The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-02

she stood that evening in the porch and
waved a last farewell TO me. The i'm
| pulse which prompted me TO run back
and throw my arms about her neck was
warning, IL l could only have read IL.
| What an escape had been mine / looked
at my Uncle Jim and thought OF that
night In Maidenhead and tho bone clap
| ping Christy. How strangely IL had all
| worked out.
Presently Jim laid aside his pipe and
| rose 10 his feet.
We'll. Davie." he said what do you
| make OF it7'
Truth TO tell. my brain was In such a
| whirl that / could not marshal my ideas.
i only knew that the tale was horrible
and that II affected me horribly. But l
repliedi Everything that's bad. My
| father has left me fine heritage"
Aye" he answered. but let US not
| talk OF that. ] think there Is no reason
why we should doubt the veracity Of the
story"
None. am sorry TO say. have seen
too much during the last two years"
We'll, then. we must set our house In
order. unless He stopped and looked
me up and down. a singular. penetrating
expression playing about his yes.
Unless We follow out his wish3"
Precisely"
But we cannot kill"
Neither can we allow ourselves TO be
killed. You would not hesitate to shoot
@ Wild beast that threatened you. These
men are worse than wild beasts. for they
have human intelligence and the re-
sources OF civilization TO aid them One
thing Is certain. they know neither pity
nor fear. Ii Is not enough for them
that they have punished the traitor They
mean TO wipe out the traitors blood. II
matters nothing that you or your mother
never did them harm. You must pay
bitterly for the sins,of others. Now this
Is an iniquity which should be put on
end to. and that can only be accomplish
ed by the suppression OF Kung. How we
are TO bring about such a contamination
i haven't the least idea. but OF one thing
/ am certain-the world is not big enough
for the three ofus.''
II was horrible. but perfectly true, /
felt II. had seen too much OF the doings
of the Society Of the Hidden Meaning.
knew with what tenacity they ciung to
the work In hand, and i had no hope
whatever OF their abandoning the enter
prise, no matter what obstacles there
were to be surmounted. The result then
would be life somewhat similar to my
fathers death. a death which could not
be prolonged indefinitely.
What do you propose2'' asked.
'It is evident" said he that one of two
things must happen-either we kill Kung
or ne kills US ! gather from what your
father says that the death of Kung cou-
pied with that Of Wooching. will prob
ably end the feud. as they are the only
two chiefs left OF the original council
who take n personal interest in the
vengeance. Wooching is probably here In
this country. II we could lay our hands
on him, the law would relieve us of all
moral responsibility concerning him.
With Kung It Is different. He is In
China and apparently beyond the reach
Of any law. II we want him, we must
look for him in his native land"
"Go to China?" / gasped
He smiled why not?'
But surely that would be to court In
slant annihilation."
mot necessarily. II Is Just possible
that II may be safer than this Kung not
improbably viii credit us with the wish
to avoid him. The matter is very serious.
Davie. I. as you know. am a man of
peace. but II peace Is denied me. then I
have no objection to war. We each have
a personal debt to pay-an obligation
which II is our bounden duty to fulfill. I
know your mother was good enough TO
forgive the hand that struck her down,
but, you see, the vengeance does not end
there As sure as we are living men our
turn will come unless we make ourselves
masters OF the situation"
had no doubt that he was right,
though I shrank from such a foolhardy
enterprise as seeking Kung In his native
land. II we could not guard against his
emissary I'm our own country. surrounded
by police and the appliances OF civiiza-
tion. how could we hope 10 succeed I'm the
very stronghold Of the yellow fiends? MY
uncle admitted the apparent soundness of
my argument. but the idea OF penetrating
into the enemys country had taken pos
session OF him. and nothing that couio
say made him waver In his design.
AT all events" l said, I'VE cannot be
sure that these men mean TO continue