The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-07-01
CHAPTER xII-continued.

CHAP Elk AlI-COnI1nueQs
Elsa Strengthened her lips with some
difficulty. She possessed the enviable
faculty Of instantly forming in her
mind pictures Of coming events. The
little swelling veins in the colonel's
nose were as plain to her minds eye
as If he really stood before her. Have
him take me in to dinner" she sug-
gested.
"Just what was thinking Of" de-
clared the unsuspecting man. eff any
one can draw out the colonel, 1t will be
you"
'T'll do my best" Elsa's mind was
full Of rollicking malice.
Contemplatively he said: $50 you've
been doing the Orient alone? You are
like your father in that way. He was
never afraid of anything. Your men,
tai makeup, too, I'll wager is like his.
Finest man in the world"
Wasn't he? How I wish he could
have always been with me! But why
is it, everyone seems appalled, that /
should travel over here without male
escort?"
"The answer lies in your mirror,
Elsa Your old nurse Martha Is no
real protection"
Are men so bad, them"
"They are less restrained. The heat,
the tremendous distances, the lack Of
amusements, are perhaps responsible.
BY the way, here's a packet of letters
for you"
Thanks" Elsa played with the
packet, somberly eying the superscrip-
lions. The old disorder came back in
to her mind. Three of the letters
were from Arthur. She dreaded to
open them. II must be going, then.
I'm not sure of my tickets to Hong
kong"
go straight to the German Lloyd
Office. I'll have my boy show you the
way. Chong!" he called. A bright
eyed young Chinese came in quickly
"Show lady German Lloyd Office. All
same quick"
In the outer Office she paused for a
moment or SO to look at the maya
Chinese boy, grinning pleasantly,
peered curiously at Elsa's beautiful
hands. She heard someone enter, and
quite naturally glanced up. The new
conner was Mallow. He stared at her,
smiled Familiarity and lifted his helmet.
Elsa, with cold unf1ickering eyes, Of
fered his greeting no recognition what
ever. The man felt that she was look
ing through him, inside Of him, search
ing out all the dark corners Of his
soul. He dropped his gaze, confused.
Then Elsa calmly turned to the boy.
Come, Chong."
There was something IN the manner
of her exit that infinitely puzzled him.
1t was the insolence of the well-bred,
but he did not know It. To Offset his
chagrin and confusion, he put on his
helmet and passed into the private Of
fee. She was out of his range of un-
Outstanding.
Mallow was an American by birth
but had grown up In the Orient, hard
lily. In his youth he had been beaten
and trampled upon, and now that he
had become rich in copra (the dried
kernels of cocoanuts from which oil
is made), he in his turn beat and
trampled. 1t was the only law he
knew. Ordinarily, when In Penang and
Singapore, he behaved himself, drank
circumspectly and Stunned promiscu-
GUS companions. But when he did
drink heartily, he was man to be-
ware Of.
He hailed the consul general cordial
ly and offered him one Of his really
choice cigars, which was accepted.
81 say, who was that young woman
who Just went out?"
The consul general laid down the
cigar. The question itself was harm
less enough; it was Mallow's way OF
clothing it he resented. "Why?" he
asked
She's a sumner. Just curious IL
you knew her, that's ALL We came
down on the same boat. Hanged II
shouldn't like to meet her. Do you
know herr" eagerly.
ST do. More than that, have al
ways known her. She Is the daughter
OF the late General Chetwood, one of
the greatest civil engineers Of our
time. When he died he left her sew
eral millions. She Is q remarkable
young woman. a famous beauty, known
6ayorably In European courts, and |