Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-05-12
CHAPTER III.
The Weak Link.


Irrawaddy. The boat sped down the
river, smoothly and noiselessly. For
all that the sun shone, the shore-lines
were still black. The dust had not
vet risen. Elsa passed through the
dining saloon to the stern deck and
paused at the door. The scene was
always a source Of interest to her.
There were a hundred or more ma
tiyes squatting in groups on the deck.
They were wrapped in ragged shawls'
cotton rugs of many colors, ana
wooden blankets, and their turoans
were as bright and colorful as a Hoi-
land tulip bed. Some of them were
smoking long pipes and using their
fists as mouthpieces; others were
scrubbing their teeth with short STICKS
of fibrous wood; and still others were
eating rice and curry out OF little
copper pots. There were very rev
Burmese among them. They were
Hindus. from central and southern
India. with a scattering Of Cingalese.
Whenever a Hindu gets together a
few rupees, he travels. He neither
cares exactly where the journey enos'
nor that he may never be able to re-
turn; so long as there Is temple at
his destination, that suffices him. The
past is the past, tomorrow Is tomor-
row, but today is today: he lives ana
works and travels, prisoner to this
creed.
Elsa never strolled among them.
She was dainty. This world and the
people were new and strange to her,
and as yet she could not quite doml-
nate the fear that some OF THESE
brown-skinned beings might be COM
ing down with the plague. So she
stood framed in the doorway, pic
ture rare indeed to the dark eyes that
sned their frank glances in her di-
rection.
mo, sahib. no; it is three hun
dred."
"James, 1 tell you it's rupees three
hundred and twelve, annas eight.
Upon a bench, backed against the
partition, almost within touch OF her
hand. sat the man Warrington and
his servant, arguing over their ac-
counts. The formers battered helmet
WAS tilted at a comfortable angle and
an ancient cutty hung pendent from
his teeth, an idle wisp OF smoke
lowering over the blackened bowl.
Elsa quietly returned to her chair
in the bow and tried to become in
terested in a novel. By and by the
book slipped from her fingers TO mel
lap. and her eyes closed. But not for
long. She heard the rasp of camp
stool being drawn toward her.
you weren't doing were you!
asked the purser apologetically.
mot in the least. l have only just
got up"
shouldn't have disturbed you; but
YOUR orders were that whenever mac
an interesting story about the life
over here, 1 was to tell it to you in
stantly. And this one is just rip
pin'!"
"Begin," said Elsa. She sat up and
threw back her cloak, for 1t was no"
growing warm. It's about Parrot q
Co., I'm sure
you've hit it off the first thing,
admiringly.
well, go on"
ITS better than any story youl
read in a month of Sundays. oui
man has Just turned the trick, as you
Americans say, for twenty thousand
pounds"
why, that is a fortune"
"For some years. yes. You see
whatever he was in the past, II was
something worth while. I fancy. En-
eineering, possibly Knew his geo.
Ioev and all that. Been wondering
for months what kept him hanging
around this bally old river. Seems n
found oil, borrowed the savings o.
his servant and bought up some lane
on the line of the new discoveries
Then he waited for the syndicate t'
buy They ignored him. They didn'
send any one even to investigate nj!
claim. Stupid. rather. After while
he went to them, at Prone, at Kan
COON. They thought they knew MI
kind. Ten thousand rupees was al
he asked. They laughed again. Thel
he left for the teak forests. He hat
TO live. He came back in fou1
months. In the meantime they hat
secretly investigated. They offeree
him fifty thousand. He laughed. H'
wanted two hundred thousand. The!
advised him to raise cocoanuts. Wha
do you suppose he did them"
Got some other persons interest
ed"
"Right-o! Some Americans IL
Rangoon said they'd take it over TO
two hundred thousand. Somethinl
about the deal got into the newspa
pers. The American oil men sent owe
q representative. That settled tn
syndicate. What they could nav
originally purchased for ten THOUSAND
they paid three hundred thousand
splendid" cried Elsa, clappini
her hands. She could see it all, tn
ouiet determination of the man, tn
penury of the lean years. his belle
in himself and in what he had found
and the disinterested loyalty of tn
servant. Sometimes l wish l were
man and could do things like that
"Recollect that landing last night?
Elsa's gesture signifed that sh
was glad to be miles south Of it,
well. he wasn't above having nj
revenge. He made the syndicat
come up there. They wired askinI
why he couldn't come on to Rangoon
And very frankly he gave his reasons
They came up on one boat and LEI
on another. They weren't very pleas
ant. but they bought his oil lands
He came aboard last night with
check for twenty thousand pound
and two rupees in his pocket tn
two rupees were all he had in thi
world at the time they wrote him tn
hool, Arabian night: what"