rx 10 in?' r s riiiy. " ;:!:y lio >o<i say that?' "1 u:n a woman " "T! I ; !-r-'-o li (he City of P.rfupe. \1* v;cnin!i I y to it when roni'ronted by something tin y do not i v I >rstancl.' "Oh but I do understand. Aiut that's the pity ol it." CHAPTER XIV. I . .. ~ According to the Rules. Kh-a sought the hotel rick3haw stand, selected a sturdy coolie, and asltcd to be run to the botanical gardens and back. She wanted to he alone, wanted breathing space, wanted the breeze to cool her hot checks. ],%ov she was angry at the world, angry at tho gentle consul general, above all, angry at her. oh'. To have laid her salt open to tho charge of indiscretion! Tc ! have received a lecture, however kindly intended, from tho man she loved and respected next to her father! To know that persons were exchanging nods and whispers behind In " Inuk! It was a detestable world It was folly to bo honest, to be kind, to bi individual, to laivo likes and dislikes un 1< S3 these might bo regulated b. outsiders. Why should she care what people said? She did not care. What made her furious was the absolute stupidity of their deductions. She had not been indiscreet; she had been merely kindly and human; and it they wanted to twist and misconstrue her actions, let llioin do so. Once or twice she saw inwardly the ; will-o'-the-wisp lights of her soul. But i resolutely she smothered the sparks. The coolie stopped suddenly. "Go 011," she said. But the coolie smiled and wiped his I shaven poll. Elsa gazed at the hotel ! veranda in bewilderment. Slowly, she 1 got out of the rickshaw and paid the fare. She had not the slightest recollection of having seen the gardens. ' More than this, it was a quarter to seven. She had been gone exactly an ] hour. "Perhaps, after all," she thought, "1 am hopeless. They may be right; I j ouglic to have a guardian. I am not always accountable for what 1 do." Slie dressed leisurely and with cal< illation. She was determined to con| vince everyone that slie was a beautiful woman, above suspicion, above reproach. The spirit within her was not, however, in direct accord with this determination. Malice stirred into life again; and she wanted to hurt ! someone, hurt deeply. It was only the , tame in spirit who. when injured, submitted without murmur or protest, i Ami Kb:a, only dimly aware of it, was i mortally hurt. "Elsa," said Martha, "that frown will stay there some day, and never go away.' Elsa rubbed it cut with her finger. Mo 1 .. ? ' * .itvuua, mii ,\mi rucun iiuu ugor in the cage at Jaipur? How they teased him until he lost his temper and came : smashing against Hie bars? Well, I sympathize with that brute. He would have been peaceful enough had they l"t him be. If Mr. Warrington calls to morrow, say that I am indisposed." Martha evinced her satisfaction visibly. The frown returned between Elsa's eyes and remained there until she went downstairs to join the consul general and his wife. She found some very agreeable men and women, and some of her natural gayety returned. At a far table on the veranda she saw Craig and Mallow in earnest conversation. Sho nodded pleasantly to the colonel ;.s the head boy came to announce that dinner was served. Anglo-Indian mcitly had so many twists and ramiheu'ioi.s that the situation was not exact!:' new to the old soldier. True, none had confronted him identical to this. Hut he had not disciplined men all these years without acquiring abundant self-control. The little veins in his nose turned purple, as Elsa prophesied they would, but there was no other indication of how distasteful the moment was to him. He would surely warn the consul general, who doubtless was innocent enough. They sat down. The colonel blinked. "Fine passage we had coming down." "Was it?" returned Elsa innocently. The colonel reached for an olive and bit into it savagely. He was no fool. She had him at. the end of a blind alley, and there he. must wait until she was ready to let him go. She could harry tiiin or pretend