Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1915-05-26
CHAPTER w.
Two Days of Paradise.

have been in any other man. His adj
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
Ofense. Once upon time there had
been little boy who played in her
garden. When he was cross he would
take his playthings and go 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 it was 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-
quis1te; 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
dreanily 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 blockhead. He
had forgotten all the niceties of civil
lization; he no longer knew how to be-
have. The first young woman in all
these years who had treated him as an
equal, and he 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
tractive woman should wander about
in the East, unattended save by a
middle-aged 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
ture, and never found out their mis-
take until after they were married.
He knew her kind. If she wanted to
walk through the baZaars in the eve
ming she would do so. If a man fol-
lowed her she would ignore the fact.
If he caught up with her and spoke she
would continue on as if she had not
heard. If 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
pipe. What was all this to him? Why
should he bother his mead about a
woman he had known but a few hours ?
All, why lie to himself? He knew what
Elsa, usually quick and receptive, did
not kE0w, 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 enduTingly.
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 go
- to her at once and apologize. And
thus he surrendered to the very devil
he had but moment gone so vigor
, ously discOuntenanced
= He found her asleep in her chair
The devil which had brought him tC
. her side was thrust back. Why, she
;, was nothing more than a beautiful
|, child! A great yearning to brother
her came into his heart. He did moi
n disturb her, but waited until five, thai
v grave and sober hour, when kings ani
o clerks stop work for no logical reason
\ whatever-tea. She opened her eyes
- and saw him watching her. He rose
- quickly.
81 was very rude little while ago
= Will you accept my apologies?"
~ con condition that you will neve
- take your playthings and go home"
- He laughed engagingly. you've hi
- it squarely. 1t was the act of a petu
liant child"
"It did anot sound exactly like
man who had stocked six months iron
Singapore to the Andaman islands
D. But there is one thing I must under
stand before this acquaintance contir
IN ues. You said, Who knows wha
u manner of man ann Have you eve
10 done anything that would conscie1
+" tiously forbid you to speak to yount
unmarried Woman?"
Id Take care OF herself? He rather b.
L.l-- =