Newspapers / The News & Observer … / Sept. 20, 1919, edition 1 / Page 12
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TT TT T A TTfN TT f Ttv -New Stone of- THE MYSTERIOUS WAYS OF Copvr0t,1ttt. y-Th sfcCliirs .Vewapaper fiyndtcale. IbTIU t i-j. -Iv VI I --- I 1-.- 1-1 W 1-1 , ..lr L-Ttoe e yHTAO LAI! CHIAO LAI! I i shrieked th two forward cool- tee urn they pushed the people t rtsht and left in th crowded streets of ' Xowloon to make way for the burden on their shoulders, "oi Lloof l lAoot echoed back the two coolies at . the rear a they struggled to keep pare with those In front, "Sedan coming I Sedan coming!" was the err that opened Bp the wax for tfle chair between the long lines of pedestrians Ukp a wedge, and "It has come! It has-eome!" was the signal to close up the ranks again as the bearers hurried along. The multitude always patient and pliable were little more ready than usual to yield the right of way, when they saw a? hat the bearers wore the blue Jackets and red-tasscled hats of official servants and that the sedar-chair was covered with the green cloth of the mandarin and not with the ordinary blue of the civilian. They hunied along until they came to the canal that divided, the Chinese city from the British Cone sJon and turning sharply to the right reached the stone bridge of The Silver Cloud .and passing over entered Ills Majesty's dominions of Kowloon oppo site Hong Kong better known in their ' owti flowery tongue as "The Nine Drag ons that face the Fragrant Waters."' "Sla CMoot Ula Chioof shrieked the forward crew. "T.ower the Redan! MJtaoi - t is towereui : n ie lowereui responded the rear guards as the cara- posited their burden at the feet of Captain Brownlowof the Colonial Police and two English and Chinese deputies, - whe were waiting there to receive them. The officer whe accompanied the rhair. end who had been riding closely behind tt on his shaggy Mongolian pony with his string of Jangling sleigh-bells, de scended and. bowing low to the foreign ers drew forth from bis voluminous sleeve a red leather wallet, and opening It handed the Captain a document cov ered with vermilion seels. The letter unfolded It and, with the aaslstsnos of his secretary-interpreter, read as fol ' lows: Tamen of ths Northern Helen, District Of Kowloon, Canton. 19th day of the 5th moon. To His Excellency :.. The Governor of Hong Kong, Greeting; Sirs Acting under instructions from His Excellency the Taotal of this Cir cult, wee hereby hand over to your ' authority for the administration of Jus tice, the person of one Ling Took ac cused of murder within the limits of the . European Colony. The prisoner Is being conveyed out of the Chinese boundaries In an official chair (.Instead of being chained as usual In an open basket), to .void suspicion and to prevent any at tempt at rescue on ths part of his fel low-villagers, who are reported to be lurking m the vicinity, With respect and compliments. . I am, sir, Wang Chlng Tang, . Magistrate of the District" -Well, Mackintosh." said the Captain to his deputy, "the prisoner certainly Is travelling in style this time, eh? Squatting In a mandarin's chair Is a lot more comfortable than being hung to a bamboo pole with a bunch of rusty chains, mark my words." - "It surely Is, sir," replied the deputy, "and It's mighty clever of them to smuggle him through the town that way, Isn't It? , If they'd Just brought him through like one of the regulars, he might never have reached us at all." "Have those hand-cuffs ready when we take him out I don't know whether they've got hlra aafely Ironed up Inside there or not and, you. know, they're as slippery as eels and ws can't. afford to lose him now." "Right you are, air." ' "Here, Chlag." turning to the Inter preter, "just ask our friend the cavalry rider if he's got him securely fastened Inslds the chairX Chlng turned to ths officer and rattled off enough words according to Brown low's Idea to have said ths thing over about fifteen times in any other tongue and the officer on his part rattled back about the same quantity of expletives, accompanied by the most expressive snd emphatia gesture. "Hs's all right, air," ssld Chlng, "he's troined hand and foot and locked to ths back of the chair, Hs cant move an Inch." - "Whe'e got ths key?" '.. The officer here has the key, sir, and we can take him right out now." "All right, open the sedan up, then." They started to unhook the heavy front curtains, which completely con cealed the personage within, when they were Interrupted by the clamoring of the chair-bearers for wine-money. "Teng Lao Taaf I'amff Laa Yamt China Chiu