Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1915-03-31
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was there, the gift OF loving greatly
only it smoldered, without radiating
even the knowledge of its presence
Men loved her, but in awe, as one
loves the marbles Of Phidias She
knew no restraint, and yet she had
passed through her stirless years re-
strained. Her independence was in
herent and not acquired. She had laid
down certain Laws for herself to fol
low; and that these often clashed with
the laws of convention, which are fet.
ish to those who divide society in.o
three classes. only mildly amused her
Right from wrong she knew, and that
sufficed her.
Her immediate relatives were dead;
those who were distantly related re-
NAMED So a" they had no part in her
life nor she in theirs. From her father
she had inherited a remarkable and
seldom Grant judgment. To her, faces
were generally book covers, they re-
PEELED or attracted; and she found
large and undiminishing interest in
the faculty, of pressing back the GOV.
ers and reading the text. Often bat
tered covers held treasures, and often
the editions de luxe were swindles.
But in between the battered covers
and the exquisite Florentine h1nd-tool-
ing there ranged a row Of mediocre
books; and 1t was among these that
Elsa found that her instinct was not
wholly infallible, as will be seen.
Today she was facing the first prob
lem of her young life, epochal. She
was, as it were, to stop and begin life
anew. And she didn't know. she
wasn't sure.
There were few passengers aboard
There were three fussy old English
maidens under the protection of still
fussier old colonel The quartet
greatly amused Elsa. Their mods were
abrupt, and they spoke in the most
formal manner. She was under grave
suspicion: in the first place, she was
travelling alone in the second place,
she was an american. At table there
was generally desultory conversation
and many barb of malice Elsa shot
from her bow Nguratively. the colo
mel walked about like porcupine,
bristling with arrows instead Of quilts.
Elsa could have shouted at times, for
the old war dog was perfectly oblv-
ious. There was, besides, the inevi-
table German tourist, who shelled with
questions every man who wore bras;
buttons, until there was some serious
talk of dropping him astern some day.
He had shelled the colonel, but that
gentleman was snugly incased in the
finest and most impenetrable Besse-
mer, complacency.
Upon these Irrawaddy boats the
purser is usually the master of cere-
monies in the dining saloon. Elsa
usually sat at the purser's right, and
tonight she found the stranger sit
ting quietly at her side. The chair had
been vacant since the departure from
Mandalay. Evidently the purser had
decided to be thorough in regard to
her wishes 1t would look less con-
spicuous to make the Introduction in
this manner. And she wanted to meet
this man who had almost made her
cry out in establishment.
Miss Chetwood, Mr. Warrington"
This was as far as the purser would
The colonel's eyes popped; the
hands of the three maidens futtered.
bowed awkwardly. for he
was decidedly confused.
Hal" boomed-the German. wat
do you tink uff :"
And from soup to coffee Warrington
eluded lodged, stepped under and ran
around the fusillade of questions.
Elsa laughed softly. There were
breathing spells, - be sure. Under
the cover of this verbal lombard
ment she found time to inspect the
stranger. The likeness, so close at
hand, started ringing in her ears
and flutter in her throat. 1t was al
most unbelievable. He was bigger,
broader, his eyes were keener, but
there was only one real difference:
this man was rugged, whereas Arthur
was elegant. 1t was as II nature had
taken two forms from the same mold.
and had finished but one Of them. His
voice was not unpleasant. but there
we're little sharp points of harshness
in it, due quite possibly to the dust.
'T am much interested in that little |
parrot of yours. have heard about |
him."
"Oh! suppose you've heard what
hey call us?" His eyes looked straight |
INTO hers, smilingly.
Parrot & Co.? Yes. Will you show
him off tomorrow"
II shall be very happy to-"
But all the while he was puzzling |
over the purser's unaccountable action |
n deliberately introducing him to this |
,rown-eyed. golden-skinned young |