THE EASTERNERS. OR MARRIAGE BY PROXY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10454, 20 October 1911, Page 2

THE EASTERNERS. OR MARRIAGE BY PROXY.

j CHAFFER V.—Continued. Later on lie returned to the Astor House, via the elevated. An evenin" paper told him that among the passengers sailing on the Balearic that day was the "wife of His Holiness, 'Rotan Pasha, a. liigh dignitary o c the sultan, who," etc., etc., and concluded with .sundry florid gossip auent the queer wedding in Washington that imado Sidney's blood boil. Then he .became perplexed again. "If Alma really sailed on the Balearic, who the devil did I follow nearly to Sandy Hook on that gray yacht? What a mess it all is!" Here a ibell .boy handed him a card, on which was. the name of "M. Constantino Pavlidis." "Show him in," ordered Grfer peevishly. "I may as well some one." '.. : » CHAFER. VI.. ;. f AN iNVITATiON TOJDINNER. ..When, the (foreign, .silk- (merchant entered Sidney's rooms, the Westerner was fairly surprised out of his lacnguid manner. A calm, dignified, almost imposing person, quietly garbed in an evening dreisisi suit, well gloved and hatted, advanced. The excitable Greek tradesman, now o'ichly* dressed, with his nervous movements and clattering tongue, appeared to have given, place to ar- elegant man of the .world whom nothing could ruffle or disturb. The change was so marvellousi that Greer stared, open-flnouthed. "When I saw your name on the register, M. Greer, I was/ unable to (refrain from presenting myself," murmured' M. Pavlidis, taking Sidney's large hand in a velvet-like clasp 'which was, somehow, suggestive of restrained power. "I have just arrived from Washington from M. S&larsovian. Ah! You look troubled, monsieur. What has happened?" "Everything that should not, I reckon. But you yourself surprise' me in the first (place." ed his shoulders, and threw out his M. Pavlidis tilted his head, elevatlong taper fingers with an air of resignation. "So some <of my friends often say," />« said. "ißub what would you ha\e?" "First, you now speak excellent French. At Philadelphia it was Greek, with an Eastern accent. •Moreover, you seem to know M. Mar;SOvian." :,:.'' "'■' "Know him? To he sure. . I had most im.portant affairs' to transact iFreiien,; iwhat: would ymi ? We Mediterranean rnier...ch'aAts are obliged to know many languages." ■ "Well,' I reckon•.. it is all right, whatever you do or speak. Have you dined?" ■ '■ "That brings me to the point, sir. Your kindness in Philadelphia served me well, for your barbarous English tongue is the one thing my own tongue lias not well mastered. Be pleased to dine with me. I insist; I will not listen to a refusal." Greer remonstrated, but M. Pavlidis would take no denial. "Come, my friend. I will give you fifteen minutes to make your toilet. Then- " A sudden rattle of carnage wheels rose, above.the drone of Broadway traffic. It was on the side street, under.their windows. Pavlidis broke off and/thrust forth his head through"the curtains. Then he drew it hack, saying:'' "That is well. My ,ether guesW are i arriving." , , "My dear sir," said Sidney, "I am hardly in, a mood for a dinner party. Let me take my solitary meal at the table d'hote below.?' "Indeed, no. Trust me my friend I know what is good for your spirits just now. Good company, a cold bottle—ah, monsieur, I cannot let you off." l He darted out at the door, but immediately thrust Jus head in again. "My servant will be here in fifteen minutes to conduct you to my appart"Htots. An revoir." He smiled brightly and was gone. """''Now, wnat t]ie deu6e .„, k^ Greer, when he was alone. "Why should that man annoy me? i woukl go to bed than do anything He figettcd about, then began to make his toilet; though without any d«f.ne ( pur . n view W]]ilet]nis j do.ng he suddenly recalled that he had not wired Marsovian, as he bad pro- ' mised to do. { "I must 1)0 going nutty, sure!" he

OUR SERIAL.

BY WILLIAM PERRY BROWN

grumbled. "The last two day< have same man. D it! I wish 1 <oiiM gettle things by having a rumpus with somebody. That might clear up my head a bit."

Noticing that he had hardly nine minutes left, a feverish desire seized him to go to his dinner party ai once. He began to dread his own company. Opening his suit case, he finished his toilet with true Western expedition and found he had one minute to span*. "I am not in evening dress, but it cannot be remedied now. If people will drag a fellow hero and there at a minute's notice, they must accept him in such clothes as lie happens to have handy." About this time there was a knock on his door. There entered at his summons one of the most remarkable-look-ing men he had ever seen. With the framo of a Goliath, the height of a giraffe—almost—and the face of a sphinx, the man stood just within the door, without uttering a word. "Well, you.certainly are a whale 1" exclaimed Greer. "My new foreman at the Bucking Broncho, Oripple Creek, who is thirty pounds heavier than I, is a baby along side of you. How much do you weigh?" The sphinx uttered something in a strange tongue, of which Sidney caught only the words "M. Pavlidis" and "M. Greer".

"You are neither Greek nor Turk by your talk, I guess," laughed Greer. "That snuff-coloured butler's coat means danger, I suppose. Well, lead on. I follow."

With a ludicrously tragic gesture Sidney pushed the giant out, and pursued him through several corridors to a different part of the old hostelry. Then up one flight of carpeted stairs, and into a wing running beside an oblong court yard they passed, until a door opened and Sidney found himself in a kind of anteroom furnished with drvans'instead of chairs. Was he still in the hotel. For the life of him he could not tell.

-A- full-length mirror at one side enabled guests to inspect themselvesTThe sphinx iflok the Westerner's hat flicked some imaginary dust from his person, waved his and drew aside: an- ample portiere, through which rushed a flood of light from the room beyond.' '

The first person, <3reer recognise! was Banker Marsovian, in full evening 7 dress, his lean face widening into a weicoming smile as he came forward and "grasped Sidney's liand. * '"'

' "Well, of all-the strange happenings of the last few hours, this takes the cake. How did you get here?"

*'Hush 1" murmured Marsovian. "I well tell you all fater. Here as.M. Pavlidis, who saya he knows you." "I felt that you would come," said M. Pavlidis, clasping Greer's fingers ] in a touch suggesting velvet and iron.' "Permit me to introduce you to friends of mine.. iM. FiEan, M. Gorganian, this/is M. Sidney Greer, one of those American gold kings, like Marsovian .here. Know each other, gentlemen. And now —let us to din-! ner." '{

While speaking, M. Pavlidis turned toward another doorway shrouded by heavy portieres. Greer had noted that a sort of Far Eastern air pervaded these reception rooms, sofas arid divans taking the place of-chairs, while on a low stand of 'burnished bronze was an immense pipe, known to Americans as the hubble-bubble, with several'long stem? of gutta-pe'rclia, amber tipped. "Sarkis," said the host sharply, "the door!"

The sphinx hastened to the door way I and held aside the curtains while the] guests passed through. I Greer and Marsovian were preceded < by M. Filian and M. Gorganian, two grave gentlemen in evening costume, high cheek bones, dark eyes, and the air of men of position, notwithstanding a certain mock subserviency of manner that appeared rather odd to the West-t erner. .But,when Sidney knew they; were native Armenians, fresh from the; horrors of their native land, he was sufficiently /familiar with Eastern, affairs to partially understand. It was the visible, unconscious sign of an oppressed race.

And now another form came forward. The sight drove from Sidney's mind all other thoughts. He started violently and exclaimed j. ''What ? Is it j'ou—Alma—again ?" (To be Continued.)