Chiewf" they cried, bowing and scraping and extending their palms Into ths very faces of the officers; "Ocean Mandarin I Ocean Mandarin! Please grant the wine-Up." WHEN Judge Hoke'a Court ft f andy Rend opened His Honor laid aside his pipe and said: . ; "I have got to go over, ths story -aln. Sandy Bend hsd been; for twenty years a wicked town. - It was r re wing mors so all the lima, and i-tan was ehurkling to himsetr. I i-aw It alt but was hrlplsss to mend matters. When t spoke to you about ? our wickedness, yen said I kept the i.F-1 Dog Saloon, snd a race hoss. and a fighting dog, and I played poker with "is rust of .you. This was all vory true, it, th samo time, J knew that we I too wicks'!. v: ;. ' tew weeks ago Parson Jui ,r. ii came slang, snd tank a s.-aik in 'ih our town and easy )hi M-Ve.-! . for a underfoot, tad we:e galnta lllOOt ih'V ? Til J7 !'t iM;' . ", panoy Jna jjusticfe -JSU "What's the matter nowf Oh, mors cumahaw, la It? Well, I suppose they've a hard Job to get him here, so give them two Mexicans for the four of them and tell them to keep quiet. 1 suppose It would be beneath the dignity of the official to accept anything, wouldn't It?" "Oh, yea, sir, he couldn't take any thlnig openly before the coolies, but ID Just slip a five-dollar note into his sleeve while they're looking the other way, sir. and that will make It all right with the dignity. He'll save his face and the money at the earns time." "Well, what are the beggars saying now? For goodness sakel They dont want more, do they?" "Oh, no, sir, they ars Just expressing their thanks to you, that's all." "What's this Tang something they're always saying?" "Why. that's -Ocean Mandarin.' sir, their politest title for you all." ... "Ocean Mandarin! Do they take us for admirals or navy men of any kind?" "Not at ..all, sir: the word "Ocean' simply means foreign' and applies to anyone who comes from across the seas to China: and, not knowing your exact rank, they simply say 'mandarin and that covers it all." The native officer drew-from his belt a bunch of curious brass keys and lift ing the double curtains called to two i mi imwiwr. lie suuriea oaca ana mrow-i in up both his. hinds wildly Into the Hure enough, he was gone chains. hand-cuffs, pad-locks, and alt But he had left something very significant be hind him ; something gruesome and tale telling that would add a ghastly interest to the mystery of bis going. "w net's inisT- cried Brownlow. ss reaching Inside he tried to draw forth from the back of the chair a bloody knife that had been plunged evidently with great force right- through the cushion Into the wood behind.-- He worked It loose and holding It up to ths satonlshed gate of his deputise saw that It was not a dagger such as the old warriors, carried but a common sharp pointed csrvlng knife such as Is used by the ordinary Chlnsss cook In ths kitchen. "Is this murder or is this a threat and a warning?" "Both. I reckon," said Mackintosh, "but what's that piece of psper sticking to It?'' The Captain drew from the blade a piece of yellow paper with Chinees symbols upon it. He was about to aak ths Interpreter to read It when he sud denly changed his mind and folding II carefully It carefully up placed it In his wallet and added signiftcaintly : "There's Just one pair of Chinese eyes that's going to look at that for me. and Wang Foo'e ths man that owns them. Here I Wrap this knife carefully up In your handkerchief and take It back with you to Headquarters,"- hs said, as he handed the weapon to his deputy, "and mind you don't loss those rash that ars tied around ths handle, see?" The Captain entered the sedan and striking a match looked around very carefully for any further signs of ths prisoner or of bloody legacies that hs mignt nave left behind, but there noming wnstever to be seen thing inside seemed so be in perfect order. He stepped out aa-ain and nr. dered the deputies Immediately to place me your chair-bearers and the officer under arrest as they were on British sail and Would be needed aa wltneaass If not as Important accessories to the crime. Alas! Ha toss jut les 1st They, also, hsd vanished like the mys terious occupant of the chair. The mo ment thsy realised what had hannaned. each one fled In a different direction "rung-M-JTBSa-Pok" (East-West-South. North, thsy screamed, and to these various points of the celestial compass iney eeampsrea, tnrowing awav their official hats and Jackets aa they did so, iur mey anew only loo well that the sword of ths executioner would be await ing tnem v they were caught Ths tail of ths Mongolian pony waa the only thing left