Williams news., 1915-09-23
CHAPTER II-continued.


 Warrington come aboard the boat at the landing.
 CHAPTER II-Continued.
 He eyed her, mildly surprised. AOh, he puzzles Us all a bit, you know. Well educatedi somewhere back gentle man; frvm the States. Of course l don't know; something shady, proba- bly,. They don't tramp about like this otherwise. For all that, he's rather a ter we left at Mandalay. He never talks about himself. I fancy he's lone some again"
 'Lonesome?"
 Its the way, you know. These poor beggars drop aboard for the night, merely to see white woman again. to hear decent English, to dress and dine like a human being. They disappear the next day. and often we never see them again"
 What do they do?" The question came to her lips mechanically.
 "Paddy-f1elds White men are needed Co oversee them And then, there's the railway, and there's the new oil country north of Prone. You'll see the wells tomorrow. Rather fancy this Warrington chap has been working along the new pipe line. They're run ming them down to Rangoon. If he's with us tomorrow, I'll have him put the parrot through it's turns. An amusing little beggar."
 Why not introduce him to mel"
 Beg pardon?"
 'I'll take Il the responsibility. It's . whim."
 Well, you American girls are the eighth wonder of the world" The purser was distinctly annoyed. And 1t may be an impertinence on my part, but I never yet saw an American woman who would accept advice or act upon it."
 Thanks. What would you adviser" with dangerous sweetness.
 Mot to meet this man. It's irregu- lar. know nothing about him. If you had father or a brother on board.
 "Or even . husband!" laughing.
 There yor are," resignedly. You laugh. You women go everywhere, and half the time unprotected"
 Never quite unprotected We never venture beyond the call of gentle men"
 That is true" brightening. You in- sist on meeting this chap?"
 T do not insist; only, I am bored, and he might interest me for ar hour'' She added: Besides, he may annoy the others"
 The purser grinned reluctantly. You and the colonel don't get on. Well. I'll introduce this chap at din- ner. If don't. .5."
 T am fully capable of speaking to him without any introduction what ever." She laughed again. Tt will be very kind of you"
 When he had gone she unused over this impulse so alien to her character. An absolute stranger, a man with a past, perhaps a fugitive from justice; and because he looked like Arthur Ellison, she was seeking his acquaiht- ance. Something, then, could break through her rese- ve and aloofness? She had travelled from San Francisco to Colombo, unattended save by an elderly maiden who had risen by grad ual stages fl om nurse to companion, but who could not be made to remem- Der that she was no longer a nurse. In all these four months Elsa had not made half dozen acquaintances, and of these she had not sought ore Yet, she was asking to meet stranger wh, SC only recommendation was a sin gular likeness to another man. The purser was right. It was very irregu- lar. fG
 Parrot & Col" she murmured. She searched among the phantoms moving to and fro -ipon the ledge; but the man with the cage was gone It was really uncanny.
 Elsa Chetwood was twenty-five, lithely built, outwardly reposeful, but dynamic within. Education, environ ment and breeding had somewhat smothered the glowing fires. She was a type of the ancient repression of woman, which finds its exceptions in the Aspasias and Helens and Cleo patras of legend and history. In fea. lures she looked excctly what she was well-bred and well-born. Beauty she also had, but 1t as the cold beauty oi $ northern winter nights. It compelled admiration rather than invited it Spiritually. Elsa was asleep. The fire was there, the gift of loving greatly only it smoldered, without radiatine even the knowledge of it's presence Men loved her, but in awe. as one loves the marbles of Phidias She knew no restraint, and yet she hat passed through her stirless years re strained Her independence was in herent and not acquired. She had lait down certain l:ws for herself to fol low; and that these often clashed witl