Evening Star Newspaper, February 27, 1921, Page 64

D. C, FEBRUARY 27, 1921—PART 4. HE BUDDHA’'S TOOTH W ELL, here we are at last!” exclaimed MMrs. Fairbanks, as she drew her wicker-work chair 274 giearer to the edge of the hotel veran- and felt .the- stimulating breeze asblowing over the blue waters of the o ToMarbor. *And so this is Hongkong. the ‘Beautiful Island of Fragrant % Waters' what a lovely and peaceful “umpot to rest-up in after our long voy- 14 “Yes, madam, it is certainly peace- ~ ful and restful, as you say, but I sup- pose the Chinese poets gave it that flowery name in the early days of the sandalwood trees and all that, and before the mercenary Englishman built his bean-oil factory right on the edge of the water. Just at this par- ticular moment, with the wind blow- ing this way, the ‘fragrance’ rather suggests a frying-pan in an Ameri- can kitchen and not a bouquet of attar-of-roses.” “Why, Col. Clampton, how very un- romantic you are, 1 declare! I shall have to hand you over to Miss Mosher for a course in poetic imagination,” said the good lady to the prominent member of the party who had just come up from dinner, and was trying | vainly to light his Manila cheroot. Then, turning to the young man who was escorting Miss Mosher to a seat beside them. she asked. “Now. don't you think it's lovel Mr. Appleton?” “Why, ves, surely,” was the ready reply, “it must be one of the most beautiful spots in the world because, as Miss Mosher has just pointed out to me, our guidebook says so, don't you see?” “Oh, You men. you awful practical men.”’ smiled Mrs. Fairbanks: “what prosaic creatures you are! Can't you have any thoughts or admirations of your own without the guidebook? “Or without Smallkins, _either, chimed the three together; “he's been * thinking _our thoughts for us for over a month now, and drumming the beauty of this harbor into us since we left San Francisco.” added the young lady of the nd if we didn't gush over it will fall dead of disappoint- * % % % the Mr. Smallkins who was other peo- ple's thoughts for them was none other than the famous courier and ®uide of the Messrs. Merry Brothers’ Touring Company of Boston, who ‘was personally conducting (as the attractive advertisement announced) their semi-annual party to the orient. He had been in the business for a Iong number of years, and was con- sidered—at least, by himself and. his personal admirers—to be an absolute agthority on China, Japan, India and all the rest of the world lying beyond the 108th meridian. His wallet was filled with flattering testimonials from every variety of travelers, and the phrase “Smallkins says so” was considered the absolute and final ‘word on geography, history, climate, language, custom, steamers, rail- roads, jinrikishas, donkeys, sedans— in fact, anything and everything that a_tourist could possibly ask about. The personnel of his party on this special occasion was made up of eight New Englanders, who had booked at the Boston office, and Who were consigned to his care as far as Suez. Four of them had decided to remain over for another month un- der the care of his assistany in Japan, and the other four were now com- fortably settled in one of the upper stories of the new and commodious Vlc&gfl; ‘Hotel l:d Ho‘;zlklons' and might be_catalogued as fallows: No. 1—Mra. Cornelius Fairbanks of ‘Worcester, widow of the lale head of the Fairbanks Manufacturing Com- pany, a charming and good-natured soul, very gently down the de- cline _of years, somewhere between the fiftieth and the sixtieth mile- -stones. No. 2—Miss Geraldine Mosher of Freetown, a bright and attractive graduate of Smith College and of the ‘school of journalism, whose age was certainly less than half that of her companion and guardian. No. 3—Col. Overton Clampton of Pittsfleld, a retired merchant, who had left his dear wife at-their sumptuous home in the Berkshires. and who was doing thé “round-the-world” trip at the advice of their family physician. . 4—Mr. Frederick Appleton of Springfield. who had just received his diploma from Harvard after a =six- year struggle with a four-year course, and whose fond mamma thought it would be a grand thing for him to travel, and had consigned him to the Merry Brothers' care for a year. “I hope Smallkins isn't going to start us off on any sightseeing business for a few days vet” remarked the colonel, now that the cheroot was burning briskly (even though it had been lighted at the wrong end). “L for one, feel like lolling around here for & week. What do the ladies say?" “Oh, I shall need almost all of that to write up my articles on Hawail and Japan” spoke up Miss Mosher. ‘who was quite proud of the fact that she was making the trip as the official representative of the Freetown Daily Press. “Well, my dear,” chimed in Mrs. Fairbanks. “Smallkins says one can spend a very delightful ten davs here. There’s the peak. and the happy val- ley. and the Chinese town. and any number of interesting things. and pos- sibly @ chance for a garden party at the governor's mansion 7nd o “I move we cut out the social func- tion