Evening Star Newspaper, March 20, 1921, Page 62

HE Nouse-boat party wh Con-| sul and Mrs. Hollow had | so thoughtfully arranged for | their American friends visit- iz Shanghai was, from every point of view, a complete succe The large and commodio craf h the firm of Barlow & had placed at thelr disposal, and which bore the significant name of Sing” or “Lucky Star,” was in lity little less than a floating hotel. Kverything was provided in the way of American comforts and the junk-tender which followed them had corresponding Chi-) nese accommodations for the cook. boys. coolies and other faithful at- tendants. The one tall mast carried a great square sail, which could be easily swung from side to side to ac- commodate the constant curves in the river, and which differed only from those on the native boat the fact that It was made of canva re. on about it by and net of matting. When the breeze died antirely out tho two great “yu- lows® or sculling oars would be swung over the stern, and the boat- man's family—six D in all— would take firm hold of them and, bending and swinging to the rhythm of an ancient melody, would Keep up a very réspectable speed. The party, which consi guests in addition to the consul his ever-popular wife. was made up of Mr. and Mrs. William Weath prominent residents of Providenc R. I, and their son George. wh ing just added to his literary It a diploma from the Boston Sch Technology, was’ deepl the subject of copper mini ! orient, and had induced his devoted| parents to take him on this trip around the world and thus give hin an opportunity for observation and etudy at first_hand Now, the Weatherb; only very loyal and ers of the leading v, but intimate per: pastor, had decided that the Rev Dr. Marcu$ Robinson was entitled to a vacation and rest (after eight long | years of faithful nd =0 had | invited him and nd | their daughter, M i pany them on a twelve-month tour around the globe. They had stopped over a fortnight in Honolulu, had done the cherry-blossom season in Japan, and now were having their first de- Jightful experience of house-boat life in Chinese waters, on their way_to Hangchow and the Grand canal after | an interesting two d stop in the | great provincial capital of Soochow. * x % % IX different travelers, of six differ-} ent ages, and viewing things from all varieties of standpoints, naturally gave expression to six different tastes. Of course, that is only what might have been cxpected and one could have jotted them down very easily from the six different remarks that floated out upon the quiet waters of the little lake, where the boatmen were looking for a safe and easy an- chorage. ow wonderful the held which these ancient Confueian etnics seem to have upon the native mind marked the Rev. Dr. Robinson. a depth of learning and teachi “Well, they may have a hold upon them, as you s: but there's one thing that never taught them yet. and that's how to roll a good replied Mr. Weatherby 26 the one which he was attempting to light began to crumple up_In his hand.. “How touching to hear those sweet little Chinese girls at the mission sing ‘I Want to Be an Angel’ wasn't it™ asked the reverend pastor's wife of Mrs. Weatherby. : “Yes, indeed,” she replied. “but it ‘wasn't half as ‘touching’ to me as that outrageous price which the curio dealer asked for those little bronze Buddhas. My! That would bring tears your eyes quicker’ than all the hymas in the world.™ “] presume that must be a ‘Pal Low, is it not. Dr. Holloway?” inquir- ‘ed Miss Robinson of the consul. as she pointed to a high marble arch a short distance away. “One of those famous structures erected in honor of widows of rank who committed sui- cide after their husbands' death?" Th consul, however, had slipped out his chair and gone forward to glve some orders to the boys, and so young Mr. Weatherby volunteered the an- swer in his place. “If that's what it is—and 1 guesi you must be right about it. for you have certainly devoured the guide hook—1_think it ought to be calle ‘High Low’ instead of ‘Pai Lo a mighty high ideal and a might Jow practice. say 1. And speakin of things high and low, what do you| say to & high Scotch and soda and a low lemonade, Miss Alice”" . “Delightful " said the sweet voice at his side. “On the one condition that you keep to the higher level yourself and allow me to walk upon the lower! The next day brought them to the end of the lake and to the entrance of the Grand canal spanned by the famous Bridge of Lions. This ancient structure of granite, erected centuries ago in the glorious days of the Tai Ching emperors, received its name from the two stone images of the king ©of beasts which guarded its approach from the morth. (It is never consid- ered necessary in China to place &ry, guards at the south, as only good and | friendly influences ever come from that direction.) The tourists were not only interested in the carved figures themselves. and in the curious stone balls which they rolicd around in their mouths after the manner of tongues, but in the legend of the neighborhood. which told of th pernatural preservation, «nd I o be called “Feu Sier” or the H fng Genii” Tt seemed that a great| mandarin of the distri sonally hostile to the governor of the province, at whose expense the bridge was built and kept up, ordered stone lions to be secrutiy removed aty night. carried out on boais and thrown into the depths of the ! The fol- Jowing morning xroans and wails were heard at carly dawn by the Jagers, and when they went ascertain the cause, to their but unspeakable delight, they fo the two lions floating on the surfa of the water and slowly drifting in to} the shore at their feet. Three diffe ent times the thing was rep three different times the pe ged them to the beuch up again on their pede vengeance of the god: mandarin and he ar were drowned in th welf-same lake by the upsetiin Junk in a storm. 