The sun., 1908-03-22
STRANGE MEETING IN CHINA.
The American Consul Again Proves That
ThIs IL . small world.

The American Consul Again Proves That
THIS IL . small world.
Il hate bromides as we'll as the next
fellow-but the world certainly Is small
said Southerner who for several years was
American Consul at Chinese city. That
fact was proved 10 me for the 'steenth time
q few weeks before left China.
"A couple Of years ago a man who man.
aged a jewelry store in my town in the South
cut and run for 1t. He managed the store
for his father, who operated larger jeWelry
store in a nearby town. This manager had
got In bad, playing the horses and the like,
and when he found himself $4,000 or SIO,OOO
on the wrong side, why, he didn't have tho
nerve TO take train and 60 over TO the old
gentleman and tell him ell about it, % he
just bolted,
Il read this in China In the home papers
that were sent to me. The home papers
made a good deal Of the story. Plenty Of
sympathy was expressed for the manager,
who was well liked by all the folks down
there. His father particularly took the
thing 10 heart The old gentleman was ioh,
and he put experts TO work to straighten
out his missing sons accounts, charged
up the peculated money TO profit and loss
and installed another son a. manager.
-0ne mail day-I only got American mail
about every ten days at the Chinese city
| received a package Of circulars relating
70 missing Americans Most OF the circulars
were from the police departments Of Amer
ican cities-American ConBus get quanti-
ties OF these circulars from the police au-
thorities. never paid great deal Of atten-
tion TO such circulars, although generally
glanced over them.
rOne Of this batch was a circular minutcly
describing the manager Of a jewelry estab-
llshment who had disappeared from my
town. The circular had been distributed
by an American private detective agency
at the instgatiOh Of the missing mans
father. II was stated in the circular
which contained q cut OF the missing man
whose features | knew so well-that the
police were not after him, that there was
no trouble in store for him, that his affairs
had been Strengthened out and that it was
only desired that he return home.
Il had ordered my cart for drive just as
this bunch Of mail reached my Office, and
oT1nohed a lot OF the mail into my pocket.
intending TO look II over when my driver had
fooled the cart out into the country.
My driver was threading his way through
a side street In the European colony when
| thought OF the mail In my pocket and
pulled It out. The first envelope got hold
Of was that containing the circular descrih-
ing the missing jeweller from my town. I
spread II out on my knee and was reading IL
over when the cart happened 10 give a
lurch and glanced up
Standing on the corner looking right at
me was the man whose picture and descrt,-
ton were contained In the circular spTeal
out on my knee.
'Flabbergasted? certainly was!
doubted my eyesight for a moment. Il
seemed too incredible, But there he was,
all right, looking rather pale and worried
but living and breathing and substantial
enough-no hallucination, for sure.
Hello, Bob, | said to him. proddinG
my driver to, pull up, I'm just looking at
your picture here
Hello, old pal-didn't know you were
here-you look good for sore eyes, and no
stepped 10 the side Of the cart and reached
out my hand and we shook.
handed him the circular, He took il
and read II rather listlessly.
hate TO 60 back, he said to me.
Guess you do, said |, but the home
papers say your governor is worrying q
heap about you and losing his health over
Il, and SO reckon you'll have TO skate back
Bob. EhY
We'll mavhA he said ~, st--v far
the old man, certainly am, and then We
talked things over. He'd been in that
Chinese city for fortnight and already
was employed at a leading jewelry estaG-
lishment conducted by Chinaman.
We'll, that's all. He didn't 20 bac,
He left my Chinese city before Quit thor,
and don't know where he went, but h,
didn't return home, Iguess he made uD his
mind that he couldn't stand the gaf.