stuff,” interrunted Freddie (or “Appie.” as his English fellow travel. ers had dubbed him). “until I get my Jegs off. as the sailors say. and can walk around steady on solid land after all that rolling and pitching in the Formosa channel. And as for Smallkins. my motion is that we giva him a week’s vacation on full pay and let him go off and have a good time with his old cronies. He says the port is full of them.” The motion “was carried unanimously: the talka- tive Smallkins accepting the situation and leaving his charges to the tender mercies of the hotel proprietor and the Chinese servants. * ok x x fA T No. 5-5-5 in the Red Cloud alle: “% Wang Foo. the “Man of Mystery ‘(as he had come to be known among TOW accused of thinking the European residents for his mar- | wvelous ways of detecting crime), was resting in the outer courtvard after the evening rice, when suddenly there came a loud and persistent pounding ©on the outer gates, comnanied by cries of “Yow Ching Sing' Yow Ching $ing' (“An important letter’ An im- portant letter.””) Old Chang hurried ©ut from his cubbv-hole in the corner &nd, throwing back the wooden bolt admitted a coolie with a carefully wrapped packet in his hand. He un- yolled it and. taking out the letter Wwhich it contained. handed it with yespectful bow to his master. “Ah ®xclaimed the latter as he looked at the characters running up and down the red stripe in the middle of the en- wvelope, “it is from our venerable lord, the abbot of the temple of the queen of heaven. I will ascend to the Glade ©f Onlez Reflection and examine it carefully. And turning to the messenger. who was still panting from his long trip uD the hill, he said: “Ching 2o, ching #o. yiu wel sing, yiu sing’ Lao Chang. pao cha!’ (Please he seated, please be seated! There is an an- #wer, there j~ an answer—Old Chang your the ted'") He ciimbed the steep #iairs to his upper study and, light the lamp, proceeded to close the door @nd to open the temple letter. The contents evidently troubled him not a little. It inclosed a document from the | magistrate of the district of the P’ Yuer Shan (Pale Moon Hills) stating that all the people in the towns and vilages thereabout were in a condi- tion of great excitement, owing to the #udden and mysterious disappearance Srom its shrine of the sacred relic of *Foo Ya" (The Buddha's Tooth). HNow this in itself was a matter for k wildfire—that a party of visiting Eu- ropeans had stolen the tooth and car- ried it away to the Island of Fragrant Waters. Some villagers from near the shrine had brought the news from the island itself, where they said it was com- mon report, and so they had stirred up the people and the people had stirred up the magistrate, with the result that he either would have to report it to the governor at Canon, ®r the weople would organize a Fak Lien Tang” (“Band of Re- venge”) and march down on the ropean colony themselves. Either case would probably mean serious international complication and the | consequent finish of the magistrate, (and 80 he begged the abbot to use ! every influence in his power to pre- vent it. Would he not find_out, though prominent Chinese or Euro- pean friends. just who the persons were that visited the shrine, and if they had purloined the relic—proba- bly as a joke. which, he heard, was a playful way they had of appropriat- ing religious treasures in the east— would he not induce them to imme- diately. return it? He folded up the letter and, ac- cording to the custom of his country. returned it to the red envelope in which it came. Glanctng up at the little carved clock upon the mantel, he said to himself: “There must be no delay in this; it is not too late to go to the temple tonight. As my English_friends are so fond of say- ing: ‘There no time like the ®olden present. Old Chang was ordered to go to the nearby chair- stand and call two coolies for his “AND THEY ARE PROBABLY WORKING AT THE ‘SHEDDING OF' THE TOOT the local authorities to settle and would not have had any reference to Hongkong (seven miles away) had some one not started the story—which naturally had spread quicker than master’s sedan, and the messenger from the temple was told that Wang Foo would himself convey the answer to the abbot. In less than an hour's time the Man of Mystery and the Venerable Ecclesiastic were closeted together and discussing the contents of the letter. The officers of the colonial government and the general public were alike ignorant of their meeting, and yet upon the decision |and action of these two quiet men depended the peace and security of many, both native and foreign. For tactful diplomacy on the part of ama- teur diplomats has headed off many an_international outbreak. things.” said Wang Foo, as the in- viewed the notes in the little leather bool “We must find out at once four terview drew to a close and he re- Kirst—We must_visit_the Pak “First—We t Yuen Shan (Pale Moon Hills) and find out whether the relic of the Sacred Tooth really disappeared, or whether it was merely a cunning de- vice on the part of the priests—with an ulterior object in