'What a strange sto Miss Robinson. “That idea Vengeance of the gods see us everywhere we go. seeme. either ntionally dentally to be doing somethini to oftend them, and then in the end the gods come back and wreak their ven geance upon them.” ‘Well, that's ab stance of the remarked her father wonder if the Chl take serious offense at anvthing we foreigners did, and whether th would come down Wwith their vengeance upon us. P They most assuredly would. and probably with heavier punishment 1han they would upon their own coun- a of six and being mot out support- their friends of ng terrible doctor, exelaime of the| to mer Eve in a m and igion,” ds would ing Weather Jf fun to try it How shock to Lefore she addressing hin his personal 1 dh! I don't mean to du ar rea) bad or wicked, vou know ix, 1 don’t mean to co but just to do a litt wauld be irritating what sort of @ vengea sud or idol weuld wreak upon a for o wuldn't be »w that rather 80 b I thi interesting well, that suppose—in fact. over, it_would be | of the |legation at Peking and special orders some chance for us to test it befor 1ong." * ok Ok K | "[HE testing of the wrath of the na- tive gods came much sooner and in a far diffcrent way than either of them realized at the time. That very | evening they saw a crowd of vil- Ia and boatmen gathering around | th pproach to the head of the bridge. From the shrieking and yell- ing they naturally concluded ‘that <omething out of the ordinary had happened and so they sent the num- ¢+ two boy ashore to find out the ) the trouble. When he return- Hab 1t velly angly! joss man {alkee some man he makes stealee all ce lion him tonguee. No can { | | talkee any more. Sposee can catchee dat tiefee, must makee thlow him wa- ter side tie big stonee! “They evidently are in considerable excitement.” remarked Consul Hollo- way, “and it might be just as well for us to go a little further down the nal. Not that I fear any actual at- tack upon us, for I am not an alarm- ist at all, but I have been in this country long enough to know that it to irritate them unnec: n fact, that the old advice to the griffins is true nd what might that he?’ asked Robinson. Why, simply this: ‘In case of any trouble, always run in the op- posite direction!" " “And what do vou understand the boy to say is the cause of the trouble? n English is just so much B sl ““Wh; replied the consul, ‘“he says that the priest of Jthe little shrine across the way thére is in a state of great anger because some one has broken and carried away the little stone ball that the lion rolls around in his mouth for a tongue and that this prevents his talking and roaring. He threatens. if the culprit is caught, to tie a great stone around his neck and to drown him in the depths of lake." But they surely dorft suspect usof being guilty of a theft of that kind?" asked the reverend gentleman, be- ginning to feel just a trifle apprehen- sive for the safety of himself and family. “Apparently not ve replied Dr. Holloway thoughtfully, ~“but at any moment some one may raise the cry- that.the foreigner is guilty, and then it would spread like widfire and we should be mobbed before we knew it I think we had better pass. the word along to the low-dah (h 'boatman) to quietly slip away at.midmight—yeu see if we pull out now it might only excite their suspicions. As the evening wore away the ex- citement quieted down and the crowd gradually dispersed. umtil by 0 -o'clock the coast was entirely clear. All the party had gone below to thetr cabins, except Mr. George and Miss Alice, who were lingering for a farewell look at the Bridge of Lions, which they felt they might never see again. ou know,” he whispered, “I've a great mind to just run ashore there and 8 if they really did steal the little stone tongue-ball out of that critter’s mouth, or whether it is all « fake, as the boys say at home. Miss Alice, 1 double-dare you to go with Dr. Sir_ knight, your taunting chal- lenge is accepted?” she replied, just as anxious to gratify her curiosity as he was. So stretching a bamboo boat- hook from the deck-rail to the shore, he led her across the plank which the low-dah had left there. and in a mo- ment or two they stood by the side of the old stone image. He raised his hand and placed it in the lion's open mouth—sure enough, the stone tongue was gone and the king of the forest was speechless! As he stepped down from the ped- estal a_well aimed blow from a dark figure that had been crouching behind it felled him to the ground. Before the young lady by his side could even utter a cry for help she was seized and ed and carried by strong arms to a little skiff moored behind the shrine. Here she was deposited on the floor boards with no more care or ceremony than a bag of rice, and Lefore she had time to come to her senses and realize anything that was happening the boat and its burden were being rapidly sculled across. the lake! * ¥ ¥ ¥ HE North China Daily News just two days later startied the whole foreign community by the following head lines: Mysterious Disappearance of a Yolng American Lady! Was She Stolen, Murdered or Accl- dentally Drowned?” Then followed the account of the consul's house-boat party and every- thing that had occurred up to the time of the fatal evening by the Bridge of Lions. It told how the form of young Mr. Weatherby—all bleeding and un- onscious—had been found at the head bridge by the low-dah just as they were about to get under WAy, and how the most careful search fail- d to reveal any trace of Miss Robin- son. It told how xhey hurried back to Soochow and telegraphed from there to Shanghai and notified the na- tive offic who promised to send soldiers at once to the scene to inves- It told how the American doc- at Mission Hospital in Soo- chow had treated the patient and how it was not until he had brought him hack to consciousness that they learn- « that he and Miss Alice had gone ashore together to take a last look