Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-21
CHAPTER ".
TWO paxa Of Paradise.


At first Elsa did not know whether
she was annoyed or amused. The
mans action was absurd, or would
have been in any other man. His ad-
vice to her to go home was downright
impudence: and yet the sight Of the
parrot cage dangling at his side made
It impossible for her to take lasting
o6ense. Once upon time there had
been little boy who played in her
garden. When he was cross he would
take his playthings and 30 home. The
boy might easily have been this man
Warrington, grown up.
OF course he would come and apollo
gize to her for his rudeness. Perhaps
he had resented her curiosity; perhaps
her questions had been pressed too
hard; and perhaps he had suddenly
doubted her genuine interest. At any
rate IL was q novel experience. And
that bewildering likeness!
She returned to her chair and opened
the book again. And as she read her
wonder grew. The diction was ex.
quistte:. there was style; but now as
she read there was lacking the one
thing that stood for life-blood. It did
not pulsate in the veins Of these
people. Until now she had not recog-
nized this fact, and she was halfway
through the book. What had happened
to her since yesterday? To what cause
might be assigned this opposite angle
of vision, so clearly defined?
The book fell upon her knees and
dreamily she watched the perspective
open and divaricate. The low banks
with their golden haze Of dust the
cloudless sky, the sad and lonely white
pagodas, charmed her; and the Ian
guor of the East crept stealthily into
her northern blood. She was not con-
scious Of the subtle change; she only
knew that the world Of yesterday was
unlike that Of today.
Warrington, after depositing Rajah
In the stateroom. sought the bench on
the stern deck. He filed his Guilty
with purser-loaned tobacco and roundly
damned himself as a blockhead. He
had forgotten all the niceties Of civil
lization; he no longer knew how to be-
have. Tho first young woman In all
these years who had treated him AZ an
equal. and no had straightway proceed
ed to lecture her upon the evils OF
travelling alone in the Orient!
And yet he had told her the truth.
It was not right that young and at.
trsctive woman should wander about
inAthe, 1caoE, unattended save by .
middle-ased companion. It would pro.
woke the devil In men who were not
wholly bad. Women had the fallible
idea that they could read human ma
fure. and never found out their mis-
take until after they were married.
He knew her kind. II she wanted to
walk through the bazaars In the eve
ming she would do 80. II man fol-
lowed her she would ignore the fact.
II he caught up with her and spoke she
would continue on as II she had not
heard. II man touched her she would
rely upon the fire of her eyes. She
would never call out for help. Some
women were Just that silly.
He bit. hard upon the stem Of his
nine. What was all this to him? Why
should he bother his head about a
woman he had known but few hours
All. why lie to himself? He knew what
Elsa. usually quick and receptive, did
not know, that he was not afraid Of
her, but terribly afraid Of himself. For
things ripen quickly in the East. men
and women, souls and deeds. And~he
was something like the pariah dog;
spoken kindly to. It attached itself i'm.
mediately and enduringly.
He struck the Guilty against his boot
heel. Why not? It would be only for
two days. At Rangoon their paths
would separate; he would never see
her again. He got up. He would 60
to her 1t once and apologize. And
thus he surrendered to the very devil
he had but . moment gone 30 vigor'
ously tliscountenanced.
He found her asleep in her chair
The devil which had brought him to
her side was thrust back. Why, she
was nothing moro than q beautiful
child! A great yearning to brother
her came into his heart. He did not
disturb her, but waited until five, that
grave and sober hour, when kings and
clerks stop work for no logical reason
whatever-tea. She opened her eyes
and saw him watching her. He rose
quickly.
a II was very rude little while ago
VIII you accept my apologies?"
ION condition that you will never
take your playthings and 60 home"
He laughed engagingly. you've bill
1t squarely. II was the act Of . petu
liant child"
. ut did not sound exactly like
man who had stocked six months from
Singapore to the Andaman islands
But there is one thing I must under
stand before this acquaintance contin
ues. You said, Who knows what
manner Of man amT Have you evel
done anything that would conscien
tiously forbid you to speak to . young
unmarried woman?"
Take care Of herself? He rather be
lieyed she could. The bluntness Of hel
question dissipated any doubt that re
manned.
'.No. haven't been that kind Of
man." simply. II could look into m!
mothers eyes without any sense o
shame, II that Is what you mean"
THAT is all care to know. You