view. | “Second—We must ascertain ex- | actly who the foreigners were that visited the temple on that particular day. and then. “Third—We must manage to get out of them a confession as to what they really did do. if anything. Did they actually buy the Tooth, or did they carry it away with them for a joke, intending to return it, or did they ide it, or what? 5 “Fourth—We must—and this will be the most difficult of all—we must get at the party or parties who first started the rumor in the tea house her “Lao slen sang swo tek hao, ming tien hwei!” (“The elder-born eth well. May he return upon the Erightening day.” ie., tomorrow), was the approving answer of the abbott, as he bade his famous host good- night. o NOW: an a matter of fact, the four +N members of the Merry Brothers’ touring party had actually gone on a trip to the Pale Moon Mills (as Wang Foo easily ascertained from an exam- ination of the hotel register) on the very day that the Buddha's Tooth dis- appeared. so the second question in the above-mentioned list was an- swered at once, and it only remained for him to be made perfectly sure that they hafl not tampered in any way with the relic. 1In the absence, on a week's vacation and a visit to old friends in Macao, of tke redoubtable Smalikins, the trip had been engineered and carried out by Ching Ming, the head hotel boy, who already had a great reputation as a popular guide for tourists to Hongkong and vicinity. “More better vou go Palee Moon Hille nessetee (next) Fliday,” he kept urging them again and again, with moat seductive offers of comfortable transportation and his personal es- cort. “Eulopean man velly good look- see, one piecee Buddha Tooth, long time no can see ‘cause hav' lockee dat temple side; dis one day can see. Plenty pliestee him cally dat stree side all samee lidee sedan-chair Or. in other words, our oriental friend desires to announce to us that on Friday next, at the Pale Moon {Hills, there will'be the annual festi- val when the great relic of the Bud- dha's oToth. which is usually con- icealed 'in the inner shrine, will be 1carried in open procession through the streets. He also impresses upon us the fact that it will be an unusual op- portuity for us to gaze upon this famous treasure and he will be de- lighted to escort us. in the absence of Mr. Smallkins.” kindly interrupted Miss Mosher, who was already begin- ning to be very pround of her ability to interpret pidgin English into the language of civilized beings. “Well, as 1 shall have pretty well done up this town by Friday,” said Col. Clampton, when the question was {presented to him, “I suppose 1 might as well go along. otherwise Smallkins jwill be sure to make the rest of the trip miserable for me by telling me, morning, noon and night, that I have imissed the great sight of my life.” I And I need hardly say that of course you will bo with us, Mr. Apple- | ton, in spite of the fair attractions at the tennis party t afternoo i chimed in Mrs. Fairbanks. “Oh, sure, You can count on me to stand by the ship, every time an- swered Freddie; “in fact, you know, I think these English ‘tennis rackets.’ | as our friend at the consulate calls | them, must be regular bores from what' they tell me. And I am sure that fifteen miles on horseback will be aw-ful-ly jol-ly, don’t-cher-know.” (Imitating as best' he could the high Anglican accent.) “Oh,” we won't have to ride the whole fifteen. Ching Ming says be will send the horses over the day be: fore to a little town that is only four miles away from the Hills, and we can go over after breakfast ‘and meet them there.” hastened to explain M Mosher, who had become most, en- thusiastic over the trip. So the regrets of the four Americ visitors were duly sent to the te party (some of whom returned Fred die's compliment by looking upon all tourists as “regular bores”), and Fri day morning found them on’ the hotel launch steaming down the harbor in the direction of the Pale Moon Hills The colonel took a comfortable scat in the nearest spot to the launch’s center of gravity that he could find Mrs. Fairbanks, feeling that tne re- sponsibility for the party's pleasure and comfort rested entirely on her, spent her time in'going over, with Ching Ming and the boys. the various baskets and bundles that contained the eatables and drinkables for the picnic, and Miss Mosher and her gal- lant escort were left to enjoy the two wicker chairs in the stern. “It's really lovely in Mrs. F. ways spoke of her by her injtial when they were alone—to give us this p nic, but it seems an awful lot of trou ble for just an old tooth, especi when 1o one knows whether it's uine or not. Why, you can sce glass cases full of them in front of alm any old quack dentist's in an Ameri- can town.” “Oh. you prosaic men!" as Mrs. Fair- banks said to the colonel, “vou really haven't a bit of the proper kind of romance in your make-up.” ‘Oh, yes, I'have,” exclaimed Freddie fearing that the well merited rebuke might interfere with the real romance of the trip; for just between ourselves it w: the attractive presence of the representative of the