The Hayti herald. (Hayti, Mo.) 1908-1922, 1920-05-20
CHAPTER iIi-Continued.

When repairs were finished, the un-
painted sloOp noSed out of the bay
snd breasted the tameless blue, The
captain had whipped three Chineys
Into the crew, and the lad loved them.
The matr. also Swedish but inclined
to silence, had frightened two negroes
up from the back rooms of the city, to
add TO the quota. A Hindu, wild-eyed
aud bony, hauled at the sheets, fire.
-.lueutiy pnusng to weep at his own
ignorance. On these later occasions,
che silence Of the mate was broken
Their cook, salty lrishman, whose
life was for some reason forfeit in the
gold districts above the bay, cursed
with frantic might his goodwill to
the newcomer, stephen March, when
the boy confessed in himself line of
Celtic blood. stephen was happy.
His days were filed with strong drink,
labor, and dreams.
The captain had read three books in
English, and he now read them again,
aloud to his midshipman. They were
the '%T,ravels OF Marco Polo" fathom-
lcss treatise on "The Art of Toxins"
and the BhagavadGita. The pages of
these thrce-golden, fragrant, and ter
rible-were written afreSh n the eager
EiSten"r He StrOve to conceal how
they bit his pride. He shaved at the
ropes With the yellow men, anu some
Zines laughed with them; but they
watched him with narrowed eyes and
n lowering of the chin, and even Done
I,,,
ful ways In Stephens presence.
In the evenings there were tales Of
China and her deep, mad deserts.
Vague yet irresistible, these yellow
strands were drawing him to Mid
Asia Loneliness stirred in his breast.
The voyage was an affair of months,
'gale-cut. hut Stephen March had made
his own inner arrival.
Tsc1 he was twenty when he reached
Sfle fa-Shan mountains beyond the
China wall. The caravan had left
him at the village khan, for they were
turning southwark TO cross the Hwang-
no and proceed upon the Ho-tau
plains, over trail that might once
have heard merchants whispering the
VA 1iNlt hhlNI Ntil''i,
having no gold. Then. with the ur-
gent, mysterious summons still haunt
ting HMM. he was forced To turn his
TbarE upon the desert, and return ia
ReL8ng for money.
H'he English girl whom he married
TN the sFIare city of Pcking found In
him Tie quality Of lordShlp. They
nroSpercd together,
When he was twenty seven, he wen
again to the gap in the long Wall, II
the north. He had camcls and pro
visions, and radiant heart. The I'M
KNOWN treasure beckoned. a dim
remembered throne seemed waItint
out there. But the slceted storms O
winter came against him, and hi
caravan diminished, until the robher
fell upon Them and left their bodies fo
,fIse wolves when spring should come
Hlnsy one other returned with Stephe
2Iarch-hls Chlnoy boy. who had gon
Tnod with desert fears.
rne English wife was in mourning
,snd a small child was learning (
walk In the garden court of the Pt
king house. Then the three of ther
went TO America. where stephen foun
much gold, and his EngishwOman la
less difficulty in teaching the mothe
saasue 10 her son Andrew.
She longed for her lords and theI
-Ssays-rnany Of them long since turne
to quiet dust in some abbey-and tn
spirit of England must have hear'
for she was taken into the bosom {
that assembly. Her death shaIpene
Ahe old desire in stephen, and whe
Andrew was sixteen, father and so
hah Journeyed together to the far eli
0f Peking, and to the Great Wall an
the plains of Ho'tau.
Andrew March had told Levingto
e,f that failure. so charged with beau'
and suffering-hOw the serce heat