said, "I saw you flirting with that nasty old man."
"Oh Kelth, he isn't so old really,"
Trying to get off with you?" "No no, of course not." Keith wagged a shocked finger at her. 'Remember what the par- son sald on Sunday. It is easier for a camel,"
"What are you talking about? This is nothing to do with camels?"
"Isn't it just? Easier for a camel to to through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to marry the girl of his dreams."
She said, "What nonsense you talk!" and ignored him but she thought about it a good deal after- wards.
ed her to
THE CHINA MAIL FRIDAY 'SUPPLEMENT, DECEMBER 6, 1940:
It Is Easier For A Camel
It would be such madness to say goodbye to all the froth and fun, to finish with all this sort of thing,
Because there was Mr. Jamos, In her cabin that night she tried to face facts. It would be mad to marry Mr. James, and yet mad not to. He could give her so much, he could make her so happy. Iff there came the sound of someone From a deck high above her singing cheerfully.
"But you can't stop me from dreaming."
II sounded awfully like herself. If she did marry Mr. James, she would dream about Keith.
The ship was
(Continued from Page 2) -- over-blonde young woman in the Tyrolean frock with the port little hat. It was a comfort to think that she would possibly get sunstrokė for her vanity!
would think of it, you would make me outrageously. happy.”
Odd that she should think of Keith and his girl in the Tyrolean dress.
She said, "I don't know my own mind."
"I don't want to hurry. you for
don't want to influence you at all, a moment. I want you to choose for yourself, quite for yourself. I but I could make you happy, I know. I have the things to make you happy. Nothing should be denied you."
ing. A crazy camel composed of sacking, and girded round his humpy middle with rope, lurched crookedly towards her, from in- side him a voice boomed. It is easier for a camel."
She began to laugh. She went to the toffrail and hid her face in her hands, laughing.until the tears ran down her cheeks. She had never knew that anything could look so funny. "Now then," boom- ed Keith again, "You've got to ride the camel, and it is time we joined the procession."
The Arab helped her up. A few moments later, when a
Mr. James had determined to do this trip thoroughly, and to get got. Before they had arrived at into it everything that could be Pompeil, Gay was realising how tired she was. Once inside the ruined city there seemed to be so
long train of early Victorian ladies much more of it than she had ex-
armoured knights, admirals and much further to
igencials interspersed with Girl pected, and so
Gay know that she was being Guides, toreadors, and Dutch boys Because Mr. James was very
walk. She drooped a little. Mr. weak. She thought of the solution had trailed through the lounge, the pushful. Mr. James was most con-
⚫James was so pre-occupied with alongside the siderate. At Villefranches he ask- mole at Naples two days later. It everything that he was seeing that to so many problems. All her life camel entered at a brisk, trot
she had had to skimp. A toxicab
Parump-parump-parump, trotted call him Archibald, was fiercely hot with the blinding he did not notice, and when they was a wild extravagance. An ex- the come Secretly she had always thought heat of southern Italy, and on-came to the quiet corner with the tra frock never happened. fler
Mr. James was helping with the ruined house and the gardon be- that Archibald was a shocking posite Vesuvius looked gloomy
people were frugally-minded, judging. name, and she could not think enough. On the quay dark-faced fore it, and even the dog's drink-
felt the world (they had had to be)you cannot
Mr. James was sitting fiddling how he could like it, but he con- little men offered to guide you ing trough, Ghy
make money.easily these days. She with his pencil and making rather fessed that he had had a passion anywhere you wanted to go and spinning and dropped down into a had had her dreams, of course, idiotic notes on a piece of paper. for it. At ten again, Keith asked to several places that you didn't quiet faint.
dreams of travel in this way, The four judges were not unani- her to marry him.
want to visit, or to sell you in-
dreams of innumerable frocks, mous. They had their interests numerable rather extraordinary articles. Char-a-bancs were lined up to take the passengers to Pom- peil and to the Crater.
"Now you're coming with me,” said Keith.
"I'm sorry; but I promised Archibald."
"It's got to Archibald now? I might have guessed it."
"I have so little to offer that of course it is pure cheek. But if you could share it.
?"