Freetown Daily Press that had induced this genial young man to continue down the coast with the Smallkins party, and not loiter & few months away in the fair lotus land of Japan. “I'm just full of the right kind of romance— you try me and see.” He placed his chair right alongside of her and, sud- denly assuming the voice and’ ges- tures of some gay Romeo, began, “Behold. how rapturous is our envi- ronment! Overhead the golden orb of day glistening in all his regal splen- dor and beneath us the blue waters of the loveliest of bays! Behind us towers that majestic peak whose sum- mit kisses the silver clouds, while in shadowy foreground loom up the Pale Moon Hills, their sylphlike forms draped with the purple haze, their ethereal outstretched hands seeming to beckon us to our destiny—Our Destiny—oh, why should we longer delay?” Now, now is he time to “Have a ham sandwich, cried a voice from amidships, as the colonel sent the waiter aft with a plate, This very prosaic interruption, accompa- nied by Miss Mosher's “Freddle! Be have yourself; you don’t realize wi you're saying.’ brought the romance test to a sudden end, but not without leaving a golden aftirglow of hope in Romeo’s heart, for Juliet had actually gone o far as to call him “Freddie,” and h }mewfx:az if she was only un of im. she wi av called him “Appie.” anlg Have The picnic proved all Fairbanks and Ching Ming had want- ed it to be. They had a glorious day and a splendid view of the great Procession from an improvised grand- 8stand, which a couple of dollars had erected in a remarkably short time. There were no ends of priests in gor- geous robes, all kinds of flags, b ners, RONgs, cymbals, firecrack and everything that couig Tistes ool tive eve and disappointment itself. which, instead of beiag the normal size of a humun dental w some eight inches long by some inches wide and evidently to the skeleton of some un todon. » o that is Buddha's original too in it?" asked the colonel. smilinely o Ching Ming. “Well, all'l have (o is 1’hope he tool ughing-gas vhe! they pulled it ol “Nob'longee Chince side; Wlongeo Indee side; long time ago hav' e dis uide. i e “Ah, I see it's not a native fraud: it's an importation from Indfa, is it7 1 suppose we shall see lots more of them when we get there, eh”" “Indee side man talkee piecee tooth hav' got.” n t that Mrs. ar. was the actual r heir 1 only six belonged neient m: T y n plenty “Well, now T can understand why they all are vegetarians. A tough elephant steak wouldn’ stand any chance with a pair of grinders like that.” Fortunately the two ladies did not overhear these remarks and simply replied to Ching Ming's assertion that | “Buddha he bllongee velly big man “Yes, of course, and tiiese simp hearted creatures have adapted the size of the tooth to their ideal con- ception of him.” after a sumptuous lunch and a ride through some of the neighboring villages, the party returned to the shore and, boarding the launch, start- €d off across the bay for Hongkong, As they all occupied chairs in a row while Ching Ming served the after- noon tea, the continuation of the Romeo and Julict scene of the morn- 8 tickle the na- | ) A Wang Foo Story by Sydney C. Partridge know it, several lives will have to pay for it. ‘“Yes, that is most important, most important!” repeated the abbot as he rose to depart. * K k% ¢JJERE'S an old friend and ad- mirer of yours come to see you. He really is a most wonderful bird, Miss Mosher. Why, he just leaves our American parrots in the shade!” dragged out onto the porch a large bamboo cage. “He would leave any kind of bird in the shade’" smiled the young writer as she laid aside her pencil and paper, “for he is certainly blacker than the imp of darkness himself. Why, it's the bird that talked to us at the wharf! But what did you go and buy him for?" “Not what did I buy him for, Miss Mosher, but who did I buy him for? Why, just look; he’s calling to his new mistress now.” As she said the words, the raven, sleek and black as the o: that croaked out “Nevermore” to the WE ARE TALKI )ing was necessarily postponed to a I more favorable moment. | * k& ok BEFORE Wang Foo had his next interview with his old friend, the abbot, he had made a pilgrimage to| the shrine at the Pale Moon Hills, and there had, while in the disguise of a peddler of native jewelry, wan- dered in and out among the priests and people and ascertained every- thing that he could about the disap- pearance of the Buddha's tooth. He poet, hopped out from the open door to the lady’'s feet and said almost s distinctly ‘as the boy, “My chin-ch you! My chin-chin you! (How d'y do? How d'y'do!") “Good gracious, You don’t mean t you bought him for me? Why course, iU's perfectly lovely iz you fo think of me, but how in the world am I going to drag him and that mon- strous cage around the globe with me? “Oh, you won't have to drag him he'll § love to o of hi wn cord. " Now, just watch n sk him Here, Pluto, old chap. w consider it the greatest in remarked Freddie, as the room-boy | the world to travel with Miss Mo? sher?" “Can do! Can do!" croaked out the raven. “There; what did I tell you? Could you find a more enthusiastic admirer than that? Why, he’ll furnish lots of entertainment for you on your whole trip, and the Chinese say that he is such an affectionate creature, deep down beneath all those black feath- ers, that he’ll grow to like you more every time he sees you." “Mr. Appleton,” she said, picking up the bird, which really was very tame and gentle, from the floor, “Mr. Ap- ton—"" “Good gracious,” he interrupted. “have we got to go back to that old ‘Mr.” business? Why, I hoped we might have an occasional sprinkling y of *Freddie.’ or even ‘Appie,’ after the picnic.” 3 “Well, if you force me to it, then.” ! sha said, looking straight into his face. and v suppressing a smile, “Frede Gee, that's almost as bad as the Mr. Why. even the bird can = “ay, ‘Freddie. old chap, Fredd The raven, who was certainly quicker to imitate than the average parroi, repeated. “Fred- die! Freddie! and, of course. Ger- trude had to yield “Well, Freddie. do you remember what illa d to John Alden when he went to speak a good word ! for Miles Standish?” “No, for tha life of me. T can't re- member, but I'll just run over to the library and look it up, while vou in- troduce Pluto to Mrs. F. and the colonel.” * k ko QO you think it would be wise to * stop ali Europeans going over to the Pale Moon Hills for a time, do you?' asked Sir Evington Beecham, the governor of Wang Foo, as they conclnded an important interview in the inner office. ot only wise. but ahsolutely es- sential. your exeelleney.” was the re- can testify, from a personal it there. that the people are i such a state of excitement and un- rest still, that any little faux-pas on the part of a foreigner—and cer- tainly the common accident of the wounding of a child by a stray shot from a hunter's gun—would throw them into a condition whera they would be beyond control and very serious results and possible loss of life would follow." tacAnd how long do you think it will ast " I have good reason to believe that | it will not be man the temple will recover the relic and explain its disappearance sa torily “Very well, then.” said his ex: lency. “I and my colleagues have su perfect confidence in your good jud ment on all native Guestions—espe cially when the welfare of the colony is at stake—that if Inspector Higgins agrees with us we will have a notice put in the papers tomorrow.” And th was_the motice: “Owing to a much-disturb. 4 con- the Pale Moon Hills, H. K., the gov ernor. feels it his duty warn all residents and tourists against visit- ing that part of the mainland until the present excitement is completely over.” “I'm going to get out of this place tomorrow.” {the reason for the motice was ex- plained to him by the American con- sul. Do these people actually that respectable Americans come their old tusks or any from their temples? Why be mean enough to steal even my own {grandmother's false teeth, to say nothing of the holy Buddha's™ “Don’t you remember saying an ithing out loud about buving 1t Buddha's tooth or carrying it away?” asked the consul. Nothing except that it might he worth $5 o carry it away and present it to some museum. buf. good heav- other trash ens that was only a joke." “Well. a joke sometimes is over- heard and distorted and may caus unthought-of trouble in this cot we are all to mect Mr th ven weeks and that | dition of things in the district around | %' said Col. Clampton. when | to their wretched old country fo steai T wouldn't | don’t worry about it until he explains things.” \ *x % % A XD when the assembled company, <1 whom the detective had asked the consul to call together that eveming listened to Wang Foo's story, this what they h The was never It in the = that its might to were tr ng 1o China for j purpose. Tho Hindoos had by covered in tan boa £ house, d the tooth. with the enamel chi ped off and ifs surface covered with r n Americat i), was now lice, who and thus prople people think Was it any the picnic™ irbanks. put your minds t that It was sima v the tea smiled Wanz Foo, “now vou eret of it all. 1t eould Iso means “The for en away the Luckvy words ‘Fu Ya, you with a ve are the guilts * exclaimed the “Well, old bird vil omen after al seat by the side of 1 don’t care now we'll just change r0re’ of the Dot to the of Mr. and Mre. Fredericl parties astonished you' bpleton ™ And may shin o the happy ur path essing of stars ever 4y’ was the their ever-de- i The Last of the i Mohicans. N the days when the American In- dians were subletting large slices of the continent to anybody who had a handful of beads and a bot- tle of red eve, England and France decided to fight over lease rights. The French marched on Fort Wil- liam Henry, held by the English un- der a Scotsman named Munro, who sent out a C. Q. D. for able-bodied as: sistance, but got only a few boy scout Meanwhile, Munro’s two daughters. Cora and Alice, craving excitement, set forth to join their papa in the semi-finals. Accompanied by Capt Indian guide called Magua for short, found, somewhat to his surprise, that, while the people were