The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-02-05
CHAPTER II-contInued.


landing.
CHAPTER II-Contlnued.
r. ,yed her, mildly surprised oh,
~ zles us all bit, you know. Wen
ndA ed; somewhere back gentle
MAJ, from the States, Oh course
don't Rnow;- sorletning shady, propa'
bly,. Ihey don't tramp about ike TINS
otherwise For all that, he's rather
lecent sort; no bounder like this roll
Ter We left at Mandalay. Re never
alks about himself. i fancy les io.'e-
some again"
"Lonesome?"
~ It's the way, you know. Ihese
poor beggars drop aboard or the
t!lgnr, merely to see a white woman
again, to near decent English, u dress
and dine like a human being. Tney
disappear the next day, and of'en we
never see them again"
What do they do?" The question
came to her lips mechanically.
"Paddy-fields. White men are NEEDED
tc oversee them. And then, tieres
the railway, and there's the nev oil
country north of Prone. 3UET see
the wells tomorrow. Rather fancy this
Warrington chap has beer working
along the new pipe line. they're run
ming them down to Rangoci. II nes
with us tomorrow, I'll hav, him put
the parrot through its 4lrns. An
amusing little beggar."
why not introduce him ID me-"
Beg pardon?"
I'm take IL the responsibility. It's
whim'
Well you American girB aIe the
eighth wonder of the void The
purser was distinctly ANNOYED. And
it rlay be an impertinence OF my part,
but | never yet saw an american
woman who would accept advice or
t upon it."
Thanks. What would ytl advise"
with dangerous sweetness.
II Not to meet this man It's irregu-
lar. 'haa a7G9 4tag a j BRO brSthe T
dIu
Or even y hus band" laughing.
There ycr are!" resignedIy. a.
laugh You women go everywh,
and half the time unprotected"
Never quite Unprotected We ne
venture beyond the call of gen
men,"
That is true" Frightening. "You
sist on meeting his chap?"
i do not insist; only, / am Dor
and he might interest me for ar no,
She added: Resides. he NAV an,
the Others"
Inc purser grinned reluctant
You and the colonel don't get
Well, I'll introduce this chap at d
ner. If don't. :"
Il am fully capable of speaking
MN without aiy Introduction VIII
ever" She laughed again. at will
very kind Of you"
When he had gone she muaed n,
THIS impulse so alien to her charact
All absolute stranger man with
past perhaps fugitive from justic
ana because he looked like A-th
'liison, she was seeking his acouaii
nee Something. then, could bre,
trough her reserve and aloofnes
ne mad Travelled from San Francis,
Colombo, Unattended save nv {
lderiy maiden who had risen by era
Al stages fiom nurse to companio
vt who could not be made to remet
er that she was no longer a nurse
II these four months Elsa had nj
MADE half dozen acquaintance. an
80
Oh these she had not sought ore. VI
she was asking to meet a strange
VINE Sc only recommendation was n ST,
gular likeness to another man. TIL
purser was right. 1t was very irreg,
lar.
Parrot & Col" she murmured. Sh
searched among the phantoms moyin
to and fro lpon the ledge; but Tn
man with the cage was gone. II wn
really uncanny
Elsa Chetwood was twentv.fivo
lithely built. oItwardly reposeful. bu
dynamic within. Education. environ
inent and breeding had somewha
smothered the glowing fires. She wa,
a type of the ancient repression O;
woman, which finds its exceptions IN
the Aspasias and Helens and Cleo
patras of legend and history. In fe,
lures she looked exrctly what she was
.well-bred and well.born. Beauty sbe
also had. but 1 vas the cold beauty OF
orthern wintsr nights. 1t compelled
dmiration rather than invited a.
pirituaily. Elsa was asleep. The fire
as there. the gift of loving greatly.
My 1t smoIdered. without radiatinp
ven the knowledge of its presence
m loved her, but in awe, as one
rs the marbles of PhIdias. She
'ew 10 restraint. and yet she had
Used through her stirless years 70.
rained. Her independence was in.
erent and not acquired. She had laid
own certain icws FOR herself to fol.
Nv; and that these often clashed with
SIC laws of convention, which are fet-
to those who divide society INFO
rec c'as SEES. only mildly amused her.