Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-23
THE TWISTED Foot
HENRY MlNER RIDEOUT..
ecssu4eht, 1910, By Heary Miner R4desut)

there?'
Thanks, will" Davids serious look
made the little man stare. What's the
next ship"
Two afternoons later Pryce left his
cricket to see this unaccountable friend
off. His launch dropped astern, and
David, turning to climb the ladder, I'M
gratefully forgot him in that instant; for,
looking down from the rail- with a smile
Of satisfaction, was the dark, strangely
familiar face of the man in maize-colored
silk
He had gone below by the time David
reached the deck
Doubts were now out of the question
Whoever he was, he had not come all this
way by chance. His presence on board
was so far welcome that it would give an
impatient traveller something to do.
Through dinner David watched him
down the length of the table. He ate
slowly and clumsily, studying, between
bites, one after another of his messmates.
with great brown eyes of which the iris,
fringed like a Cingalee's with ve1vety
radiation, had strange luster, as though
touched with belladonna. Yet they were
bold eyes, quick and cynical, which met
David's with sly CLEAN of amusement.
The fellow might have been Matching
joke.
Through the general murmur of talk his
voice came once or twice-soft and mu-
steal, but restrained or retarded, dwelling,
now and then, on words which came with
effort. He was discussing markets with
q Dutch coffee planter
At one point. when their talk grew ami
mated, he plucked from the heart Of his
curry a little white ball of rice, and pois-
ing 1t with finger tips close punched, pop
ped it between his thick lips. Then,
abashed, he caught up his fork with an
air Of guilt
The trivial slip went unmarked except
by David, on whom it had q singular eff
feet. Somewhere he had seen this fellow.
or one like him, eating In the same fash
ion. Where, he could not for his life re-
call. A reversion to savagery. here in
this lighted saloon, the thing stuck In his
mind and troubled him.
Later that evening he had walked his
five miles round the deck. and stood by
the rail, watching the great stars above
an ocean of glossy ebony.
"Sir, will you smoke?" said q low, in
! gratiating voice. The man in Chefoo silk
stood at his elbow. Offering packet of
cigarettes.
Before he could say yes or no David
found cigarette thrust between his lips,
and a match, shielded in the box cover,
flaming beneath his nose. Above the sud
den flare he met the scrutiny Of those
large. brown eyes, so lustrous and yet so
penetrating.
You get these from Manila" he said,
with meaning.
| The stranger, invisible after the single
FASH laughed pleasantly.
"Oh, yes" he answered, like child
eager to talk. "Oh, yes, I get them
| there.'
IT have seen you in Manila" said
| David
Again the man laughed.
"oh, yes" said he. Il have seen you
ALSO in Hongkong?"
This question, equally droil, evoked an
other f1t Of musical and artless merri-
ment-
Eyes, yes, in Hongkong. too!' Another
match fiared; glowed golden through the
| instant the mans heavy lips and strong,
white teeth. Tin Hongkong I saw you
many times. playing at the crickets with
your friends. All. by Jove," he cried,
with comical gusto. what noble game
on the rail, he blew overheard a long
stream from his cigarette and sighed.
THAT is a manly devotion. Your great
English poet says:
"Give me a willow bat, and
With cork and hide and Irvine,
From century to century
VIII gambol round my shrineT
The speaker smacked the rail with his
open palm. "Ah, by. Jove. envy you.
A noble game, the crickets!'
David laughed.
'I prefer foot ball" he replied. ''Be-
sides. I'm an American"
His companion sighed once more, in
genuine disappointment.
II thought" he answered. sadly, "I
thought you are English, when first saw
you in" He broke off, with some con-
fusion. IT mean, you played the crickets
SO lifelike. That is too bad"'
David had listened closely. Now, with
out warning, he struck a match in his
turn and held it up.
Where did you first see me-" he pro-
pounded, severely, studying the face that
| leaped out so prominent in this little
torchlight-a broad, swarthy face, at once
bold and Suave.
1t altered somewhat, gathering sudden
| lines OF craft or perplexity. The match
! went out, leaving David no wiser, except
for premonition that the fellow was
about to lie. In the darkness sounded
| low laugh Of almost infantie pleasure
II cannot think" came the answer "Ah,
how extraordinary! I cannot think where
it was But foot ball is noble game, too.
For me, no. it is too wild; for I am timid
man and very bookish." The cigarette
coarse and cynical lips, which now had
| a pensive droop. do you know''-the
soft voice grew deeply confidental-"do
you know, my one regret is I was not an
| Engiishman. All, by Jovev'
He continued, leaning on the rail, to
smoke and chat and laugh, in the dis
| jointed fashion Of a man easily diverted
who has nothing to conceal. Long after
bedtime, when they parted, David had
learned many gratuitous facts-the mans
name was Rosario. he was a sugar
planter. he was bound for Sourabaya to
see brokers and thence go inland. His
plans had no offense. his remarks child
! like simplicity. with now and then some
unexpected turn of childlike cunning.
| And yet by daylight David was far from
| satisfied. At dinner this man had watch
ed him with a furtive smile, between anx-
iety and bravado; at breakfast he nod
ded and grinned like an old friend. Plain
| ly. Mr.. Rosario had in his own mind set
=, tied some point. had formed a secret con-
| clusion, and was henceforth at ease.
Moreover. thought David. he was not of
the sugar-planting type, was neither timid
nor bookish, and knew perfectly. all the
| time. where they two had met before.
The voyage slipped by without incident.
| One hot, clear morning, from the skyline
on the starboard hand, rose the steep
Collins of Tuban. and afterward, con-
tinuiag them to port, the cracked and fis-
sured plateaus of Madura. Gradually
!, this wall split asunder into the yellow
gulf that swelters between Madura and
| the east of Java. The ship plowed Ia
| boriously through turbid water, past the
| lightship Of the Westgat and on between
the green hills Of the strait. Far out
from Sourabaya roads came racing the
clustered hulls Of the tambangans, which,
| swerying alongside. manned by fierce,
brown boatmer, hooked themselves to the
steamer at full speed, like a swarm of
| pirates.
(To be continued tomorrow)