Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-10

MS careless Win OF MS
he swung into a resoute stride
The door of the American Consulate closed and
the office was dark now; but he thought he saw some
thing wavering behind the blind. He paused moment;
then he shook his head.
aft | could only do somehing." he said to himself
dlspirtedy the wrath and contempt of his experience
in the tawdry wooden palace all lost in painful long
ing to protect the woman he loved He forgot himself
and his mission Even the occasional jolt of rotten
plank in the documentary sidewalk did not break his abb
sorpton. The moon had risen and spread every
thing thin layer of silver. mud and fed pools showed
irdescen tins. But Lee walked with unseeing eyes.
SUDDENLY he became aware that he had been hear
ing for sometime the beat of a drum, regular and
muffcd like the beating of heart in fact, he seemed
to have COMPOUNDED it with the beating of his own
heart.
lust ahead where the squalid side streets merged
into the Champs Elysec and where he knew he must
branch off into the dele between warehouses to
reach the docks lay green circle OF cabbage palms. and
around this he could see black figures moving like ants
As in ell moments of tension his eye took IN the
picture with extraordinary vlvdness. Before the dark
green foliage OF perfectly shaped palms the stately figure
of Roi Petit Choute swayed rhvthmically innumerable
necklaces of glass beads her dusky neck,-bzarre
things, which hung about her and glittered and trem
blcd with every feXing of her gress body. The tynon
wIapt low down on her forehead looked like crimson
helmet. Two nearly naked and with matted hair
sq1atted at her feet beating with their knuckles
rough instruments; while all about moved the swaying,
changing groups singing their low, monotonous chant
which sometimes in high, prolonged, minor note
They seemed almost deirious in their fervor. He had
felt how little energy remained in these people, looked
at them harmless fools; but it was borne IN
upon him that those black demons, dashed with excite
ment had bone, muscle, a wild vitality, intense
energy of movement, that natural deadly,
the surf along their coast.
He tried press BY but found himself enmeshed in
the outs rts; and then slowly, through pathway made
in the chanting crowd before her, Ro Choutte
ing toward him. her barred, bronze crossed her
breast. When she gave him look of swift and
Indifferent pacidity, quick glance of unconcerned
DOM yet she seemed to know all about him and what
would ultimately happen to him. She seemed uncanny
omnous, fateful
But Lee would give way to that eery feeling an
the Tropics must before everything keep calm' he
found himself quoting, and he grinned impudently at
the advancing prlestess
Suddenly she opened her arms throwing them up
rigid above her head
"Take care, she is going to stab you'll
BLESSED English words Lee started aside, half
turned and found Jack Carroll standing beside him.
armed, and stiff ramrod but as he turned the
vas bag all at once ghtened and the ground poured
the mass of yellow coin He had swift vision Of a
SCARED face at close range that side; but whether the
fellow had used the confusion to put his knife around
the bag, Lee knew-the bottom had dropped out
completely. Instantly he down his knees running
his hands through the soft layer of dust cSonng the
roadside scoopng up the coins and dropping them he'll
SHELTER into his immaculate white service cap.
moment later another pair of hands down into the
dust beside his and fumbled for the coins. Lee
started to strike out in their direction when he drew
back dumbfounded- were white small hands they
dropping the coins into his capt. He followed the
line of up the figure and there closely wrapped
in long black domino her face yelled, Vera Carroll
knecng close at his side
"Ouick, don't stop!' she whispered, and automatic
ally Lees fingers fell again sieving the dust They
were almost through, and he ventured look upward.
He had anything rner than the Consul
Generals back, anything seader than the hand that
leveed six-shooter that subdred mob. Roi Choute
stood heavily like a bit OF inorganic nature.
Away off in the distance weird piercing arose,
seeming shape itself without human lips in the heavy
night air.
Lee sprang up trying to raise Vera Carroll; but she
came very deliberately and leaning emptied her
hands into the cap he pressed against his left side In