The Washington times., 1908-12-20

ploded Jim. unable 10
restrain his impauence.
DO 1 win, or nOt?''
The words were unintelligible 20 Ma
lausa; but a man. deaf, dumb and blind
could scarcely have mistaken the pur-
port OF them.
Translated into Malaysian. the chief,
serene IN his own Importance. took It
no doubt for the equivalent Of:
What then is the decision Of thy
noble and reverend council, most puis-
Eant prince? Haste thee. pray. and
let thy whine brother know If the great
enchantress is 10 be permitted within
the confines of the thrice-sacred
shrine
Therefore he smiled and nodded with
no. diminution of his previous friendly
attitude; and Jim, a great wave Of re-
lief rolling over him. turned to Helene
with an exultant shout:
Glory Hallelujah, girl. it's all right!
He says we can 20, and those sparSlers|
are as good as in our pockets right this
minUte!"
But Helene called his excited atten-
tion to the fact that Nalanga evidently
had some other communication 10
make. With many genufections and
exaggerated wriggiings he seemed try
ing to PROFOUND a question of some
sort
Both the Americans followed his
symbolic motions closely, but could
make neither head nor tail Of it all,
until at last, in the effort to make him
self understood, he summoned his three
wives and. grouping them closely about
him. pointed first to them and then TO
Helene.
THE confounded heather Is propos-
ing 10 your angrily interpreted JimI
That's what it is; he wants you to
be his fourth. For half a cent I'd
knock his impudent block on
mo, no." and Helene laid a restrain
ing hand upon his arm ''See. he points
to himself and his wives. and then to
both OF us. You are making a mistake.
Jim. He is simply trying 20 ind out
IL we are married"
And she shook her head in a viEor-
Gus negative to tile chief
Malanaga appeared considerably dis
concerted, at this. disconnected and
downcast, for as he explained with some
difficulty no unmarried woman could
by any stretch OF the regulations be
permitted within the holy cave.
The chief priest. he declared. had
rather strenuousIy cOmbated the propo-
sition in the council anyway, and had
only yielded upon condition that the
applicant be proven to him as lawfully
welded
So, now the fat was in the fire. signi-
fed MaIanaga; since, no matter how
great an enchantress Helene might be.
the chief priest would never consent 10
such a PROCLAMATION Of the shrine, a
Hgion as lost soul
But is he the whole show2'' pro-
tested Jim in irritable dumb show
Cant YOU overrUle him, or call him
To order. or something OF the klnd?"
But Malanaga signihed that on such
an issue the chief priests authority was
practically equal to his own. Neither
the council nor the tribe would stand
for such violation Of cardinal prin-
ciples. nor. for that matter, would he
himself
IN fact. it began 20 look pretty blue
Tor the undertaking, and Jim COM
menced to think that Destiny had not
been leading him so strongly as he had
belieyed-or else had been leading him
only on for a fall-when Helene inter
posed.
But what's the use Of making such
a to-do about the matter?'' she said
quietly. 1T seems to me the solution
is very simple matter. Why can we
not get married?'
Get married?'' repeated Jim
Yes" with n blush. I'VE were in
tending TO DO so. anyway, and although
we need not regard Il as a binding tie
until we reach a civilized port and have
1t Tatihed by a regular service. stil if
going through their rites viii satisfy
these people, and gain me admission to
the cave. I am willing to try it.
Besides" she added softly, my old
Congregational minister uncle used to
say that IL was not so much what form
OF words was used over a couple that
made them man and wife as the char
acter Of the love they bore for each
other in their hearts"
Helene" said Jim fervently, you're
a trump"
lie promptly questioned AIalanaga as
20 whether this would be a satisfactory
way out OF the dilemma: and the latter
assuring him that he saw no reasons
20 the contrary, Harrison's spirits rose
once more With g bound.
BY the way. though he remarked, |
q suppose I had better quiz him a biz
rs 10 the character Of the ceremony
we viii have 70 pass through In our
character OF clairvoy aats and sooth-