quite one in their conviction that the foreigners had taken it away, the priests them- selves merely said that “it had mys~ teriously disappeared,” and this, to his carefully trained ‘mind was per- fectly satisfactory evidence that they had ‘made away with it themselves. Especially as they were careful to add the statement “that on the Day of the Buddha's Good Wish— whenever that might be—it would return of its own accord to its place in the cr. shrine. As he thought the matter carefully over at night, | walking out upon the hillside, he conclusion that it could | of three things—namely, { either they had sold it or rented it out for n pPUrposes to some otier templ 1ev were conceal- ing it for Sinister purpose themselves. areful inquiry among the s to whether any other forcigners had recently visited the shrine, and. while they Were quite positive that no white man had done so, they were all agreed that some dark-complexioned pilgrims, speaking broken Chinese, had - passed through there a few wecks before. “Ah, a little more light along our darkened way!” he said to himself, as he hastened back to Hongkong and his home. While” he had little doubt in his mind that the dark-visaged visitors were concerned in some very direct y with the disappearance of the c, he had not yet cleared ub the mystery as to how the report had started in Hong Kong that the Euro- peans had stolen it. Yet he had met several villagers who assured him that while sitting at a teahouse by the wharf. they had distinctly heard t said that ng Jin Tao Liao Fu “the ocean-men have stolen the buddha's tooth!"). This was quite enough for them to carry back the report that e one in the island knew it and was talking about it. Now how in the world could a rumor of this kind have rted in Hong- kong and actually been carried from jthere to the Pale Moon Hills, before ! {the people in the latter place had | thought anyjhing about it? Why this entire rev 1 of the ordinary meth. jod of conveying of news? For they didn’t even know that the relic had disappeared at all, until a commit- tes of village elders, to make them- Ives sure, went up to the shrine and demanded to see it, and were then told by the priests that it had *van- rel ished.” Yes, this was the question that baffled even the expert mind of Wang Foo, until he went in person to the teahouse by the wharf, and there caught the words from a serv- ant that gave him the answer and the key to it all, Well do well done!™ exclaimed the abbot, t in the upper room of the detective’s home that vening tor: and listened to his tale. The India_were looking for of the skin'” as they ucret Tooth of the Pure one. which they think takes place once in very hundred years, and they travel about from land to land until they find it.” “And they pay well for it, do they Vi from heddine of call it not “Almost any price that is asked, for it is cut up into little charms and sold to wealthy devotees." “And so you think the priests al- lowed them to take it away?” “Undoubtedly so, for you ses, the | Hirdoos being very suspiclous, would not trust that the enamel was gen- uine unless they could chip it off them- where do vou think they are now The abbot looked carefully around, as if to be sure that the coast was perfectly clear, and t leaning over his host, he whispered, “They ht here in the colony—not ten | minutes away from this house where we are sitting, and they are probTbly working at the ‘shedding of the toothskin’ while we are talking. r 5o good; we could not ask better progress than we have made. But now we have a most im- portant though very delicats task be- fore us, and that is see that the police keep the foreigners away from the Pale Moon Hills until the excitement blows over—otherwise we may have @ sudden uprising and before we | with Heyward, who was sweet on Alice, an | they chanced upon the trusty Hawkeye. and his bronze pla -nd Chingachgook, who father of Uncas, ns. other than thi I none | the last of the Mohic; * ok ¥ % “Listen, Hawkeve,” Chingy was saying. “I am next to last of the Mo- hicans, and Uncas he absolutely last. First Mohicans own this place. Then come Dutch. Give Mohicans heap hot |frewater. Zowie! ugh! Too much | woodcraft alcohol. Mohicans gone on {bum. Turn up toes. Zip! All gone. TUncas last.” | Heyward interrupted the prohibition oration to ask the way. Hawkeye, | seeing that they were trapped, led | them to a cave, while Magua disap- | peared into the unshaven scemery. The wretch soon tracked our heroines 1and heroes to their cave, where a des- David Gamut, they hit the trails through the thicket toward Fort Wil- liam Henry. Suddenly out of the underbrush gleamed an animated cigar advertise- ment—a hand-painted Indian. Either Magua or the tobacco trust was lead- ing them into a trap. It was well the Hebrides Islands are thousands of so-called “black houses” having neither chim- ney mnor window, a single door serving the purposes of all three. A member of the Carnegie Foundation staff, who recently trav- eled there, reports that in these cheer- less one-room hovels a peat fire is kept burning