A SHORT STORY.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 279, 23 November 1912, Page 3

A SHORT STORY.

HELPING SCUPiD.

(By Keble Howard.) I was getting quite anxious about them. We were due in aVMarsemes the following morning, and although one occasionally intercepted a look that meant everything on earth or on the waters beneath or in the heavens above, they still addressed each other in tones of formal politeness A little honest rudeness will often bridge a chaSl that ordinary politeness merely was a young, trim, dark, goodlooking Dutch lieutenant on his way to Java in charge of twenty or thirty soldiers about the same age as himself His manners were natural, his air modest and charming, and 1 was assured by more than one lady on board that he danced exquisitely. What more could she want.'' She was a young, fair, fresh, bonny tvmcal English girl, with, blue eyes and a sunny smile and ».3olly. laugh, and a heart, one could see, just ripe for love. Her father was on board, aid they Would meet her mother at Marseilles. She, too, could dance; she could also play the piano, and talk brightly, and look end look, and look. What more could he want.'' «. ■» * * ■ * ' For the matter of that I tackled : him on the subject. "Dp you, 1 said, "like the English ladies? s "Oh yes," he said, courteous but not enthusiastic. "Dey are very nice, . I dink.": •.■■■ ■ • : "Come! ■Is that the best you can 1 say for them?" "Well, I dink de Dutch ladies are ' nob so—how is dis vordt you say?— forbidden." " I puzzled a moment. I was cure ' that, whatever he said, he meant well by the Dutch ladies. At last I cried, i "Forbidding? Is that it?" i "Yes, if you please. Dank you very much. I find de English ladies rader forbidding," "Doesn't she give you any encouragement?" . ? "I beg your pardon?" he replied instantly, not to be caught. "Don't they give you any encouragement ?"/ He smiled./ "Not very much, I dink." / . "Perhaps you don t give them much?" " "Oh, I do not know. In 'Olland de gentlemen must always wait for de lady." "I see. And do they have to wait long?" . ■. x . IHe laughed outright this time. "Not so long^ I dink, as you must wait for English lady." "But you really do like the English ladies" I wanted to be certain on this point before taking any active steps. Even the laziest men are generally willing to work for nothing, but they hate to be called "Fool 1" for their pains. "Oh, yes," he said again, "dey are very nice, I dink." The words were the same, but he looked at the horizon and sighed. ■ ! It was enough. . I went presently in search of the girl, and found the foolish young thing pretending to read a novel on the upper deck. j "Well," I began, seating myself be- i side her and taking- away the book, j "do you think you will be happy in | Java?" "Don't be silly!" she retorted. ] "And please give me back my book." i "They tell me the climate is delight- j fulj" I continued. j ' V "I haven't the least idea what you are talking about. May I have my : book?. I'm just in the most interest- ] ing part.' 7 I "Indeed? The man must be an j amateur if he puts his most exciting \ [ incident into the first chapter!" j "I loathe you! I yish you'd go j away!" "Noj you don't. You want me to , arrange a dance on deck to-night." j "Really?" | "I understood that we shall get ; into. Marseilles quite early ,in the \ morning." j ' "How frightfully interesting!" "And the ship sails for Java & few j hours later." \ ' \ "You're full of information, aren t' : you?"-., •■-..! "Java is a long way off; thousands : of miles!" j "Fancy!" .. • ■ ' "And the Javanese girls are very fascinating. ... Would you like me to arrange that dance on deck tonight?" : ?'Oh, if you like." j "That wont-do." "Oh, well, then, please do arrange it. Now give me back my book." . I gave it her. She needed it. .**■.* •■ * ■ * ■ All the same, there was no dance that night. The fickle Mediterranean i chose to be in one of her nasty moods, ! and we were all penned up in the i smoking-room and the drawing-room^ j Her father asked her to play the ! piano, but she refused. Father was I rather nettled, after all the money j that had been spent upon her educa- | tion, but I understood, j Somebody else played instead, and ;an hour dragged by. The young i Dutchman was alternately feverish ■ and depressed. He seemed' to be i battling with «n idea. Suddenly he ; rose to his-»feet, clinked his heels to- ' gether, bowed low, and said: i "Ladies and gentlemen, it will give ,mo nice pleasure to buy some champagne for the gompany. You will all do me de honor—yes?" \We said we would. I was pleased with the lad. He was showing his mottle. The champagne had a miraculous effect as the fire that burnt the stick that beat the dog that bit the pig that got over the stile. The young , English girl began to play the piano, and father began to smile, and the ; 3'oung Dutchman began to turn the \ loaves, and all the other passengers **> began to tell each other what a charming voyage it had been. I turned to a lady on my left, a lady in whom I had every reason for reposing confidence. "I want you to do something in the cause of true love," I said. "I want you to go to the young Dutch officer and ask him to take you out on deck for a stroll." She did it beautifully. In something less than two minutes they had unostentatiously disappeared. It was now my turn. I sidled! up to the other ytfung party. "Shall we stroll out on deck?" I suggested softly. "The rain has stopped and the sea is almost smooth again." "But " "Don't argue or they'll' notice. Simply dp as I tell you." ; Father was telling one of his best ; stories to a German doctor. The rest didn't matter much. We found the other two gazing ahead at the distant [ twinkling light twelve miles out from :, Marseilles. Without a. word I took

my trustedally by the arm and JB marched her off. P "Where are you going?" demanded ■ the young thing, suddenly alarmed. 9 "Never mind/ said I. n , , 1 "Don't leave us!" they pleaded, g foolishly following. f| I opened the door of the saloon, gg literally pushed them back, and shut m the door in their faces. 9 ****** The English girl was still on board W when I left the ship next morning. H Her father had gone ashore and would B return for her in an hour. ■ "Good-bye!" I shouted from the ■ quay. ■ Two heads, a dark one and a fair ■ one, parted for a fraction of a 1 second. . "Good-bye," said two voices H mechanically. And then the heads 9 came together again. ; R