The Washington times., 1923-03-04
CHAPTER II.

0A6E4A Ian 1Ae
<fTS it a wreck-are we going
on the rocls?"
They're fighting, aren't
they?"
ooh, Zeus! There's blood on
her dress-we'll all be killed.
'sBe quiet! Why should they
kill us? You idiot men don't
kill good looking girls!'
whats happened, Cassandra?
was afraid to look out."
All the. girls and women in the
tent were sitting bolt upright like
a cluster Of startled rabbits-even
Clytie. Nausea-being more Of
the brain than of the stomach
can usually be dispossessed by
some sufficiently powerful emotion.
Their dishevelled hair, half un-
coiled, slouched down on their
shoulders or was matted about
their brOws. Their garments we're
creased and where q shoulder-fast-
ening had been left unbroached,
left bare their pale or olive. bodies
to the waist. Not one of. them was
above TWENTY-FIVE or three and
some much younger. They were
Greek, Syrian, Latin and also Of
mingled bl0Od-each practically
perfect Of her kind. Coarse, we'll
shaped mouths; soft, weak, sensu-
Gus mouths; pretty, shallow eyes;
provocative eyes; sleepy eyes.
There was no constituencies, scarce
" any shame and very little real
breeding in the whole lot. Which
was just as well, for otherwise they
would have suffered 50 much more
than they were bound to suffer in
any case.
The noise outside was devilish-
wells, shouts, frantic laughter, the
clash and rafting of chains. Cas-
sandra, still on her knees, put the
hair back from her. eyes with both
hands. It was dank and heavy and
smelt as though wet salt had been
rubbed through it. She felt that
she had been away from these
other women for at least month
80 much had happened.
cts not a wreck" she said !;
'sbut three men have been killed
and / think the rowers will all be
free soon."
Her own voice surprised her. It
was SO level and unperturbed.
"Three men killed! Did you
see it,"
eyes"
Goods! You look as cool as
slice Of watermelon in a bowl Of
snow! Tell us-were you born in
a slaughter yard that you take
things that way?"
This from the green-eyed girl.
There was something tigerish in
the aggressive, vital squareness OF
her Jaw. Her auburn hair, crop
ped at shoulder-level in the Egyp-
tian fashion, was tiger-colored, too.
She was frankly excited and her
nostrils twitched like an animals.
Cassandra did not answer. She
was busy with her damp hair. The
green-eyed girl and another pushed
past her, making on hands and
knees for the tent opening. There
they stayed, craning to look out,
but not venturing any farther.
cts a mutiny, isn't it?" asked
a young, dark-browed Latin woman
who was handsome rather than
beautiful, and whose hard black
eyes were as opaque as jet.
eyes," said Cassandra.' She was
wondering already how soon Evan
would come to her. With a pur. le
ribbon she tied back her hair,
catching it at the nape of her neck.
ooh! Look at the bloodW
1t was a squeal from one of the
girls at the tent opening.
Mingling with the uproar out
: side there was sound of hammer
blows and the grating rasp of
metal upon metal.
They're filing off their ankle
rings and hammering their chain
staples loose" said the dark
browed young woman. cts bad
luck, in a way" She paused. 'T
hate being kissed by men who
smell Of onions" she unused.
A shrek torn from the throat of
a man death smitten cut through
the clamor like a knife. Cassan-