Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-26

! of men that are accustomed to march
| ing, and once more the superintendent.
| and the sergeant, and the police came up
| the steps; and also were Moung Ouray,
ana 1po Thit, and the Phoongyes, and
others there
We shall find the opium" Hpo Thit
was saying. "or else Moung Ouray has
given il some one, to some of tn. op;,lm
| eaters to steal the ruby for nim-tho great
ruby which was in the forehead of the
God Beda. If the opium is gone, we shall
md the ruby. If the ruby is not mere. We
shall find the opium. l do not know all
things like the rhakine but that is the
way of our people"
Il think that this is no end of a FOOLS
game. said VALENTINE to the sergeant;
| but we might we'll finish cur search
while we are at it. Where shall We look
first?"
In the box. Thakine.' eagerly interposed
| Hpo Tint. IF the opium IS not there, and
! he has the ruby, there Shall we find it."
So once more the sergeant continued his
| interrupted search of the box. There was
nothing beyond a pair of Chinese patent
leather shoes, palm leaf Buddhist Bible
and Moung Ouray's silken head dress IS,
many of Them packed away in The bot
tom.
There is nothing here, Hpo Init" said
| the superintendent. brusquely. What
really ought TO do is arrest you. Hpo Jhit.
for a dangerous lunatic: but I'll see to that
tomorrow. In the meantime, sergeant, just
beat up the surrounding country for the
That the ruby was gone was a facer to
| Hpo Thit; first, the balls Of opium had dis
appeared, but that he had attributed to
| Moung Ouray; now the ruby had vanished
ana MounS Ouray had been with the po-
| lice all the time.
| Then he saw something which gave him
clue. 1t was an innocent looking circlet
of jessamine flowers lying in front of the
| box. 1t was such IA circlet as he girls
wore on their hair, and it hadn't been
iylng there when they searched the box be-
| fore.
"Of certainty Mi MIRA has taken the
to the house of San Shwe, who is her
! father. II San Shwe will keep it, there will
It rest; but If his heart fail him, then will
| he tell her to take it to the police Thakine -
| There was no time to be lost for 1t would
| be discovered that he had stolen it, and
| ne would also lose the ruby
His opportunity to steal the jewel had
! come to MIN just as he was leaving Moung
| ourays house. after having put the opium
| in the box. For some unknown reason.
| probably owing to the poay, he had found
the temple deserted for a few minutes. and
| mad knocked the ruby out of the alaba ster
| with his sword. Then the sudden fear, and
| the chance to implicate Moung Ouray as
| the thief, his other scheme having failed.
,ed MN TO put 1t In the box. Now he knew
| mat Mi Mira must have seen him put it
| there. and as he would be accused of steal
| ing 1t anyway, he meant TO get the ruby
| back.
/
came out of Moung Ouray's house, he
| quickly sped to San Shwe's bungalow.
AS he approached cautiously he could see
| MI MIRA and her mother and father. sitting
on the bamboo floor. earnestly discussing
| something. "They will decide; will wait, "
he muttered. squatting on his heels at the
+, side of the road.
| Then Mi Mira came out and started off
| across the dried madam toward the SUPER
| intendent's bungalow.
| That vas Hpo Thit's chance.
IF you tell about It," he said as he left
| her, Il will swear that you and Moung
| Orray stole Ii and gave 1t to me. Then the
| judge Thatkine will ask how you should
| know that had 1t, If you had not given IL
| to me-"
Mi Mira went back to her fathers house;
| she wanted to think; wanted to do that
| which was the least trouble.
In the morning she told VALENTINE about
| 1t, and in an hour he and the sergeant and
file OF police were chasing Hpo Thit. But
| Hpo Thit had gone. One more dacoit had
been created. His brother, the Thuggie's
gun had gone with him. The Thuggie
didn't know that. for Hpo Thit had stolen
| II. 1t was an old-fashioned muzzle-loadihg
| musket.
1t is difficult to run down Burman in
the jungle, and 1t was the next day before
they came up with their quarry
He had couple of shots at them In q
laundering sort of way with the old mus
ket without hitting anybody; but Just as
VALENTINE charged In on him at the head
Of his police Hpo Thit fired again at close
quarters, ard the superintendent went
down. shot In the shoulder.
Only for the sergeant. Hpo Thit would
have been carved up into regulation slices
only for the sergeant and VALENTINE too
for he beloved out: Don't kill him. Take
the beast aliver'
Bring him here and search him al
- cree" said VALENTINE, who was sitting VI