Evening Star Newspaper, December 11, 1921, Page 72

The ' HIS is the First of a Series of Complete Stories by an Author of Fascinating and The Second Story. to Mysterious Yarns. Appear in The Star Magazine Next Sunday, l HENG-TU is an ancient city | Hanecy, that the things have been dis- on a plain, with three mil- lion people crowded around it. Before the Roman em- yire fell, Cheng-tu was great. Hence, | facts?” it might be imagined that when Jim; The mandarin beamed on him with Hanecy, agent and dealer in antiques, came 1300 miles up the Yangtze river to this city he knew what he was doing. The contrary was the case. Hanecy was red-haired and was tremendously efficient in a cold, clear- lieaded way. He came up-river as far as the gorges on definite business,| running down some old porcelains. yeturned from French labor battalions with swaggering ideas' of equality. The upshot of the matter was that Faneey was shanghaied, and woke up some days afterward to tind himself Jicked ashore and lucky to get off with his life. Jim took it philosophically. He tramped into Chungking, where there was a consul, Jlere, to his astonishment, he learned that no less thun four other white Juen had just passed up-river on their way to Chang-tu. This fact became 4 coincidence when he discovered ti.at all four had traveled separately and in haste. The coincidence settled into a suspicio when he discovered tkat all four were his most promi- nent professional rivals. “Hello!™ said Hanec “Now TI've dropped onto something and no mis- take!” He promptly hired a boat and went to Cheng-tu. He did not know Why ke went, but he smelled a distinct rat. One of the four was Benson, and Jienson mnever went after anything in person unless it was tremendously important. There was something up. “Some big news broke suddenly on the coast,” reflected Hanecy. “Reached *em all at once. LeW's see now! Top- Then he fell foul of river men la(elyl 1 tit is straight as a string. Benson is| crooked as the devil. Gramerfeld would rob his own brother of a penny. Carson plays a lone hand, same as 1 do. H'm! guess I'll trail Benson. He and I are about due to lock horns, anyhow:!™ * x ANECY did not deceive himself] when he deliberately chose this, course. Benson was the most dan- gerous man in China. He knew the dialects like @ native, and had lines of influence and graft extending in | all directions. Small, rather short- sighted, coolly pleasant, he néever lost! his head for a minute. He was said to have all the ruthless cruelty of a Manchu, but few of his personal en- emies ever reported on that point. | The first problem facing Jim Hanecy | was to discover what was up. He! had letters to a fur dealer named ! Kiang, who was delighted to take! him as a guest: but old Kiang knew | Tothing the mystery. So Jim| sallied forth on the afternoon of his | arrival. i Kiang's shop and house 1uy in the business quarter, just inside the east gate. (Hanecy sauntered along the wide, fifty-foot street with i CUrry” ing crowds and its rows of flashy gilt signs—and two minutes afterward <¢ame slap on Benson, who was stand- ing gazing into a shop window filled with Tibetan images. “Hello exclaimed Hanecy, of shal ing hands. you're on the trail 100, ¢h?” Benson smiled—a nasty smile it wag. He was not pleased to see Hanecy. “Too late,” he returned. “The show’s over. Carson has left already. Gramerfield leaves in the morning. Toptit has disappeared. I'm going in a couple of days.” “Oh!" Hanecy grinned. “What kind of a lie did you hand out, to discourage 'em that way?” Benson's eves narrowed. “Don’t get too personal, Hanecy. 'The stuff has Leen dispersed. are a lot of collectors here, you know. The fellow split up the whole Lusiness and it's gone.” Jim concealed his ignorance suc- | cesstully. “You're a first-chop liar,” he re- | turned .cheerfully, and thereby de- clared %ar. “So you fooled the other | i ! | There | : i boys, eh. Well, don’'t monkey with e, Benson. I'll stick around a while. He passed on, leaving Benson star- ing after him. He was as mystified as ever. He knew that Chengtn contained many native collections of yaintings and antiques, most of them ‘ imitations, referring to the Han pe- riod. Still, he could not fmagine ]ustl what had brought his coufreres here. He chuckled to think how Benson had managed to get rid of Gramer- 1d and Carson so quickly. That left only Toptit in the fleld—a gang- linz Yankee agent whom Hanecy rather respected. v . There were no ‘rikishas to be had in this place, and Hanecy suspected ;that the sedan chairs might have previous and more nimble tenants, so he preferred walking. From pre- vious visits he knew the city well enough to find his way about, and directed his course to the south ga!e.l ‘where stood the government build- ings. Shortly before reaching these he compromised with dignity and hired a chair which sat him down at the entrance to the Yamen. Hanecy paid his respects te the and outfltted anew.! 1'd sooner work with Top-| tit than any of the others—but