to ignore uism, ti?? suited her fancy. Ho was caught. Women, all women, possessed at least one attribute of the cat. It was digging in the claw, hanging by it, and boredly looking about the world to see what was going on. At that moment the colonel recognized the sting of the claw. Elsa turned to her right and engaged the French consul discursively; indeed, she gradually became the center of interest; sho drew them intentionally. She brought a touch of home to the Frenchman, to the German, to the Italian, to the Spaniard; and the British official, in whose hands the civil business of the Straits settlements rested, was charmed to learn that Klsa had spent various week-ends at the home of his sister in Surrey. And when she admitted that she was the daughter of General Chetwood, the man to whom the Indian government had cause to be grateful, upon more than one occasion, for the solidity of his structures, the colonel j realized definitely the seriousness of his crucifixion. He sat stiffer and stlffer in his chair, and the veins in his none grew deeper and deeper in | hue. Ho saw clearly that he would j never understand American women. ! >Tp t>nd committed an cntrreeov. idunI .icr. ilo, instead of dom?:u'.tni ">*} ] v. dotal: uted by iV/n tut! . . / oil women; and, without b ?:: ;.v ;> ic tret, had looked ut thin in m their i: '>!' t of view. A mcoi inro*s? civable blonder, ire would not ;.U n> the.* ho v. :n. bhn g swayed lcrs b;. I u- miniisi.ion ci Ilia unpardonable na'i nc .a ?. .? bcanl than by the Immediate knowledge that E'.rri was known to tlu i r.tivh c facial's sister, a till (1 1 dy s\iio stood exceedingly high nt c "Misr'3 ('hot worn!,' be raid, lowering. ;iis voice for her cars only. Elsa turned, but with lite expression that signified thai her atieiitlon was tngtg d elsewhere. "YoB?'\ "1 Mil r.n t Id mnn. T r?w t N-'v.tvo and inert of these sixtytvo I i.avo lived rouyhly; but I am net t< o old to realise that I have made a feel cf myself." Interest, bewail to till Idea's eyes. "It has b' en said," ho went < a, koopi:>K the key, "that I i m a man of cour:v*.a, but i fled that I need a good deal < f that just now. 1 have been ratio to veil, and without warrant, and ' offer you le.y humble apclogU 3." lb* fumbled with his cravat as if it had suddenly tightened "Will you accept?" "instantly.*' Elsa und o stood the quality of ecu rage that had stirred the colonel. Hut ruthlessly: "1 should, ijilil 1:mi1:!ili 'mf/. ; :; \?ilia! lillllliWi KW//,.f/. i H MMriiiiiiiiiiii II i iitimlilt /, hisrai, l |!& r.i,i liliHI i ill 11 i l l w? UUtf I vJ/r.l 1 < T - ~ v, ffl m \ /f(i m ' f T L raS?s$8l?ffl /vv >^-77,W^ ?. 11a f 7) 'A wAmi^ ^~v' v, <' V ^ She Nodded Pie eiou ntly to the Colonel. however, lihe your point of view in regard to what you consider my conduct." "Is it necessary?" "I believe it would bo better for my understanding if you made a full confession. ' She did not mean to be reh nlless, but her curiosity was too strong not to press her advantage. "Well, then, over here as elsewhere in the world there sire Ktcimtmvla Uv which we judge persons who come under our notice." "Agreed. Individuality is not generally understandable." "13y the mediocre, you might have added. That's the difficulty with individuality; it refuses to be harnessed by mediocrity and mediocrity holds the whip-luind, always. 1 represent the mediocre." "Oh, never!" said lOlsa animatedly. "Mediocrity is always without courage." "You are wrong. It has the courage of its con v it tions." "Rather is it not stubbornness, willful refusal to recognize things as they are?' Ho countered the question with another. "Supposing we were all individuals, in the sense you mean? Supposing each of us did exactly as he pleased? Can you honestly imagine a more confusing place than this world would be? The Manchurian pony is a wild little boast, an individual if ever there was one; br.t man tames him and puts to use his energies. And so it is with human individuality. We of