In eight aa ha disap peared over the bridge; of the Bllver Cloud with his rider, who likewise bade very unceremonious farewell to Hla Brltannlo Majesty's dominions. "Wsll." remarked ' ths nhllnarmhu.i Mackintosh, "Mr. Ung Took has cer tslnly been "took", and all that's left for us now Is to find out who did the taking. I suppose. Captain, we'd better lug this sedan with us back to Head. quarters.' ' By all means. It will form an lm.w. tant link In ths evidence that Is. if we ever get any evidenoe." Four wharf coolies were auleklv hlrl and the green sedan was carried on board the Hong Kong ferry-boat fol lowed by the police party who were re turning gather crestfallen minus tselr r-xpocted prilaoner. but aruardln mm carefully two rather important meraen- "e to mm, namely; the magistrate's official transfer and the blood-stained kitchen knife with Us mysterious slip which mad them put up thsir guns without any shootla'. Psrsoa Norton lya very humbje man. but he ain't ruing tQ allow anybody to shoot at his heels for the fun of the thing "We' hsd talk in ths hack -room of the Red Dog Baleen. The Parson said he would do so snd so If ws would de so and so, He said that If ws kept on-with eur wickedness we would surely meet the fate of Bodum and Gomorrow, . did not waat to see yeu sll destroyed, and t did not want to he destroyed myself, f went around nmong -'.. end by soft talk snd tVaia raised enough moaey te build it.e I'areen a masting house. It ft not a thing of , beauty, outside r iia. tW it answers th purposs. When I he sua all to ha i,ar. if .i .... -. -TT u Qr Mi. nam"; -''rs. una a Ushted cigar in you of yelulow paper and the string of cop per cash. J ' V- s The preceding chapters of the story, up to ths time of the discovery of the empty sedan-chair by Captain Brown low and his officers, were briefly as fol lows: Ah Fam. faithful servant and number one house -boy of Mr. and Mrs. Morton of Peak Road Terrace, . Hong Kong, had mysteriously disappeared about two months before and, in spite of every effort of the police to trace him, he hsd failed to reveal his where abouts. There seemed to be but two possible solutions, vis: either he had left for parts unknown possibly the Colo-flee or America to secure a raise of alary, or he bad fallen overboard from a sampan In the harbor, while crossing to visit his relatives on the Kowloon aide. 'About month after his disap pearance, however, an entirely new as pect was gtvsn to the case by the find ing of a yellow' paper parcel on the front door-step of the Morton residence with thee words written upon the cover, "For tht man who ovar-turnai eat- Hee-eowt". On opening it. It was found to contain the hat and gown of Ah Sam with a kitchen knife spotted with blood, and driven through a thick piece of red paper cut In the rough shape of a human heart I w i'-iw cu uuo me ranw op.irmpucwr"- Wallace of the police, with the result that suenlclon at once centered nn TJnv ,ek? -nTaiAri was reputed to have been the cause of discharging. , , ' The native detectives explained that the phrase "over-turning my rice-bowl" waa merely the current expression among servants for "engaging another man in ray place", and ths paper heart with the knife blade driven through It was delicate and significant way of saying, "This Is what I would like to do-to you-If I eouM get hold ofr, you." The enclosure of ths hat and ths gown which were positively Identified by Mrs. Morton and the servants as being Ah Bam s seemed to Indicate that Ung Took had secured his heart's desire and wreaked his. vengeance on the house boy. Now as all Asiatics have a habit after committing a crime, of returning, almost without exception, to the haunts of their nativs town or village prob ably with the Idea of securing the pro- piUaUon of their local divinities the authorities naturally sought for the missing cook In the Kowloon district and It was very long before they discov ered him eonoealed tn the arret of a bean-oil ahop which waa presided over by his mother's uncle. Two little street urchins had recognised him on day and volunteered, quit Innocently, to lead the yamen-runners directly to the house. He waa promptly seised and dragged by fhe cue to the yamen. where, in spite of his shrieks for mercy and the loud protestations of, his relatives and friends, he waa given a preliminary ba no booing "Just to quiet him down" and thrown Into a loathseome cell. The Taotat acting under Instructions from His fixeellsncy the Viceroy of Can ton (who was quite anxious for politi cal reasons to keep en good terms with the Governor of the Cplony). had mouths and two - gunatn your belt Ton acted a If you- thought we was going t open a circus or a sw dance halt Th next day t had you in court and lined you." "On th next Sunday you asm with, ut your guns, but yen smiled and winked at each ether all through .the sermon. A msstin' house with a ser mon goln' on is no pises for wlnkin. Th devil must of jjut you up to c. Th . next day I had the winkers in court, and, sgln. It was a fin. - "1 thought thle would stop the work and give religion a boost but f w mistaken. On the third Sunday. whet Prson Norton gsve a Gospel Hymn te slnar. you sll Joinsd In. Tou. sawed that hymn rtsht in twe; yen chopped It up; you shattered it full of holes Suoh alnchv was neve heard in 7 th House of the Lord before, i hadyoti In court next day, and every singer r - i 4 J' m ordered to have him handed over to ths English Police and arrangements had been made to meet them at the inter national boundary by the Bridge of tht Silver Cloud- on the very day that our Story opens. In the meantime, his relatives and acquaintances had left bo atone un turned to secure his release. Every dol lar in the native bank and every cash that could be borrowed or "squeezed" out of the business of ths family had been offered for bribes, but, strange to say, so far without success. As a last resort they threatened mob violence, and papers, attached to stones and tiles were thrown over, the walla Into the Magistrate's court-yard announcing that neither he nor his Jailers would ever reach "the foreign devils' " boundary alive. Late on a Monday evening two runners were sent out from the yamen: one bors-a message to all the tea-houses and gathering places of the town that Ling Took would be delivered over to the foreigners on Wednesday morning, and the other bore a sealed message to ths Governor that hs would be handed over at Ths Brldgs of the 'Silver Cloud at noon on Tuesday. The mob gathered early on Wednesday around ths ysmen gates, and, Increased from a hundred or .-.vi-,.,,h"i. ... ffi-; hS t - '' . pe'tw two to nearly a thousand friends, loaf ers, vagabonds, curiosity-seekers and all the rabble of a Chinese tn demanded In forcible terms the release of he Prisoners. . Suddenly a company of soldiers armed with spears and old fashioned muskets appeared at the en trance and with the beating of two targe gongs raised a banner with these words upon It: "Let all thepeopla take notice) By ordsr of Hi Excellency ths Viceroy. Ung Took the murderer was handed over td His Excellency the Governor of Hong Kong for punishment yetlariay morning. Let all the people now quietly disperse, or moat serious consequences Will follow!" Realizing then that they had been outwitted by their own offi cials, the crowd took the only satisfac tion that was left them. and. heaping curses and execrations upon the heads of all Iq th yamen, they threw all the y M P Le-sstri - ff -nk ... , -,J ; ' x. f --- judge Hoke Imposes Prayer-MeetmgFiiies paid a nn. Too ars here agin. Wbal fur? .Why, Parson Norton concluded that ws orter hav a prayer meatlr,' evsry Tuesday night H wanted to drive out old Batan as fast ss hs coujd, and bs is a Parson to hustle whsn lis take held of hi Job. There were signs posted up In ths Red Dog Saloon and in other Places about that prayer meet In', and I think I spoka-to at least fifty of you. Tou turned Out hlsrer Crowd than looked fur. but how did you bshsve youraelves when you got there? - Why, some of you got up and said you had been Very wicked men. but had undergone a change of.-heart. and soms of you got down and seemed to bs prayin' to yourselves. This was all hypocrisy. You have bin wicked men, snd are going to be right aloil.' and you have got to pay fur this falee pretense. - - j ?,InJjn Jim. stand upt Tou came tr! avallala stones over the walls Into the court-yard and bespattering ths whole front of the hall of Justice with mud. slowly and sullenly dispersed. Ths prisoner; on the morning before. having been securely Ironed on hands and feet, and having also been duly gagged to prevent an outcry, was In the Magistrate's presence chained to the chair of his Secretary's sedan and, the curtains being closely drawa, was smuggled out of ths town without srousing even the slightest suspicion. What became of him and bow, without disturbing: ths sedan in any way and without attracting the notice of his bearers who were both before him and behind him, he escaped and left the bloody knife in hla place, was a genuine' mystery,1 destined to baffle the minds of Chinese and Europeans alike, e e ' e e e In the upper room at No. t-f -I of ths Red Cloud, Wang Foo. the Prince