I| ‘was a single wild howl, and Hanecy ! had lied. The Ling Ti relics might be | persed.” Hanecy stalled. “I know only ru- mors, your excsllency. What are the oily grace. Hanecy decided to dis- trust the gentleman. “It i8 no news to you, of course, that la workman in Honan unearthed cer- tain relics which must have come | from no other than the tomb of the | Emperor Ling Ti of the eastern-Han | dynasty > “That,” said Hanecy promptly, { what brought me here.” “Of course,” was the bland response. “You know that the workman, who came from Cheng-tu, fled here at once with the things he unearthed, had gone abroad. Reaching here, he confided the treasures to a relative and shortly afterward died. The rela- tive disposed of the things carelessly. late.” Hanecy expressed proper disap- 'nomtmem. drank his tea to end the audience, and departed thoughfully. way of the moated, walled and entire- ly ruined palace of the old Han em- perors, in the center of town. * % % X% AT least. he had learned what he “% was here for! It was not likely that some workman had chanced on an emperor's tomb. tombs were looted ages ago, but many vet remain. And Ling Ti, who had with him to the spirit world. “I'd like to know whether this mandarin was lying!” reflected Mane- cy, striding down the narrow street An instant later he had his answer. It came in the shape of a dirty beggar, who rose up out of the dust and came within an ace of sending Hanecy to join his several ancestors by means of a six-inch sliver of steel. For a2 man so Immersed in thought, the ,American moved with astonish- ing rapidity. With his left hand he caught the knife wrist and jerked the beggar forward; with his right! he groped for the man's ribs. There looked calmly down at the writhing object. He ignored the fast-gather- | ing crowd. “The hands of the foreign devils are strong,” he said grimly. “Be thankful that T broke your ribs instead of your neck, fon of a turtle!” He went his way chuckling a little to himself. He knew now that the mandarin had lied, and that Benson dispersed, but they were within reach. “You have a lot of friends among these yellow folk, Benson!” he mur- mured complacently. “But I havo 2 few myself. Still, I didn’t think you'd %0 as far as this merely because I called you a liar. So it's war, Is it? I'm satisfled:” Jim Hanecy conferred long with the estimable Kiang, merchant in furs, that evening. He told Kiang all the truth, and the old son of Han smiled gently upon him. “There will be no further attempts on your life in the streets, my friend.” sald Kiang complacently. *“I Wflll speak with certain members of my tong, and they will see to it St]ll,] I cannot answer for other places. : May T unworthily advise that you! tread with care, lest you step on lhe] tail of a tiger. Hanecy grinned. “I'm used to ti-| gers, Kiang—thanks all the same. 8o you know nothing about this treasure?” Kiang knew nothing. He belonged | to one of the historic families, had an extensive collection of jade and caligraphy, and was certain that no ancient objects had been offered for sale generally. And thus the confer- ence ended. In the morning Hanecy went forth carrying a gun in the holster under his arm. He could not depend on Kiang's tong brethren for too much. He realized that Benson was playing a big game of some kind, and that if he fought Benson he would bei fighting some powerful and dangerous allies. Also, Benson's reference to the disappearance of Toptit worried him badly. Hanecy liked this Toptit, who made poetry and had a knack of ingratiating himself with the na- tives, but he hardly considered Top- tit a match for the astute Benson. The word “disappeared” had an omi- nous flavor, coming from Benson. Perhaps that had been a hint, a covert threat. “If anything's happened to poor Toptit, I'll' make Benson sweat for it.” thought Hanecy angrily. "Nov.‘ where to go? Ah! I think I'll take | a trip to the Tu temple—the bonzes are good old sports and would put me wise to anything they knew.” This was no random cast. The Buddhist priests at the temple of the poet Tu were old friends of Hanecy, and were fairly reliable. They would have the whole countryside gossip on their tongues, . notorious as an enemy of the bonsges, because of a certain barefaced rob- bery perpetrated on a Shantung tem- ple. Benson and his satellites would keep away from Buddhist centers. Hanecy summoned a chair and ai- | but not before news of his discovery | Your fellow dealers camc here too! He retraced his steps across town by} ) Most of these! ireigned in the second century A. D.,| would have taken some fine mlnga| that led past the ruined palace moats. | | | Hanecy’s steely eyes glinted. rected the bearers to the temple, which stood outside the south gate and across the Lo-han bridge. There were in reality two templ 9ocal mandarin. He did it in his wusual fashion, without great regard sor etiquette, intending merely to get the matter over and done with, so that he might be free to act as af- fairs might dictate. Somewhat