at the historic stone lions. At the American consulate all was confusion and anxiety. Official notifi- ation had, of course, been sent to the from the foreign office had come to the tao tai direct to immediately send very assistance that the consul re- quired, and Capt. Wheaton, the United States marshal, was to accompany them to the spot. A week of search- and investigation. = however, o comfort t» the hearts of tricken parents, and they up practically every aveling the mystery of er's disappearance. ~The trying thing of all was just the uncertainty of it, and they would felt it a blessed relief if they been really assured of her pne of the villagers or boat- n her: no trace of her -n found in the lake, | hope their mos THE SUNDAY RIDGE OF LIONS no longer visible!” Of course, no one of them ventured to give an out- and-omt opinion, for feir of being dragged before the mandarins and possibly submitted to torture, and so, in the usual Chinese non-committal way, they all mutually agreed to say nothing. That is, they said nothing out loud. but when the darkness fell and all was quiet in the little village homes, it began to be whispered about here and there that it was, to say the least, a most remarkable thing that the foreign young lady and the tongue of the lion disappeared at the very same time! Was there—could there by any possibility be—any connection whatever between the two? That was one of the questions that puzzied Jo- seph McArthur, chief inspector of the Shanghai police, and led him to de- cide, after conference with both the British and American consuls, that it was absolutely necessary to call Wang Foo in upon the case, for all the time and the trouble and the money expended upon the native offi- cers and constables had so far pro- duced absolutely nothing. So the cables flashed the call for the great detective to his modest home in the Red Cloud alley at Hongkong, and in less than twenty-four hours he was steaming northward along the China coast. * k¥ K « AH! Mr. Wang, I declare! The promptest man on all our force, if I may have the honor of including him in our number,” exclaimed the inspector as he greeted the man of mystery, who was just stepping out of his jinrikisha in front of head- quarters. “Delighted to see you, sir, but we didn't expect you for a day or two yet.” “I like to delay as little as possible when a life is at stake.” modestly re- plied Wang Foo. “and I understand, from the little I have heard, that this is a case of that kind, inspector, is it regret to say it is, si “Well, we have no tigie to lose. Let us go into the inner office and hear the whole story from beginning to end.” word, the two detectors of crime passed within and securely closed the doors. “You see remarked the inspector, as they came to the end of the inter- view, “there are several different pos- sibilities—" i “No,” interrupted his visitor. “there are fiot several; there are but two, and two only. She has either been drowned or kidnaped, and I am al- ready strongly of the opinion that it is the latter. But I don’t want that opinion to leak out, and so you will please consider it absolutely secret for the present.” “Securely locked and sealed.” as th post office men say of the mailbags smiled the inspector as he tapped the top of his head significantly with his pipe stem. “And you will start for the Bridge of Lions at once, I take it not at once; 1 must see all the members of the party first, and that will take severa] days, and then when I start for the scene of the tragedy” — he paused and waved his hand signifi- cantly from right to left, as the Chinese always do to indicate igno- rance—"why, no one will know it, don’t_you see?’ 'So back to his old room at the ba: ketmaker's home he hurried for a soothing bowl of tea, a quiet smoke and an opportunity to think over all that he had heard from the police. The next few days were spent in the consulate, where he was most cor- dially received by Dr. Holloway, and Wwhere every opportunity was given him to interrogate the members of the houseboat party—all except George Weatherby, who was still detained by the American surgeons at the hos- pital, though rapidly recovering from his injuries. He also made careful examinations of all the consular serv- ants who had accompanied the party, and who, by special courtesy of the provinoial authorities, had been re leased from imprisonmert and per- mitted to return to their duties. It only remained for him to find the boatman and his crew, and these he knew to be in durance vile in the old city jail. So, after a private inter- Slew with the patient at the hospital, e made his preparations to call upon his excellency the tao tai at his “ya men'" or official residence. Declining the kind invitation of the consu] to use his official sedan—for he knew full well that Chinese man- darins are always prejudiced against any native visitor that uses a foreign fonveyance—he engaged a complete outfit from a local furnisher and in the morning appeared at the ya men gates with uniformed bearers and Funners. He sent in his large red paper card to the office of the secre- fary and was promptly admitted to the hall of reception, where the in- evitable tea and pipes were waiting on the carved ebony tables. and from here, after a half hour's delay, he was ushered into the private inner cham- ber (known in the ya men as “Be- hind the Green Curtain"), where his old friend the tao tai was waiting to receive him. “Nien ya! Nien ya' Lao hiung tze hiang moo hwal pei yen! (*'Tis years! 