day and night and in the soot-begrimed interior the habitants eat and sleep. These houses in which the poorest of the islanders live are of undressed stone, piled to- gether without mortar and thatched turf. Because of rthe constert rain and winds the turf roofs must be frequently renewed, hence they are made so low that it ult to distingui; them sur- roundini rocky fields. The Hebrides Islands exc number, of which only on inhabitéd. Thirty of the s often di the from inhabited islands have a population of only ten souls each, while the Seven tiunters are a group entirely uninhabited, The population of the entire Hebridean archipelago is only twenty-eight to the square mile. They lie a few miles off the west coast of Scotland, the Outer Hebrides consisting of Le with-Harris, North Uist, South 1ist and Benbecula, while Skye, Mull, Islay and Arran are the principal isles cf the Inner Hebrides. Bathed in the warm waiars of the Gulf stream, the climate of the Hebri- des is warm rather than cold, consid- ering the latitude, and there is an average rainfall over the entire group of forty-seven inches per annun; which often mounts to over 100 incl at the coast. In spite of this, the islands are for the great part tree- less. Hope Moncrieff tells of a wom- an who, having lived all her life there, had no conception of a tree except that it must look like a cub- bage. They present more often than not a bleak monotonous aspect of rock (granite or gneiss), water, sand and bog, “where the sea is all islands and the land is all lakes.” A visitor ce- scribes their common features on half the days of the week as: “A dreary sky. & dreary fall of rain. Long, low fats covered with their and a batty singing teacher named | | perate carving exhibition ensued, the ammunition of our heroes having giv- en out. The wily scout Hawkeye slip- ped off toward Fort William Henry to secure aid, but Magua and his band meanwhile captured the girls and their companions. Magua nudged Cora in the short ribs. Windowless Houses of the Hebrides Islands own damp breath, through which the miserable cattle loomed like shad- ows. Everywhere lakes and pools, as thickly sown among the land as is- lands among the Pacific. Huts wretched and chilly. To the east the Minch, rolling dismal waters toward the far-off heads of Skye; to the west the ocean, foaming at the lips and stretching’ barren and desolate into the rain-charged clouds.” Potatoes, oats and fish are the | principal foods of the inhabitants, | with unfermented bread, and milk and | eggs for the well-to-do. Every log or plank washed up from shipwreck | by the sea is carefully treasured on | these wet and windy treeless isles to | malke the rafters of a human habita- tion. These hardships probably ac- count for the fact that the females ceed the number of males by 10 per t in the islands. able-bodied men evidently leaving for less-depressing climes. Nowhere on the islands can one go far without coming to lake or pool or arm of the sea. so deeply in- dented are all of the coasts. North Uist has an extraordinary harbor, Loch Maddy, a sheet of water not more than ten square miles, which, owing to its numerous deep inlets, has a coast line of 300 miles. St. Kilda, another of the dots on the orflinary ‘school map, is said to pre- sent the loftiest crag, rising out of the ocean on one side a sheer 1300 feet. The population of this lonely place numbers a few score persons. whose chief indust that swarm there. feathered, the sea them, the houses are ornamented by ! them; the ground is speckled b: like a flowery meadow in Ma: Occasionally there is a sun. Then the highlander sees beauty. The wild coast with its granite masses, its spare grass a brown-green, its sea- birds a snowy white and the ocean with its innumerable waves sparkling blue. And on summer nights, when the fishermen go forth, the phos- phorescent glow offers 'a splendid sight. “A stream of fire ran off each side from the bows,” says MacCulloch, “and the ripple of the wake was span- gled with the glowworms of the deep. Every oar dropped diamonds, every fishing line was a line of light, the fron cable went down in a torrent of flame, and the plunge of the anchor resembled an explosion of lightning. he air is full of js with the birds | is covered with | them | by, Anne Jordan “YOU COME, NO RESIST, BE SWEET PAPOOSE TO BIG SWEET PEPPER.” “You come. no resist, be sweet | papoose to big Sweet Popper. Then sister go home by herself, huh?