Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-25

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because Of this she had shown him
that she had taken it for granted that
whatever he had done in the past had
not put him beyond the pale Of her
friendship. There had been no de.
grading entanglements, and women
forgive OF condone all other trans.
gresslons.
And what had she Just said or done
to put that look OF dumb agony in his
face? She swung impatiently from
the rail and began to promenade the
deck, still cluttered with luggage over
which the Lascar stewards were MOL.
ing. Many a glance followed the sup.
pie pleasing figure Of the girlr as she
passed round and round the deck.
Other promenaders stepped aside or
permitted her to pass between. The
resolute uplift of the chin. and the
staring dark eyes which saw but inner
/ visions, impressed them with the fact
that it would be wiser to step aside
voluntarily. There were some, how.
ever, who considered that they had as
much right to the deck as she. Before
them she would stop shortly, and as a
current breaks and passes each side OF
an immovable object, they, too, gave
way.
The colonel fused and fumed, and
his three spinster charges drew their
pale lips into thinner paler lips.
"These Americans are impossible!"
"And it is scandalous the way the
young women travel alone. One can
never tell what they are
"Humph! Brag and assertiveness.
And there's that rufilan who came
down the river. What's he doing on
the same boat? What?"
Elsa became aware Of their presence
at the fifth turn. She nodded absently.
Being Immersed In the sea Of conjec
ture regarding Warrington's behavior,
the coioneis glare did not rouse in her
the sense of impending disaster.
The first gong for dinner doomed
The echoing wall spoke in. the voice
of the East, of it's dalliance, it's con-
tent to drift in sargasso sea of en-.
tangling habits and desires, of its IA
talism and inertia. 1t did not hearten
one or excite hunger. Elsa would
rather have lain down in her Canton
lounging-chair. The dining-saloon held
two long tables, only one Of which was
in commission. the starboard. The
saloon was unattractive. A punka
stretched from one end of the table to
the other, and swung indolently to and
fro, whining mysteriously, sometimes
subsiding altogether and then Tapping
historically and setting the women's
hair awry.
Elsa and Martha were seated some
where between the head and the foot
of the table. The personally-conduct
ed surrounded them, and gabbed in
cessantly during the meal of what they
had seen, of what they were going to
see. and of what they had missed by
not going with the other agency's
party. Elsa's sympathy went out to
the tired and faded conductor
There was but one vacant chair;
and as she saw Warrington nowhere,
Elsa assumed that this must be his
reservation. She was rather glad that
7 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. IL 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 mistake, and was not like