The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-04
THE EVENING STOR r
In the Nfatter of otoro.

When Regnau1t left the liner at Toxic,
mere impulse led him to order his lug
gage ashore. One place Is much like
another when man is running away
| from acknowledgements thought it was
| himself but Lockhart and others knew
1t to be the confirmed rumor OF Esther
Clermont's marriage to Ralph Grim
shaw. Regnault set his teeth at the
bare memory OF that night at the Aims
worths and the malicious grin on Rod
Lockhart's face as he called to him
4 across the smoking room, Your race is
run, Regnault. Haul down your colors.
my boy. GriInshaw has won out
| had it straight from her mother. It's
to be pulled off in June"
He had a confused sense of his own
voice a great way of, of the surprise
on the faces around him, then the cool
! air on his face, as he stepped out on
the veranda face to face with Grim
shaw and Esther. No room for doubt
then. Did he not know too we'll the
witchery of that rose-sheltered corner?
He plunged by them without word,
called a cab and hurried to his rooms
to spend the rest of the night thinking
| it out.
lie did not put himself to the torture
of farewell call. and there was no one
| else that he cared to see; no ties to
hold him since the death of old Edward
Regnault had left him his millions ana
a crazy old barracks up the Hudson.
Regnault followed the porter through
the swarming, banner-decked streets 10
the hotel All around him, pulsing with
life and color, the panorama of Oriental
life swept its tang of unreality into his
very being, and the glamor grew AS
the days drifted by he lost himself IN
tea gardens where small people come
and go among the dwarfed pines TO
search out carven shrines beside the
cool lakes. There where the IRIS.
straight and tall, guards dreams OF old
Japan and life is a naturalization or
the scenes on q Japanese fan
Ana-sl- wad
fiotsam and 5etsam of nations tnas
makes Toxic it's headquarters, ana
among them an Englishman. the Hon
Dunstan Brown, who had lived IN
Toxic for years and had it's language
and customs at his finger ends. He
maintained an establishment, native
fashion, outside OF the foreign quarteT,
and when he was ordered to Algiers 1t
came about quite naturally that Reg
nault took over the menage as 1t STOOD
If Brown mentioned Otoyo, he did 1t
ignorance took no special note of 1t.
The transfer of the property dragged
until the last day, when the sale was
hurriedly closed, and Regnault saw
Brown off before he had an opportunity
to inspect his purchases. Then he Went
out to take possession
The sea wind beat up against the
screens, heavy with the sweet of cherry
blossoms from the garden, and as he
entered the house a deathly quiet met
him. 1t was broken presently by the
tiny japanese maid Otoyo bowed her.
self before him. Regnault stopped
stock still at sight OF the child-Woman-
She in turn with her soft black eyes
searched the stranger face with wistful
eagerness as the tiny hands went wide
in duplication.
Regnault sprang back. his face going
brick red. What was she trying TO
say?" He could not understand. but
world of tragic suffering rang through
the unknown words. and in the midst
of the torrent of native English that
Otoyo poured into his bewildered ears
a small round bundle half rolled, half
toddled from somewhere behind the
screens to the pitiful little. figure cover
ing before her new master. The child |
small face was an ivory miniature OF
Brown, and then for the first time |
Regnault understood why Brown had
managed to keep him away from the
house until a few miles of water lay
between them.
Somehow in the hours that followed |
Regnault made her understand, too, |
and though there were no tears and no
reproaches, when his task was finished |
he fled from the sight of that small
frozen faee. and did not return until the
following day. In the interim he found |
out much in regard to Brown. Also |
that what Brown had done was quite !
the usual thing in Japan, and that it
merely remained for him to accept the |
situation.
As the weeks went on in the little |
house among the cherry trees he be- |
gan to note a change in Otoyo. He |
went for a long tramp and thought |
more so, yet his healthy American in |
stinct was revolving against the life of |
the Orientalized white man. But the |
days wore on and he realized that it /
was slowly slipping away from him, |
that the call of the Occident was |
growing fainter with each lotus-laden |
hour, and his future was beginning to |
rest upon the dfctum of bare chance. |
Regnault laughed grimly at the
thought of it, and drawing a penny
from his pocket he tossed it in the air. |
Tails I WIN" 1t missed is palm and |
went scattering among the things on
his dressing table. AS he reached for
it a small brass bound box balanced
off, bursting open as it struck the
floor, and out rolled the silver case
that had lain against his heart in the
days before Rod Lockhart'S gossiping
tongue read out his sentence. He
picked it up reluctantly; it was months
since he had flung it there.
She is Grimshaw's wife now, and"
He stopped as the locket came open in
his hand and Esther's brown eyes
laughed back at him. Then, lost in
dreams, he sat a long time gazing at
her face. The deep. drawing look in
those soft eyes broke the spell and
glamour of the lotus Dreams and plac-
ing the silver case gently in his pocket
he went his way to the consulate.
~ There were certain forms to be COM
piled with in transferring the house
among the cherry trees to Otoyo, but
after the first few sentences in which
Regnault Numbered out his intentions
the cOnsuPs brow cleared. He was an
old fashioned man. a little of a mis-
sionary in a quiet way, and altogether
of Brown and his ilk. There
fore he went to work with will, and
Regnault removed his luggage to the
hotel, with the intention of leaving
Toxic on the morrow.
A name on the register stared UP at
him. the stylish, angular characters
strangely familiar-'Miss Esther Cler1
rnrr1f >, Regnault ruhhed hts ewes and |