of De-' tectlvss, was resting In bis bamboo chair after a day of father strenuous labors. Old Chang the gate-keeper had been dispatched with a messags to the Abbot at the TempleNif the Queen of Heaven and the Venerable Grand One, matron of the establishment, was boiling water In the kettle to have It ready for the ''.MS 'KlJ . a-. Vi i H TRACED IE CHINE-SE i CHARACTER FoR "CASH' tea-bowls when the visitor should ar rive. Of course he hsd been Interested In the rase, even long before Inspector Wallaoo called to consult with him about' It for thers was nothing concern ing the welfare of the community, es pecially In the matter of the administra tion of Justice, that escaped his notice. Disguised as an itinerant seller ei books, ha had-been on several trips to Kowloon across the harbor and had chatted with many a tea-house pro prietor and with underlings of the Mag. lstrats's yamen and had drawn out from them the, general consensus of opinion regarding the green ssdan and the mys terious disappearance of Ung Took, Referring to his little leather note-book, he had tabulated the various theories under three separate heads. First : Those who believed that he had never been put Into the chair at all, that the Mag- that prayer msstin' with twe poker I deck in your hind pockets, and yau stood up and said you was going ts lis th lif of an angel hereafter. Ten want right front that masttn' and sat In a poker game and wo ninety dollars. I want fifty dollar of that money." "Is that ths tax fur going to prayer meeun'T- asked Injun Jim. - "Ne impu dense, Jim. er I will daub! tha fine! After this leave ysur poker decks at home when ' yu com - to prayer meetln', and let tha good influ ene last you at least half an hour after you gat outside of the puildln'. " "Rocky Mountain Joe, yen also did some speaklq at that meetln'. Too said you had killed Ova tns snd number of Injuns, and yeu would kill no more, Tou further said that, while you might p'ay poker once Jn awhile, yeu Were not going to play It to win, except when the church needed. Ue money. Joe, you. are a sham. Tu don't ring tru. Tou lied whn you aid yon had shot five men lied rtgtit there In prayer meetln', Yur fin will istrato' had been bribed te release him secretly, and that the knife and" ths bloody paper were all- part of a well-thought-out plan to deceive the public. Beeond: Those who Insisted that the accompanying offloer had released him and had bribed or drugged the coolies while on the way from the yarnen to the International boundary, f Third: Theee who attributed It ail tOrTfcm Ming" or "Heaven's Decree" and ' be lieved that the demons of vengeance had spirited him away to the Court f To Wang, the Ruler of Hadea. Revolv ing theee all ever , in his mind, he de cided to refer them to his venerable friend and counsellor the Abbot, for nu one of them wss at an satisfactory to himself, although the Inspector and the police had . practlcsUly . settled their minds as to number two snd laid tht guilt at the door of the officer and the chair-carriers, whose sudden departure and flight only served to confirm their decision. . There was a knock at ths outer gats snd the voice of old Chang was heard calling: "Open from within!" The Ab bot entered and the yenersble Grand One received him with due solemnity. "Is the Master within the Palace Courts?" he asked. "He awaits your Higness presence under- our cottage roof," was the reply. Wang Foo at once descended the little stairs and after the ceremonial tea and pipes they mounted together to "The Hall of Quiet Meditation" which war ens of the euphonious titles of the Con fuslan scholar's stndy. . "Wsll. what progress haw we made?" opinion," replied the host as he handed gfj-&l..'Vi The visitor drew out from his sleett sn ancient spectacleHcaas of shark-akin and slowly opening a psir of crystal goggles adjusted them to bis eyes. He read alowly and carefully and then said, as he laid the book upon the table, "No one of these is correct. No on of them satisfies my ml nil There Is something underneath all this which neither ths public . nor the police know anything about. Tou noticed the red cord which was tied about the knife-handle How many brass cash did It have upon It?" "Exactly Ave." "Tou have here the upper curtain of ths sedan, have you not?" "Tea, I borrowed It from the police yehteroay as you requested." "Good! Let me examine it carefully. Tou notice the email cash embroidered In the corners? They are also exactly five, r Now look very carefully at ths red seal In the Center of the paper through which the knife was plunged, do you not see the dim outline of