Evening star., 1925-02-22
before he's oopped to attend to busi-

before he's copped to attend to busi-
ness"
HE won't do it,
Think not? She's nearly in. Come
along; never mind your clothes
every ones the same"
Nevertheless, there were a num-
ber of well dressed people already in
the church to shame the unlucky
riders of the canefields-if they had
been easily shamed, which they were
not They crowded together in the
aisles tearly birds in the white coats
and clean boots. having taken up all
, the pews), stared, commented and
whispered. Not all the whispers were
complimentary. The G. M. was not
too well liked at the best of times.
and this hurried mysterious way of
marrying the prettiest girl in Tara
bora did not add to his popularity.
The sound of the steamer whistling
as she came alongside the jetty, min
gled with the final vows of Garlands
sister-in-law and Tarabora's q. M.
Jim Garland watched them critically;
watched the Rev. Joshua Strake dron-
ing through the service as one well
accustomed to it all, and little moved,
thought, as he had often thought. that
the Rev. Joshua looked like a bit of
a sneak.
And then Garland, moved by some
odd impulse that he could not have
d defined, turned around and looked
at the open door of the church. And
the doorway, looking over the heads
of the crowd within, he saw a face
young, handsome, very drawn and
very white-the face of Charlie Cam
eron.
Charlie Cameron" said Jim to
himself. Come back by the boat
Oh, my aunt"
He looked about him. No one. ap-
parently, had seen the face except
himself. All the overseers, clerks and
engineers, all the departmental heads,
all the wives and families, were gaz-
ing with deepest attention at the G.
M. as he displayed the pale soles of
a pair of very new boots, kneeling on
a. crimson cushion by the side of
white-tailored Consuelo.
Garland managed to push out
through the crowd.
where's that Charlie?" he thought,
not without axiety. He remembered
a thing or two about Charlie Charlie
was no sucking dove when things
went wrong. Goodness knew what
he -. There he was, under the
mango tree. What was he looking
at?
Garland strode forward. A party of
coolies, working at the grass edges
of the walks, had left 2, dozen three
foot knives stacked up against the
trunk of the mango tree. 1t was at
these that Cameron was looking,
ON Tarabora, where now and again
" an overseer is sliced into rashes
by coolies armed with field tools, peo-
pie do not look calmly upon any
angry man who shows a fancy for
friends mind clearly and instantly
as he had read the minds of men
maddened with "bhang," once or
twice, when lives hung on the read
ing. He came up behind Charlie
one always, If possible, comes up be-
hind the man who looks lovingly at
long knives-and promptly pinioned
his elbows. Cameron was strong. but
big Garland was the unchallenged
Hercules of all the -overseers. He
dragged the young man away from
the knives, got him around the corner
of clump of orange trees and shook
him.
Wont do. son." he said NO
slicing up of bridegrooms on any
part of the estate where I'm in
charge. Come back to your senses.
What have you been doing?"
Let me CO." struggled Cameron.
Il don't mean anything, Jim-at
least / My head seems on
fire. Am going mad? Did fancy
l saw Don't tell me it was
she and that beast of a G. Mn
the church-together-
But / must tell you, because 1t
was. Get a hold on yourself. man:
they'll be out in a minute. Don't go
making a -. Why did you never
answer her letters or telegrams? Yes,
I'll let you go if you stay where you
are"
Letters? Consuelo's? Why didn't
she answer mine? She never wrote; ;
it was mostly because of that that L
came back early-Td seven months
leave saved up-and I find her."
Cameron, you know you'd quar-
relied with her before you left. Why,
you-
''Yes, but it was only nonsense
she knew that. I swear we neither
of us took it seriously
Seems she did-in the absence of
letters Or
"You great Jumping carthorse, can't
you see? No lettersi No letters!
Why, 1t was Radcliffe saw standing
with him as his best man. Ratcliffei
The postmaster! Now do you see,
you-you bat?"
Cad, Charlie, IN afraid 1 do.
You're in a hole, my boy, you've
been done In, and I'm dashed Sorry.
They say the G. NJ always does get
his fancies in the end-you remember
Mrs. Cope-with the eyes-and that
poor little coolie wom-''
IF l didn't know-if it wasn't
well. you'd drive fellow mad, you
chunk of lumber. But the game isn't
quite up yet; there's They're