The evening world., 1914-04-09
N THE E VENIN NJ ORLD
e 1s; TT s = K SS By Harold MacGrath
An Exiled NeW Workers. Strange Adventures
81 On the Other Side of the Earth Ts


Elsa leaned upon her elbows. and
she smiled a little A. she noted that
the purple had gone from his nose
and that II had resumed it, accus-
toned rubicundity.
II go on. A woman who travels
alone. who does not present letters of
introduction. who" -
who attends strictly to her own
affairs. Go on"
who 10 young and beautiful"
"A sopi Thanks!"
Imperturbably he continued; who
seeks tho acquaintance Of men who
do not belong. as you Americans say"
mot men: one man." she corrected.
"A trifiing difference. Well. u
arouses q disagreeable word, suspic-
Ton. For look. there have been ex-
ampies. It isn't as II yours were an
Isolated case. There have been ex-
amples. and these No apply to SUCH
affairs as come under our notice..
And Il doesn't matter that you may
be totally wrong7"
His PROMPT answer astonished
her. mo, II does not matter In the
least. Simmered down. II may be eN.
planned In . word. appearances. And
/ must say, to tho normal mind
"Tho mediocre mind"
",ro the normal and mediocre mind,
appearances were against you. ODD
serve. please, that I did not know
was wrong. that you were remarks
able young woman. My deductions
were made from what ! saw as an
outsider. On the Irrawaddy you made
the acquaintance Of q man who came
out here . fugitive from justice. Az
ter you made hts acquaintance. YOU
tn ranolIAd
any advances. This alone decided
mo-"
Then you are decidedf" To say
that this blunt exposition was not
bitter to her taste. that II did not
act like acid upon her pride. would
not b true. She was hurt. but she
did not lot tho hurt befog her sense
OF Justice. From his point OF view
the colonel was In no fault. Let me
tell you how very wrong you were
indeed"
"Doubtiess," he hastily interposed.
'you enveloped the man In cloud OF
romance"
ION the contrary. I spoke to him
and sought his companionship be-
cause he was nothing more nor less
than q ghost"
"Ah! Is 1t possible that you knew
him In former timesY'
mo. But he was so like the man
at home; 60 Identical in features and
build to the man I expected to 60
homo to marry
MY dear young lady. you are right
Mediocrity II without imagination,
stupid. and makes tho world a dull
place indeed. Like the man you ex-
pect to marry! What woman In your
place would have acted otherwisef
And have made my statements a.
bald and brutal as An examining
magistrate! Instead OF one apology
I offer q thousand
Il accept each and all OF them.
More. believe that you and / could
get on capitally. can very we'll
imagine the soldier you used TO DO.
l am going to ask you what you
know about Mr.. Warrington"
This. that he II not q ut companion
for q young woman like yourself:
that q detractablo rumor follows hard
upon his heels wherever he goes.
learned something about him In Ran
COON. He Is known to the RIM ran
AS PARROT h Co.. and l don't know
what else. All OF US on shipboard
learned his previous history"
"Ah!" She was quite certain OF tho
historian.
And not from respectable quarters.
either"
III / had been elderly and without
physical attractions2" Elsa Inquired
sarcastically.
We are dealing with human ma
ture. mediocrity. and not with specu-
lation. 1t In In tho very nature of
things to distrust that which we do
not understand. You say. old and
without physical attractions. Beauty
Is Of all things most drawing. We
crowd about II. We crown II. we hatter
1t. The old and unattractive We pass
by. II ] had not seen you hero to-
night: heard you talk. saw In kind
OF rebelltous enchantment over your
knowledge Of the world and your dis
tinguished acquaintance. l should
have gone to my grave believing that
my s6spicions were correct. I dare
say that I shall mako the same mis-
take again."
But do not Judge 80 hastily"
That promise"
did you learn among other things
what Mr.. Warrington had done?"
Yes. A sordid affair. Ordinar,
peculations that were wasted over
gaming tables"
Warrington had told her the truth.
At least the story told by others
coincided with his own. But what
was 1t that kept doubt in her mind
Why should she not he ready "a
believe what others believed. what
the man himself had confessed 7
What was II to her that he looked
like Arthur. that he was guilty or
innocent?
And his nameT She wondered
II the Colonel knew that also.
Warrington Is assumed. His real
name Is Paul Ellison"
Paul Ellison" She repeated II
slowly. Her voice did not seem her
own. The table. tho lights. the faces
all receded and became a blur.
CHAPTER XIV.
MA