The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1915-07-31


Orient?" Elsa asked
Ten years" he answered gravely
THAT is a long time"
Sometimes it was like eternity"
Il have heard from the purser of
your good luck"
OH" He stopped again and locked
the door Of Rajah's cage Il dare say
a good many people WILL hear OF it."
1T was splendid love to read
stories like that. but I'd rather hear
them told f1rst-hand."
Elsa was not romantic in the sense
that she saw heroes where there were
only ordinary men; it was the OBJ.
scure and unknown hero who appealed
| to her: such q one as this man might
be.
"Oh. there was nothing splendid
about the thing l simply hung on
Then thought struck him. You are
travelling alone?"
With a companion" A peculiar
question, she thought.
1T Is not wise," be commented.
MY father was a soldier" she re-
piled
1T isn't question Of bravery" he
explained, bit Of color charging un-
der his skin. This world is not like
your world. Women over here.
Oh. I've lost the art of saying things
clearly He pulled at his beard en-
barrassedly
Are you warning me against your
self"
why not? Twenty thousand pounds
do not change a man; they merely
change the public's opinion OF him.
For all you know. l may be the great.
est rascal unhanged."
But you are not"
He recognized that 1t was not
query; and pleasurable thrill ran
over him. Had there been the least
touch Of condescension in Der manner
he would have gone deep into his
she'll
No; there are worse men IN this
world than |. But we are getting away
from the point, Of women travelling
alone in the East Oh. ! know you
can protect yourself to q certain ex.
tent. But everywhere. on boats. in
the hotels, on the streets, are men
who have discarded all the laws Of
convention, of the social contract. And
they have the keen eye of the kite and
the vulture."
To Elsa this interest in her welfare
was very diverting. In other words.
they can quickly discover the young
woman who goes about unprotected?
Don't you think that the trend Of the
conversation has taken rather re-
markable turn. not as impersonal as 1t
should BET"
u beg your pardon! Shall go?"
mo. want you to tell me some
stories" She laughed. Don't worry
about me, Mr.. Warrington ! have
gone my way alone since | was six
teen. l have Travelled all over this
wicked world with nobody but the
woman who was once my nurse. Now.
tell me something of your adventures
Ten years in this land must mean
something. ! am always hunting for
Harun-alRaschid, or Sindbad. or some
one who has done something out of
the ordinary"
He inclined against the rail and
stared down at the muddy water "Ad-
venture?" He frowned a little I'm
afraid mine wouldn't read like adven-
lures. There's no glory in being a
steveGore on the docks at Hongkong. a
stoker on tramp steamer between
Singapore and the Andaman islands |
What haven't been in these ten
years?" with shrug. Can you fancy
me deck-steward on a P. G. o. boat. |
tucking old ladies in their chairs, stag
gering about with tray of broth
bowls. helping the unsteady to their
and touching my Gap at |
the end of the voyage for a few shill- |
ings in tips?"
Tell me more"
He looked into her beautiful face,
animated by genuine interest. and |
wondered II all men were willing to |
obey her
1T always interests me to hear from |
the mans own lips how he overcame
obstacles"
Sometimes | didn't overcome them.
| ran away After all. the strike in
oil was duke."
81 don't think so But go on" she
prompted
We'll, have been manager of a
cocoanut plantation in Penang: I've
helped lay tracks in Upper India: had
a hand in some bridges; sold patent
worked in ruby mine:
been a haberdasher in the Whiteaway,
Laidlaw shop in Bombay; cut wood in
the teak forests; helped exterminate
the plague at Chitor and Udaipur; and