The times., 1900-12-23

close to him; ''the sahib thinks much OF
| Iove?'
She was a wizcned. curious old woman
/ with deep. burning eyes. wrinl1led face
hooked nose and chin, and in her linen
| garb and bright-colored shawl and pro-
fusion of silver bangles she made quaint,
half mad picture in the dim light.
Larry laughed genially, striving to re-
| but the sudden tingling at his heart.
| Perhaps" he said. Coco! But why
| do you ask"
There is mem-sahib," replied the old
woman, who also thinks much of love
/ when she sits all alone and signing under
| the trees where the waters fall"
When does she sit there?" said Larry.
| his eyes shining and his heat humping
now imperiously.
When the dawn has not yet dried the
| dew" replied Lotus nurse, and tnen,
1 without another word glided away.
| But it had been enough. and the next
morning he had found Lotus by the water
| faIl-a shy. half-ashamed look in her eyes,
| but an air of sweet expectancy about her
| timid greeting that changed to one of
| wholly blushing surrender before the inn
pulsive ardor of his wooing.
1t had taken Larry some time to per-
| suade the girl into going through the
| semblance of betrothal to Drayton. But
he at length prevailed.
Sure, darling" he had said, at is just
buying you, he is. Not that he wouldn't
the beast, be glad to have you for moth
ing. But he has your father under his
thumb, and he dare not say no."
The suggestion of being sold reused Lo-
tus to q fierce revolt, and she gave n Ie-
lying on Larry's promise to her. For he
had said to her THE very day of the be-
trothal. my darling / will have the money
and pay off those same mortgages myself.
MOI won't tell you a word about it until
then-but my luck's turned at last, and 1t
will not be a poor man you'll we'd
When Larry met her at the tryst he vas
as good as his word. She listened with
breathless interest as the manager tcld
her how, nearly twelve months ago, he
had stumbled on an almost land-locRed
cove whose waters, heavy and glistening
with OIL had attracted his attention. At
ter minute search he had borrowed from
Mr.. Deyaine enough money TO buy up the
surrounding land, experts had confirmed
his suspicious, and the day before he lad
sold his land, which was literally soaked
with petroleum, to a company, and had
C 600 now in the bank at San Fernan-
do.
In the blissful content of the news the
two were sitting on the trunk of a great
tree, gazing silently into the pool. Lar
ry's arm was round the girls waist. her
face was resting on his shoulder, upturn-
eQ IN q fearless gaze OF worship Roger
Drayton. picking his way stealthily
through the bushes. stood arrested at the
sight. Naturally it did not seem to him
that the two made n delightfully."- ArcIdian
picture. Yet they were perfectly suited.
Larry was a long, supple-limbed.
square-shouldered Celt, with a true Hi
bernian face, oval. quizzical, serious, with
a wide, laughing mouth, deep, quick grey
eyes. and hair OF a crisp, tawny yellow.
zyti hut IN ba
throat. his half-tops and spurs, his topee
pushed back from the brow, he looked
more like an Indian cavalry officer taking
it easy than a hard-worked sugar-oyer-
seer.
And LOTUS certainly was sufficient ex-
cuse for his idling. Her eyes were OF
that deep velvety blue which in the sun
light seems violet, at night sloe-black.
Her face was of that round contour. 50
soft. fugitive and bewitching which is
the chief beauty of the fairest Eastern
girls. small. rather impertinent. nose;
lips that in the drawing Of breath could
be at once mocking seductive. langour-
Gus. and mutiEous. or as now, with thsir
pretty scarlet curves ripping to smile
OF utter contempt: tiny shell-like cars
mass OF red-gold hair wayi,3g lack
from brow white and broad. and gath
cred in knot low on the neck; a form
slender. girlish but eXquisitely nodded.
with the tiniest of hands and feet;
frock of delicate clinging white. dis
tractingly low at the round smooth
throat. this form and that face nesting
into the pervading embrace of the Irish
man: such was the picture that Roger
Drayton looked upon from his covert in
the jungle.
Not for long, however, His sense Of |
possession had ever been keen. With a
yell he dashed forward, and before Larry |
could recover his surprise he had sent |
him hurling backward over the log Next |
moment he had seized Lotus by the wrist. |
You'll come home with me" he said, /
in a grimly snarling tone. Wen see !
what your father says to my promised 4
wife philandering with penniless jacka-
napes like that. I'll cure you of that, |
my mistress. when we're married
'Larryi" called Lotus. Larry, Don't /
you see he is hurting my wrists horri- |
bly:''
Larry had just picked himself up. and |
was staring somewhat stupidiy at the /
two. The words electrified him. however. |
With a bound he cleared the tree. and |
as Drayton, with uplifted crop. turned (
to meet him. Larry aived under the blow.
caught The man by his capacious middle. |
and swinging him clear stove his head. /
hurled him straight and plumb into the /
centre of the pool.
Lotus. frightened. chung trembling on TO
his arm. /
"oh. Larry" she said. have you killed
him?"
Devil a bitl" replied Larry with
grin. He could never drown with his
They waited till they saw Drayton
to the bank. His bald head
with its few erect hairs, his spluttering
expression of inipotcnt uncomfortable
his fierce eyes blinking and |
winking furiousIy, and. above all, the Iu-
{; a Gus webbing of his body as he struck |
out for the side. we're too much for the
gravity OF the girl.
Larry only griHned. He was rather
OF himself and sorry for Dray-
ton. But Lotus went into peals of un-
controllable laughter
The ugly duckling." she gasped. Isn't
he funny?"
Her merriment was checked, however,
as Drayton. reaching the bank gave them |
a look of menace that for all his ridicu-
lous appearance struck sudden fear to the
girls heart.
He regarded them. silently, a few mo-
ments. then in 4 strained. rasping voice.
hoarse with the passion of outraged
vanity. he said TO Lotus:
IF your father could give with you
hundred sovereigns to each hair Of your
empty head would not take you now.
But I'll make you and yours repent this
days work. And when you and your
dainty mother and vain peacock of
faith ar are out in the street."
Clear" interrupted Larry, sharply,
with an imperative gesture
praytOn gave him a malignant glance,
swung on his heel, and disappeared into
the bush.