The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-02-05
CHAPTER III.
The Weak Link.

The Weak Link.
The day began white and chill. for
February nights and mornings are not
particularly comfortable on the IT.
rawaddy The boat sped down the
river. smoothly and noiselessly. For
all that the sun shone, the shore-lines
were still black There were hun
dred or more natives squatting in
groups on the deck. They were
wrapped in ragged shawls, cotton rugs
of many colors, and wooden blankets,
and their turbans were as bright and
colorful as Holland tulip-bed. Some
Of them were smoking long pipes and
using their fists as mouthpieces; 9th
ers were scrubbiEg their teeth with
short sticks of flbrous wood; and still
others were eating rice and curry out
of little brown copper pots. There were
very few 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. The
past is the past, tomorrow is tomor-
row, but today is today: he lives and
works and travels. prisoner to this
creed.
Elsa never strolled among them. She
was dainty She stood framed in the
doorway, picture rare indeed TO the
dark eyes that sped their frank glances
in her direction.
Upon a bench, backed against tho
partition, almost within touch of her
hand, sat the man Warrington and his
servant arguing over their accounts.
The formers battered helmet was
tilted at comfortable angle and an
ancient Guilty hung pendent from his
teeth, an idle wisp of smoke lowering
over the blackened bowl
Elsa quietly returned to her chair In
the how and tried to become interested
in novel. BY ;pd by the book slinped
from her finge4 to her lap. and her
eyes closed. I8t not fcl long. She
heard the rasp of camp stool being
drawn toward h.
Shouldn't have disturbed you" said
the purser, apologetically, but your
orders were that whenever / had an
interesting story about the life over
here, | was to ten it to you instantly.
And this one is Just rippinl"
Begin" said Elsa. She sat up and
threw back her cloak. for it was now
growing warm. It's about Parrot &
Co, I'm sure"
Its better than any story you'll
read in month OF Sundays. Our man
has just turned the trick, as you Amer
leans say. for twenty thousand
pounds"
why, that is a fortune!"
For some of us, yes. You see,
whatever he was in the past, it was
something worth willie, | fancy. En-
gineering, possibly. Knew his geology
and all that. Been wondering for
months what kept him hanging around
this bally old river. Seems lie found
OIL borrowed the savings OF his serv'
ant and bought up some land on the
line of the new discoveries Then he
waited for the syndicate to buy. They
ignored him. They didn't send any
one even to investigate his claim
Stupid rather. After while, he went
to them, at Prone, at Rangoon. They
thought they knew his kind Ter
thousand rupees was all he asked
They laughed. The next time he
wanted hundred thousand They
laughed again. Then he LEFT for the
teak forests. He had to live. He
came back in four mopths. In the
meantime they had secretly investi
gated. They offered him fifty thou
sand. He laughed. He wanted two
hundred thousand They advised hin
to raise cocoanuts. What do you sup
pose he did them
Got some other persons interested.
"Right.o! Some Americans IL
Rangoon said they'd take it over fol
two hundred thousand. Something
about the deal got into the newspapers
The American oil men sent over
representative. That settled the syn
dictate. What they could have origi
nally purchased for ten thousand the,
paid three hundred thousand"
"Splendid!" cried Elsa, clapping he
hands. She could see it all, the quie
, determination of the man, the penur!
. OF the lean years, his belief in himsel
and i'm what he had found. and the dis
! interested loyalty of the servant
Sometimes l wish were man AM
could do things like that"
"Recollect that landing last night?
Elsa's gesture signified that she wa
glad to DC miles to the south OF 1t.
CTo BE coNTINUED.)