> You ouble-dyed. stove-polished | varmint,” shrieked Cora. *I will not allow my sister to go home by her- sel “I should trouble my face.” grunted Magua, using the quaint Indian equi- valent of a popular song. ‘Have lady tortured, please.” Just as a persuasive redskin raised his tommy hawk to tap Alice on her conundrum cracker, a shot rang out on the still 3:45 air (p.m.). Crack! A redskin bit the dust. It was none other than our friend Hawkeye, ac- companied by Uncas, the last of the Mohicans: not forgetting his dad Chingachgook, the next to the last. In the contest that ensued nobody kept score, but all the Magua gang chewed the real estate except Mag himself. The captives were freed and in a short time entered Fort William Henry, where a real fight was progressing. Montcalm and his French and In- dains were too much for the English and Munro surrendered. The fort population were granted safe conduct to Fort Edward, but the sight of so many available palefaces roused the envy of the Indians, and all the wom- en and children save our heroines were scalped. Magua, who mnever overlooked a bet, was present and captured Cora and Alice. Munro, Hawkeye and Heyward, who had nussed the massacre, returned to find the girls missing, and picked up the trail of the villianous Magua. They came to an Indian village, and Hawk- eye. who had the instincts of a clever detective, disguised himself as a bear and roamed around without molesta- '~ HER tion. Heyward got by in the costume of a medicine man. Gamut, t sing ing te had escaped merely by being the Indians liked that sort o A They found Alice a prisoner, and also Uncas, the uitimate Mohican. Un | gathered an army of Delaware In- dians to go back and free Cora. Ma- | gua's forces were crushingly defeat- |ed, but the vengeful Indian grabbed Cora and ran off with her to the mountains. Uncas, Heyward and Hawkeye pursued them heatedly. Standing of a ledge adjoining a con- venient precipice, Cora saw the jix was up. She didn’t have a sweetheart anyway, and she knew she was no good to the plot. cried Magua, raising his pork chop whittler, “choose—the wig- wam or the knife Whoof! Uncas, the last of the Mo- hicans, thudded down beside them. having jumped half-way down the mountain to be present at this excit- ing sceme. Uncas couldn’t get up in time to escape being knifed, and both he and poor Cora took the count. The evil Magua leaped several fis- sures, but lost his foothold and grasp- €1 precariously at a bush that grew out into the precipice. He pulled him- self up slowly. Crack! 1t was none other than ous faithtul Hawkeye's rifie that spoke. Magua shook his fist defiantly he shot thechutes down the prec pice, but it Yidn't do him any good when he hit the bottom. ik " LETTERS By Paul Ginsty Transiated From the Freach by WILLIAM L. McPHERSON. IERRE VIRIEU, the historian, had shut himself up for the day in his library. He had given orders to admit nobody. Nevertheless, his valet entered the room with a knowing smile and an- nounced one of those unexpected call- ers whom it is simply impossible to turn away. “It's Mme. Charlotter™ “Bah “Monsieur understands that I couldn’t refuse—— i “All right,” said Pierre Virieu. a little un.ngoyed by the liberty Wwhich jhe valet, long intimate with his master’s_affairs, had taken. He got up out of his chair and prepared to greet the visitor. Charlotta Lantier! The memories she recalled were charming, undoubt- edly. She had been distinctly high bred, original and truly feminine. His friendship for her had not been with- out clashes, though it had lacked any Teal passion. To him it was now only an agreeable recollection. The break between them had come almost of itself. He hadn't Seen Charlotte for more than a vear. He had heard of her only indirectly, in chance conversations in which peopie spoke of her talent as a painter and of her curious sincerily of vision. He had practically forgotten her, although at first such forgetfulness would have seemed to him unnatural and impossible. * % ¥ ¥ CWT‘I’E LANTIER was visibly affected. There was a slight tinge of color in her pale face. ~You are surprised to see me,” she said. “Be seated, please. Charmed would be a better word.” h! Pierre, you say that without conviction.” She smiled, but with a faint sug- gestion of melancholy. “How feelings change! It is less our |fault than that of our poor matures that we don't want things to last. But we loved each other all the same.” “It is a sacred memory, Charlotte.™ There was a silence. Both were em- barrassed. She pulled herself to- gether and Legan. “It is curious that T should come here to say the word which puts a definite end to our little romance. 1 know well that you will offer no pro- test. And as for me, my mind is made up. Possibly you have already heard that I am going to be married.” “You are’ “Yes. Is it love or only friendship which I feel for the man who is to be my husband? In either cass, I put my life confidently in bis hands. You don’t know him. He is not of our world. His name would mean nothing to you. I came to say good-by.” “You know, Charlotte, that I wish you happiness with all my heart May you be loved and appreciated as you deserve to be:” \ She looked him straight in the eyes “You think, perhaps, that I couid have been that man. loving you and understanding you better?” “No; no reproaches, my friend. Don't’ let's talk about what's past. And don't let's try to deceive ou selves with phrases. Let us end the matter smilingl. She looked about the room, at the table covered with books and the pictures on the walls. “Nothing is different here. Only you and I are different.” Her eyes rested on a little secretary, ¢ tightly closed. (Continued on Sixth Page.) ¢ 1 E '