five sepnrats cash?" - . Wang Foo looked up and his met the Abbot's. He knew- from his tons that they were on ths eve of s great discovery. "Apeak on, apeak on. venerable Father." he cried In his eagerness, "tell me, I pray you, what secret is in your mind." The Abbot hesitated a moment and glanced around the room. "We ars safs nereT- "AhsdluteljTso."" "Close the window and draw the cur t&tn, for we. know not where human ays and ears may lurk." He took a brush and dipping Jt In ths in. traced upon the paper before them the Chinese character for "cash". He iiviata tns two halves apart with an. otner wusn or red, snd ss he did so ssld: "It la KO. the same sound ss brother, the meaning is clear, ft Is ths secret order of the Five KO'e or Brothers and the Ave rash constitute thsir mystic sign. This whole thing Is the work of the BrotherhocM and It only remains for s to find out exactly who are In It and. why they released Ung Took." ' "Tou believe, then, that the sedan Is th special property of the Brotherhood and la used for their secret-meetings?" "Most certainly I do. It is used to carry the trusted ones to th plsce of meeting and there I some way by which thsy can enter and leave It without de tection, and" hs added with ee pedal emphasis U toss by fast cav last Vmt Took soaped. Go to Headquarters tomorrow and examine ths baa of ths chair and especially the floor-boards and report to m In th evening at ths -rsmpi.- It was late In the evening of the fol lowing day whsn Wang Fso entered the Abbot's private apartment and reported to him ths results of ls Investigation. H had found that Instead of being securely nailed on as usual., th entire floor-boards war In a solid fram and Wat an releasing two wooden pins, wiucn couia n easily pushed out with th hand the entire Inner chair could be removed without touching th rest of th sedan. H sxplalned It all care fully 9 hi host "Exaetly what t supposed. Po f wfc sedan were placed over a trsn-door the chair and Its occupant could slip through n witnoui oisturolng even th curtains, could they not?" "Venerable Father, It Is as you say." Ths Abbot went en: "Now, some where between the Msgistrate's and th Bridge of tha Silver Cloud, that Sedan was stopped, no" he added moat significantly with gesture of his P 119. :.:i-; oig sien, ian up. .you stood up and wiped your ayesas It there were taera In thenv Tau said you bad a sear aid mother In th East, and though yeu was a wicked manr you had not forgot aU har teachings. She wag wondering wher )ir boy Is to night and hoping that b was dead, that he bad gone to Heaven. Her h as weighing almost half a ton,-and living in the midst of wickedness. Ton felt tumble-when you thought of It. Two her after prayer meetln' was out you was whsepin' through Sandy Bend with gun In either hand. All that you said in ha msstin' was put en. Tau didn't feel a bit of It la your heart- It Is a lln at fifty dollar, and den't ya play th earns gaan agin. "Judge Baker, you stand apt Thsy all you 'Judge' because yeu ars a good Judge of whiskey. Too are la ay and worthless, and keep th company f. bad nan. Ton would Ilk to be known as a Bad Man yourself, but yeu haven't the energy. Whan you were kneeling down I saw you tak a shew of plug uplifted hand "the chair and its con tents -"went Tlown through -thnfrspv The prisoner was then unbound, ths knife snd, the paper plunged through the cushion snd the chair returned to . I oi place asain before the bearers moved on! ' Do you see It now?" "Venerable Bagacjoua One, I do." "Ws need only one link more in ths chain.. We must find the exact bouse In front of which ths bearers rested " with their burden. We must mark the spot carefully for It will not only givt us the 'clue to the Ah Bam murder ess but which Is of far greater Importance to our country It will enable us. to reveal to the Viceroy the much looked for secret meeting place of those dan gerour. Insurrectionists, ths Brotherhood of the Five Brass Cash." . . . s ' e e-e .e Within lees than ten days from ths . meeting of Wang Foo and the Abbot tl.e Viceregal authorities at Canton had accomplished the unearthing of-the headquarters of the rebels and ths ring leaders were safely lodged In the Pro vincisH prison. A careful investigation revenled the following facts: ' . : First: The sedan had stopped for tils usual ten-minute "tea and amoks" in front of the "Rest House of the Heavenly Genii" not a hundred yards from the old city gate of - Kowloon. When the bearers put it down, the poles Just touched the -edge of the reet-houss sign, the front coolie lndlcs.Ung the place very carefully. .This brought