The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-05-20
fate had ruthlessly scratched from bis

fate had ruthlessly scratched from his
book of days.
Mr.. Hooghly had already started OF
toward the town, the kit bag and the
valise slung across his shoulders, the
parrot cage bobbing at his side. He
knew where to go; an obscure lodging
for men in the heart of the business
section, known in jest by the dere-
licts as the Stranded
Warrington, becoming suddenly
aware that his pose, If prolonged,
would become ridiculous, put on his
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 a dozen mutilated
tickets, receiving in return hand
some watch, emerald cuff buttons,
some stickpins, some pearls and a
beautiful old ruby ring, gift of the
young maharajah of Udaipur. 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
struggle it 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 go without tobacco for weeks.
There is a vein of superstition in all
of us, deny it 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
old, familiar world, the world in which
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 it 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
tor departed, wondering if she would
accept such token.
Fly 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 recidiyation.
When he reached his lodging house
he sought the Burmese landlady. She
greeted him with 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 BUSH
ness? Had he not freed her from a
tyranny of fists and curses? 1t had
not affected her in the least to learn
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