The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-04-02
u-continued.

Warrington come aboard the boat at the
landing.
CHAPTER Il-Continued.
He eyed her. mildly surprised "Oh,
he puzzles us all a bit, you know. Well
educated: somewhere back q gentle
man; from the States. OF course |
don't know: something shady, proba.
bly,. They don't tramp about like this
otherwise. For all that. he's rather a
decent sort; no bounder like this roll
ter we left at Mandalay. He never
talks about himself. / fancy he's lo..e-
some again."
"~Lonesome?"
Its the way, you know. These
poor beggars drop aboard for the
night, merely to see a white woman
again, to hear decent English, to dress
and dine like a human being. They
disappear the next day, and often we
see them again."
What do they do" The question
came to her lips mechanically.
"Paddy-fields. White men are needed
to oversee them. And then, there's
the railway, and there's the new oil
country north of Prone. You'll see
the wells tomorrow. Rather fancy this
Warrington chap has been working
along the new pipe line. They're run
ming them down to Rangoon. II he's
with us tomorrow, I'll have him put
the parrot through its turns. An
amusing little beggar."
why not introduce him to me-"
Beg ~pardon?"
IN take II the responsibility. It's
q whim."
Well. you American girls are the
eighth wonder of the world" The
purser was distinctly annoyed. And
It may be an impertinence OF my part.
but l nev yet saw al American
woman who would accept advice or
act upon It."
Thanks. What would you advise? ?"
with dangerous sweetness.
Not to meet this man. It's irregu-
lar. / know nothing about him. II
you had a father or a brother on
board.
"Or even Q husband" laughing.
There yoc are!" resignedly. you
laugh. You women go everywhere,
and half the time unprotected"
Never quite unprotected. We never
venture beyond the call of gentle
men,"
THAT Is true" Frightening. You in
sist on meeting this chap?"
I do not insist: only. I am bored,
and he might interest me for al hour"
She added: Besides, he may annoy
the Others"
The purser grinned reluctantly.
"You and the colonel don't get on.
Well. I'll introduce this chap at din.
ner. II ! DOM.
Il am fully capable of speaking to
him without any introduction what
ever" She laughed again. 1T will be
very kind Of YOU"
When he had gone she unused over
this impulse 80 alien to her character.
An absolute stranger, q man with a
past, perhaps a fugitive from Justice:
and because he looked like Arthur
Ellison. she wac seeking his acquaint-
ance. Something. then, could break
through her reese: We and alO0fness?
She had Travelled from San Francisco
to Colombo, unattended save by an
elderly nader who had risen by grad
ual stages f1Om nurse to companion.
but who coulG not be made to remem.
Der that she was nc longer a nurse. In
al these four months Elsa had not
made half q dozen acQuaintances, and
Of these she had not sought ore. Yet,
she was asking to meet a stranger
wht se only recommendation was a sim
sular likeness to another man. The
purser was right. It was very irregu-
lar.
Parrot e Col" she murmured. She
searched among the phantoms moving
to and fro lpon the ledge: but the
man with the cage was gone. It was
really uncanny.
Elsa Chetwood was twenty-five,
lithely built, outwardly reposeful. but
dynamic within. Education, environ
ment and breeding had somewhat
smothered the glowing fires. She was
= type Of the ancient repression OF
woman. which finds Its exceptions In
the Aspasias and Helens and Cleo
pefras Of legend and history. In fea-
fnree she looked exrctly what she was.
Wo1tbied and well-born. Beauty she
a1po hid. but It Vas the cold beauty OF
notthorn winter nights. It compelled
a1mlrnttOn rather than invited ii.
x1tnelly. Elisa 81 asleep. The fire
ae. the gift Of loving greatly.
(nsideped. without radiating
knowledge Of fts presence
but ID awe. % one
f1ssJ6a1bles o. Phidias. She
~, md vt me had
her stirless years re-
sfrnino4 me- Independence was In
I 1n nct acQuired. She had laid
1ovn Rvs tor herself to fol-
1 ftNeoe often FLASHED with
N ffo0. which aro fetr