Show PARROTS c MOLD auyor 9 the the place floney moon efa COPYRIGHT GY SYNOPSIS lo 10 tarrington an american adventurer and james his servant with caged pr rot tle trio known up and down the ir as parrot co are bound for I 1 la chetwood rich american girl tourist abes W arrington and aska the purser to introduce tier he tells her that has beaten a syndicate and gold his oil cla 41 for puts kajah through his tricks for pisa and they pass two golden days together on the river in rangoon war arington rington interferes in a row cards caused by an enemy newell cragg alsa Is annold by chalk and stabs him with a hatpin arrington discovers elsa on the singapore steamer he avoids her cragg Js aboard and Is warned by who ceases to avoid risa cragg stirs up evil kossup elsa tells warrington of the hatpin incident and he hunts up chalk on murder bent he finds him stretched out drunk on deck and turns the hose on him at mallow who drove warring ton from his plantation when he learned his story comes aboard warrington tells I 1 isa that mallow and cragg both will tell that he spent money that did not balong to him over the gambling table to cragg and aaen her not to sneak to him again mallow baits V arrington who keeps his temper CHAPTER XII continued elsa straightened her lips with some difficulty she possessed the enviable faculty of instantly forming in her mind pictures of coming events the little swelling veins in the colonel s nose were as plain to her minds eye as if he really stood before her have him take me in to dinner she sug just what I 1 was thinking of declared the unsuspecting man if any one can draw out the colonel it will be you do my best elsas mind was full of rollicking malice contemplatively he sad so you ve been dolne the orient alonet you arc like your father in that way he was never afraid of anything your men tal makeup too wager Is like bis finest man in the world i he how I 1 wish he could have always been with me but why Is it everyone seems appalled that I 1 should travel over here without male escort f the answer lies in jour mirror elsa your old nurse martha Is no real protection are men so bad then they are less restrained the heat the tremendous distances the lack of amusements are perhaps responsible by the way heres a packet of letters or you thanks elsa played with the packet somberly eying the superscript eions the old disorder came back in to her mind three of the letters were from arthur she dreaded to open them I 1 must be going then I 1 m not acure of my tickets to hong hong go straight to the german lloyd office have my boy show you the any chong he called A bright young chinese came in quickly show lady german lloyd office all finine quick in the outer otyce she paused for a moment or so to look at the maga kincs zincs and weeklies from home rhe chinese boy grinning pleasantly peered curiously at lisas beautiful lands she heard someone enter and quite naturally glanced up the new comer was mallow he stared at her smiled familiarly and lifted bis helmet elsa with cold eyes of ered bis greeting no recognition what ever the man felt that she was look ing through him inside of him search ing out all the dark corners of bis soul he dropped his gaze confused then etsa calmly turned to the boy come chong there was something in the manner of her exit that infinitely puzzled him it was the insolence of the well bred but be did not know it to offset bis chagrin and contusion he put on bis helmet find passed into the private of flee she was out of his range of un mallow was an american by birth but bad grown up in the orient hard lly in his youth he bad been beaten and trampled upon and now that be bad become rich in copra the daled kernels of coco anuta from which oil is made be in bis turn beat and trampled it was the only law be knew ordinarily when in and singapore he behaved himself drank circumspectly aad shunned ous companion out when he did drink heartily be was a man to beware of he hailed the consul general cordial ly and offered him one of bia really choice algara which was accepted 1 I say who was that young woman who just went out the consul general laid down the cigar the itself was harm less enough it baj mallows way of clothing it be resented why he asked she s a stunner just curious it boj knew her all we came down on the same boat hanged it I 1 t like to meet her do you know her eagerly I 1 do more than that I 1 have al ways known her she Is the daughter f the late general chetwood one of the greatest grea teet civil engineers of our time when be died be left her bev cral millions she la a remarkable young woman a famous beauty known favorably in european courts and I 1 an t begin to tell ou how many other she has well stump me returned mallow Is she a free thinkers what the devil Is that what do you mean only this if she s ah you say she Is why does she pick out an absconder cr for a friend a chap who dare not show his in the states heard the tale rom a man once employed in his of flee back in new york A beach comb er a dock it there eve was one mallow you 11 have to explain that instantly hold your horses my friend what m telling ou Is on the level shea been hobnobbing hobnob bing with the fellow all the way down from the so m told never spoke to anyone else made him sit at her side at table and