Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-06-16

he would be beyond conversational
radius. She liked to talk to the
strange and lonely man, but she pre-
ferred to be alone with him when she
did so.
She began as of old to study care
lessly the faces Of the diners and to
speculate as to their characters and
occupations. Her negligent observa-
ton roved from the pompous captain
down to the dark picturesque face Of
the man Craig. Upon him her glance,
a mixture Of contempt and curiosity,
rested. If he behaved himself and
made no attempt to speak to her, she
was willing to declare a truce. In RAN
COON the man had been drunk, but on
the Irrawaddy boat he had been sober
enough. Craig kept his eyes directed
upon his food and did not offer her
even a furtive glance.
He was not in happy state of
mind. He had taken passage the last
moment to avoid meeting again the
one man he feared. For ten years this
man had been reckoned among the
lost. Many believed him dead. and
Craig had wished it rather than be-
lieved. And then, to meet him face to
face in that sordid boarding house had
shaken the cool nerve Of the gambler.
He was worried and bewildered. He
had practically sent this man to ruin.
What would be the reprisal? He
reached for mangosteen and ate the
white pulpy contents, but without the
customary relish. The phrase kept
running through his head: What
would be the reprisal? For men OF his
ilk never struck without expecting to
be struck back, Something must be
done. Should he seek him and boldly
ask what he Intended to do? Certainly
he could not do much on board here,
except to denounce him to the officers
as a professional gambler. And Paul
would scarcely do that since he, Craig,
had a better shot in his gun. He could
tell who Paul was and what he had
done. Bodily harm was what he really
feared.
He had seen Elsa, but he had worked
out that problem easily. She was sure
to say nothing so long as he let her
be; and with the episode of the hat
pin still fresh in his memory, he as
suredly would keep his distance He
had made a mistake, and was not like
'ly to repeat it.
But Paul! He finished his dessert
and went off to the stuffy little smoke
room, and struggled with a Burma
cheroot. Paul was a smoker, and
sooner or later he would drop In. He
waited In vain for his man that night
And 30 did Elsa She felt indignant
at one moment and hurt at another.
The mans attitude was inexplicable;
there was neither rhyme nor reason IN
it. The very fact that she could not
understand made her wonder march
beside her even In her dreams that
night. She began to feel genuinely
sorry that he had appeared above hen
horizon. Just before she retired she
leaned over the rail-. watching the re.
Election Of the stars twist and shfve,
on the smooth water. Suddenly she
listened. She might have imagined it
for at night the ears deceive. ,"Jah
jah!" Somewhere from below came
the muf1ed plant of Rajah.
Next day, at luncheon, the chair waf
still vacant Elsa became alarmed
Perhaps he was i'll. She made in
quiries, regardless Of the possible mis-
Interpretation her concern might be
given by others. Mr.. Warrington hal
had his meals served in his cabin, bu
the steward declared that the gentle
man was not i'll, only tired and irrita
BILE, and that he amused himself with {
trained parrakeet.
All day long the sea lay waveles'
and unrippled, sea Of brass and lapis
lazuli; brass where the sun struck ant
lais-lazuli in the shadow of the laz!
swells. Schools of fying-fsh broke
fan-wise in flashes of silver, and por
poise sported alongside. And warme
and warmer grew the air.
Starboard was rugged up for cricket
! and the ships officers and some of thu
passengers played the game until thu
first gong. Elsa grumbled to Martha
There was little enough space to wall
in as it was without the men taking
over the whole side of the ship ant
cheating her out of a glorious sunset
Martha grew troubled and perplexed
| If there was one phase of characte
unknown to her in Elsa it was irritabil
| ity; and here she was, finding faul
like any ordinary tourist.
Where is Mr.. Warrington? ?"
II don't know. ! haven't seen hin
since yesterday" Elsa dropped he
| book petulantly. II am weary of thes
| namby-pamby stories"
| Martha's eyes had a hopeless lool
in them as she asked: ELISA, what il
| the matter?
II don't know, Martha. I believe
should like to lose my temper utterly
I'm irritable because do not know m.
own mind. hate the stuffy stateroom
the food, the captain. Nothing seems
| - "a, ~ 1,s- ,srrI,% trxy