The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1907-08-02
The CHINESE COIN
By MAXWELL Alley
Copyright, by Daily story pub. Coz

tly Story Pub. Coz
little hope. | knew from the first
that the ship was doomed and that we
on board might be thankful IL we es.
| capped with our lives,
From my luggage | took what I
could carry on my person, putting sew
eral valuables, strange to say, the
Chinese coin among them, In a leath.
ern pouch which ] hung around my
neck, When the storm did come the
junk weathered II bravely for a time.
but at length we saw that ii was go
ing TO pieces and the captain, my.
self and the crew embarked In the
only boat,
| shall pass quickly oven the hor-
rors that ensued, though they are Inn
pressed lndelibly upon my memory.
One by one the men died off till I
alone remained, a mere ghost and
skeleton of a man | grew frenzied
and | remember little of what happen
ed. | remember last of taking the
Chinese coin from the pouch around
my neck and tossing 1t to see II res.
cue would ONE | remember that 1t
fell in my hand with the smooth side
up-which meant, as | had distin.
guished between the two sides, res
cue. ! remember that / laughed in
sanely and kissed the coin with my
dry parched lips and then replaced 1t
I'm finn tAAt,nh Aftar that r ravnaVahn1
nothing for a long time.
They tell me that | was picked up
by a steamer and gradually brought
back to life, but that | fingered In q
hospital in London, whittier the
steamer took me, and nearly died Of .
disease brought on by my exposure
and p~rivation.
Thc first thing ! remember Is OF
hearing a clink on a stone pavement
and Glancing down and seeing the
Chinese coin laying before me. 1t
seemed the connecting link and mem-
DRY returned.
An attendant OF tho hospital ap-
preached me Come" she said In
the persuasive tone one uses to q
child, you must go In now"
Where am IT | gasped, bewild-
cred. What has become of the boat?
Where But a doctor approached
and stopped me and refused to let me
talk until after | had had time to col
lect myself and get my thoughts adj
justed.
As soon as possible ] sent a cable
gram to America. / received the an
swer.
Father dead; fortune left to
charity"
What was ] to do? I was a strang-
er In a strange land and p%ennilees.
They promised to keep me longer at
the hospital and / hoped to be able
to make ON plans In that time.
A few days later | was sitting on
the pavement where | had sat when
memory first returned TO me. I took
the coin from the pouch and idly toss-
ed 1t idly In the air. Rough for luck"
| said, II III in my hand rough up.
You have been a friend to me be-
fore, old coin" | said, Il hope you are
right.
sat turning II over and over again,
pressing II between my thumb and
fore-finger. OF a sudden d circular
part that formed the center flew open.
How strange!" | exclaimed. There
must be a spring that my finger press
ed examined the opening. n was
filled with gold dust. ! poured this
carefully ont In my hand. With It
came something else. ] gazed In as
constituent. A magnificent, fiat,
.pigeon-blood ruby lay glowing, burn
Ing In my hand.
Luck, old coini' | murmnred soft.
ly. Luck! You were right"
It brought me over $4,000. which
was an ample amount to get home
on and have something to live on at.
ter ! got there. | did not contest my
fathers will, but went to work to earn
fortune Of my own. have II now
and | have Alacia too--though she
hasn't the Keang-see tea s~ervice-and
sometimes people wonder why l wear
a heavy brass coin for a watch charm.