to his surprise he found himself received wvery cordially by the mandarin, who was an official from Peking and who £poke English. Hanecy was still more astonished <vhen the mandarin blandly referred to what had brought him and his fel- low deslers to Cheng-tu. “Perhaps you have not heard, Mr. and would have no traffic with Benson. The latter was standing beneath a grove of immense oaks and surrounded on three sides by the “Flower-washing river.” When he entered the main gate Hanecy took the path to the right, and pres- ently stoqd before the extremely beautiful spot known as ‘“Master Tu's Shrine.” It was a small temple, & gem of architecture, set amid graceful bam- boos and flowering trees; the court- yard was & huge and angient garden, where orchids and the more delicate | would be grabbed by the government magnolias .gave the appearance of & jungle. Here and there were arbors for visitors. The entire place was in keeping with its poetical tradition, exquisitely beautiful. * *® %k X HANECY. standing at the court- yard entrance, exchanged greet- ings with the old priest who ap- peared, and asked for the abbot in charge. The latter was away, but the bonze bade Hanecy enter and make free of the place until the Junior abbot could receive him. To this Jim assented gratefully. ‘With a sigh of relaxation he re- moved his hat, wiped his brow and entered one of the orchid-heavy ar- bors to seat himself. He found him- self face to face with Toptit. “Thought I recognized your red topknot from afar!” exclaimed Toptit genially. “How did you know I was here?” ¢ “I didn’t know.” Hanecy chuckled and inspected his professional rival Wwith interest. About Toptit's head was wrapped a bandage of large pro- portions. “What hit you?" “That's still a question,” returned Toptit whimsically. “Did you get my message? 1 heard you were in town and sent word to the yamen—-" “The devil!” snapped Hancey, sud- denly alert. “Then Benson knows where you're hiding!" “Who sald I was hiding?” demand- ed the other. “Quit the comedy, Toptit! Benson is hand in glove with that cursed mandarin.” ‘Toptit whistled and screwed up CAPT. HANECY DISCOVERED THAT HE WAS BEING TRAILE] in’ a minute. He wants to put me under the sod first.” Hanecy nodded. With every mo- ment he was gaining new respect for this Toptit—who, he perceived, was anything but the gangling, ignorant poet-Yankee he appeared. “You'll hold Benson busy while I get the stuff—is that {t?”” he querled. “Something like that. Itll take time. The chap who found it origin- ally had a lot of relatives up and down the river. The present holders are nearly all relatives. Of course, Benson will have the present owners watched. He'll know if you go after any of the stuff, and you can look for trouble. He may leave me alone, in fact, and go to it himself. That's your lookout.” his angular face in a grimace. Then he laughed. “Well, Benson won't get In her The bonzes wouldn't let him past the outside gate. Who put you on the track of the Ling T treasure™ “I heard about it” Hanecy sat down and produced his pipe. “What pit you?” Toptit chuckled. “I don't know, I tell you. Somebody soaked@ me over the head two nights ago and threw me into the river. I crawled out over the promontory and had a chat with the boss priest here. I suspected Benson wanted to get me out of the way, since we had exchanged a few Ilnatured words. I've been here ever since, writing sonnets, which the priests admire vastly, and having a good time.” Hanecy grinned at this and begpn to revise some of his notions about Toptit. “You're not the fool you look,” he observed. “Thanks, sorrel-top. Is Benson on your trail “Maybe. And maybe I'm on his’ “You must have some information about that Ling Ti stuff, or Benson's friend wouldn’t have jumped you.” Toptit inspected him thoughttully. “I've always heard,” he said, “that you met a chap on the level.” “And parted with him on the ) square” Hanecy grinned agaln. “Well, shoo! “On a fifty-fitty basis.” Hanecy nodded. Thus, in a few words, was the partnership arranged. It was almost the first personal meet- ing of the two men, yet reputation had preceded each of them, and the meeting clinched as truth what ru- mor had carried. Each man knew that the other could be fully trusted. “m out of the game.” Toptit grimaced again as he sat down, and he spoke soberly. “At least, I'm out of it for a time. There’s a nasty cut under my shoulder.” “I thought they would have tried to make certain,” said Hanecy. “Knocking & white man on the head and slinging him into the river is & rather dublous guarantee against his talking. Especially thick-headed ‘white men. But go ol “Spare the compliments,” retorted Toptit. *Here's the real dope on that guy from fenan. He came here with the stuff, but tic :uws had spread pretty fast. When he got here the mandarin tried to grab the whole business for himself, but the stub- born beggar refused to give it up— and he got away from the yamen with Same to ¥°“~| “See here,” said Hanecy. “don’t you | borrow any worry on my end. You give me that list and leave the rest to me.” { "I have to get some of it myself— two or three pieces.” returned Toptit. “I can do 1t, I think. You see, these | fellows love poetry, and if I write| ‘em a poem they'll deal with me, be- cause & poem Is a compliment.” “Benson doesn’t deal in poeu |sald Hanecy. “What's the program | “All right, sutt yourselt! Go get a Jjade tablet that's held by Yen Ching, who has a pawnshop and drug store buck of the Kuan-t! temple in the] city.” “Eh? In the city here?” Hanecy frowned. “Why doesn't Benson get 1% an irritating grin. “Bet you cents you don't get the tablet.” Hanecy grunted and rose. “I'll be i back tomorrow with it.” he sald. * % * X ECAUSE he believed in getting : things done by doing them him- self, Jim Hanecy went straight into the city, dismissed his chair, and {walked toward the Kuan-ti-miao, Wwhere the young gentlemen of Cheng- tu gathered by night in the spacious halls to amuse their bodies and souls with the various diversions of youth. Hanecy discovered that he was be- Ing tralled by a man in a black cap, {a fur-trimmed blouse and quilted trousers. Paying no attention te the man, Hanecy sought out the shop of )}’an Ching, a dirty, grimy little hole in the wall. He went inside. In the rear a group of men were two came to meet him—a yellow man with Wispy mustaches and beard and keenly sparkling eyes that inquired Hanecy's business without any show | of wonder at seeing a white man. “You have a jade tablet here,” said Hanecy without preamble. “May I inspect it?” Yen Ching assented, his dialect a little difficult to follow. He turned to 2 box on a shelf and held out to Hanecy a flat tablet of gray, reddish- dotted jade, ten inches in length and half as wide. One edge of the half- inch slab was pierced with holes. Tpon the surface was a single line of incised characters, the old picture writing of the Han period. “What is your price on this?’ asked Hanecy. “It 1s not for sale,” responded Yen Ching. “1 wish only to hear a price named.” “That is impossible. I promised a “Go and see,” returned Toptit, with | emoking and talking. The proprietor THE SUNDAY ' 'STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ., DECEMBER 11, 1921-PART 4 ‘ale of the Tenth Table months of his promise have expired.” Hanecy swore under his breath. It was all he could do. He percelved that this jade slab, even without its authentio historicity, would fetch a huge price. Any museum would stretch its means to get such a thing. But to wait six months or so. “I'll go back and see Yen Ching again this afternoon,” he sald. Kiang merely smiled. Useless though he knew it to be, Hanecy none the lesy started out when the heat of the afternoon was waning and directed his steps toward the old palace quarter. He had no definite intention beyond trying to get on some friendly basis with the pawnbroker. Before he was half-way to his desti- nation, however, he heard himself addressed in flawless Mandarin. Turn- ing In some surprise, Hanecy saw at his elbow the man whom he had ob- served that morning—the man wear- ing a black cap, a fur-trimmed blouse and quilted trousers. The yellow man his blouse an object wrapped in faded silk. “I was directed to give this to you, excellency, with greetings from an humble and most unworthy friend | who desires to please you.” The speaker immediately withdrew }and disappeared in the crowd. Hanecy, .| frowning, opened the faded silk wrap- ping and disclosed—the tenth tablet! For an Instant he was literally dumfounded. From whom could it ihave come—and why? As he strode along he could scarce credit his good fortune. Hanecy was nearing the south gate when a nearly naked coolle wearing a white head-cloth—the color of | mourning—approached and spoke to Ihim. He halted and listened. > When Jim Hanecy reached the Lo- I han bridge he found the traffic inter- rupted. Ahead of him was the temple of his destination; also ahead of him and occupying the center of the bridge were a dozen soldiers and an officer of the mandarin's provincial army. Conecluding that some case of native jurisdiction was going forward, in which every one crossing the bridge was being halted and searched, or clse that some criminal was being sought, Jim Hanecy cafelessly strode ahead. To his surprise, the officer in | charge stepped out in front of him. “Why are you stopping me?’ de- manded Hanecy, who was accustomed to the deference accorded whites, and particularly Americans, in the Flow- ery kingdom. “The orders are most strict, honor- iable sir,” returned the officer. “We are posted here to apprehend & mur- «Ah!” Hanecy emiled. “You will | know him by sight, I suppose ” { “By search, exceliency. A merchant named Yen Ching was murdered this Ianemoom His slayer carried off a ihighly valuable tablet of old jade and several tins of opium—which is, of course, contraband. We have been gliven to understand that it ‘will come this way. ih ity ANECTY inspected the crowd skarp- ly. A steely glitter came