She saw Corsica on the horizon, she saw the world beyond and knew that there were hundreds of places that she wanted to see. This cruise had been a mistake in that it had whetted her whistle for travel. If she settled down now to poverty for always, nothing like this would ever happen again. It was a magical night, a night of stars, and sapphire sea, and phos- phorescence,
"I know you love me,"
i said Keith cheerfully, and he kissed her tenderly,
"You mustn't," she said. But all the while she knew that she wanted him to do it again. He did it again. He kissed her until her mouth ached, and until she knew that she wanted to slip into his arms for ever. Only she couldn't.
She looked at him and she laughed. "I know that is a fright- full name, I know that he is a funny person, but he really means awfully well." "So do I." Mr. James came and button- holed her. He had commandeered a private car. Yet some how, 05 they drove off at the sort of speed nobody ought ever to drive any- where, least of all in Naples, 'Gay knew that she looked yearningly after the char-a-banc with Keith in it. He was sitting with that
When she came to, she had been carried into the little hotel. "I and innumerable happinesses. torn between a girl in a Nor- never forgive myself," said Mr.. James, "I ought to have seen after you better."
"We'd go to Japan," said Mr. James. Cherry blossom and wis- 'taria. "And you ought to Venice." Moonlight on the lagoon, If he said much more she would camel. be saying "yes" straight away. "Oh look, it's rather good," There drove back to the quay gasped the mayoress of Slapdash, very slowly. They did not do the who was assisting with the judg Crater. In Naples Mr. James went ing.
wegian dress and another who had come in as a dressing table and see had had to get through the door sideways. Then they saw the
side.
"I'm all right," she said wenkly. He had ordered champagne for her, and lunch to be brought in the little private room which look- ed out across the field, where anemones splashed in a brave show. He was tender and solici- into an expensive shop and bought The comel gavotted along, with tous. There is something very Gay a string of jade. It was very Gay screaming with laughter as gratifying about money when you lovely. It scintillated with the she joggled from side to are feeling seedy, something very glory of all lovely things, and it Never had a camel had a more kindly. When Mr. James ultimate shone against her white frock. A humpy back, ly put out a hand and whispered maestro in a little restaurant play- The camel approached the judi- the sort of things that he said he ed them a love song, and across cial seat and salaamed to one had never whispered to any young the way she saw a little tabac in knee, almost collapsing in the woman before, she knew that she which a languorous-eyed Nea- effort. His rope tail quivered. wasn't refusing him with the gusto politan girl flirted audaciously Then, from inside him a strange she had contemplated.
with a boy of her own age.
voice spoke. That hurt! Because, Gay told herself when she sank back in her own cabin, "I shall marry Mr. James. I know
“Idiotic," said Mr. James, “and I shall"
quite home-made, Definitely "Well," said Keith that night home-made." against the tàffrail. "What did you do with the old buffer?"
He said humbly, "I know I'm a good deal older than you are. I know I'm funny in some ways, but I do care for you, Gay, and if you
BROADWAY ENTERTAINMENT NEWS FROM WORLD CAPITALS!
tuned more easily than Local Stations
HEAR THE NEW 1941
RCA VICTOR
BROADWAY MODELS
WITH S-P-R-E-A-D B-A-N-D TUNING
RCA VICTOR
"BROADWAY MODEL".
Q22
The first low-priced six tubes spread-band receiver on the market with 5-band coverage. The important short-wave stations on the 31, 25 & 19-metre, bands have been spread so far apart on the "Broadway" dial that's 'there's never any uncertainty, about what station you are tuning. Short- wave transmitting points are named and located on the dial: for instant selection!
FREE DEMONSTRATION AT:
CHINA EMPORIUM, LTD. CHUNG XUÊN ELEC. CÓ. CHUEN YEE HONG
RADIO & ELECTRIC SERVICE - S. MOUTRIE & CO., LTD. ́ ́TSANG FOOK PIANO CO.
HOLT'S RADIO & ELEC. LAB. VICTORIA RADIO SHOPPE
PETER MUSIC CO.
WING ON CO., LTD.
"It is easier for a camel,” said the strange voice, and Mr. James turned rather pinks.
