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DENISON OF SHANGHAI
By Harold Carter
v
(Copyright, 1916, W. G. Chapman.)
Seated on the veranda of the club
at Shanghai, George Denison stared
out at the never-ending procession of
Chinese coolies and rickshaw men,
while he idly fingered a letter in his
hands.
It ran as follows: "I am prepared
to marry you in six months' time, if
you will give me that period, with
out attempting to see me." It was
signed "Edith Raymond, and was
written from Lynmouth, Ala.
Denison had never been to Lyn
mouth, Ala., in his life, nor had he
heard of Edith Raymond of the tear
blotted letter.
He was weary to death of China,
weary of life at the club and in the
banking house. He had toiled there
four years, and had just begun a six
months' leave of absence, which, be
cause he had nowhere in particular
to go, he planned to spend right in
Shanghai.
He was tired of Chinese servants
and Chinese cooking, of the com
pany of his compatriots at the club,
of bachelor life and of himself.
Presently he got up. "If she'll
have jne, I'll marry her," he said.
The letter had been three months
on the way. He reckoned that he
would have just time to get to Lyn
mouth, marry Miss Edith and return
"when his vacation expired.
The letter must have bee"n to many
places, for the addresses were writ
ten and rewritten, and" the last recip
ient, in Shanghai, Malay States, had
written, "not for me. Try Shanghai,
China."
Nearly three months later Denison
got off the train at Lynmouth, Ala.
"Miss Raymond, sah? Everybody
knows Miss Raymond," said the
dusky ticket collector. "It's the big
house up on the hill, sah. No, sah;
she just lives alone, but I hear she
expects to get married soon."
T Denison smiled as he made his way
up the hill. Oddly enough, the
thought pf not marrying Edith Ray
mond had never occurred to him. He
imagined that the letter had not been
written for him, but he meant to
follow the lure.
The house showed signs of dilapi
dation. It had evidently once formed
part of an estate, but the grounds
were now overgrown with weeds and
Stared Out at the Never-Ending Pro
cession of Chinese Coolies.
saplings and were untended. A clus
ter of negro cabins near the spot
were falling into decay.
As Raymond walked up the hill a
buggy drove past him. In it sat, be
side the coachman, a man of about
40 years, with a saturnine face. The
man laughed as Denison stepped
quickly aside.
Denison shook his fist at the vehi
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