The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-10-01
CHAPTER VII.
Ranjab the Hindu


liyion, on a certain night discussed, as
usual, the affairs of the household III
the privacy Of their room on the tniru
floor remote, not, however, without
first convincing themselves that the
shadowy Ranjab was nowhere Wlthih
range of their croaking undertones'
From the prescribed regions down
stairs came the faint sounds OF piano
and the intermittent chatter OF many
voices. Someone was playing La
Paloma"
These new days were not like the
old ones. Once they had enjoyed,
even commanded, the full freedom OF
the house. It had been their priv
lege their prerogative, to enter into
every social undertaking that was
planned; in fact, they had come to
regard themselves as hosts, or, at the
very least, guests Of honor on such
occasions. They had joyous way OF
lifting the responsibility of conversa'
ton from everyone else; and, be 1t
said to their credit, there was no sub
ject on which they couldn't talk with
decision and fuency, whether they
knew anything about it or not.
And nowadays 1t was different. They
were not permitted to appear when
guests were in the house. The sump-
tuous dinners-of which they heard
something from the serVants-were no
longer graced by their presence. They
were amazed and not little irritated
to observe, by listening at the head OF
the stairs, that the unfortunate
guests, whoever they were, always
seemed to be enjoying themselves
They couldn't, for the life of them, un-
derstand how such condition was
possible.
Brood had been working rather
steadily at his journal during the past
two or three weeks. He had reached
a point in the history where his own
memory was somewhat vague, and
had been obliged to call upon his old
comrades to supply the facts. For
several nights they had sat with him,
going over the scenes connected with
their earliest acquaintance - those
black days in Calcutta. Lydia had
brought over her fathers notes and
certain transcripts Of letters he had
written to her mother before their
marriage. The four Of them we're put
ting those notes and narratives into
chronological order. Brood, after
three months Of married life and fri
volity, suddenly had decided to devote
himself almost entirely to the compile
ton of the journal.
He denied himself the theater, the
opera and kindred features OF the
passing show, and as he preferred to
entertain rather than to be enter.
tanned, seldom found 1t necessary to
go into the homes Of other people
Yvonne made no protest. She merely
[ pressed Frederic into service as an
D. escort when she desired to go about
and thought nothing of it. Whether
: this arrangement pleased James Brood
! time will show. He, too, appeared tc
!. think nothing of 1t.
3 The lines had returned to the cor
t ners Of his mouth, however, and the
{ old, hard look to his eyes. And there
we're times when he spoke harshly tt
0 his son, times when he purposel!
humbled him in the presence of other!
without apparent reason.
}. On this particular night, Yvonn'
t had asked a few people in for dinner
They we're people whom Brood like
u especially well, but who did not appea
}. to her at all. AS a matter Of fact, the.
l. bored her. She appeared to be happ,
e in pleasing him, however. When sh
told him that they were coming. h
n favored her with a dry, rather i'm
8 personal smile, and asked, with whin
steal good humor, why she chose t
', punish herself for the sins of hi
!" youth. She laid her cheek against hi
r. and purred! For moment he he'll
I. his breath. Then the fire In his bloc
leaped into fame. He clasped tn
4, slim, adorable body in his strong arm
" and crushed her against his breas
II She kissed him and he was again tn
fierce, eager, unsated lover. 1t wa
ID one of their wonderful imperishabl
" moments, moments that brought OIL
IL livion. Then, as he frequently did {
late he held her off at arms length an
% searched her velvety eyes with a gaz
that seemed to drag the very secret
M out of her soul. She went DEATH
g. white and shivered He took his hant
from her shoulders and smiled. ST
or came back into his arms like dun
II, thing seeking protection, and CONT
ued to tremble as II frightened.
he When company was being ente
d. tanned downstairs Mr.. Dawes and M
ed Riggs, with a fidelity to conventit
that was almost pitiful, inVariab
r. donned their evening clothes. TIL
ce considered themselves remotely CO
nected with the festivities, and, tn
m being the case, the least they could
was to "dress up" Moreover, tn