The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1915-03-05


Martha's eyes had . hopeless look
In them as she asked: ELSA. what Is
the matter?"
Il don't know, Martha. / believe
should like to lose my temper utterly
I'm irritable because do not know my
own mind. hate the stuffy stateroom.
the food, the captain. Nothing seems
to disturb his conceit. Tonight we
sleep on deck, the starboard side. At
five o'clock we have to get up and go
inside again so they can holy-stone
the deck. And am always soundest
asleep at that time. Doubtless. shall
be irritable all day tomorrow"
"Sleep up here on deck? But the
menu" Mortified.
"They sleep on the port side" Elsa
laughed maliciously. Don't worry.
Nobody minds"
Il hate the East" declared Martha
vindictively. Everything is so slack.
1t just brings out the shiftlessness in
everybody"
Perhaps that is what ails me; am
growing shiftless. When | came on
board | decided to marry Arthur, and
have done with the pother. Now / am
at the same place as when left home.
/ don't want to marry anybody. Have
you noticed that fellow Craig?"
What will you do if he speaks?"
IL have half dozen good hatpins
left" dryly.
II hate to hear you talk like that"
'It's the East. There goes
that hateful gong again. Soup, chick.
en-, curry. rice and piccalilli. l am go
ing to live on plantains and mango
steens. I'm glad we had sense enough
to order that distilled water. Come;
we'll go down as we are to dinner, and
watch the ridiculous captain and his
fan-bearer. The punka will at least
give us a breath of fresh air. There
doesn't seem to be any on deck. One
regrets Darjeeling."
Martha followed her young mistress
into the dining-saloon; she was anx-
ious and upset Where would this
mood end? With glance of relief she
found Warrington's chair still vacant
The saloon had an air of freshness
tonight All the men were in drill or
pongee, and so receptive is the imagi-
nation that the picture robbed the
room Of half it's heat. To and fro
the punka tapped; the pulleys creaked
and the ropes scraped above the
sound of knives and forks and spoons.
Elsa ate little besides fruit She
spoke scarcely word to Martha, and
none to those around her. Thus, she
missed the frown of the colonel and
| the lifted brows of the spinsters, and
| the curious glances of the tourists.
| The passenger list had not yet come
from the ships press, so Elsa's name
| was practically unknown. But in some
unaccountable manner it had become
known that she had been making in
quiries in regard to the gentleman IN
cabin IS, who had thus far remained
away from the table. Ship life is a
| dull life, and gossip Is about the only
| thing that makes 1t possible to live
through the day. 1t was quite easy
to couple this unknown aloof young
woman and the invisible man, and
then to wait for results. 1t would
have amused Elsa had she known the
interest she had already created IL
not inspired. Her beauty and her ap
parent Indifference to her surround
ings were particularly adapted to the
romantic mood of her fellow-travel
ers. Her own mind was SO broad and
generous, so high and detached, that
so sordid thing as IAN affair" never
entered her thoughts.
AS she refused course after course
a single phrase drummed necessarily
through her tired brain. She was not
going to marry Arthur; never, never
in this world. She did not love him
and this was to be final She would
cable him from Singapore.
That night Craig found it insupport
able in the cabin below; so he ordered
his steward to bring up his bedding
He had lain down for half an hour
grown restless, and had begun to
walk the deck in his bath slippers. He
had noted the still white figure for
ward, where the cross-rail marks the
waist. AS he approached. Craig dis
covered his man. He hesitated only
moment; then he touched Warning
tons arm
CTO BE CONTINUED)