'Tis vears, since the outline of my venerable brother has passed be- fore my humble eyes!") was his cordial welcome, and “Tai foo! Tai foo! kang tang!” (“Grand and is the honor, humble brother is quite was the corresponding answer Wang Foo, as they both bowed down to the very ground. After the ceremonial and the usual inquiries as to health and happiness, his excellency rose and asked: “Is it in the interests of the brotherhood 2"’ Wang Foo did not answer by words, but drawing the lighted taper from his pipeholder, he made three circles of fire in the air, and in the cent drew the mystic symbol “tao,” the cient warning of death to him who reveals the secrets of the order. “'Tis well, then, let us proceed And, summoning the attendants to close every door and window. they sat in secret conclave for an hour. At the end of this time they had the boat- man and his crew brought before them, but all the carefully directed questions of the detective added noth- ing to the simple fact of thelr having found the form of young Mr. Weath- erby that night before sailing lying senseless at the foot of the great stone lion. “Shall we press the questions fur- Keng hiung poo is the honor! of which thy unworthy!") preliminaries thoug large foreign and native cwards had called out every species ut and craft in the neighborhood. it was not likely that she could have wandered away over the sur- rounding rice fields. “Hsu tze! Mo o mee just how it would work out. woulda't it? Perhaps lhere will be | tives sald, Le “She has vanisbed, #he | ing. Thinking that their fate lay l.nlevnnncuon between the kan poo kien liow!" was all the na- ther?” inquired the Tao Tai, with a significant finger pointing to the tor- ture irons in the court yard The poor prisoners kneeling on the ground (rembled as they heard the words, for they knew only too well their mean- jdan and And suiting the action to the| of STAR, WASHINGTO | Wang Foo's hands, they turned to him and begged for mercy. “Lao ye! Lao ve! Fak lien ming. poo jip muk zoi, muk zoi!” (“Venerable father! Ven- erable father! Have mer have mercy! Thy vants are sinless, they are indeed! Their appeal was not ip vain. al- though he had practically made up his mind to free them before the spoke. so turning to his brother I said: “Your excellency, they are as innocent as 1 am. I bex you to r lease them and let them go to their homes.” “t shall be done as the grand old man requests!” was the answer, and invoking all the blessings of the Puddhas Three upon them. the low- dah and his boatmen dashed out through the Ya Men courts and soo were lost in the maze of the city’s SHE WAS SEIZ 2D AND CARRIED BY STRO SKIFF.” Wang Foo remounted his se returning to the basket- kewise made his own be lost to the world streets. { maker's home, li | preparations to for a season. * % ¥k ¥ HE entire European colony at Shanghai had extended its sym- pathy to Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Robinson, who were well-nigh inconsolable at the loss of their daughter, and his excellency the Tao Tai had called upon them in person (under orders from the viceroy) to express his very great regrets at the occurrence. In his mind, as in that of the consuls and the police, there was really noth- ing of an anti-foreign nature in the attack at all. TI looked upon it simply as an attack by lake pirates for the purposes of robbery. Suppos- ing that the parties on the house-boat were armed, they had waited until some of them came ashore and then had suddenly fallen upon them and beaten them senseless. They had left the young gentleman dying at the foot ‘of the bridge and the body of the young lady they had undogbtedly thrown into the lake. The local mag- istrate had been apprehended by the coldiers from Soo Chow and was now consigned—probably for life—to a Qungeon under the governor's palace. Naturally all the plans of the party for the ‘round-the-world _tour had to be given up. Mr. and Mrs. Weather- by insisted on remaining With the Fobinsons in Shanghai until every ef- fort. for the finding of Miss Al dead or alive—had been cxhausted. Even if they had decided to go on, {hey would have had to make the journey alone. for George, their so Whose conscience was continual preying upon him as being the real cause of the tragedy, and whose in- terest in the fair young victim's fu- ture was something far deeper than a mere passing friendship, had open- 1y resolved never to leave the shores of China until the great mystery of his life was solved. Nearly two weeks had passed by since Wang Foo bade civilization farewel] and as yet no communication had come from him, when suddenly he appeared in person at headquarters and sought an interview with the chief. Mr. McArthur,” he began, “I bring you news of the greatest importance. obinson has been foun »* asked the inspec- daring to wait for the tor. hardly answ “Alive Thank God for tl is she and how is she he 14 alive and well, though weak | from the very hard experience she has {been through. She i3 not ve far away from here, but I am not free to [ make her whereabouts known as ¥ In fact, her very life may depend upon our secrecy. ““The bandits have her, then, and are holding her for ransom, I suppose, with the usual threat to take her life ifthey are not paid?” No! There are no bandits and there is no ransom, but there is a very subtle danger to her life, and that is the thing that I must safe- guard. “But can't we tell this good news to her parents at once? Her pogr moth- er i3 just aboul at the breaking-up point from the long suspense—'" Don’t breathe a word to them about my having been here. Simply say that you have received a message from me and that I am very hopeful that the daughter may be found. I don’t want any risk or slip in this thing, and if they once hear that she is alive and then that she has been slain it will be worse than ever. “Right you are. I see your point,” said the inspector as he took his cap from the wall and rang for his jin- rickshaw. From police headquarters Wang Foo wended his way through the Shanghai streets to the “Sheng Leu Kwo Yak Fang” or “Drug Establish- ment of the Sacred Deer Horns” and purchased of the Cantonese clerk (who happened to be a native of his self- same province) a vial of the strong- est sleeping draught that could be compounded of