The Forrest City times., 1909-01-01

At last I was aroused by soft "hel- To-" and the nose of a swift gasoline launch shot into the creek.
 We had not long to wait. Clarke lifted his eyes from his intent watch on the shore line and said: Hes coming"
 I knew who "he" meant and I shiv- cred at meeting Withersbee on those black waters Then my ear caught the 'puff-pun" of launch.
 Down in the boat, fellows, he's so- ing to fire" shouted Clarke. Dudley and I dropped Six times in rap'd succession his revolver cracked Est swiftly flying launch is not easy so hit and we heard the bullets whistle overhead.
 Withersbees boat was almost uEpn us when Clarke gave the wheel a quick twist and our pursuer shot past With in three feet of our gunwale Az he threw the wheel Clarke's right Arm shot into the basket at his side saw his hand come out holding a writhing black object He swung it about his head once and let go. I saw it hurtle through the air and strike the doctor full between the shoulders. Withers- bee dropped the wheel and stood up trying to fight the thing off while his boat, free of her helm, swung round in circles.
 Suddenly he sprang to the gunwale of the boat, threw up his arms and with piercing, terrified shriek disap- peared in the black waters of the bay.
 Clarke shot our boat over to the staggering derelict, reached over her side and stopped her engine I held the gunwales together while Dudley leaped into the doctors boat at bound and returned bearing in his powerful arms the unconscious form of a young woman. The figure in the stern sat fixed and motionless
 Dudley swiftly cut the ropes which bound her. Its she. It's she" he muttered. Clarke felt her pulse She's only tainted" he said. We fell to chafng her wrists and Dudley scooped up handful of sea water and bathed her brow.
 At the tavern. after Miss Mason had been safely slowed away in a clean warm bed by the motherly landlady we patched together the ragged threads of the story over the best in the landlords cellar.
 First" said Clarke, If you are Oliver Dike, whose was the body that Dr. Withersbee shipped to Chicago in an opium case?"
 He was another attendant. young fellow by the name of Frank Williams. We were very similar in appearance even to the filings in our teeth
 T didn't worry much about her for he treated her well and she seemed to be in no danger from him, and had seen so many terrible things in cases where he didn't want to marry them that I was sort of hardened to it any way l was the watchnan of the whole place after Williams disap- peared and the only white man about the institution, all the rest being Chinks. I talked with Miss Mason on the sly sometimes but I paid no attention to her appeals until one day she mentioned the name of MT Dud- ley here. He was one of my boyhood football heroes and I determined to do something.
 But, Clarke. how did you see through all this when we were In Chi. cago?' I asked
 T didn't see through it by any means. Only I saw some things which you didn't Part of it you know. Then a connecting link was the zinc can which 1 recognized at once as one used in smuggling opium. picked up the threads of Miss Ma sons case where I had dropped them before, and the list of guests con- firmed my hay recollection that there was one from Etteso. The name of the town did not strike me the first time. of course, but the name of the doctor did, for while turning the case thing which I should have remembered the first time. It was that once in . Clark street opium den I had hearc the name 'Withersbee in a cautious whisper. My visit to Chinatown con. firmed this. 1 have Chinaman there that I depend on a good deal, and in reply to my question of who was the greatest dealer in smuggled opium in the country he whispered 'Withers. bee, swearing that he would never live | to see another day for having told"
 
 Dudley and Miss Mason were mar l ried the next spring and Clarke and | are often guests at their beautiful | Lake Forest home. Withersbees so- | called asylum, from which, aided by | the powerful Chinese tongs in which | he wielded great influence, he conduct l ed his extensive smuggling operations, now atones for its past sins as one of 1 the principal outposts in the war against The Great White Plague
 Copyright. 1908. by W. c. ChapmanS
 Copyright in Great RTitain.)