Evening star., 1925-06-07

1
by stamrnering and suffering when
ever she shot question at him. A
glow warmed her when she learned
that he would be in Bangkok indefi-
nitely. He had no plans, but he was
never going back to the jungles.
In the ensuing days they explored
quaint, out-of-the.way corners of
Bangkok which Judy lad overlooked
1t was thrilling to have Sammy pilot
| her about, to translate her endless
| questions to the natives into the
strange, caressing language. to have
him point out funny little things she
would have overlooked
Through the American legation
| Sammy obtained passes to the
grounds of King Rama's palace. They
saw a solid gold urn for containing
royalty embalmed in mercury and
honey while awaiting the pyre: they
| inspected the royal white elephants,
/ which were not white at all, but a
mottled gray, with mean little pale
pink eyes; they attended a native fu-
| neral, where every one laughed and
had jolly time, and lines containing
| silver coins were thrown to the chill
dren, and prize was given to the
| bow who captured a creased and in
| furiated pig, and a Siamese version of
jazz was played on weird Instruments
to a rhythm that started her heart to
pounding, so savavely exhilarating 1t
| was.
They did not fall in love. AS Judy
some time later expressed it. they al
| ways were in love. In the twilight
| gloom of the Wat Phra Keo, under
the great jade Buddha with it's canopy
which is changed with the seasons,
from gold, TO silver, to straw, he took
| Judy in his arms and kissed her for
| the first time. 1t was not the first
! but
her humping heart told her that it
was the first time that had ever really
| counted.
| For several days thereafter they
| specialized in the darker, less fire.
| quented temples.
! Mr.. Van Dorm, absorbed In sitting
mountains of cunningly compiled fig-
ures to find a grain of truth, sensed
vaguely. with the seventh sense of a
jealous father, that Judy was seeing
a little too much of that Bonifer fell
low. And one evening he found the
opportunity to call 1t to Judys atten-
ton.
Judy" he said suddenly I'D rather
you wouldn't be with this Bonifer
fellow quite 50 much. You know
don't like him. honey"
| Judy glanced up with a candid
smile from the knitting she had re-
sumed. II do, dear. I'm going to
marry him"
1t wasn't fair, perhaps, to give him
the news with SO little warning, but
to Judy the fact that she was going
to marry Sammy Bonifer was a little
more important than all the other
current news items in the world to-
gether.
81 warned you this would happen"
he stormed. II told you to look out
for these tricky beachcombers."
! He isn't a beachcomber."
| He's loafing, isn't he? He hasn't
got a job. has he? He's not much bet
ter than a bum, is he?" her father
sputtered.
You don't see in him what see.
realest man l have ever known. You'll
see it for yourself some day. He's ten
times the man Billy Gibson will ever
be. And l love him."
| You shan't marry HIM" her father
painted.
'T shall marry him, Daddy Do you
want to know what is the matter with
you? I've intended never TO tell you.
! but you've forced me- You're just
selfish. You don't want any man to
marry me whom you can't boss
around. You want me tied down TO
some one who will obey your slightest
whim. You don't want a real son in
law. You want a house dog and a
golf partner. Well, Sammy isn't that
kind. I think he's a perfect peach"
Mr.. Van Dorm said something un-
mentionably profane under his breath,
walked down the steps into the COM
pound with great dignity, and took
his tinrikisha to Dr. Dills office. The
despoiler of his home had departed
some time before he arrived, but the
doctor was in, and Mr.. Van Dorm was
ushered Immediately into DR.. Dills
sanctum sanctorum.
| TUDY's father blew off steam for 10
or Is minutes: then these two sea
soned men of the world put their
tgray heads together and in no time at
all devised brilliant, bullet t-proof
solution.
They would separate the lovers by
sending Sammy away.
| Whenever I want a man out of my
way here for few weeks" the doc
tor said, chuckling. Il always send a
message to the Maharaja of Johor.
| The Maharaja of Johor privately
owns a mountain of tin ore in Negri
Sembilan that I've been trying to get
my hands on for the past 18 years
and mine for him on royalty basis,
| but he won't listen to reason, and he
never will. He spends his time build
| Ing Mohammedan mosques and tenn
| pies. 1t takes d man about two
weeks to get an audience with the
Maharaja, and another three weeks
| to a month for the Maharaja' to say
no with suitable embellishments. We
! can count on Sans being gone, in
Guiding the time consumed by the
trip down and back, six weeks or
maybe a little longer. 1 can send the
Maharaja a present, and that will
materially lengthen the ceremony of
saying no. This is the widest wild
| goose chase l know Of The best dip
lomats in Siam have bent their
swords on that mountain of tin ore:
and the Maharaja heartily dislikes
| Americans. My message to the Maha-
raJa will give Sam Bonifer pleas
ant little vacation"
| Mr.. Van Dorm slapped his knee.
His wrath had slipped from him. The
two conspirators chuckled.
by the time he returns" Judy's
father amplified, Judy and 1 will.
with any luck at all. be homeward
| bound"
Dr. Dill introduced the subject at
dinner that evening.
II am going to send you to Johor
on an important mission" he told
| Sammy. You are the only man I
/ can trust. 1t Is a message to the
Maharaja." And he told Sammy what
message was.
! Sammy and Judy exchanged look
of sheer horror, both then glanced
| intuitively at Mr.. Van Dorm. A self
satisfied smirk hovered about his thin
Tipped mouth And at sight of this
tell-tale sign Judy's big brown eyes
narrowed.
"If you are successful" DR.. Dill
proceeded chirpily, IT will do we'll by