foreign or of native drugs. What could he be going to use it for? Let us follow him and see. T.eaving the settlement, he took the afterncon passenger launch for Soo Chow and, passing the night there in a native inn, hired a horse and a coolie to take him the next day to the vil- lage of Ting Ting Hoo (or Listening Tiger), which was about a mile away from the shore of the lake and a lit- tle over two miles from the stone Bridge of Lions. He walked along between the rice fields until he came to u dense thicket of bamboos and, turning into it, wound his way along a tortuous path which brought him it last to a_little shrine by the wa- ter's edge. He entered and knelt b side the old priest, who was chanting his evening prayers to his idols. A curious repulsive creature was this lonely proprietor of the lake-side shrine, with his bulging eyes and teeth 'like tusks and the general make-up of a Caliban, making even the hardened detective shudder as he looked at him. “Venerable father,” began Wang Foo, “I have brought the sacred rem- edy that shall relieve your pain “Ah! Thanks be to all the Buddhas for that,” replied the priest, “for the fever is coming back again and my head begins to throb. I might have to slay the monkey-devil this very night instead of waiting for the lions' feast on the third day of the rising moon! Behold and read this.” And he drew out from behind the bronze idol an ancient scroll and held it to the light. It contained these words: “The monkey-devil may cut out the lion's tongue: if so, he dies upon the Lions' feast, and he who slays him re- ceives the blessing of the gods!" How had Wang Foo come into these surroundings, and what was he®oing there? Why, just this: He had made up his mind, after & day or two's so- journ in the little tavern hard by the Bridge of Lions (where he was dis- guised a8 a wandering physician from Yun Nan) that there was a very direct ce Now where D. C, MARCH 20 1921 PART 4 A Wang Foo Story by Sydney C. Partridge of Miss Robinson and the theft of the stone tongues of the lions. He a discovered that both the rolling sto had been removed and there was strone undercurrent of feeling tha the foreigners in the house-boat had taken them, and the strange thing was that they had been taken on two different He the very significant fa witted ) had visited the on the very day that the first stone had been taken and was overheard to have cursed the “monkey-devils” that did it, but as he was wont to mutter all sorts of curses on all sorts of peo- ple nobody paid any special attention to him, and his words were treated as the harmless gibbering of a lunatic Our detective, however, determined to follow him to his and many hours’ wanderings he d ed him in the lake-side shrin welcome and he anything but muke use of all his i headache. eeling more certain every moment that he aring the solution of his mys- bing more was n ter. » waited until the auspicious time, and then turning suddenly to the priest he asked: “And w did vou do with the monkey-devil who cut out the lion's tongue? Did you drown him in the depths of the lake? “Not yet! Not yet!" was the an- swer. “Iam saving him for the third night of the rising moon nd_where is he no afely locked in there,” pointing to a little cabin hidden in a cluster of bamboos. NALOSTAN Island is a seedy weedy place, but when its old master, John Mason: lived there it was a place of abundant charm. The top point of the ridge. which runs lengthwise in the middle of the island, s marked by tumbled ruins of stone and brick, though some tall and battered walls are standing. Deep broad pits, heav. walled with gray stone and mark by massive transverse walls, yawn in the jungle of shrubbery, mostly ailan- thus, that has overgrown them. These pits were the cellars and storerooms and the walls were the foundation of the old house. There was a wide portico on that side of the house facing Georgetown. On th Little river side of the house and fow up the island—that is. Gen. in So it was the priest who | 1l youn he W sKiff people w aw had come over that night in his lit- the time when the Iked ashore. It wa monkey-devils, just the h A aling the bon tongues. It was he who struck down Mr. Weatherby and who car- ried Miss llobinson away prisoncr and who believed that in so doing ecuting the vens » of Now in a European tale sroper thing for the hero to have to in iy rope, the tant known the leved stolon place. should same from ti rip bac would down or « but nade all the difference Foo priest. the resci and thirt the and continy have 1l the villain ased the im- r her away while waiting use. would it Eu- d that was what in the world g mind of 1 out in an injure or not Tady, b n to Pl this was not Chi rapidly worki lanned it must not nad must I the £ the whole State He either 1h for throw 1w a end would nning. No! unseen spirits way in the first far better that the. to belicve that her away his rushing . his secret an worse th Tady nouncement to his Yurrying by To his intense relief, the monkey-devil was unharmed and the monient of | her release w t hand! He poured « cup of native wine, stirred up in it th seping draught and | | Zave THE RAMBLER WRITES OF THE CHARM OF HISTORIC OLD ANALOSTAN ISLAND FAVORITE Excursion Place of Years Ado—More From the Book | of Davic]. Baillie Warden, Written in | 1816 and Published in Paris—A Bulle- tin of the Washington Biological Soci- ety—A Number of Old Wills Discov- ered and Quoted—The Property of Gen. Mason. A the it to unsuspecting priest, who in a short time after- wards fell into the deepest slumber. When all was safe he stepped softly across the yard and drew back the bolts of the bamboo cabin. and there, crouching in a corner on a bundle of matting. was Miss Robinson, allve and safe. but v worn_ with the awful | cxperience she had n through!