Middletown transcript., 1911-07-01

for q certain serious snaue " Vile
background. Commenting 50 to
himself, Esmond lowering shut
off his own laugh with a sigh. a
workaday citizen of the great
Republic, I, the ever.practical,
commonplace, to put It broadly,
to chance in such incredible wise
upon an island.k kingdom, half.
genuine, half Utopian, and alto
gether savage, buried in untra.
versed seas, guarded by adverse
current that seemed to break
only this one time and let my
leaky tub of a craft be blown into
this impossible port!
He laughed again, mockingly,
but resumed serious conVersa-
ton with himself.
Can l be still delirious, and
shall I soon come back to myself
to find that / have had a touch OF
tropical fever, and am still in my
Manila quarters !? The Princess
Wiyuna declares me now restor'
ed to reason, announcing at the
same time, no longer ago than
this morning, that King Matazino,
her royal sire, desires an inter
view with me tomorrow; when
the court physician shall dismiss
me. Flashlight and peanut ap'
plause! Why, the story will be
too rank for my paper, and when
I'm back in my correspondents
I'll have to invent something
saner.
Months later, Levering was
still in the royal palace OF Toq-
uacy.to-as prisoner or guest ne
himself could scarcely decide.
Back at home, his paper had fill
ed a gap in the ranks Of its for,
ign correspondents, and the
world was moving on no lesse gu
ably because our rather clever
young man had disappeared from
the view Of civilized eyes.
I'm here whether permanently
or not, Levering told himself oc-
casionally; I'm very emphatically
here for the present moment,
and I see no earthly or celestial
good to be attained by sitting
down to the doleful entertain
ment of wishing myself back in
reach of cables, mail steamers,
white faces, and all that goes
with these.
Of those scores of uncounted
isles that swing out from Luzon,
the central gem of the loose belt,
Toquay.to, though tiny, is one OF
the richest and most beautiful.
Matazino now held it by heredi'
tary right, as kinglings Of his
kind hold many others dotted
over the Polynesian waters. II
was into this snug harbor that q
vanton wind and current had
sent it's strange fiotsam, months
ago.
1t was q propitious chance that
sent you walking down the cactus
avenue and towards the waters s
edge that morning, commented
Levering one day, talking easily
as always, to the Princess WY
una. Propitious to me, I mean,
he added, as she lifted her large
dark eyes to his in mysterious
questioning.
The guards who had found me
must have meant to kill me with
out delay if you had not inter
vened, he went on.
They thought you already dead
the Princess returned, in quain
ly cadenced but correct English
But they would have returned
your body to the sea that give it
It is our custom.
He laughed little bitterly.
You forget, she answered th'
charge his laugh implied, th'
evils threatening our frail littl'
kindom from strange vessels ant
strange men.
I understand, he reioined, fair
ly. And death is easy to thinl
of in a land like this, he added
in a lower tone than might reacl
her. But what did Mata -th'
king-think ? he pressed her.
He thought-but you were al
American, we surmised, ant
even here we have learned th,
power in the name.
So I have only my nationallt!
to thank for my life? Something
had impelled him to urge tn
question. What was the feeling
in his breast which made bin
think he might prefer to owe ex
istence to another thing, to be
lie7e, indeed that he did SO owe
It?
Is,, nno eIavu eII1si