Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-05-26
CHAPTER Ill.
The Weak Link.

The day began white and chill, for |
February nights and mornings are not
particularly comfortable on the r.
rawaddy. The boat sped down the |
river, smoothly and noiselessly. For
all that the sun shone, the shore-lines
were still black. There were a hun
dred or more natives squatting in
groups on the deck. They were
wrapped in ragged shawls, cotton rugs
of many colors, and wooden blankets,
and their turbans we're as bright and
colorful as a Holland tulip-bed. Some
Of them were smoking long pipes and
using their fists as mouthpieces; 9th
ers were scrubbing their teeth with
short sticks of fbrous wood; and still
others we're eating rice and curry out
of little brown copper pots. There were
very few Burmese among them.
They we're Hindus from central and
southern India, with a scattering Of
Cingalese. Whenever a Hindu gets
together a few rupees, he travels. The
past is the past, tomorrow is tomor-
row, but today is today: he lives and
works and travels, prisoner to this
creed.
Elsa never strolled among them. She
was dainty. She stood framed in the
doorway, picture rare indeed to the
dark eyes that sped their frank glances
in her direction.
Upon a bench, backed against the
partition, almost within touch of her
hand, sat the man Warrington and his
servant, arguing over their accounts.
The formers battered helmet was
tilted at q comfortable angle and an
ancient Guilty hung pendent from his
teeth, an idle wisp of smoke lowering
over the blackened bowl.
Elsa quietly returned to her chair in
| the bow and tried to become interested
in a novel By and by the book slipped
from her fingers to her lap, and her
| eyes closed. But not for long. She
| heard the rasp of a camp-stool being
drawn toward her.
Shouldn't have disturbed you,' said
the purser, apologetically, "but your
orders were that whenever I had an
interesting story about the life over
here, I was to tell it to you instantly.
And this one is just rippin'!"
Begin" said Elsa. She sat up and
threw back her cloak, for it was now
growing warm. Its about Parrot &
! Co., I'm sure.'
IT'S better than any story you'll
! read in a month of Sundays. Our man
has just turned the trick, as you Amer
leans say, for twenty thousand
pounds"
why, that is a fortune!"
For some Of US, yes. You see
whatever he was in the past, it was
something worth while, I fancy. En-
gineering, possibly. Knew his geology
and all that. Been wondering fol
months what kept him hanging around
this bally old river. Seems he found
oil, borrowed the savings of his serv
ant and bought up some land on the
line Of the new discoveries. Then ht
/ waited for the syndicate to buy. The.
ignored him. They didn't send an.
one even to investigate his claim
Stupid, rather. After a while, he wen
to them, at Prone, at Rangoon. The,
thought they knew his kind. Tel
thousand rupees was all he asked
They laughed. The next time h
! wanted hundred thousand. The
S laughed again. Then he left for tn
teak forests. He had to live. Fl
G meantime they had secretly invest
" gated. They offered him fifty tho,
sand. He laughed. He wanted tw
hundred thousand. They advised hi1
to raise cocoanuts. What do you SUI
Ii pose he did them?"
Got some other persons interested
"Right-o! Some Americans
Rangoon said they'd take it over fe
]. two hundred thousand. Somethin
l about the deal got into the newspaper
, The American oil men sent over
+ representative. That settled the sy
n dictate. What they could have orig
IS nally purchased for ten thousand the
I, paid three hundred thousand
. Splendid" cried Elsa, clapping h'
hands. She could see it all, the qui
ir determination of the man, the penul
J. Of the lean years, his belief in himse
g, and in what he had found, and the di
y interested loyalty Of the servar
J. Sometimes I wish I we're man al
could do things like that
- "RecoIlect that landing last night
n Elsa's gesture signif1ed that she W;
ir glad to be miles to the south of it.
o. well, he wasn't above having b
" revenge He made the syndica
come up there. They wired aski1