the mediocre tame and harness and make it useful to the general welfare of humanity. And when we encounter the untamable, in order to safeguard ourselves, we must turn it back into the wilderness, an outlaw, indeed, I might call individuality an element, like lire and water and air." t.lir. n .1 ' ? jjki, Him \,uih|uri iiri. aiici waicr and air?" Elsa demanded, believing she had him pocketed. "Mediocrity, through the individual of this or that being. Humanity in the bulk is mediocre. And odd as it seems, individuality (which is another word for genius) believes it leads mediocrity. But it cannot be made to understand that mediocrity ordains the leadership." "Then you contend that in the hands of the stupid lies the balance of power?" "Let us not say stupid, rather the unimaginative, the practical and the plodding. The stubbornest person in the world is one with an idea." "Do you honestly insist that you are mediocre?" "No," thoughtfully. "1 am one of those stubborn men with ideas. 1 merely insist that I prefer to accept the tenets of mediocrity for my own peace and the peace of others." Klsa forgot those about her. forgot her intended humiliation of the man at hor side. He denied that he was an individual, but ho was one, as interesting a ti e as she had met in a very long t';rrt . She, too, had made a blunder. Quick to form opinions, swift to judge, she eto<-- gmlty with the com % I iron lot, nl'n pern1* imi :es?ioiis in- j Ft ; <1 - ? 'v.a uce t<? 3\vay lAv- n. lie:*. wa?. a mail. "\Yi hive fono !. ! * af: hi." bV" ".aid, ; p. larii adinlsfion W. ' she c u!,l 'ml rc u 1" his (1: ssertuli ns. This Unjwieuge. however, was net irksome. "Ualhor have we net come to the bars? Shall wo ?c". t!\ m dew a? In the civil and milit'.ry lii'e on this . Ulo cf the v.oriel there arc many situations which we perforce must tol irate, rut these, mind you, ,*re settled c .'itions It is upon n~'.v oii;-3 which arise that we pass judynu nt. 1 knew nothing about you, nothing whatever. So ! jud. it you according to the rut- s. ' i lClsa leaned up or: iicr elbows, anil she smiled a little as sue noted that the purple had gene fr m his nose and that it had resumed its accustomed 1 ubicunduy. "I go on. A woman who travels ' alone, who does not present loiters i i introduction, who . . "Who attends strictly to her own affairs. Go on." lmpertuibably lie continued: "Who seeks ihe aciiuaintar.ee of men who do not belong, as you Americans say." "Not men; one man," she corrected. "A trifling difference. Well, it arouses a disagreeable word, su p cion. For look, there have bu n c> ample:*. It isn t as if yours were an isolated case. Tin iv huvo been ex cm;-lea, and these we apply to such ullu;3 c.s ev me under our notice." "Ami it doesn't matter that you may be totally wrong?" Hia prompt answer astonished liar "No, it does not matter in the least. Simmered down, it in ay be explained in a \. ord, appearance's. And 1 niU3l Lay, to the normal mind . . " I lie mediocre m ud." "To the normal and mediocre mind, appearances were against you. Observe, please, that 1 did not know i v. as wrong, that you were a remarkable young woman. My deductions were made from what I saw as an cut sidm\ On the Irrawaddy you made j the acquaintance 01 a man who came out here a l'ugili\e from justice. Aftet you made l:in acquaintance, you sought none other, in fact, repelled any ad-, vances. This alone decided me. ' "Then you were decided?" To say 1 hat. this blunt exposition was not hitter to her taste, that it did not act like acid upon her pride, would not be true. She was hurt, but she did no let the hurt befog her sense of jusPee. From his point of view the coloI was in no fault. "Let mc lei! you how very wrong you were indeed." "Doubtless," lie hastily interposed, i "you enveloped the man in a cloud ol i\ mance." "On the contrary, I spoke to him and sought his companionship because he was nothing more nor less than a ghost." "All: Is it possible that you knew him in former times?" . j "No. liut ho cm. so like the man at i home; so idc-ntUai in inatures and: build to tlie man 1 expected to go home to marry. . . "My dear young lady, you are right. Mediocrity is without imagination, t: lipid, and makes the world a dull place indeed. What woman in your place would have acted otherwise? lnsl( ad of one apology 1 offer a thousand." j i i <m:h aim an gi uioai. .Mori1, I believe that you and 1 could get on capitally. 