into his eyes. He perceived that a clever trap had been set for him, and now he saw who had set the trap. It was Benson’s doing, of course. Benson had sent his man to kill Yen Ching and steal the tenth tablet. Then, in order to get Hanecy out of the way for good and all, he had gone into it, too. The mandarin sent soldiers|friend to keep it six months. I am a partnership with the mandarin. The after him, and they finally got him—,Man of honor.” put a bdullet slap into him. Well, he went into the river, and some of the “But your friend is dead!” “He may come back,” was the only loot went with him, and it's gone. |Fesponse. Six pleces of it are left.” Hanecy knew himself blocked. Yen “AR!" sald Hanecy, biting on his Ching’s honor and his fear of a ghost- pipestem. ‘“Where are the six?” “Scattered between here and Chung-{ T20ney- king in pawnshops or other places.|the tablet, I have the list.” “Good work! If Benson had {t——" “He -has {t.” said Toptit calmly. “That’'s why I sent word to the ya- men—that message to you. Benson knows that I have the list. He won't g0 after the stuff until he's got me out of the way. Savvy? He knows now that I'm alive and kicking and still dangerous.” Hanecy regarded his compatriot with admiration. *#Say, I've underestimated you, old hoss! You're a cool devil. What's to hinder Benson going after the stuff while you're 1ald up here?” “Loeal customs; Chungking is a treaty spot, and he would have to smuggle it threugh the customs there. Fe's afrald, if he gets it, I'll ‘warn the customs people. That stuff, . haunted future were insuperable to He copled the inscription on thanked Yen Ching and departed. He went stralght home to Kiang's house. He had no doubt that the tab- let was genuine, for it was unmis- takable Han jade, such as is no longer found in China. It was, he conjectured, one of a number bound together by the pierced edges to form & jade book. Kiang, who was quite scholar enough to read the Han lgaogrspn!, confirmed this with visible excitement upon seeing Hanecy’s copy of the in- scription. “This is the tenth tablet of a jade| sacrificial bool he affirmed, “giving the virtues and honorable names of the Emperor Ling Ti. My friend, I congratulate you on finding such a thing! But I have heard of Yen ehlu:h-l-lmanotmmluvm fiot sell the -tablet until the six ithe officer. {holster. You can two were working together. Seeing the white man hesitating, the soldiers drew in closer, and with them the crowd behind. “I am an American,” sald Hanecy. “Even if-I had committed this crime, the mandarin could not judge me. I must be zent to the consul at Chung- king.” “That may be true, excellency,” said “I have nothing to do with it.” “Very well.” Hanecy shrugged his shoulders. “I have & revolver in a h by passing your ‘hands over me that neither the jade not the oplum is in my possession.” The officer apologised and leaned forward. . Now, any one who knew Jim Han would have stood aghast at this. It was not his way to tamely stand up and be searched. It was not his way to act on the defensive at all. When Hanecy declared war he usually struck hard and fast. He reddened & little under the hu- miliation—more fancied than real—es the officer patted his pockets Anger stirred {n him deeply. When the offi- L t—By H. Bedford-Jones o l bowed and then took from beneath | Competition Fostered eer stood back, looking a trifle dls- mayed, Hanecy eyed him with a grim smile. 2 “So, my friend! Now tell me the International Games truth. You were informea that thel (Considered One of Jade tablet would be in my posses- sion, {s it not so? Your men were waliting here for me?” The officer stammered. “Yes, excel- lency—ang the opium slso—' Hanecy's eyes glittered. “I don't forget %e oplum,” he sald crisply. “How much of it was stolen from the shop of Yen Ching?" “Four ten-tael tini Best Ways to Bring About Good Relation- ships Among Nations. How American Ath- letes Are Aided by excellency. Yen Ching was found dead, clasping the G smuggled case in his hands. Those overnment. who found him looked at once for the NTERNATIONAL competition in Jade tablet, which was his most valu- able possession—" “I see sald Hanecy. “Somebody came to get the jade, and, seeing the opium, decided to take that as well, eh? I suppose that I may pass by? The official bowed in some contu-| sfon. Jim Hanecy passed him, passed the| soldlers, who were staring at him| open-mouthed. It was evident that they had all been walting there for Hanecy; that their stoppage of other perspns was all a blind. Hanecy per- celved the trap quite clearly. As Hanecy came to the little cr of people waiting he whirled sud- denly, paused and turned upon them. l sports between individuals or teams representing the United States and other nations is pas- sively fostered by the governments of |the various countries which are lead- ers in athletics and all forms of sporting competition. The United States in particular is ctive in furthering international amity through various sporting events, in which individuals or teams representing this country travel abroad to meet athletes of other Inationa. owa| While little, if anything, is sald out- slde of official circles regarding the passive assistance the United States government gives to teams of ath- ring, a bleat There was a swift scattering, letes representing this country when of terror; they knew, these yellow ., = = 0 ing out of y ra,‘\e abroad for purposcs of :‘:lk. ;v:e:rxle:::nfu looking | competition, it has been manifested e oye ! In many ways that International " ¥ ternational The hand of Jim n:n;c'!h:‘r‘:‘:‘:c: sporting events bring together citi- 1;!