+
"I think it's rather good," per- sisted the mayoress and she jotted "He isn't an old buffer. I saw marks down on the paper before things. Glorious things, lots of her. them, and I fainted in Pompeii,"
"That's the core he takes of you.
The camel ambled off again, Outside the lounge Gay dis-
I trailed round and round. It's a mounted, and Keith emerged from very rude city, I think.. You the front legs. "You see," he said, should have come with us," and and he took her arm, "look here 'then, "that's a lovely piece of we have got to talk."
jade!"
"He gave it to me." Keith whistled. "I sec. don't forget the camel."
"The camel?"
He piloted her to the empty verandah, with the sound of water Well, against the ship's side, and the lace-work of masts and rigging against the blue sky. They were heading for Taormina and the
The rich man suffers difficulties at the turnstile, but the camel roses.
takes a flying leap and what-ho! He said: You'll never be happy Over he goes."
with that old johnpy, and you Which was of course just a piece know it. You want youth, and of nonsense! She wished that his life, and freedom.. You want fun," nonsense did, not amuse her so She knew that, of course. Money: much. She wished that he were is not much good if you are aged not so entertaining. It was youth. by it. A holiday snatched out of She liked his bright-eyes. She the savings and spent in Blackpool wondered if it would be quite can be sweeter than one spent crazy to tie herself down to with the man who is not your poverty, to all those patty little man of dreams, on the lagoon at economies, to all the eternal ef Venice, or in the cherry blossom forts, and she brushed the, Idea orchards of Japan. aside. To-morrow night, carnival night, she woud accept Archibald James. It was obviously the wise thing to do..
There is something in what you: say," she said..
Maybe I have taken a mean advantage. Maybe I have let my And all the morning she tried to camel ride rough shod over the make crepe paper into a frock. old buffer,' but I'm not going to "You can't do it," said Keltb, let you make an ass of yourself peeping in, all that is going to like that." happen is that-you-will-sit through it. Crepe paper frocks are danger
ous."
...
haven't anything else." He said. "I'm going with a party. Quite a brain wave. You can come too. All you need is a white frock and a topce."
He said, "You'll see," and then because he was the daring kind, he stooped suddenly and kissed her. "There," he said, "that's for luck."
They dined in their ordinary clothes. Some of the fancy dresses.
He took her into his arms, and he was possessive. She did, not care if she had to work for the rest of her life, and something told her that she wouldn't have to work, she did not care what hap- pened, but she knew that she was in love.
"How can I tell him?” she ask- ed, he was terribly kind when I fainted in Pompeil.. He is so sure" · that I shall marry him.”
"He is a rich man. He can find somebody else."
"Keith, I feel very cruel,”
had already appeared. Mr.. James "Nonsense. You feel very in a Turkish frock which he had happy,"
bought in Constantinople last year. He had her in his arms, they and had over-paid for by quite did not know how long it was nor half. The girl in the Tyrolean what happened. Then suddenly costume had come out as a mid- they heard somebody calling their shipman. It delighted Gay to see names. They had to go up for that three others had had the same their prizes, and the camel was idea. That'll. teach her," she wanted. thought.
"But where is your dress?"- nak ed Mr. James;
"I'm one of a group, I am changing after."
He said," "If you had told me I would have bought you the most expensive track in Naples. Mongy no object where you are concern- ed," and he smiled, ›
"It would have been nice of you, but I'll be all right." She wondered it money mattered real- ly quite so much. You can get an awful lot out of having to make do. You can have great fun in other ways.
"I'm very sorry," Gay told Mr. James, and she told him later on when she had her hand in Keith's. "L.don't understand it," said he coldly, "you encouraged me," and his eye went to the fade chala at her throat.
Gay said, "Don't you see I didn't know my own mind. "Honestly, I didn't but know it now. I'm going back and I daresay it will be an uphill light, but we'll win through. Somehow I know that we shall win through,”
A long time after Gay sald Poor old thing," and her eyes were misty.
Shemot the rest of her group. "Boar old thing "my foot!'" said. on the aft deck. She came rund Keith, the found for once in his ning along. the alley way, and life that money wasn't the open turned the corner sharply, com- sesame to the world. The camel ing to a dead stop. A young man pipped him at the post," in an Arabic, dress stood salaam. "He kissed her again. -