The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-07-26

ting away like nlagpies.
Barnes. intent ON his secret quest. no
ticed that Lew Pang. the stage villain;
Woo Tong the coloriess hero. and his be-
loved, the heroine of the Drama. sat at the
head of the board intent upon one an
other and ohlivious OF their Surroundings.
Ten other Cinnamon were there. five on
either SIDE OF the table. All had smooth
yellow faces, triangular eyes, glts:enins
white teeth. eXpress:onless countenances
and a gravity of demeanor that WAS ter
ri5ly depressing. The face and manner
of each one of them, the blue cotton
blouscs, the white drawers, the heavy
wooden shoes. with their brocaded uppers,
and the long, shining. plated pigtails,
were so precisely alike that a dubious
spectator might have been pardoned for
believing he was seeing the same man ten
times over.
When Barnes identity became known
the Gathering conversation ceased with
nerve rackils suddenness. The Mongo-
lians were all very reverent in the pres
ence of a representative of the United
States government. The interpreter, who
gloated over his work, insisted upon pre-
senting the chief to the actors. He began
with the fond parent in the drama. who
bowed low to Barnes and gave Vent to q
series of shr.ll calculations lasting for
half a minute.
life say" remarked the interpreter,
pielHdlS, ne EeliN Sl0u 10 see you.
Its Fortunate" whispered Clancy to
Barnes, he didn't wish We the compli-
ments of the season. He'd be talking
yet"
Barnes noticed that the girl at the head
of the table was in high spirits, but saw
that the men on either side of her, the
villain and the hero, We're alternately
raised to tho highest heights of hope or
plunged into the deepest depths of despair.
The sight of her childish face, framed in
a mass of coal black hair, melted the
a~ntaSon.st!c heart of Clancy, and he NUT
tered some familiar quotation about a rose
between two thorns. But to Barnes she
looked mora like a doll. a play toy, than a
flower. Tho pinkish checks against the
tawnY skin. the tiny dots of eyes peering
out of the heavy lids, under the archcd
brows; the waNen ears. like the most deli
cate Of shells; the fiat nose, the small,
straight mouth with the blood red lips, all
helped the Illusion. A pearl comb was
thrust carelessly into a glisten.ng coil of
her Jet black hair. She wore the costume
that had dome service in the play, a richly
rimmed garment with a gracefully draped
traiil. The light blue waist was kimono
shaped. and the large flowing sleeves con-
trasted oddly with her small hands, which
seemed altogether too dainty and trans
parent to be real.
She held a rose coquettishly in the doll
like fingers. and the two men struggled for
1t With a pretense at ~boyishness which was
belied by the glitter in their usually duh,
filmy eyes. Lew Pang whispered very
earnestly to her, but she answered with
an indifferent shrus and a laugh. His face
hardened. and jumping up with an angry
gesture, he strobe from the room. After
that the coal black head of Ching Moy and
the shaver crown of Woo Tong got very
close together. Presently there was a
futter N the room. One OF the stolid
faced Cinnamon on the side OF the table
mace a discovery. The little god of love.
towering above them-or was it Woo
Tong?@haa softly dropped something on
the table. 1t was eHquisitely simple. A
paper dragon was before the man and a
paper phoenix in front OF the woman.
They We're sewed together with two pieces
of red silk. Every Nne in the roorn-ex-
cept Barnes and Clancy-recognized the
meaning of the ancient symbols. Woo
Tong and Ching AioN were betrotlled. All
We're happy over this beautiful bit OF m
aSerN, and no one gave amy thought to the
absent Lew Fang, thus worsted by his
rival in real life. rs he had repeatedly
been on the mimic stage.
Nothing would do but that BARNES
should stay for she cveuing performance
and then participate i'm a genuine Chinese
dinner to celebrate tho real engagement
of the hero and heroine, q consumynation
which had been eagerly loked for by the
members of the company. who had par
t.cipated in the stage affair so many hun
dreds OF times. CLANCY threw out a hint
about going home, but the pos:tiveness
with which Barnes saiG Were going to
stay" convinced the young man that the
veteran had something up his sleeve, and
that he. too. would he compelled to re-
main and see the game to the end.
Barnes conversed with the Cinnamon
and gradually led up to the disappear
ance of the idol. AMI showed the newspa-
per clipping to the Interpreter. That per-
son became interested at once, and amid
a wealth of detail told he knew of
the occurrence which had mystitled the
colony so much. He said the idol had dis
appeared not once, hut several times.
Barnes asked where it had come from in
the first place. Lew Pang, who had orig
inally procured the joss for the company
in China, was not present. SO the query
could not be answered. While the inter
prefer was talking. Ching NIoy watched
the Americans intent1y from the depths
Of her beady little. eyes, After Ah Sin
finished his story, Barnes fell into one
Of his characteristic reveries. from which
he was aroused by q plucking at his coat
sleeves. He looked around an saw Ching
Moy b%eckoning to him with a half mock
ing smile. She walked out of the room
and he followed her. Once outside she
pursed up her ruby lips and, genufectlng
reverentiy, spread her flowing sleeves UNI
til they looked like. the outstretched wings
Of q beautiful bird.
do custom house man want to find out
about Chinese josa2" she said. pronounc-
ing each word quickly and sharply.
He nodded eagerly.
She pointed to the temple. a few yards
away. and began to walk In that dlrec-
tien.
Barnes halted.
"Ching Moy." he said. I've seen you be
fore.
She looked mp exultant end :bobbed her
head. in assent.
ION the whazr on the day you ..rr1ved In
this country"
She laughed with glee at his wonderful
memory.
You were trying to tell me something
that day; what was it?"
For the moment tho tiny faee was a
blank-1he next moment she burst forth
in a frantic effort to be understood.
Yes. yes; Ching Moy she love Woo
Tong Welly much!"
We'll" said the chief, with his IN
dulsent SMILE. II suppose that's all right
mo. no." she cried In protest. mo alec
light Lew Pang he want Ching Moy. He
take Ching Moy back 20 China and mally
her"
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