The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-04-20

his fathers house, its ordered
life, his fathers disdain for ex-
cess, for wasting Of courage.
It'll take the bet" he cried.
"Hurrah for Chase!" The
men stood at the top Of the
stairs as Stephen rode the
Mongol pony through the door.
Didn't know the kid had it
in him." whispered the man
next to Jim. Thought he was
too refined to have any CUTS.
well, now you know" said
Jim, moving away with dis
taste.
There was a nice balance be-
tween caution and daring in
Stephens horsemanship. Now
he was beginning to ascend, and
Daredevil was calmer. If moth
ing frightened the pony, he'd
make it. No one seemed to
breathe. Beneath the clatter of
hoofs on polished step after
polished step could be heard
Stephens whisper, There, Dare
devil, it's most over. Now the
last step. Take it, Daredevil"
He turned to start down.
FOOL" Jim ground between
his teeth, no one can ride a
pony down the stairs" He
grabbed the bride, shouting
above the din Of voices, Garry
the hero!"
Garry the hero down."
echoed the men, as they crowded
round, raising Stephen to their
shoulders, seating him at last at
Tins right hand. Abandon
ment seized him.
The lanterns stood dark in
their tripods when the men,
Tim at their head, passed out
to a line of waiting rickShas.
The rickShaS trailed them
selves along the dusty road, go
ing toward Japanese town. AS
Stephens rickSha came to the
alley that led TO his house, the
coolie, without command, swung
from the line, turned in.
Eli! what are you doing!"
shouted Stephen, forcing him
back in line.
Another ricksha bumped his.
Don't be a FOOL" Kissed Jim.
"Go home, Galahad."
"Cut it out!" Stephen an
swered angrily. Jim was insult
ing, calling him that name. He
wouldn't be patronized. With
the clarity Of drink, he saw how
the men had despised him.
The paper panes were alight
in the low building which
housed the geisha girls. At the
sound of the rickshaS, Shoji
was pushed open, one here,
another there. Stephen saw
girl in bright kimono and broad
bright sash. He stepped from
the rickSha and entered the
house.
CHAPTER 4.
The thermometer dropped to
zero, to 10 below. to 20. Across
the vast plain from Siberia to
the Yellow Sea, from the Great
Wall to Korea, over the fields
and roads now hard as iron,
over the rivers, now silver roads,
the carts creaked and groaned,
hauling the huge bean crop to
the towns, the cities.
On the way to the Sungari
River, Stephen, clad in goat
skin garments lined with fur,
his feet incased in Mongol felt
boots, plodded after his cart, or
sat inside it squeezed between
the grain sacks.
With unseeing eyes he looked
at the plain slipping past, alb
sorbed in chaotic thought over
the happenings Of that night at
the geisha house: his own fas-
tAdious recoil, his uncertainty as
to what bearing that act might
have on his relationship to
Lucy, his realization that she
would regard it as the supreme
treason, his conviction that the
essence of his love lay In some
spiritual intensification of him.
self that transcribed the physi-
cal.
He tried to see what had hap
pened as Jim saw it. He did
when he discussed it with him
self coldly. Strange and confuS-
ing was the lightnesS with which
Jim regarded his act and the
significance Lucy would attach
to it.
AS the days passed, unable to
come to any decision, Stephen
drifted into lethargy of spirit,
Inertia from which he made no
effort tt rouse himself. He