Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-24
CHAPTER VIII.-Continued.

That the Cydonia in its present state
of commission was anything but a pas
senger steamship, in the accepted under
standing of that expression. was demon
strated to the young woman from the in
slant she stepped out of her stateroom
to follow the maid to the bath. There
was an air of disuse and emptiness in
the alleyways. strong as the ef1uvia OF
desolation in a vacant dwelling. Most
of the doors she passed were hooked back
to the partitions, showing a succession of
staterooms not only unused, but half dis
mantled One and ALL the ports were
screwed down hard and fast their glass
bull's-eyes Opaque with dust and CRIME.
Her bath slippers scraped over dingy
planking destitute of its accustomed
strip Of carpeting. -
Later Nine. Savaran having breakfast
ed simply, ever. at an early hour-Cyn-
thia had her morning meal alone in a
dining saloon that seemed painfully small
in comparison with that of the gigantic
vessel on which she had travelled home
to America 1t was also dingy-not I'M
clean but dim with desuetude. the luster
OF its brightwork dulled, its white paint
furnished. Three tables ran lengthwise
through il. the longest. in the middle be-
ing the only one in use, apparently. 1t
was covered with a long strip OF tapestry
like cloth as worn and stained as the
upholstering of the clumsy pivot seats
immovably fixed at close intervals down
the sides of the table and at its either
end. The other tables were quite bare,
but the main one boosted three nickel
plated casters. with cruets for vinegar,
pepper, oil and sauces.
cynthia sat near one end of this main
| table, where a small white cloth had
been laid for her. She assumed that
everybody else had had breakfast long
since. The main companionway ran up
| 10 her right, forward: to the left. at the
after end of the saloon. were doors TO
starboard and port, giving access to the
galley and the officers quarters. respec-
lively, No one passed through either
while she occupied her place, save only
the steward attending her, a taclturn,
hard faced fellow, whom she thought a
| little strange to his duties.
He served her acceptably. however, and
she found the food ample in quantity and
we'll cooked, II restricted as to variety.
She ate with appetite. watching the
wide bars OF sunlight that played through
the open ports. shifting over the interior
| to the slow. steady roll or the vessel,
| Now and again the line of the horizon
would bisect the openings, showing at
once clear sky and q gentle sea-
| Her thoughts were quite as clear and
| calm-like her dreaming eyes. She was
| thinking Of crittenden and vaguely re-
| preaching herself for having FORGOTTEN
him SO completely in the turmoil and con-
| fusion of yesterday. She wondered II he
had really troubled to lunch again at Su-
zanne's, in the hope of meeting her
| there; perhaps he. too. had been so pre-
| occupied with the hurry OF getting away
| at short notice that the suggested APP
| pointment had slipped his mind.
1 Cynthia decided to hunt him up and
ask him. She owed him gratitude for a
| great kindness. and she liked him for
| himself, besides. 1t would be pleasant to
i talk to him again.
| She made sure he must be aboard. 1t
was for this mysterious voyage. undoubt-
| edly. that the Red Man had enlisted him.
4 His yelled illusions. the half admissions
| their conversations had drawn from him.
| all had pointed 10 some odd. anomalous
| adventure such this promised 10 be-
1 Sratuitously to endow ii with the equivo-
| cal complexion favored by Nine. SavarAn.
stu. she might be mistaken Rhode