® "Miss Alice™ he said, feeling that she would d more quickly to her personal n "t Yave vome to save 3 se up instantly and fol- low me without a questio B re vou it e asked as she opened ves in astonish | ment and iustinetively started to ol fthe ve ¢ authority “Never mind who 1am now 1 with my about you a And_seizin onto the surfice wing or more brought him . Chow p n hour. o the er T in it Junk near. wes for d for Miss back to | n forty-eight | comfortably in home HOY the thoughtful Mr. to arrange for us all to meeting together in vory in you family | * said Mrs. Rodinson on the of the day that the doctor | 1d that Mr. Weatherby could | 1eave the hospital and that Miss Alice would be able to join them all it the | consul “Well” smiled the great detective, “I thought that under the circum- I stances—ana you know 1 have seen i the direction of the Aqueduct bridge. are heaps of ruins—brick, stone and mortar. These were outhouses of the mansion—meathouse, spinning hous. laundry, carriage hou nd per “quarters” of the fleld hands. where other and later buidi may be made out. One was vilion of Tony Rodier when Analc Island was a summer excursion p 5 where the grand and great-grand par- ents of many of you who are trying to get interested in_ this story took their outings on holidays and June i You can trace where the pany stood. when fhat company u to cut ice in Little river, the stream between the island and Virginia shore. The spot where stood the happy (at one time) and picturesque island clubhouse of the Columbia Ath- let Club ean be picked out Traces of roads and many paths may be seen on the island, which, for pari. is upgrown i bushes and scrub- by trees. though a few venerable trees of woodland size escaped the ax_of poachers. . * ¥ ¥ Kk N For two Sundays in succession the Rambler has turned for you the pages of an old book printed in Paris in 1816, and written by David Baillie Warden, a man of whose history the Rambler has 50 far been able to learn almost nothing. He visited the District of Columbia, was received by many of the families having that quality called “social stand- ing,” and among those he tells of visit- ing were the Custises, presumably of Arlington, and the Masons of Anale Island. Warden was a naturalist made a series of observations of plant and animal life on_the ind_in other parts of the District which may be _called “clas: though it is hard to define - inquisitive man The Rambier it has an important and culiured look, because other great writers have lugged it in when they wanted impressive, and because it is 1 word that | has become associated in your minds ! with things that some of you do not know anything about. such as Greek i statuary, Latin poetry and eethoven { music. 'When the Ramble s down {the word “classic’ in relation to Mr. Warden's work on Analostau Island he means that Warden was protably the first man to write of the flora and fauna of the island, and that his writ- ings are accepted as satisfactory by scientific men today. Of course, the Rambler could have said that without bringing_in_the word “classic” and dis- cussing it, but how can a man interest s readers merely by giving them facts? The Rambler got on the trail of this Baillie Warden book by sezing quo- tations from it in a bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington, a bulletin which is entitled, “A Sketch of the Natural History of the Dis- trict of Columbia, Together With an !1ndexed Edition of the U. S. Geologi- {cal Survey's 1917 Map of Washington and Vicinity, by W. L. McAtee says that “many definite observations on the natural history of the District are recorded in a charming little book {published in Paris in 1816. It has rather the forbidding title of “A Ghorographical and Statistical D. scription of the District of Columbia but the contents are enlivencd by shrewd comment on social customs of that day and enriched by informing references to many plants and ani- mals. The author is David Baillie Warden, who was upon consular duty in Washington. He dedicated his book to Mrs. Custis, who, we are informed in the introduction, accompanied him|gave to Dr. B. on some of his excursions.” In another place it is written Warden evidently spent some time upon Analostan Island, and his notes form a fairly complete sketch of its natural history. At any rate they are far more than has since beer written on that place” The Washington Biological Society is authority for the statement that the first scientific paper thus far brought to light which mentions a plant possibly ob- taine: within the limits of District of Columbia flora is entitled marks by Mr. James Petiver. Apothe cary and Fellow of the Royal Society on Some Animals, Plants, Btc., Sen Him From Maryland by the Rev. Mr. Hugh Jones” and which paper was published tn London in 1698. The next specific mention of a plant from the region of the District flora ap- pears to be that of Gronovius in the Flora Virginica of 1762. This flora based on material collected by Dr. John Clayton, might better be known ag “Clayton's Flora Virginica” 1In this connection do you know that one of the early and beautiful flowers which grow at your feet as you walk through moist woodland _ around Washington, is named for Dr. Clay- ton? You call this little flower “spring beauty.” but its official name is Claytonia Virginica. * ok ok ok Mr. McAtee says that search of Nut- ylva,” Purch's “Flora” and Flora” and “Sylva" have revealed no definite record of plants from the vicinity of the District, und that is rather surprising, since all the most} to be 1t i being come.” ton vid and St 1 ! ecies first 1i e e t of Columbi orula Columbiana and contains 142 st. Joseph Correa de Serra, ador from P trict plant ical bulletin t S that “Rafinesqu prepared a Florula Columbic talogue of the plants found in the ONE is recorded in Washington's diary un- der date of June 19, 1786, the entry “A Mons. Andre Michaux, botanist, sent by the court of France to America, visited, turned to New York, whence he had dined