(3 n:ml;lt;v“h e:ell'::e curl of vapor|Zens of all nations in a closer bond e stoo - : e oo et of bia pistol, then | EVMPALhY and understanding. T o e ravpon away. One of| Outstanding among the interna- e coowl, & ma whp Bad besn silnk- | ioDAl vents en thn sporting calen- e oo, & e ont.1ay outstretched | 487 are the Olympic games, hela & every four years. The last Olympiad and motlonless. . [ : The soldlers ran n, shouting, to|™3# held at Antwerp last year, and, B e o’ ald not move 2% In many preceding Olympic events, b g the athletic teams representing the until the officer came up, thed Bepuioq gipees were victorlous, The turned and smiled grimly. 4 to.|ArmY transport service put at the “That man” and he gestured 'O0-| .. i0, o0 4no American Olympic com- ward the body, “Is the one who m:;' mittee an entire vessel for the trans- dered Yen Ching. Let search bomade},,ppie yrin qiq everything possi- and the oplum will be found UPORIy\, oo gacilitate granting of pass- him.” i ports, and in many other ways, self-evi- dent to the man Interested in amateur sports, the government helped to make the visit of the American ath- letes an unqualified success. Within the past few years interna- tional competition in golf and tennis |has @rown to be a feature on the sporting calendar. anticipated with pleasure by millions of devotees of both games on either side of the At- lantfe. In tennis, quite recently a de- cided international flavor has been given to the competition by the ad- vent of two Japanese—Ichiya Kuma- gae angd Zenzo Shimidzu—both having attained a high ranking in American tennis. Teams of tennis players rep- resenting Australia have drawn con- e cried the officer, taken ‘Why, that is the one who—" He checked himself sud- dency. Hanecy finished the sentence for him. “That ts the one who bore word to the yamen that I was guilty. Yes, 1 know it. Let the search be made quickly. I have no more time to waste.” The officer approached the body. The soldiers and yellow folk stared in dumb astonishment at the scene. The officer knelt and searched the body of the dead man—the man who wore a black cap, 2 fur-trimmed blouse and quilted trousers. ‘When ithe officer rose he held four tins ofi oplum. siderabie attention and furnished not “Justice,” sald Hanecy drily, “I8la iittle competition to American devo- the rarest and most admirable of Vir-|tces of the net game. tues. Return to the yamen with news| i of what has been done here. If Y|, pGINNING in 1911, when Charles | presence to destred, 1 shatt be at thel BEp (0 N0 T SO e e Tu-kung-tsz yonder.” | American golfers ventured to England The officer bowed, speechless, andiy, aytempt to annex the Britlsh ama- motioned his men to fall away from{y,ur championship, several ventures | Hanecy. have been made by Americans to win The Amerfcan passed on without|ihe British amatcur golf crown. That looking back at the scene. When he|these ventures are furthered by both had left the bridge behind and was|governments is the confident claim of out of sight he removed his hat lndl.ponmg authoritie wiped the sweat from his brow. Al Walter J. Travis, dean of American dry laugh was on his lipa. players and a lone invader, won the “Justice!” he said. “Well, that's|pritish amateur title In 1904 and since the sort of abatract justice these yel-|tnat time, notwithstanding the un- low men adore; the kind they under-|questioned caliber of the American stand. By tomorrow I'll be halled far|invaders, no player from this country and wide as the light of Asia orijgs peen able to win the title. Robert something, eh? I sure hope that|, Gardner of Chicago came within a coolie shows up with the tenthlp,it of winning the British title last tablet!” vear, losing to Tolley on the thirty- s od oMok HE wended his way to the temple where Toptit awaited him. He found Toptit in one of the arbors, busily inscribing verses upon a sheet of red paper. of golfers representing the very best Hanecy told his partner exactly|in this country went to England to what had transpired. Toptit listened battle for the British amateur crown in silence, made one or two correc-|OVer the historic links at Hoylake. tlonis in his Jast verse, and then broke | Their downfall is now a matter of the silence. history and it fell to Francis J. “You are cursed reckless, Hanecy,” | Wright, a hitherto untried youth, to he sald. “How did you know that the | 80 furthier in the event than any other man was the murderer?” American. “I dlan't” and Hanecy chuckled.