Okolona messenger., 1906-12-12
Rx 4. sPnNcn nH PIN


H N N the eNSry neaIC OF san Ngr0nCtSCl
n apertain breathing pla6e Gale,
noetsnDuth square stood little Quon,
Ling - a lSu1hinar Day. sss t8es N
Across the ahaSs came au0tner l'he
urs; little taller. a little older thar
QuOng Ling, and neither white MOI
Chinese. but part OF both, When i
was directly behind the Chinese boy 4
shot out its hands and clapped then
tightly over the others eyes, aud cried
n merry voice:
"Who?"
Ming Foo, OF course" was the
prompt response.
They curlec themselves comfortably
On the grass, near the edge of the
gravel path, content as two young ami
mails
Here comes Sam Louie" cried Ming
700, suddenly; he's going to STOP
"Ho, little rascals, do you have
aaught to do but idle?" asked Sam
Louie affably, as he paused moment.
Nothing, honorable friend, but to
idle and tell stories.'
We'll, if that be all, let this add to
the pleasures of thy idleness; catchl"
Cutting off generous piece of sugar
cane from one Of the sticks he carried.
he tossed it into the air and passed
on
For the time all else was forgotten
in the pleasurable crunch of teeth upon
the succulent cane. Forgotten till a
fat, sleek Chinaman, in American ap-
parel, and another Chinaman, with a
great red scar across his cheek, passed
by, and word or so fioated to the al
ways wide-open ears Of Ming Foo.
Understand? There ought to be
about three thousand dollars, and you
must get every cent Of" That was
all, Dut 1t was enough to arrest pair
of stout young jaws midway in the act
of sending a set of white teeth into the
juicy wood Enough to cause Ming Foo
to stare wonderingly after the retreat
ing pair, and note that they settled
themselves on a bench and that they
were joined by third Chinaman.
In the last arrival Ming Foo recog-
nized a hatchetman of the Ping Kong
tong. His eyes danced joyously, and
thrusting his stumpy piece of cane
within his blouse, he pulled Quong
Ling's ear down close to his lips, whis-
pered something, then scampered OF
and left the smaller boy wondering
and watching the patched trousers az
:hey disappeared around corner.
Quong Ling's patience had become
almost exhausted when one of the
three men on the bench wandered of;
n another moment the other two part
ed, going in opposite directions; and,
as he held his gaze on the empty
bench, he saw battered cap and
close-c1opped head rise from the low
shrubbery just behind it.
"Oh, Quong Ling, Quong Ling.
Quong-a he sang. dancing
around on the tips of his toes. Big.
biggest thing ever, eh? We're goin' to
do a big thing tonight. Come long
with me and I'll tell you all about 1t"
Then, with many gesticulations and
contortions and swellings Of the chest,
Ming Foo told what he had heard as
he lay in the shrubbery. How, on this
night, the store of Now Gum, for whom
Sam Louie worked, was to be robbed;
that 1t was to punish the proprietor for
daring to cross the hatchet-man-in
daring to refuse to bear false witness
In some matter before the police, as
we'll as to gain the money. That there
were things and mysteries back Of this
that 1t had to do with the tongs, and
much more. So that in the end, Quong
Ling quivered with the mystery and
excitement OF it, and Ming Foo, strik-
ing his robust little chest, fairly
nissed:
"Aint it big? Amt we goin' to stop
It; amt we goin' t do more than big
detectives would?"
Whom the smaller adventurer asked.
How" Ming Foo grew in stature a.
Ae exclaimed
Never mind! You come with me, I'll
Lhow you! I'm white!"
Possibly it was owing to that little
treak Of white in him that the follow
lag things happened. He was only IL,
hut he knew very much, and Quong
Ling was his devoted admirer.
There was no place In the quarter OF
which Ming Foo did not have the run.
Every cplum joint was to him home
and place to lay his head; every
pawnshop was his museum, and the
theater was his especial place Of pat
ronage; so that 1t was with no Difficult
" that he gained for himself and fol-
lower admission to this place Of amuse-
ment. He strutted across the stage and
b. :hs dressing room behind, and got
In peoples way, and bullied the actors,
aud finally disappeared In the depths
below--and the fact was not even no
ticed.
Among rows upon rows OF masks
whole heads, some Of them, in fact
racks OF swords, miniature pagodas,
thrones and ancient armor, they reE-
eled undisturbed, and Ming Foo pulled
end hauled the things about until final
ly he found these articles he should
eed--not a great deal, rapier mache
riask of hideous design and extraordi-
ary proportions and few yards OF
yellow silk. Nor was the removal Of
. + y. -.