and re- Sub: plants sent by Michaux to Washi and_set out Mount Vernon. “The first formal 1 trict of Columbia appeared in Da- Baillie Warden’ in the ground at Mr. McAtee wrote: t of plants of the ) Chorographical istical Description of the Dis- The list is entitled by the celebrated m- tugal to the United identified s the first published list of but it was not the prepared, for in the biolog- re'is a foot note which informs us that , or strict of Columbia, in 1504, which he Barton for Inser- tion in the Philadelphia Medical and ackn: prom: with filled. In tracing the history of Analos Island, of the eptemb A cops ment tat tels during tate equal rly, the into in thei be done. “My. | Physical Journal. Dr. Barton in 1806 edged this to be a fact and d additions, ous narrative that assed from John Mason to the Bank United Stat. Carter of Georgetown, and th Ty, S August tion of Analostan Ts under that will with his other estate 1o publish the catalogue a forecast not ful- an in a island the Rambler told you the then to John who died in at Carter's executor, John nd to William will, exe- 6. and probated there is no men- land. but it passed r 3, 186 of the old will is before the Rambler. real. hatever wherever_situated, liam A. Bradley, jr. Thomas Bradley, their heirs, ex- tors and administrators, vivor of them, his heirs, executor or administrator, h_nune in which I now reside on New York avenue, together with all and singular household effects, pictures, plate, books and other chat- e now therein or therein time of my death to be held exc! trustees “four equal After directing the pay- of his just debts and funeral expenses, he bequeathes personal kind it “all of my and mixed, of may be and to my gon, Wil- and my cousin, the sur- in trust: First, the including at the to my dear wife, ¢ her for and usively b: and out of al lif the net income derived from my es- of every sort her one nnum or quarter- prefer, so long He directs that divide his estate rts, as nearly as judgment and valuation can He directs that one part to pay T 1 those botanists visited this locality | shall go to his son. William A. Brad- and Nuttall worked in Washington upon the collections of the National ley. jr., ‘one part to the chld of my d son now or hereafter born in OF THE OLD TRAILS. 1 daughter, Jeanette H. Linton, and one part to my daughter, Sidney T. Edelin, whose portion shall embrace the property owned by me in Corn- ing, Steuben county, N. Y.” _ The witnesses (o the will were Samuel L. Phillips, Benjamin G. lovejoy and Joseph H. Bradley, jr. The revenue stamps attached to the will were $43.50. In the proceedings in the probate court the testator was described as William A. Bradley, late of Washington county. * ¥ % X In the same “will book” in which one finds the will of Mr. Bradley, are other wills that caught the Rambler's eyes and awakened memories. Per- haps you might like to hear about them? Perhaps if you should turn the pages of that book you would come. upon many wills which would bring the past before you. There was the will of George Wa ington Young, “of the county of Washington.” He was George Washingion Young of G borough, now spelled Giesboro, one of the wealthy men of the Eastern branch country. The revenue stamps attached to his will were § 0. Mr. Young's will was executed February 15, 1860, and probated March 19, 1867. Glancing through it, the Rambler sees | mention of the testator's wife, Hen- riet E. Young, and his sons, Joseph Young and Washington A. Young. George Washington Young bought isborough, in 1833, from the heirs of Dr. John Thomas Shaaf of An- napolis, who bought it from John Ad- dison in 1809, who had iL by descent from the immigrant, Col. hn Addi- sgn, who got it by marriage with Rebecca Wilkinson DPent, widow of Dent .and it griev the Rambler that among his notes he cannot find the full name of this early settler Dent. The Rambler believes that this Dent was the patentee of the land, and called it Gisborough, after the | Dent home near Gisborough, in York- shire, England. On the other hand, the Rambler feels that Gisborough may cover land included in patents issued in 1662 to George Thompson of Charles county. But he will not take the time tonight to settle that ques- tion. The adjoning tract, St. Eliza- beth, goes back to @ Thompson pat- ent. The Dents were very early own. ers of Gishorough, and gave it jts name, and for all useful purposes it does not matter whether Dent bought it from the proprietary of Maryland or from Thompson. George Washington Young was the son of Nichelas Young of Nonesuch. Within a few pages of the Bradley and Young will is that of Walter D. Addison of Cole Brook. Prince (ieorges count Cole Brook an old farm between Hamilton road, now Alabama avenue, and Oxon run. In that neigh- borhood the southeast boundary line of the District runs along the north- ern slope of the valley of Oxon runm, Institute. The visit of Andre Michaux | lawful wedlock; one part to my |and until seeing the will, the Rambler and dohody be one bit the wises/ * | ana neara and thought a good deat |about these two young people, and the wonderful way that this accident has interwoven their lives—I thought that under the circumstances it be out of the way for us parents, to just ' xground for = the first wouldn't a little hard for a Mr. Wang. but after iife there not do for heart, our daughter's that we would savin nothin you They were standing on the steps ot ¢ consulate as they spoke, when Mr, 1therby and Dr. Robinson suddenly up in their carriage and called fwo anxious mammas thar sisted on driving around il be brought hy— S the ladies of Wang Foo. By the very bost person in all the world to bring her.” he answered, Jus: ag the consular coupe drove up to the |Steps. and the proud and happy Georg. { without ey . bandage !1eft on his he handed out to the d | voted parents the form of their long lost daughter’ “And you planned to have