The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-07-17
CHAPTER V (Continued)
The Accusation

l The Accusation
 l One mild, cloudy morning, when | there was little breeze, as I sat os- 1 tensibly reading. stealing many l glances at her. a grizzled old gentle | man next me, very asthematic, but 1 excessively garrulous, followed my gaze and comprehended.
 Fine picture, isn't she" he ap- | proved genially. You're not the only one aboard thinks so not by l half hundred. I've seen her be- l fore, but only once.
 l Never met her. I knew her hus- ! band. Sanoff was a good fellow. and l a mighty capable hydraulic engineer. He'd had to leave Russia Fool | country not to keep the very men it needs most. He was doing wonders here, and making money fast. 'I met him in Arizona. He was | always flying about from Oregon to Florida and back. Got killed in a | railway wreck over a. year ago. Hadn't been married a year. I for | get where he married her Pitts burgh, I think. I heard her name once. but I forget that, too. No, she | isn't dressed like a widow. Some | folks don't believe in mourning, you | know; maybe she's one of them" 'Yes. she does look young, and she | is not much over 20. Russian? She? Look at her, man. Can't you see she's an American all over?" As time went on I learned her fa- vorite places on the decks, her hab- | its of moving about and her hours 1 so that I could time myself better to encounter her; and we actually | passed each other often that she | could not but remark it.
 | felt sneaking and dishonorable at transgressing my tacit acceptance of | her injunction to avoid her, but re- | hected that had not verbally or even mentally pledged any agreement to | her commands. Also. there was the | fearful joy of being able to behold | her near; to catch a faint, elustive l hint of a perfume as she passed, al- l most to feel the warmth of her body | And, above all, her eyes met mine l oftener; she did not appear dis pleased. I even coniectured a ghost of a smile lowering about her lips. | was mad enough to imagine that if only a millionth as much as I liked meeting her, she liked meeting and passing me.
 I fiattered myself that I had be- haved rather well in the bowie-knife | incident, and that she might think so too, and admire me for it.
 I made few acquaintances on the steamer.
 One of them was slim and cheeky youth named Cask. who seemed to | have but two interests in life him self and wholesale collars and cuffs Certainly he talked of nothing else
 St. Louis was the location of his | home, and of the offices of the com pany for which he travelled
 He was on his third summer bus
 iness-trap to Europe; and he was full | of self-imp ortance. and never tired | Of telling how he had made good"
 the first time he went. I was taken
 with the novelty of his species, and
 he seemed similarly attracted to me.
 He said I was the first college man
 he had ever talked to.
 The day after our first conversa-
 tion we met on deck, and went
 with him into the smoking-room. It was fairly well-filIed but we saw one small table unoccupied, and went to-
 ward it. At the similar. table near 1 est to it was seated a tallish, spare
 man, whom I had not seen before | He attracted my attention as soon
 as\ my eyes fell on him. and I looked
 him over as we crossed the room He was obviously an Englishman, and
 of that type of Englishman who
 shows, as plainly as if it were printed
 all over him, that he considers him.
 self well-bred. loves the standards
 
 l to keep himself to himself intrude
 upon no one, and pass through life
 without inconveniencing any one, as
 quietly as discreetly as possible We seated ourselves at the vacant table next his. and Cask hurried to
 light a. cigarette, offering me one I declined, took out my cigar-case, and asked him to try a cigar.
 He threw the cigarette away and accepted. keeping my cigar-case in his hand, turning it over and over.
 and ommensing' on what he called. with frankness innocent of any bruteness of it's old rashioned clum- siness.
 I happened to notice che English , man was staring at us, was surprised for such an Englishmen is generally = to retiring and self-effacing to stare l Stare he did. When I looked at
 him he met my gaze with an expres- l sion of astonishment, as if in my manner he missed something he had expected. When I continued to look ! toward him he rose and went out
 Presently he returned with the pur- ser. Together they approached me and the official said he would like . ] to speak to me in his office Some l thing in his manner nettled me, and
 I replied that if he had anything to