1 can very well imagine the soldier you used to be. 1 am going to ask you what you know about Mr. Warrington." "This, that he is not a lit companion for a young woman like yourself; that a detracting rumor follows hard upon his heels wherever he goes. 1 learned , something about him in Rangoon, lie is kiiov.n to the riff-raff as Parrot & Co., and 1 don't know what else. All of us on shipboard learned his previous history. And not from respectable quarters, either." i "If I had been elderly and without physical attractions?" Els a inquired sarcastically. I "We are dealing with human nature, mediocrity, and not with speculation, it is in the very nature of tilings to j distrust that which we do not under- j j stand. You say, old and without pliys j ioal attractions. Reauty is of all i j things most drawing. We crowd about, : it, we crown it, we flatter it. The old j j and unattractive we pass by. If 1 had I not seen you here tonight, heard you j talk, saw in a kind of rebellious en; chantmc.nt over your knowledge of the ' j world and your distinguished acquaint- i ance, 1 should have gone to my grave ; believing that my suspicions were cor-1 reel.. I unv iimf < ? ? _ V/ un; IIIU.I J OllUil IlliltlU llll! same mistake again." "Did you learn among other things what Mr. Warrington had done?" "Yes. A sordid affair. Ordinary 1 peculations that were wasted over gaming tables." Warrington had told her the truth. At least, the story told by others coincided with his own. Hut what wtio it th. it kept doubt in her mind? Why should she not be ready to believe what others believed, what the man himself had confessed? What was it to her that ho looked like Arthur, that he was gr.il.y or innocent? "And his name9" She wondered if the colonel km w tkat also. "Warrington is assumed. I lis repl name is Haul Ellison." "Paul Ellison." She repeated it slowly. Her voice did not seem her own. The table, the lights, the faces, all receded and became a blur. ( i CHAPTER XV. A Bit of f. Lark. Mallow gave Craig one of his favorite cigars. The gambler turned it over and Inspected the c.&rnelian label, realizing thai t.hi ' war expected oi bun. Mallow trailed tomplaccatly. 4 They might smoke a? good as that at tl:e govt rnment house, but he rather j doulled ?t 'trust u llritkher to Know i a good tipe charge; hut h.^ s 1 iic\ of n.fars no seldom to L 6 udtd upon. ' "Don't see many of there out hero," was Craig's comment, and h tucked ' away iho cigar in a vest rocket "They ccct me forty three ee:;Papiece, without duty. ' n . vulgar, i'r j pleasure lies not in the article i.s^ If so much as In the price p ri.i t. r ib On the plantation Ma'low srnok d , Ilurma cheroots because ho really pr ferrcd them. There, lie drank rye ; whisky, consorted with his cm; 1 y< c , gambled with them atul was not abev cheating when he hail them dr. enough. Away from home, howev r. j he was the man of money; he bout-la j t \vt:;es wi'.C.l IK4 COUM1, V.\ ' Bilks, jingled the sovereigns < he thought someone might listen, bullied the servants, all with the chd.ii.-h 1 belief that he was following the footsteps of aristocracy, hoodwinking r. >' one, not even his kind. "I'm worth a quarter of a million," he went ca. "Luck and plugging did it. Or. 4 of these line days I'm going to s 11 out and take a. v hack at that gay Par:. There's the place to spend your pile Von can't get your money's worth air. place else.' Paris. Craig's thought Hew ha k to the prosperous days when he was ply j ing his trade between New Y( 1 k gild 1 Cherbourg, on the Atlantic liners, the! annual fortnight in Paris and tie Grand Prix, lie had had his diamonds then, and his wallet of yellow backs: ! and when hn hurt <?n llr.l f'?i* t, ! .. - ? w V?