| Only a few days later Jock Hutch- “That was the gamble. It looked as|ison, an Americanized Scot, profes- though whoever stole the jade had|sional at the Glen View Club of Chi- caught Yen Ching with some oplum, |CRE0, overthrew the best of thg Brit- and had hooked the oplum of his own |18h and French professional golfers account. Then, of course, Benson hed |8t St. Andrews, winning the British kept him busy ever since laying that|oPen champlonship from the best field trap for me. 1 gambled that the|that ever competed in the classic. The oplum was on him—and it was.” team of American professionals in- Pubut the jadet” exclaimed Toptit,|cluded the best in this country and G S although nominally sent abroad c:&:‘,fl?‘” handed it over to that|\, . gh subscriptions obtained by the g editor of a golf magazine, really ob- e o ol Kiabe | tained & great deal of assistance and e i e e saveys | mOSt Benerous consideration from the ad se: 5 government. Sent him to catch me with word that) ™, oricy's polo team finally annexed there was some Sort Of & trap Inf.o jpiernational trophy in matches prospect. So I handed over the jade|; g 1ast summer in England, while tablet. He promised to bring it here.” |4 rieman from Washington, Walter “A. coolie'’s promise!* grunted Top- IR Stokes, captaln of the George dt. Washington University team, won the “Well, I told you the fellow had 2{world championship last August at white mourning rag on, didn’t I?”|yyons. France. . Hanecy expelled a whiff of smoke.| The recent visit of Mile. Suzanne “He was Yen Ching’s brother—and Lenglen, French woman tenuis star, here he is now to this country-was fostered chiefly They leaped up &s & man appeared through the French ministry of before the arbor, accompanied by one |sports, it is sald. Valuable assist- of the priests. It wag the coolle, and |ance to Mile. Lenglen’s trip was given he bore the tenth tablet. by M. Vidal, the French minister of “Lucky devil!” murmured Toptit. !aports, and the trip was made pleas- Hanecy only grinned. ant through the stance of Ameri- (Copyright, 1921.) can officials and sportsmen. The Leitch sisters, Edith and Cecll, lead- Known by Their Sparks. ing figures in women's golf in Great - |Britain, were in the United States JEhas besn shown that the 8parkgor geveral weeks, competing in va- rays made by the incandescent]rious golf !l:n’l‘l:’lm&:;tlu )u:':::nv:;: e interallied athletic &: Dertialne o SRRy “dil;r!l:lfl! early in 1919 did more to steel when put upon an emery Wheells,y.p goo fellowship and a spirit of afford a means of testing the cOm-| .. gqeehip among the soldiers of position of the metals. Carbon steels,t . . oiong armies in France than manganese stedl and steels contaln- any other single incldent outside of ing tyngsten and nickel each give & ,,y) war combat. The games, held characteristic spark of different formis |, ‘pyrghing Field, In Paris, received seventh hole of their match. This year, backed by the good wish- fes of variouws administration officials and given every possible assistance by men high in the government, a team ahd colors easily distinguishable. The form of the spark picture changes with the quantity of carbon. Even so slight a diffe rence as .01 per cent of carbon, it tated, can be detected in this ner. Pointed, branching lines denote carbon steel; tool steel shows the Appearance of “blossoma” on the branches; tungsten steel gives red-streaked rays and shining points, with little balls thrown out of the formation, and an explosion appesrancs in the articula- tion denotes ths pressncq of molyb- denum, vaph@lum or titanjum. the support of all the allled govern- ments end were won by & team of athletes from the American forces abroad. The international yacht races in Sports by Countries same is true between the government of Canada and that of the United iStates as regards the fishermen's bost races, begun last year, in the latest contest of which the Canadian schopner Bluenose was the victor. * kX ¥ DUR!NG the past week swordsmen of the United States and Great Britain have been engaged in New York and Washington in internation- al fencing matches which have brought together a number of offi- Jcers of the American and British ar- mies. This 13 the latest of the ath- letic events sponsored by govern- ments to insure a better spirit of amity. Athletics pick up the thread of in- ternational understanding where the diplomats leave off, in the opinion of leaders in sports in this country-—or perhaps athletic competitions lead to an easler understanding of the prob- {lems the diplomats have to face. In either event, there is not a question of doubt that the several athletic events in which the competitors come from different nations and officially represent those nations have resulted in a vastly better understanding, not only among the athletes themselvs, but among the entire population of each country. The United