Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-11-28
CHAPTER 10.
The Weak Link.

particularly comfortable on the Ir-
river, smoothly and noiselessly. For
all that the sun shone. the shore-lines
were still black There were a hun
dred or more natives sQuatting In
groups on the deck. They were
wrapped in ragged shawls. cotton rugs
of many colors. and wooden blankets.
and their turbans were as bright and
colorful as a Holland tulip-bed. Some
of them were smoking long pipes and
using their fists as mouthpieces; 9TH
(ers were scrubbing theii teeth with
short sticks of fibrous wood: and still
others were eating rice and curry out
of little brown copper pots. There were
very few Burmese among them.
They were Hindus from central and
southern India. with scattering or
Cingalese Whenever a Hindu gets
together a few rupees, he travels. The
| past is the past. tomorrow Is tomor'
row, but today is today: he lives and
works and travels. prisoner to this
creed.
Elsa never strolled among them. She
was dainty. She stood framed in the
doorway. picture rare indeed to the
dark eyes that sped their frank glances
| in her direction.
Upon a bench, backed against the
| partition, almost within touch OF her
hand, sat the man Warrington and his
servant, arguing over their accounts.
The formers battered helmet waa
tilted at a comfortable angle and an
ancient Guilty hung pendent from his
teeth, an idle wisp of smoke lowering
over the blackened bowl
Elsa quietly returned TO her chair IN
the bow and tried to beoome interested
in a novel. BY and by the book slipped
from her fingers to her lap. and her
eyes closed. But not for long. She
heard the rasp of campstool being
drawn toward her.
Shouldn't have disturbed you" said
the purser. alphabetically, but your
orders were that whenever | had an
interesting story about the life over
here, | was to tell it to you instantly
And this one is just rippin'!"
Begin" said Elsa She sat up ana
threw back her cloak, for 1t was now
growing wafm. Its about Parrot q
Its better than any story your
read in month of Sundays. Our man
has just turned the trick, as you Amer
leans say. for twenty thousand
pounds"
why. that is fortune!"
For some of us, Yes. You see.
whatever he was in the past, 1t was
something worth while, | fancy. En-.
cheering. possibly. Knew his geology
and all that. Been wondering for
months what kept him hanging around
this bally old river. Seems he found
oil, borrowed the savings of his serv-
ant and bought up some land on the
line of the new discoveries. Then he
waited for the syndicate to buy. They
ignored him. They didn't send any
one even to investigate his claim
Stupid, rather After while, he went
to them. at Prone, at Rangoon. They
tuOu6ht tACy huOW HID hlHO CA
thousand rupees was all he asked.
They laughed The next time he
wanted hundred thousand. They
laughed again. Then he left for the
teak forests. He had to live. He
came back in four months. In the
they had secretly investl-
gated. They offered him fifty thou.
sand He laughed. He wanted two
hundred thousand. They advised him
to raise cocoanuts. What do you sup.
pose he did them?"
Got some other persons interested"
"Right-o! Some Americans in
Rangoon said they'd take it over for
.wo hundred thousand. Something
about the deal got into the newspapers.
The American oil men sent over a
That settled the syn
licate. What they could have origi-
tally purchased for ten thousand they
laid three hundred thousand"
Splendid" cried Elsa, clapping her
lands. She could see 1t all, the quiet
of the man, the penury
# the lean years. his belief in himself
md in what he had found, and the dis
Interested loyalty Of the servant.
Sometimes l wish ! were man and
ould do things like that"
"Recollect that landing last night?"
Elsa's gesture signified that she was
lad to be miles to the south of 1t.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
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