*??V U ? v/l ? UIVU{>V | wines ami choice Havanas it had been j for genuine love of them. In his heart j he despised Mallow, lie knew hi nisei; to be a rogue, but Mallow without j money would have been a bold prcdu-' tory scoundrel. ( raig know aleo that he himself was at soul too cowardly to be more than despicably bad. lie envied Mallow's absolute foarlet sucss. his frank brutality, liis strength upon which dis: i pat ion had as yet left no mark; and Mallow was easily forty five. "When you go to Par's, I'd like to go along." "You've never lot on why they sent you hiking out here," Mallow sug- j gestcd. "One of my habits is keeping my mouth shut." "Regarding your own affairs, yes But you're willing enough to talk when it comes to giving away the other chap." "You can play that hand as well as 1 can Craig scowled toward the dining room doors. "Ila! Tlu-re they come," said Mallow, as a group ot men and women issued cut into the cafe veranda. "By gad! site is a beauty, and no mistake. And will you l*.dt at our friend, the colonel, totalling behind her?" "It you could get a good look at her when she's angry, you'd change your tune." Mallow sighed audibly. "Most women are tame, and that's why I've fought shy of the yoke. Yonder s the. mji i ior uif. i ue man who marries her will have ais work out out. It'll take a year 01 two to find out who's boss; and ilf she wins, lord help the man!" Craig eyed the group which was now seated. Two Chinamen were serving coffee and cordials. Mallow was right; beautiful was the word. Ho poured out for himself a stiff peg and drank it with very little soda. "Haven't seen the crow anywhere, have you?" "No, nor want to. Leave him alone." "Afraid of him, eh?" "1 m truthful enough to say that I'm damned afraid of him. Don't mistake me. J d like to see him fiat, beaten, down and out for good. I'd like to see him lose tnat windfall, every cent of it. Jlut i don't want to get in his way just now." "Hot! Don't you worry; no beachcomber like that can stand lip long in front of me. He threatened on board that he was going to collect that fifty , pounds. lie hasn't been very spry I abom it." | 1 should like to bo with you when i you meet." Mallow grinned. "Not above seeing a pal get walloped, oh? Well, you get 1 1 a ringside ticket. It'll he worth it " j "1 don't want to see you get licked," 1 denit ci Craig irritably. "All I ask is > that you shelve some of your cock- , 5 soreness. I'm not so dead broke that 1 ; must swallow all of it. I've warned < you that he is a strong man. He used to be one of the best college athletes in America." ! "College!" exploded Mallow. "What the devil does a college athlete know about a dock-light?" > "Kver see a game of football?" ' "No." | "Well, take it from me that it's the roughest game going. It's a game where you put your boot in a man's face when he's not looking. Mallow, they kill each other in that game. And Ellison was one of the best, fifteen years ago. He used to wade through t a ton of solid, scrapping, plunging 1 ficsh. And nine times out of ten ho ( used to got through. 1 want you to i beat him up, and it's because 1 do i that I'm warning you not to underesti- t mate him. On shipboard he handled ( me as you would a bag of salt; damn > him! He's a surprise to me. He looks < as if he had lived clean out here. t There's no booze sign hanging out on t him, like there is on you and me." 1 "ttooze never hurt me any." < "You're galvanized inside," said 1 Craig, staring again at Klsa. He i wished he knew how to hurt her, too. I Hut he might as well throw stones at ' the star*". > "How would you 'ike to put one ove; on this chap Ellison?" whet way?** IS w .