The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-03-01
CONTINUED

helmet and proceeded to the Bank Of
Burma Today was Wednesday;
Thursday week he would sail for Sim
gapore and close the chapter. Before
banking hours were over his financial
affairs were put in order, and he
walked forth with two letters of credit
and enough banknotes and gold to
carry him around the world If he so
planned. Next he visited pawnshop
and laid down dozen mutilated
tickets, receiving in return a hand
some watch. emerald cuff buttons,
some stickpins. some pearls and a
beautiful old ruby ring. a gift of the
young maharajah OF Udainur The an.
cient Chinaman smiled. This was a
rare occasion. Men generally went
out of his dark and dingy shop and
nevermore returned.
Much money. Can do now?" affably.
"Can do," replied Warrington. slip.
ping the treasures into pocket What
a struggle II had been to hold them!
Somehow or other he had always been
able to meet the interest, though. often
to accomplish this feat he had been
forced to 60 without tobacco for weeks.
d There is vein of superstition in all
of us, deny ii how we will. Warning
ton was as certain of the fact as he
was of the rising and the setting of
the sun, that If he lost these heir
looms he never could go back to the
plA &c nj 10 IT, ;at,
he had moved and lived and known
happiness Never again would he part
with them. A hundred thousand dol.
lars. almost; with his simple wants,
he was now a rich man.
BUY ling?" asked the Chinaman
He rolled mandarin's ring carelessly
across the showcase Gold; all
heavy; velly old, velly good ling"
What does 1t say?" asked Warning
ton, pointing to the characters.
Good luck and plospelity; velly good
signs
1t was an unusually beautiful ring
unusual in that it had no setting Of
jade Warrington offered three SOW
ereigns for it. The Chinaman smiled
and put the ring away. Warrington
laughed and laid down five pieces of
gold The Chinaman swept them up
in his lean. dry hands. And Warning
ton departed, wondering if she would
accept such a token.
BY four o'clock he arrived at the
Chinese tailors in the Suley Pagoda
road. He ordered a suit of pongee, to
be done at noon the following day. He
added to this orders for four other
suits, to be finished within a week
Then he went to the shoemaker, to the
halter, to the haberdasher. All this
business because, he wanted her to
realize what he had been and yet could
be. Thus vanity sometimes works out
a mans salvation. And it marked the
end of Warrington's recidivation
When he reached his lodging house
he sought the Burmese landlady. She
greeted him with a smile and a stiff
little shake of the hand. He owed
her money. but that was nothing. Had
he not sent her drunken European
sailorman husband about his bust
ness? Had he not freed her from a
tyranny of fists and curses?' 1t had
not affected her in the least to learn
that her sailorman had been negli-
gently married all the way from Yoko-
hama to Colombo. She was free Of
him.
Warrington spread out five-pound
| rofn lot IA
There we are" he said genially; "all
paid up to date"
'You go 'way?" the smile leaving
her pretty moon-face. You like?"
with gesture which indicated the
parlor and it's contents. BE boss? ?
Half an half?"
He shook his head soberly. She
picked up the money and jingled it
in her hand
Goo '-by!" softly.
"Oh, I'm not going until next Thurs.
day."
The smile returned to her face, and
her body bent in a kind of kotow. He
was SO big, and his beard glistened
like the gold leaf on the Shwe Dagon
pagoda. She understood. The white
to the white and the brown to the
brown; it was the law.
Warrington went up to his room. He
was welcomed by screech from the
parrot and dignified salaam from
James, who was trimming the wick of
the oil lamp. For the last year and
a half this room had served as head
quarters. Many financial puzzle had
been pieced together within these dull,
drab walls; many dream had gone
up to the ceiling, only to sink and dis
sipate like smoke There were no pic.
lures on the walls, no photographs.
In one corner. on the floor, was stack
of dilapidated books. These were
mostly old novels and tones dealing
with geological and mathematical mat.
ters; laughter and tears and adven.
ture, sandwiched in between the dry
positiveness of straight lines and
squares and circles and numerals with.
out end; D'Artagnan hobnobbing with
Euclid! Warrington was an educated
man, but he was in no sense scholar
James applied match to the wick,
and the general poverty of the room
was instantly made manifest.
We'll, old sober-top, suppose we
square up and part like good friends p
Il am always the sahib's good
friend"