Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-03
CCopyright. l9Oe. By George BartonO

IL Nrrac
49, better now, and Clancy cauod
WIN some papers that needed ,,or,o,,a.'
Y't. The hum of the busy life ~ NJ.
came through the window ard -,
le oio man long to get back into ha..s..
"sah. He lolled back IN bis -,
crunched an unlighted stoeia bet,,,,o. ~
teeth and gazed perpIexedIv al n n.,,,,s,,. liis
oppihg IN his right hand. Clancy -,
ping departmental reports at an adto,n,r,.
49, haa one eye on his work and the
osior On ms chief Clancy's natural love no
49,, ,,osen'ure made him hope that the puzzling
p@per might bring some relief fror, ,,.s
deadly monotony OF routine u,h,on Ine
Drooued over the Office for fortnlgbt
PRESENTLY the perplexIty faded sro,, .b.
Yves Oh the older man and he looked a. h,s
assistant with an indulgent smile. C1anc,,
returned the smile with interest ana tvottoS
LOT an explanation. Barnes silentv hands,
L'ill the newspaper clipping, which read a.,
me larceny of an idol is the lates, h,,
Vi sensationalism. The curious incident -
Surred at the Chinese exposition AZ C,onov
Isianu' Zen days ago the customs officials
a .llls port, by authority of special act Of
congress, admitted into the United steto.
company Of Chinese PLAYERS who a,a - -
performances in their native tongue durins,
the continuance OF the exposition ana ot,o.
us close return to their homes in China
ohe OF the articles I'm their baggage was n
Chlnese IDOL, which, being an article of re
hgious worship, was admitted free M dut,,
and was duly installed in a temporarv Ioss
mousse erected on the exposition Rrounds Co.
.ne purpose. Early yesterday morning the
iuol disappeared from it's pedestal in the
,o"s house' ana when this became known
~ INC members OF the company they were
Will
weird lamentations filed the grounds. TWO
hours later the idol was found unframed in
It's original position. The mystery is wbv n
was taken at all. and who was the cui
prit?", 0Ui
me young man read the paragraph care
tuily and was about to INQUIRE what me-
siole interest 1t could have for the Trritad
states government, when his unsnol,en
question was cut of by the chief who
had already mentally outlined his plan ~
campaign
Con-" he asked, with a smile lowering
ABOUT the corners Of his mouth, ARE YOU
student of the drama?"
yes" was the half hesitating ror,,,
ENJOY show as well as the next fellow.
out when 1t comes to these heather
plays"
The brisk laugh of Barnes drowned ont
the remainder of the sentence: immediatelv
stterward he became the official. announ.
cling with curt Formally his decision.
wen go down this afternoon and taLa
look at this heather show"
AT O'Clock, when the chief and his
assistant were Installed I'm front seats in
the little theater on the Midway Of The
exposition grounds Barnes was his ordi
narily agreeable self. happy to discard
temporarily the strait jacket of offlcialdom.
For more than two hours the seemingly in
terminable performance went on. For a
time the noise and clatter and stranseness
interested Clancy, but after that he began
TO Midget and glance at his watch Not so
the chief inspector. He looked intently at
tne actors and frequently questioned All
sin' the obliging interpreter who had been
provided for his beneft. dainty Chinese
girl emerging from the gloom back OF the
stage trotted down toward the footIiebts
to the weird accompaniment OF the tom
toms, and gracefully sinking to the floor.
skilfully shot open her fan in the direction
or the audience. An instant look of recog-
milton overspread the face of the chief in
spector.. He turned to the Interpreter.
''Who is that?"
That's Ching Moy." WAS the response.
She seems to be favorite"
Oh yes" replied All Sin. proudly; "she
leading lady alice samee"
The play was a tragedy-perhaps that
is why It furnished so much unailoyed
JOY to the Americans I'm the audience.
the Cinnamon among the spectators looked
on In stolid silence and with unwinking
patience. During lull in the performance
the chief, with a yawn of relaxation
turned to his assistant
What do you think of emp
Con glanced up gloomily.
''They look like tea chests and small
like the very"
Barnes raised a protesting finger. Rut
Clancy was in one OF his argumentative
moods.
"A Chinamans a Chinaman Whatta we
want with EN-? They'll open laundries
ruin our shirts. put lot Of honest widders
odt Of business, live on rice and burn it's
sue paper In the grave yards"
The chief, maintaining his gravity, said
with a sober face:
But these are artists; they'll go home
after the exposition"
Clancy shook his head disconsolately.
"Oh, Chinaman's an artist all right
but never know'd any of 'em to go back
TO china-anyhow, not till they got a bis
bundle OF our good money to take with
'em."
The villain Of the play-the Irishman in
sisted that they were all vlllains-was tall
stern and forbidding in appearance, and
as Clancy described him In the vernacular
"a dead ringer for Ii Hung Chang" Lew
Pang, the villainous one. was Impressed
with the seriousness OF his part and was
merciless in his treatment of the hero &
small delicate looking Chinaman by ths
name of Woo Tong. Both played inces
SAINT court TO the heroine. impersonated by
the fragile little maiden who was billed
as Ching Moy. She was as dainty as ,
peachblow vase and so artless that tn,
prosaic Barnes unconsciously found himself
sympathizirg with Lew Pang when tina
oriental finally discovered. after many won
derfully long drawn out speeches, that hi
suit was hopeless.
In the last scene the playwright salts
Ned poetic Justice and the evident desir,
of the audience by betrothing Woo Ton,
and Ching AIoy. After that. az course. II
just compliance with the eternal canon
of romance. she ceased TO be a heroine
and with a pretty bow withdrew from tn
performances. Lew Pang and Woo Tom
advanced 10 the footlights and engage,
In fearfuily and wonderfully constructs