-mokcd for a "nooruort, then Lou' !;- .: i:i^ breaet ck hot uigiuhcuntly. "\nt for mine, returned ( ralg. "Cor ;>r'> my long I'm no socu: : ' ;y m: n. not yc.t." "1 ?:now. but supposing you could pet it v.iihe ut risk?" **iii the !.rtA place, the bulk ot' hUi "tti h is tied up in let tern of credit." "All, you know that?" "V. nat good would it do to pinch these. In hluropo there would be .one banco, but not hero where boats are two weeks apart. A cable to Han t>v-on would shut c:2 nil drawing. He c. uM have others made out. In cash he may have a few hundreds." "All gamble;are more or less yellow,"' sneered Malicw. "The streak in an is pretty v.iue. I till you, you luedu't risk your si in. Are you game to rut one over that v. iil cost him a lot of worry and trouble "So long as 1 tan oh.iul outside the ropes and look on. ' "lie has a thousand pounds in h belt, .no mat < r .1 .v 1 found on ILow'd you like to put your hand o it if you were sure it would not bur. your lingers?" "l (1 like to, nil right. But it's rot tc be mighty cuts n. A: d the belt must be handed to me by someone else. I've a;;"Vo >??55S . 4 ? mam i\ ?'s \\'[ ( hij I * ujl ?i f ' i kpfcHM SiH^NlWi '///) i K^rVW^'di mm f; feiiMp fei1 w- Hi m smz 11 %*7^ / \1 \i \V V"^0%\V;, ^v..? .' >.,.,> IV >(U \\ ii \ ..? ____ ,=^-_"! .. v/v \/?v *'\\' 4 *-A '*r-f J X w?S?s?5<^' 44;334 4^4 /.: : gfi f n'Tt ^ ill 'You Feci. I Don't Want Him Out of the Way." half a wonder if you're not aiming to got rid of me," with an evil glance at his tempter. "If 1 wanted to got rid of you, this'd be the way," said Mallow, opening and shutting his powerful hands. "I'm just iiungoring for a bit ol a lark. Come on. A thousand pounds for taking a little rickshaw ride. Hvcr hear of Wong's? Opium, i earls, oils and shark tins?" "No." "Not many do. 1 know Singapore like the lines on my hands. Wong is the shrewdest, most lawless Chinaman this side of Canton and Macao. Pipes, pearls and shark tins. Dig money. Wong's the man to go to. Want a schooner rigged out for illicit shell hunting? Want a man shanghaied? Want him written down missing? Go to Wong." "See here, Mallow; 1 don't mind his being beaten up; but what you say doesn't sound good." "You fool. 1 don't want him cut of the way. Why should 1? I ut there's ihat thousand for you and worry for him. All aboard!" ""Y on don't love Parrot fz Co. any more than 1 do." "No. I'd sleep br>'tor c' nights if I knew he was broken for keeps. Too much "d tape to put the Cnited Slates after him. Hcw'd you . ig him?" "Faro and roulette. They never tumble. 1 didn't have anything against him until he ran into me at Tlanpcon. But In's stepped in too many times since. Is this straight?" "About lifting his belt? E:isv e.s falling off a log. Leave it to me. His room is on the first gallery, facing southwest. You ran chalk it up as revenge. I'll take it on as a bit of good sport. Wong will fix us out. Now look alive. It's after nine, and I'd like \ little fun first." The two left the cafe veranda and Bugnged a pair of rickshaws. As they jogged down the road, Warrington stepped out from behind the palms ind moodily watched them until the night swallowed them up. fie had not Dverheard their interesting conversation, nor had he known they were *bout until tjiey came down the steps together. He ached to follow them. He was in a fine mood for blows. That here were two of them did not trouble lim. Of one thing he was assured: Somewhere in the dim past an ancesor of his had died in a Berserk rage. He had been watching Elsa It disurbed hut did not mystify him to seo ;ior talking to the colonel. Table'banco had brought them together, md perhaps to a better understandng. How Dale she was! Emm firm* o time he caught the flash of her >yes as she turned to this or that uiest Once she smiled, but the smile lid not lighten up her face. He was fery wretched and miserable. She had aken him at his word, and he should lave been glad. He had seen her but >ncc again on board, but she had ooked away. It was best so. Yet, it >vas as if fate had reached down into a is heart and snapped the strings vhirh rmirie ltf#? "Vmtinued next week)