States and England, more than any other two countries, apecialize in sports, and thelr sports. with two or three exceptions, are so similar in character that interna- tional competition is thus fostered. We have base ball and the British have their cricket. We have foot ball and the Eritish have a dehy- drated edition of the same game. In all other sports the two countries are the same. France is making a determined ef- fort to produce winners in sporting events of all kinds, and in this she has the backing of the government through the ministry of sports. Eng- land has not such a ministry, but high government officials give their lofficial support to all athletic con- ‘tells, A French golfer has won the British open championship and Mlle. Lenglen is conceded to be one of the world’s greatest tennis players. France, ably backed by government money, reigns almost supreme in all branches of aviation, and her foot runners have proven themselves as fast as those of other nations. ; Behind the lines in France during |the war sports had a very distinct place. Realizing the importance of mental relaxation from the strain of war, all the allied governments made special provision for sporting events when the men were off duty. There have been stories that both British and American soldiers engaged .in athletic contests within a few yards of points where shells from enemy batteries were falling. Men high in the official councils of the United States and England not only fosters sports of their countries but set their countrymen a good ex- ample by playing the games them- selves. In this country we Lave the chief executive, President Harding, j& golfer of no mean skill and a man | who is always actively interested in all sorts of sporting events. The Senate of the United States boasts a jnumber of good golfers. while from the various foreign embassies and legations in Washington come num- bers of attaches who play their games with skill and ardor. Practically all the. oflicials of the British government are golfers. Pre- mier Lloyd George is one of the vast army of British players, although he enjoys fishing fully us much as the ancient Scottish game. Gaston Vida! the French minister of sports, is an enthusiastic follower of sports and has recently learned the American game of base ball. 2 Shopping Hints. In an old-time book on good manners one of the first instructions given to the young woman when she shops is to remind her that it is not good form to “cheapen” the goods she wishes to buy. She may politely tell the sales- man or the merchant that the price is too high, if it really is, and may make as if to go away; then, If the sales- man sets a price she likes better, she may make the purchase, if she like: This apparently is quite good form, | but deliberately to dicker with the | merchant was not considered worths' of a “perfect lady.” It is unnecessary to remind women | nowadays not to cheapen goods, be- !cause almost everywhere prices are |fixed so that it would bs impossible |to cheapen it we wished to do & |But there are things that the shoppe should bear in mind. It is very inconsiderate—and an thing that is inconsiderate is bad form—to treat the salesman or sales- woman as if he or she were person- ally responsible for the fact that the goods offered are not what you want. Usually, the salesman hes nothing ‘whatever to do with the selection of goods, and to assume a sneering at- titude to him because you do not ltke his ‘wares is ridiculous. Very often we are tempted to feel personal resentment for the sales- person because of the high price of the merchandise. When eggs went up to 80 cents a dozen last winter dark were the looks and unkind the remarks directed by many housewives at the grocer clerk who sold those eggs, just as if he had anything to do with the price of eggs. Some women have a habit of han- dling all goods they think of buy- ing, and even some goods they bave no intention of buying. To be sure, it you are selecting a plece of linen or silk you probably will need to ap- praise the texture of the various pieces oftered by feeling them; but this may be done without Injuring the materfal. One of the rudest things a shopper can do is to try to secure the atten- tion of a salesperson when that per. son is waiting on some one else Years ago, to be sure, one salesper- son was expected to wait on five or six customers at once, but the mod- ern way is the way of concentra- tion, &nd to try to get the attention of a salesperson already engaged i« both inconsiderate and ill-bred. —— The Japanese plck Thetry bleomx and eure them in mit using them to make & sort of tea. s between the United States and Great Britain for a trophy presented many yehrs ago by Sir Thomas Lipton, well kfown British sportsman, have for v been sporting events bringing afout a unanimity of understanding bdtween the two English-speaking es. Both governments have co- with the donor of the tro- and with competing individuals to| niake the rates successful. The .