The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-07-24
only 81 constant aRplisatien q ma65

Only ~ constant application 20! mabS
and guide books had she managed to
arrange itheishort cut TO the far king.
dom. She had been warned that IL
was a wild and turbulent place, out of
the beaten path, beyond the reach Of
iron rails. Three long! sea voyages:
across the Pacific (which wasn't !,
down the bitter y elbow, sea, up the
blue Bay of Bengal, with many a sea
change and many strange picture.
What though her heart ached, It was
Impossible that her young eyes should
not absorb all she saw and marvel
over it. India! -S;4y ~
The strange. elusive Hindu had dis.
appeared after Hongkong. That was
a weight OF her soul. : She was now
assured that her Imagination had be.
guiled her. How should he know any.
thing about her?tt What was more
natural than that he should wish to
hurry back to his native state? She
was not the only one in a hurry. And
there were Hindus Of al. castles on all
three ships. BY now she had almost
forgotten him. s.
There was one brlghtirecollection to
break the uneiding loneliness. Com.
Ing down from Hongkong to Singapore
she had met at the captains table a
young man by the. name of Bruce. He
was quiet, rather untalkatiye man,
lean aud sinewy, sun and wind bitten.
kathlyn had as yet had no sentimental
affairs. Absorbed in her work, her
father and the care Of Winnie. such
young men as she had met had scarce
ly interested her. She had only toll.
Grant contempt for idlers. and these
young men had belonged to that cate
CORY. Bruce caught her interest in
the very fact that he. had but little to
say and said that crisply sand well.
There was something authoritative in
the shape OF his, mouth and the steadi.
ness of his eye, though before her he
never exercised this power. A dozen
times she had been on the point OF
taking him into her confidence. but the
irony OF fate had always firmly closed
her lips.
And now. waiting for the ship to
warp into its pier, she realized what a
fatal mistake her reticence had been.
a friend of her fathert
Bruce had left the Lloyder before
dinner lat singaporel, and as Kath-
Iyn's British-India coaster did not
leave till morning she had elected to
remain over night on the German boat.
As Bruce disappeared among the dis.
! embarking passengers and climbed
into a rickshaw she turned to the
captain, who stood beside her. j.
DO you know Mr.. Bruce?"
very well" said 1.-THE i German.
Didn't he tell you who he is? No?
Ach!. Why. Mr.. Bruce is a great hunt.
er. He has shot everything, written
books, climbed the Himalayas. Only
last year he brought me the sack Of q
musk deer, and that is the most dan.
gerous of all sports. He collects ami,
mails"
Then, Kathlyn knew. The name had
been vaguely familiar, but the young
mans reticence had given her no OPP
portunity to dig into her recollection.
Bruce! How many times her father
had spoken Of him! What a fool she
had been! Bruce knew the country
she was going to. perhaps as well as
her father; and he could have sim
plifled her journey to the last word.
Well. what was done could not be re-
called and done over.
MY father Is great hunter, too"
she said simply, cycling wistfully the
road taken by Bruce into town.
What? Herr Colt! Are you Colo
mel Harcs daughter?" exclaimed the
captain.
Yes"
He seized her by the shoulders.
why did you not tell me? Why, Colo
mel Hare and have smoked many a
Burma cheroot together on these wa
ters. Herr Colt! And you never said
anything! What a woman for. a man
to marry!" he laughed. you have sat
at my table for five days. and only now
I find that you are Hare's daughter!
And YOU have a sister. Ach, yes! He
was always taking out some photo
graphs In the smokeroom and showing
them to US old chaps"
Tears filed Kathlyn's eyes. In an
Indian prison. out of the Jurisdiction
Of the British Raj, and with her two
small hands and woman's mind she
must find him! Always the mysterious
packet lay close to her heart, never
for a moment was 1t beyond the reach
of her hand. Her fathers freedom!
The rusty metal sides of the ship
scraped against the pier and the gang.
plank was lowered; and presently the
tourists flocked down with variant
emotions, to be besieged by fruit SELL
ers, water carriers. cabmen. blind beg.
gars, and MANNED, naked little chill
dren with curious, insolent black eyes,
women with infants straddling their
hips, stolid Cinnamon: a riot of color
and bewildering babel Of tongues.
Kathlyn found a presentable car
rage, and with her luggage pressing
ahnuf her foot diraofad tho driyar e.