italian at him as if she dlan t want others to know what she was talking about I 1 know the man fired him from my plantation when I 1 found out what he was cant recall his name just now but he Is known out here as warrington parrot co the consul general was genuinely shocked you can t blame me tor thinking things ft ent on tallow what man ask her about you 11 find that I 1 m telling the truth all right it you are then she has made one of those mistakes women make when they travel alono I 1 shall see her at tea and talk to her but I 1 do not thank you mallow for telling me this A finer lolaler hearted girl doean doesn t live she might have been kind out of sympathy mallow bit off the tip of his cigar he s a handsome beggar if you want to know I 1 resent that tone better drop the subject before I 1 lose my temper have your papers ready for you in the morning the consul general caught up his pen savagely to indicate that the interview was at an end all right said mallow good natu I 1 meant no barm just nat aurally curious can t blame me I 1 in not blaming you but it has disturbed me and I 1 wish to be alone to think it over lounged out rather pleased with himself his greatest pleasure in life was in making others able the consul general bit the wooden end of his pen and chewed the of cedar he coulden couldn t deny thai 1 I meant no harm it was like elsa to pick up some derelict for her benefactions bene factions aomen bad no business to travel alone it was all very well when they toured in parties of eight or ten but for a charming young woman like lisa attended by a spinster companion who doubtless dared not offer advice it was decided ly wrong and thereupon he deter mined that her trip to yokohama should and her well guarded I 1 beg your pardon said a pleas ant voice the consul general had been so deeply occupied by his worry that he had not noticed the entrance of the speaker lie turned impatiently he saw a tall blond roan bearded and tanned with fine clear blue eyes that met his with the equanimity of the fearless CHAPTER XIII after ten years the consul general saw before him an exquisite as the ancient phrase goes backed by no indifferent breed of manhood he believed that here was a brief respite as between acts in which the little hypocrisies coul bo laid aside the pleasant smile on his highbred face was all his own and what may I 1 do tor you sir he expected to be presented with let of introduction and to while away a half hour in the agreeable discussion of mutual acquaintance I 1 should like a jew minutes private talk with you began the well dressed mcf aa a stranger may I 1 close the door ahe consul general with a sense of disappointment nodded the blond man returned and sat down I 1 don t know how to begin but I 1 want you to copy this cablegram and send it under your own name here it is read it so singular a request filled the con sul general with astonishment rather mechanically be accepted the slip of paper adjusted bis glasses and read the andes construction company new york A cormer employee of yours wishes to make a restitution of with inter cat to date he barea not give his name lo 10 me but he wishes to learn if this be aled restitution will lift the bin against alls coming to america and ret his reply collect this Is an extraordinary extra ordnary request to make lj me sir could 1 possibly offer that to the cable operator without name or ad dress fo I 1 could not do it without being subjected to a thousand cups alons none of which 1 bould care to answer so 1 came to you passing through your hands no one will ques alon it will you do this favor tor a poor unfortunate devil T oddly enough the other could not get away from his original impression the clothes the way the man wore them the clarity of his eyes the aban dant health that was expressed by the tone of the skin derided such a pos as the cablegram made danl test he forced the smile back to his lips are you sure you re not hoaxing me no I 1 am the victim of the hoax enigmatically if one may call the quirks of fate by the name of hoax the stranger added will you send it the years he had spent in the con sular service had never brought before him a situation of this order he did not know exactly what to do he looked out of the window into the hotel court at the sky which presently would become overcast with the dally rain clouds by and by he kemem bared the man waiting patiently at his elbow what Is your name I 1 d rather not give that until I 1 hear from new york 1 am known out here by the name of warrington warrington the puzzlement van asbed from the older mans face and his eyes became alert renewing from another angle their investigation of the stranger warrington so this was the mana he could understand now who could blame a girl tor mak ing a mistake when be a seasoned vet eran had been beguiled by the out ward appearance of the man mallow was right he was a handsome beg gar I 1 promise to send this upon one condition 1 I accept without question readily it is that you must keep away from elsa chatwood now and hereafter you made her acquaintance under false pretenses I 1 deny that not under false pretenses how quickly things went about let me tell you bow I 1 met her the consul general listened he bened with wonder and interest and more with conviction that the