Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-15
CHAPTER ".

1t was on the point of Peggy's tongue
TO say, Yes, Pm engaged TO him." but
something stopped her. She knew little
enough OF this man, this total stranger,
but there was between them that subtle
feeling of comradeship which it is inn
possible to define. Instinetively she liked
him; she felt between them that some
thing that never had been and never
could be between her and Charlie Dem
ton, the man she had known all her life.
and there and then all her doubts van
lshed, and she determined that this en-
gagement which was such q farce from
the beginning should be broken off the
| moment she met Charlie Denton. So she
said soberly:
Il have known Charlie Denton all my
life"
Are you one of the galaxy of girls
who
Petrie broke off suddenly, and she
said:
who whatH"
"0h, nothing, nothingl Only he had
| rows of photographs of girls in his cabin.
The prettiest of the lot l used to saw
was Margaret Morland, and if she had
honored me with her photograph
there shouldn't have been any other girls
anywhere within hail of her"
| Peggy flushed in the moonlight Yes
terday she would have been angry that
Charlie Denton thought so little of her;
today she was thankful that he counted
her one of many. He had evidently new
er mentioned his engagement, and of
| that too she was glad.
And l am glad,' she said, looking I'D
Earnestly into the honest sunburned face
| that bent over her, II am very glad. /
should hate to think Charlie placed me
| first, and yet I'm very fond of him"
And I'm glad too,' said Petrie, with
a wonderfully earnest ring in his voice.
1t brought the color flooding into her
face and reminded her where she was
and that she had only known Christian
Petrie exactly three minutes. But after
all time does not count in the matter OF
liking and love-
"But you haven't explained" she said
quickly, what brought you here
! "And so you are Margaret Morland, ,
Petrie went on. Il have thought of you
so much, and now | am meeting you il
the flesh at last"
Margaret looked up at him quickly
and what she saw there made her droT
her eyes again.
what are you doing here" she asked
Running away. There is an awful
row on in the village, and at the end Of
such excitement a man lot infrequently
runs amuck, so | left, left hurriedly--
there was nothing else for it, as Dentor
told me hours ago. A couple of men die
follow me, but think they must have
dropped off; that's why / raced in here
to see if I'd shaken them off. / would
not have done it if I'd known white
| girl was here, and yet
"Tm glad" said Peg. "You don't know
how much / want white mans advice
/ was Just thinking of writing TO Char
lie Where is Charlie?"
"a couple of miles away in a little hut
in the jungle. At least, / hope he is
We both went there this afternoon, ant
then curiosity got the better of me and
l stole back to have a look at the vii
lage. l nearly passed in my checks"
"Oh!" said Peg, drawing long breath
at the thought of this mans danger
You're sure you're safe now?"
''Oh, yes, it's like a summer storm
They have not followed me. / am safe
and I've met you!"
"And the parson, is he with you and
Charlie?" asked Peggy.
"The parson? What parson ?"
"AIr. Stewart said the parson had gone
shooting in the Jungle with you and q
lieutenant from the man war I didn't
know what man-of war OF what lieuten-
ant, but he certainly mentioned you by
name That is why he brought us up to
Kuala Bank. He said he would get him
sooner than staying at Port Elliot"
Petrie edged quietly into the shadow
again, and, putting his hand on Pegs
shoulder, drew her beside him.
"This is serious he said "Thank
Heaven / raced in here! No parson has
been with us, and Stewart must have
known there was none There is no par
son at Port Elliot. There isn't one with.
in couple of hundred miles of the
place"
"Oh,'' said Peggy, "eh!"-and she put
her hand on Petrie's arm What do you
think he means by it? Ethel came out
to marry him. She is with him now in
that room where you see the light
| Il don't like to think what he means
by it." said the other man, between his
teeth what on earth were her people
doing to let her come out here, or your
people to let Won come with herr"
ooh, my people, said Peg-"you
mustn't blame themi | chose for my
self / merely found out the Rules were
all right, and Ethel is of age. She is not
very wise, but she always does as she
pleases. 1t pleases her to marry Doug
las Stewart"
"That viii be a difficult thing to do"
said Petrie quietly. Forgive me, Miss
Morland, if shock you, but Stewart,
though he poses as an Engiishman in
England, here is Malay chief, and they
call him Mat Han. He is a Mohamme-
dan and has four wives already Malay
girls-and that is all the law of Moham-
med allows. He cannot marry Miss Rule
even if he wants TO-"
"Oh, OH" Peg was horrihed She
had been feeling miserable all day, I'm
certain as to what she should do, and
now this man, this stranger, who seemed
no stranger, had showed her the worst,
and his presence brought with it infinite
comfort "What shall we do? What can
we dor You win help me, won't you ?
| yo,, won't desert rs 2"