Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-22

table in the veranda, and two men rose
up as they climbed the steps. two men
who spoke in CHEEKY English voices.
Here you are at last, thank Heavenl
We got your message and came on at
once, and we were lust thinking of COM
ing on to investigate"
Halo, Ramsay Halo, Smith Yes,
here we are. That villain Mat Han as
usual. Did you send down to Port FL
lott"
''Yes, the super and his men viii be
along presently. l guess a few Sikh
polieemen1l put things right"
Thank Heaven!"
Petrie pushed Peg into the chair which
his friend the railway man had vacated,
and tried to explain hurriedly as he IN
troduced them that he had sent off post
haste to the head of the railway with
little hope that the white men would be
there. In the lamplight Peg saw Denton
arranging Ethel in her chair and smiled
to herself She had seen so many men
make a fuss over pretty Ethel, and
Charlie looked as if he had already fall
en- victim.
"Are you the lady who" began one
OF the newcomers.
mo, indeed" said Peg Indignantly,
PPM only her companion"
"The one who has got her cut of the
hole" said Petrie; and then Ethel rose
up. Ethel loved to be the center of at
traction, and she certainly looked very
pretty in her white dress, her golden hair
little disordered by the rush along the
jungle path, her blue eyes wide open and
pleading for protection, and her red lips
quiverirg.
cit was T. Oh, what must you all
think of mel"-and she began to sob
prettily.
Don't" beseeched Denton, "don'tl /
can't bear to see you cry"-and the other
two men looked as if they thought the
same thing. you're quite safe, quite
safe; we'll take care of you"
And Peg looked up into Christian Pc
tries face and read there all that she
wanted to read.
"What are we to do now?' said Petrie
"Shall we taken them ON to the railway
and clear out 2"
81 think not. The super will be along
It was luck his being there"
you're sure he's not in Singaporef"
"Quite sure"
"Then we'll stop, and these ladies can
go to bed. They must be worn out"
81 must speak to Mr.. Denton first"
said Peg; and Christian Petrie looked a
little as if he did not like it, but Charlie
Denton came towards her and the others
moved out of ear-shot.
Charlie" she said, 81 am so pleased to
see you, but didn't we make great mis-
take when we became engagedI Aren't
you very tired of it?"
| He was good-looking, fair young fell
| low, with a clean shaver face and clear
blue eyes.
"Oh, come, hang it all, say, Peg"
| Charlie, you are tired; you never
wanted me, really. Take back your ring
like a nice kind cousin. l like you so
much better as cousin, and you know
that is your own feeling"
"Oh, but, Peg"
Charlie" said Margaret desperately,
eve been ashamed of our engagement,
awfully ashamed of it for months. Poo
pie do not marry, or they ought not to
marry, when they are tied by such a
loose bond as we are tied. 1t is not the
right thing"
But, Peg"
There came little silvery laugh from
the other end of the veranda-EtUeI
pretty laugh Ethel, whose feelings we, e
so easily worked upon one way or the
other, and Charlie Denton half turned
towards her.
"See, Charlie" Peg said, with laugh
that had not trace of bitterness in it,
for she saw another pair of eyes upon
her-a pair of eyes that were drinking
in every movement-"the engagement is
broken" She drew off her ring and put
it back into his hand. "You cannot
speak to me for five minutes without
your attention wandering to another
woman, and you have not seen me for
three long years"
'She is very pretty" said Charlie Dem
ton, looking at Ethel and weighing the
ring in his fingers, evidently without giv-
ing it a second thought
Eyes, she is very pretty. Don't LET
those other men cut you out"
peg, I've always been so fond of you"
"And | am so fond of you-much too
fond of you to marry you, even if you
wanted me to-"
Again Denton pulled himself together
with an obvioas effort. Ethel was pour
ing her story into the sympathetic ears
of Messrs. Ramsay and Smith.
| "You make me feel a beast, Peg. I
4 know what a copd sort Won ara