The Tupelo journal., 1909-02-26
lLluJTRATE.D
BY j. ]. ShfRiDAn.

Ine 1|etn-nOunu are uOSS Wllllou
heads. They are spirits of murdered
children, which pass through the
woods at night, making a wailins
noise"
do you believe this?"
Yes, for l have worn the yellow
lotus"
"The yellow lotus"
yellow is the symbol of faith"
"Where?"
"In Yian,' she said. family.
After a while | said: "Ysonde, vol
know there is a God?'
God and Xangi are one"
"Have you ever heard of Christi"
NO" she answered, softly.
The wind began again among the
tree tops. | felt her hands closing in
mine.
"Ysonde," | asked again, "do you be
lieve in sorcerers?"
Eyes, the kuen-Yuin are %sorcerers
Yue-Laou is a sorcerer."
Have you seen %sorcery?"
Yes, the reptile satellite Of the
Kin
Anything else?"
my charm-the golden ball, the
symbol of the Kuen-Yuin. Have you
cen it change-have you seen the rep
tiles writhe-?"
yes" said |, shortly, and then re
manned silent, for a sudden shiver OF
apprehension had seized me. Barris
also had spoken gravely, ominously
of the sorcerers, the Kuen-Yuin, and ]
had seen with my own eyes the craven
reptiles turning and twisting on the
glowing globe.
STILL" said I, aloud, God lives and
sorcery is but a name"
All" murmured Ysonde, drawing
closer to me, they say. in Yian, the
Kuen-Yuin live; God is but a name"
"They lie" | whispered, fiercely.
"Be CAREFUL" she pleaded; they
may hear you. Remember that you
have the mark of the dragons claw on
your brow"
What of it?" I asked, thinking also
of the white mark on Barris' arm.
"Ah, don't you know that those who
are marked with the dragons claw are
followed by Yue-Laou, for good or for
evil-and the evil means death if you
offend him?"
do you believe that?" / asked, i'm
patiently.
81 know it." she sighed.
Who told you all this? Your step
father? What in heavens name is he,
then-a Chinaman!"
Il don't know; he is not like you"
"Have-have you told him anything
about me?"
He knows about you-no, l have
told him nothing-ah, what is this
sect is a cord, a cord of silk about
your neck-and about mine!"
Where did that come FROM" /
asked, astonished.
ut must bet must be Yue-Laou
who binds me to you-it is as my STEP
father said-he said Yue-Laou would
bind US"
Nonsense" l said, almost roughly,
and seized the silken cord, but to- my
amazement it melted in my hands like
smoke.
What is all this damnable Jug
glery!" l whispered, angrily, but my
anger vanished as the words were
spoken, and a convulsive shudder
shook me to the feet. Standing on the
shore of the lake, a stones throw
away, was a figure, twisted and bent
a little old man, blowing sparks from
hand The coal glowed with increas.
ing radiance, lighting up the skull
like face above it, and threw a red
glow over the sands at his feet. But
the face!-the CHASTITY Chinese face
on which the light fickered-and the
snaky slitted eyes, sparkling as the
coal glowed hotter. Coal! 1t was not
a coal but a golden globe staining the
night with crimson fiames-it was the
symbol of the Kuen-Yuin.
See! See!" gasped Ysonde, trem-
bling violently, see the moon rising
from between his fingers! Oh, l
thought it was my stepfather and it is
Yue-Yaou, the Maker of Moons-no!
no! 1t is my stepfather-ah, God! they
are the same!"
Frozen with terror l stumbled to my
knees, cropping for my revolver, which
bulged in my coat pocket; but some
thing held me-something which
bound me like a web in a thousand
strong silky meshes. / struggled and
turned, but the web grew tighter; it
was over us-afl around US, drawing,
pressing us into each others arms I'M
til we lay side by side, bound hand
and body and foot, palpitating, painting
like a pair of Melted pigeons.
And the creature on the shore be-
low! What was my horror to see a
moon, huge, silyery, rise like a bubble
from between his fingers, mount high
er, higher into the still air and hang
aloft in the midnight sky, while an
other moon rose from his fingers, and
another and yet another until the vast
span of Heaven was set with moons
and the earth sparkled like a diamond
in the white glare.
A great wind began to blow from
the east and it bore to our ears a
long mournful howl-a cry SO un-
earthly that for a moment our hearts
stopped.
THE Yeth-hounds!" sobbed Ysonde;
do you hear!-they are passing
through the forest! The Kin is near!'
Then all around us in the dry sedge
grasses came a rustic as If some small
animal were creeping, and a damp
acrid odor filled the air. / knew the
smell, I saw the spidery, crab-like