Realizing the utter uselessness of argument, or of exhibiting my large bills, I reached inside my coat, unpinned, and held before him on the desk a bronze medal, fastened to a colored ribbon.
"Well, is this good for the price?" I questioned. "There "s two of us."
The round-faced cashier bent forward to look, his eyes widening with aroused interest. Then he glanced up inquiringly into my face.
"Yours?" he asked in open suspicion.
"Ought to be; cost me a Mauser bullet, a dozen bolo cuts, and eight weeks" hospital."
The cashier was visibly impressed, turning the medal over in his hands.
"So! Where was all this?"
"Down in a rice paddy; place called Baliancan."
"What regiment?"
"Third Cavalry."
The cashier"s black eyes flashed, and he extended a cordial hand.
"Put her there, Amigo," he broke forth warmly. "Lord! but maybe I don"t remember! Say, but you fellows were a husky lot o" bucks. Knew ye? I rather guess I did. I was bunkin" then with the First Nebraska.
Sure, I "ll stand ye for the meal. Put back yer plaything, and bring in yer pardner--this spread is on the house. The Third Cavalry has divided chuck with me mor"n once, an" I ain"t goin" back on one of the boys for the price of a meal."
Our hands met, clasped closely lying across the desk, our eyes glowing with suddenly aroused memories of comradeship in a foreign land. Then I repinned the medal to the front of my rough shirt, gulping a bit as I strove to speak calmly.
"It"s a woman," I explained, nodding toward the door. "I found her out there hungry. Could we have that table yonder behind the screen?"
"Sure; and don"t be afraid to order the best in the house. d.a.m.n me, but that was some fight we had at Baliancan, even if the history folks don"t say much about it. I can see you Third Cavalry fellows goin" in now, up to yer waists in water, an" we wa"nt mor"n a hundred feet behind. Did you see them Filipino trenches after we took "em?"
I shook my head.
"No; I was down and out long before then."
"h.e.l.l of a sight, believe me--jammed full o" little brown men, deader than door nails. They died a fighting, all right, an" they sure gave us a belly full that day. Lost sixteen out o" my company."
Our eyes lingered an instant on each other"s faces; then I turned away, and walked to the door. She was waiting motionless, her back to the window, and, when I spoke, followed me in without a word. I led the way to the secluded table behind the screen, seated her, and took the chair opposite. Without questioning her wishes I ordered for both, the girl sitting in silence, her face bent low over the menu card, a red flush on either cheek. Still obsessed with vague suspicion of her character I could not forbear a suggestion.
"What will you have to drink?" I asked, as the waiter turned aside. "I "d rather like a c.o.c.ktail to drive the wet out of my system. Shall I make it two?"
She glanced up quickly from under shading lashes, her eyes, big and brown, meeting my own.
"I prefer coffee; that will be quite sufficient."
I ran my hand through my hair.
"Don"t you ever drink anything stronger?" I asked, almost tempted to apologize. "You know lots of women do."
"I have never formed the habit."
"c.o.c.ktail for you, sir?" said the waiter briskly, flipping his towel on the table. "Martini, or Manhattan?"
I dropped my gaze from the girl"s face to the menu card. It seemed to me her eyes had pleaded with me.
"No; make mine coffee too," I replied gravely, "and hurry the cook up, will you."
We sat there waiting without further speech, she nervously fingering the card, her eyes veiled by lowered lashes. I glanced cautiously across at her, conscious of my cheap clothing, and vaguely wondering why my usual off-hand address had so suddenly failed. I felt embarra.s.sed, unable to break the silence by any sensible utterance. My eyes rested upon her hands, white, slender, ringless. They were hands of refinement, and my gaze, fascinated by the swiftly recurring memory of other days, arose slowly to a contemplation of her face. I had seen it heretofore merely in shadow, scarcely with intelligent observation, but now, beneath the full glare of electric light, its revealment awoke me to eager interest. It was a womanly face, strong, true, filled with character, not so apt, perhaps, to be considered pretty, as lovable--a face to awaken confidence, and trust; a low, broad forehead, shadowed still by the wide-brimmed hat, and the flossy brown hair; the skin clear, the cheeks rounded, and slightly flushed by excitement; the lips full and finely arched; the chin firm and smooth. Her greatest claim to beauty was the eyes, now securely veiled behind long, downcast lashes. Yet I recalled their depth and expression with a sudden surging of red, riotous blood through my veins. As I sat there, uncertain how I might break the embarra.s.sing silence, she suddenly glanced up questioningly.
"You--you do not at all understand my position, do you?" she asked timidly. "I mean why I should be homeless, on the street, alone at--at such an hour?"
"No," I responded, surprised into frankness, "you do not seem like that kind."
A wave of color flooded her clear cheeks, the brown eyes darkening.
"And I am not that kind," she exclaimed proudly, her head flung back, revealing the round, white throat. "You must comprehend that fact at once."
CHAPTER VI
WE OPEN CONFIDENCES
I bent my head, impressed by her earnestness, every instinct of a gentleman born, returning instantly.
"I do comprehend," I admitted seriously. "Believe me I have felt the truth of this ever since I first saw your face. You have ample reason for misjudging me, for believing me a criminal, but I possess no excuse for even questioning you. Shall we not permit the whole matter to rest there, and pretend at being friends for the moment? You have already acknowledged being both homeless and hungry. What more do I need know to be of a.s.sistance? The cause of such a condition is no business of mine, unless you choose to tell me voluntarily. You may not consider me a gentleman," and I glanced down at my cheap suit. "Yet surely you cannot regard me as a mere brute."
She continued to gaze at me, her eyes misty, yet full of wonderment.
My language was not that of the slums, nor were my manners. To her I must have seemed as strange a character, as she appeared to me. We were both advancing blindly through the dark.
"You are also," she affirmed finally, as if half regretting the words.
"You are just as penniless as I."
"Why should you say that?"
"Because I know," and by now her eyes were blinded by the tears clinging to her lashes. "You--you humiliated yourself to serve me; you--you were obliged to p.a.w.n something in security for this food.
I--I saw you--your excuse for leaving me outside was just a sham. You had no money. I watched through the window, and--and I almost ran away, only my promise held me."
I laughed uneasily, yet sobered almost at once, leaning across the table, all earlier embarra.s.sment vanished.
"Well, even at that, it would not be my first experience," I said swiftly. "Poverty is extremely unpleasant, but not a crime. Do not let that unfortunate condition of my exchequer spoil your appet.i.te, my girl. I can a.s.sure you that is among the least of my troubles. In fact I have of late become hardened to that state of affairs. My life has been up and down; I "ve ridden the top wave of prosperity, and have knocked against the rocks at the bottom. Lately I "ve been on the rocks. But good luck, or bad, I am not the sort to desert a woman in distress."
"You are a man of some education?"
"Two years at the University."
"And now?"