young man had been perfectly honest dut the knowledge only added to his grow ing alarm it would not be difficult for such a man to win the regard of any young woman and you told her what you had done yes your first misstep step touching the cablegram my first and only misstep I 1 was a careless happy go lucky young fool the sky outside also had attraction tor warrington A thousand thou times a foell how long ago did this cappen pen ten years this coming april and now after all this time you wish to go back A have wished 0 o go back many times but never had money enough I 1 have plenty now oh I 1 made it hon estly smiling in oil at brome heros a cutting from a rangoon pa per the other read it carefully it was romance romance such as he liked to read in books but which was mighty bewildering to have at his elbow in actuality what a life the man must have led and here he was with no more evidence of the conflict than might be discerned in the manliness of bis tace and the breadth and depth of bis shoulders he dropped the cutting impatiently don t you believe it believe lt oh this yes an the consul general what I 1 cannot believe is that I 1 am awake I 1 cannot quite make two and two equal tour I 1 cannot well you do not look like a man who would rob bis employer of eight thousand dollars parrot co its odd but I 1 recollect that title you were at during the plague warrington brightened so that s got about I 1 happened to be there working on the princes railway I 1 will send the cable at once you will doubtless hear from new york in the morning hut you must not see miss chetwood again you will let me bid her good by I 1 admire and respect her more than any other woman she does not know it for as et her soul Is asleep but she Is one of those few women god put on earth for the courage and corn fort of man only to say good by to her hero in this osce it you wish 1 I agree to that thank you again warrington rose I 1 am genuinely sorry for you if they say no what will you do go back just the same I 1 have an other debt to cancel fak GUI in ilie morning lei yo know f bat the charges are I 1 i agot here are twenty pounds yoi fin return the balance cherf I 1 call am very grateful dy the way there la a man here by the name of mallow began thi consul general yes interrupted warrington with a smile which was grim and cruel I 1 expect to call upon him he owes me something like fifty pounds and I 1 am going to collect it then be went out the consul general dropped mal lows perfecto into the wastebasket and lighted his pipe once more he read the cablegram the andes con company what a twist what an absurd kink in the nearly all of elsas wealth lay bound up in this enormous business which general chetwood had founded thirty odd years before and neither of them knew I 1 am not a bad man at heart be mused but I 1 liked the young mans expression when I 1 mentioned that bully mallow he joined his family at five he waved aside tea and called for a lemon squash eisa I 1 am going to give you a lee ture dian didn t I 1 tell you cried elsa to the wife I 1 felt in my bones that bo wa going to say this very thing she turned to her old time friend go on lecture me in the first place you are too kind hearted that will be news to my friends they say I 1 have a heart of ice and what you think Is In depend ence of sprit Is sometimes alon oh said eisa becoming serious A man came into my office today he is a rich copra grower from pe nang he spoke of you you passed him on going out it I 1 had been awen ty years younger I 1 d have punched his ugly head his name is mallow and he s not a savory chap elsa s cheeks burned she never would forget the look in that mans eyes the look might have been in other men s eyes but conventionality had always veiled it she had never seen it before go on but her voice was un steady somewhere along the you made the acquaintance of a young man who calls himself warrington fa mili arly known as parrot co III be generous not one woman in a thousand would have declined to ac capt the attentions of such a man he is cultivated undeniably good look ing a strong man mentally and physically elsas expression was now engg magical there s not much veneer to him he fooled me unintentionally he was quite evidently born a gentleman of a race of gentlemen his Is not an iso case one misstep step and the road to the devil the consul general s wife sent a startled glance at elsa who spun her sunshade to lighten the tension of her nerves he confessed frankly to me this morning that be is a fugitive from jus alce he wishes to return to america he recounted the circumstances of your meeting uncle jim I 1 have traveled pretty much over this world and I 1 never met a gentleman if warrington Is not one there was unconscious belligerency in her tona ah there s the difficulty which women will never be made to under stand every man can at one time or another put himself upon his good be hallor underneath he may be a alne rascal not this one smiling he warned me against himself a dozen times but hat served to make me stubborn the faults my conduct acidly was no in making this pariah s acquaintance it lies in the fact that I 1 had nothing to do with the other passengers from choice that Is where I 1 was indiscreet dut wry should I 1 put myself out to gain the good wishes of |