ths bam of it directly over. the trap-door In the sidewalk, which was made of a hnavy piece of timber swinging on an mi eiW-'-ttitsttfodta-eaawr nam- been carefully Instructed by his superior tnan tne Magistrate's Secretary; the other coolies were entirely Innocent. Peoond: Ung Took was taken down through the trap, released and sworn in as a member of the Brotherhood as a reward for his safety, and th bloody l-nife and paper plunged through ths seat-cushion in the chair, which was then pushed upward and fastened In its place. Being an offldaj chair, it was very heavy and the difference In weight wns rot noticed by the bearers. : Third: The Magistrate acted tn good faith and was entirely innocent . The Secretary, himself an Important efScei of th -Secret Brotherhood, auggestsd the use of th official chair, having been bribed by the relatives of th prisoner to secure his release in some way. H was accustomed to attend the weekly meetings of the Order by being carried to thle spot la the sedan, and aftet entering the trap to substitute another person in the chair, who waa then car ried by the unsuspecting coolies te tht ferry-boat and continued on hla way te ' Hong Kong for the night returning tht sams way before daylight in th morn ing. The uniforms being identical, th Chinese, fffficlal hst was pulled dows over his eyes snd a pair of large horn ' goggle prevented the coolies from rec ognising any difference In th face. Ol . course he never a poke to them, so then waa no danger of detection from th voce. all directions as to time, etc, hav ing been given before s. lea vinlg tht yamen. , . ' , . e ; a e "But what actually became of At Bam?" Inquired Inspector Wallace oi Wang Foo, when tha latter had com pleted his final denoument In th Offici at Headquarters. "Did Ung Tool actually murder hlra or waa h drownei in th harbor?" "Nslther." replied the detective, "th. two knives and the paper hearts wen merely threats to keep him away frorr the Colony. They frequently scars cacl Othsr out of a town that way." " "Well, where is hs now? Has hs ever turned up?" "Just now." replied the Man of Mys tery, aa he glanced at bis watch Jus now tt la a quarter to ens, and I imar - tt h is engaged In ths peaceful occu i stioo of passing the soup In ths dlnini room of the Khan&hai Hotel, for" hi added with a smile, "that is where h b now serving as the number-two boy." "And whst of Ung Took? Will hi slip out of thsir hsnds aa h did out a ours? -Thsy caught him when thei raided the den, dldnt they?" 'o, n happened to ba awav on th, any that they seised the others,- am none of ths Brotherhood would divlug. pis wnrresDOUta." -1- - v "Well, where do you yourself thin) he la? He surely wouldn't go back t th oil-shop again, would he? Whai do you .think has become of him?", "I might answer that question ver appropriately In tha words of ths Clas t slcs, Mr. Wallace. Do you recall whs PSnoctus said to the great Tee Lm when h asked him where ths old eoofc hsd gone? It Is written In on of th last chapters of The Analects." " lam afraid, Mr. Wang," replied ths Inspector ,"thel my recollection of those old philosophers Is a trifle rusty. What was t th old sags aaid?" "Why. simply this: ths lord of- ths hltchsn who had killed ths fowls and dressed ths millet and feasted ths dl- ' elples, had mysteriously disappeared and Tie Lo asked the Master where he thought h had gone, and the Master merely replied In hla terse and dignified way, 'Tlif CUli: -h II BlDlh'Qf teVbaeoa ' and counting ' asms ehsngs you had in your pocket Tou wasn't thinking of Heavenly thing at alt I think a fln of twenty dollar wui aBeut fill yaur ease. - . "Queen of the Alf. stand up! Tou belong to a soneart hall. Tou came to that prayer meeting out of curiosity. Tou cam te se if It was anything like concert performance and you hadn't one thought of Heaven or your soul's salvation.' I saw yen wink at Danetn' -Frank pad caught you tauthln' several times. Tsur aurioslty will cost yeu twsnty-flv dollar. i......i..,..i...:.:..'..,7:" "Now, my frena, this prayer mesttn'jr I gojn' to ba a go, Yoq can uks it from his that it Is. I m1 sayln' that you bay M turn out svery Thursday night, but you had bsttsr show up thsrs purty eften or ther , will ks trouble, Ws r still goln to ontlng to b a wicked town, but w ar going to b good enough to keep - aU ths arthquekee and volcanoes away. This segrt i now sojourned, and you had best go out and think som thinks, and com to a happy conclusion," 1 :
The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 20, 1919, edition 1
12
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