him bring 1 know you did, Mr. Wang,"” said the | her ortest way hom dn't see why he cou asketmakers on neither did 1. Why. Gmorge, what in the warli voucarrying that golf ball around ‘n vour coat pocket for?” asked Alice f bal orge as he drew you know, and he ‘L stop at thes way—eand b t "out t n't 4 that's the tongus of the other old stone guardian of the Hridge of Ldons that 1 crooked the day e and never sald & word to any about ! fo one | believed that the old Addison house Cole Brook was within the Distric {His will was executed February 1% 1860, and probated May 12, 1566. H. ma bequests Lo his brother, An thony Addison, and nephew, William J. Addison, and says he makes no b - |quest to other brothers and sisters not brecause he does not love them, but “because they have been provided for otherwise” The witnesees to th: {will are James L. Addison, Marg. | retta Addison and John Addison. Thi. | Walter D. Acdizon was Walter Dul.- ney Addison. His brother Anthony who ‘married Mary Julia Thompson | lived at Cole Brook and died there in | * % k% The father of Anthony and Walter Dulaney Addison was John Addison of Cole Brook, born in 1750. That John was descended from the first John Addison, who came to Maryland in 1660. He obtained a number of large tracts of land by patent and by mar- {riage with the Widow Dent. Severa! years azo the Rambler wrote of the will of Thomas Addison, son of John | Addison the first, and in that will the testator made disposition to his chil- dren of the following tracts: St Bliz- abeth, 1430 acres; Gisborough, $30: Discontent, 512; Barnabee, 54 wick, 100; Gleaning, 340; his part of Locust Thicket, 370; Maddox Folly, $4; Berry, 300; Pasture, 260; Preven- Union, 393; Berwick-upon- oynt Interes, my part of Fri tat the Bastern branch, in nurlen’;‘r:m: with Mr. Abington, 420"; “my share of a tract called Friendship, lying on the Falls branch near the Falls of the Fotomac, 1,000"; White Haven, 400; | Philip and Jacob, 400; Bachelor's Har- bor, 300: Swann Harbor, 345, and Strife, . The farm called Cole Brook is belicved to have been the vy ison t ct ¢ = ety auadistn tract called “Brothers Not many pages awa. of Mutthew K Duvall, snd the Ram. bler believes he identifles him as ond of the Eastern Branch Duvalls by the fact that he mentions Dr. Ben- jamin Bird. Dr. Bird widely known and universally esteemed in Prince Georges county and the trans- Anacostia section of the District dur- &g the '60s and *70s. Mat Duvall di- rects in his will that after payment of his debts his property shall be ‘divided between William Irvin, son of William Pinkney, anda Martha Brooke, and 1 want him, Mr. William P. Brooke, to be my administrator and prosecute my lawsuit and divide as above stated.” He further directs: If anything is obtained from my ne- Broes I want it equally divided be- {tween Dr. Benjamin Bird, jr. and Charles K. Perrie.” The witnesses were Joseph Borrows, Samuel L. | Phillips and Charlotte Crack. The Rambier believes that he will { stir recollections of old East Wash- {ington people when he tells that a few pages away from the Young, Addison_and Duvall wills is that of Adam Gaddis, witnessed October 6, 1860, by James Bright, James D. Pennington and William H. Ward, and probated August 27, 1867. He bequeaths his property to his wife, Julia Ann, and his _daughter, Ro- salie, wife of Henry Otterback. Close by is the will of Otto Boswell, at- tested and probated in July, 1865, in which the testator directs that Dr. Edwin V. B. Boswell “continue the drugstore at the corner of 7th street and Virginia avenue In telling the story of Analostan Island the Rambler has mentioned that ithere were Masons living in Georgetown who seemed mot elosely related to John Mason of Analostan, but who were probably members of the Mason family, an extensive one in Virginia and Maryland. In fhe old book, in which the Rambler read the will of William A. Bradley is that of T. T. Mason “of the county and y of Washington,” probated April 25, 1860. The testator mentions his sons, Nicholas Carrall Mason, John T. Mason, William T. T. Mason and Charles C. Mason; daughters, Maria Louisa Mason and Mary Carfer Ma- son, and grandchildren, Thomas Henry Mason Magill, Ann Elizabeth Mason Magill and Ann E. T. Magill. He disposes of his slaves, Florence. daughter of Rosina, and Dick, son of Susan, The witnessés were: John Am. bler, John W. Bronaugh and Eilbeck Mason. The revenue stamps attached were $17.50. In the Chronicles of Georgetown, published by Richard P. Jackson, following a paragraph on “Mason's Island, former residenes of the late Gen. Mason,” is this: *Just above the town on the north bank of the river is located the former *Co- lumbian Foundry,’ belonging to the late John Mason, formerly called Fox- all's foundry, where were manufac- tured cannon, shot and shell that were used in the late war with Great Bri ain. Since Mason's death the prop: erty has been sold and is now used for milling purposes and a distillery: Mr. Jackson wrote that in 1878 and one might infer that “the late John Masony' had not been dead meny years. Mr. Jackson's work is very valuable, but it gives no information of any connection. if there was any connection, between Gen. John Mason of Analostan Tsland and John Mason o formerly called Foxall High Brows. ROBERT UNDERWOOD JOHNSON was one day condemning ‘high art.” He said: “The artist who self-consciously turns out work that the general public can't understand—well, he deserves the re- buke that Carlyle once got without de- serving it. “Carlyle was showing an old Sootch friend his soundproof room built on the top of his house in Chelsea. The old fellow examined the room, whenoe noth- ing from outside could either be seen or heard, and then he stid with a chuckle *‘Man, it's gran Here yo Ay rest of your lifa, foundry.” i i l study and write all the The longest way 'round is the - ¥ N ‘ . e “the former Columbian foundry, ,