Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-02-06

lamp, where could look through the
hideous mouth between the rows OF
priceless teeth. The air was suffocat.
ing, but did not dare put out the
lamp. 7 knew the absence of the light
In the idol would attract the attention
of Cha Fong at once. So I breathed
the hot and sitting perfume and
waited.
The minutes seemed like hours. MY
position was cramped, and it was with
difficulty that remained quiet. And
I-cursed Cha Fona for being 40 long
in coming-when it might have been
more to the purpose to curse him foI
coming at all.
But, Notwithstanding my belief to
the contrary, time passed.
could hear footsteps approaching
in the garden, the heavy tread OF mill
tary boots and the softer step of q
second person. I could hear loud
voices in angry argument. The Ian.
guage was queer mixture. Now and
then I could catch a word or sen.
tence that T could understand; but il
was mostly Chinese.
I felt queer sensation at the start.
ingly familiar sound of one of the
voices. It sounded Enthusiastically like
the voice of a person whom I had cause
to remember, and whom I would be
glad to meet under circumstances
favorable to myself. My blood grew
hot, my fingers tingled as they rested
upon the rife in my grasp.
The angry speakers advanced and
came into the temple.
I bent q little lower that I might
look up through the idols mouth and
see the faces of the newcomers.
They stopped before the idol.
One was the gigantic Cha Fong.
dressed as T had seen him before, in
full military costume and evidently IN
a towering rage. The other was MIR.
Gambok Smell.
How I longed to empty the rife in
to Mr.. SHELLS snake-like carcass
With what joy, thought, would see
him writhing in dying agonies before
mel But it was not yet time for me
to act. There was so much that de-
sired to learn. I thought perhaps by
remaining quiet could catch enough
from thei- ,lcsyev9 conversation to tell
me of MI friends, Ralston an~s 1-"ugs
ton.
r gathered from the bits OF their
oibberish that could understand that
Cha Fong was accusing Mr.. Smell OF a
breach of trust. 1t appeared that
these two precious rogues alone pos.
seesed the secret of the hidden spring
by which entrance to the island coulo
be effected. Hence it was plain to Chs
Fong that Mr.. Smell was the person
who had been there in his absence
aAl upon departing had left open the
rolling doors. This was evidently
serious matter in the estimation o
Cha Fong, for he was greatly excitet
and wrought up.
Mr.. Gambok Smell way APPARENT.
engaged in q frantic endeavor to dis
abuse the mind of Cha Fong of hi
error. He seemed to be telling hin
that he had not had time since the ar
rival of the City of Rio de Janeiro a
Hong Kong to visit the island and re
turn to Hong Kong again. Howeve
patent this fact may have been to MI
Smell, it was q difficult task to thrus
it down the yellow throat OF his mas
ter.
But the vehemence and earnestnes
of Mr.. Smell made at least little In
preston on Cha Fong, for he switche
the question of Mr.. SHELLS infdelit
from the intrusive presence OF himse
in the submarine palace to the stl
greater crime of divulging the secret
the place to third person.
In reply to this awful charge MI
Smell grew perfectly wild in his prote
tations of innocence, and seemed to
invoking the wrath of the idol, insit
of which I knelt, upon himself if /
was not telling the truth. I chuckle
inaudibly to myself and patted N
/ rifle fondly. The wrath OF the Id
would come sure enough if they onl
' waited with patience.
T heard the name of "America" an
? "girl;" and from the ugliness of Oh
: Fong, Il concluded that he was accu
, ing Mr.. Smell of playing him false
I still another respect. I also heal
the Ketoto mentioned. Putting tn
and that together, I judged the acc
= sation against Mr.. Smell to be the sci
I ing, for his own ends, of the girl WI
4 had been sought and abducted
Cha Fong's agents for Cha Fone
@ own purpose. I had no doubt tn
[ Annie Ralston had been taken fro
t her home to be the victim OF u
2 Fong. and that Gambok Smell had a
D rpropriated her himself, and now W
e trying to hoodwink the Gilman
into believing something else.
" So far as the fortunes OF the g
8 were concerned, I could not see th
it made any difference whether S
b was the wife of one or the other
these scoundrels.
# While the two were engaged
their wordy war, was calmly and {
hberately shaping my course. L "
d not naturally of murderous dispo
d ton. In fact, it had always been
d boast that I was almost womanlike
d my gentleness in the practice OF
D. profession. Even the most SIM
d operation in minor surgery called
n the utmost sympathy within me
it the sufferer. But there was no TO
lie for sentiment here. [ was W