Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-20

4
revealing furnished splendors OF paint
and gliding: the staring. superciIious
eyes were of painted porcelain. but
nowhere was there trace of the
precious gems with which tradition
had loaded the image.
There was movement on. the out
| stretched hand OF the Goddess of
| Mercy. and Osmond started violently:
| small venomous snake inched its
way up the arm and disappeared over
! the shoulder. He turned the light
| rapidly here and there. and then he
| understood the full sweetness of the
| Canton mans revenge. while the skin
about his temples seemed to shrink
with terror.
The rays of the lamp fell on count
less writhlDg forms of serpents.
The flashing of the light seemed to
rouse the reptiles TO greater anger;
they Kissed loudly until he snapped IL
out. but the horror of total darkness
overcame' this other fear. and he
turned it on again. the tense fixed on
the fallen image.
If he got out alive he would have
rich material for his book. This under
ground chamber could tell him many
things once rid of it's occupants. But
he would never get out alive. so 1t
would be of no use TO him, He laughed
bitterly, and the sound echoed weirdly
among the rocks. There was a quick
rustling-and the serpents had disap-
peared!
II he could keep them away by
shouting he would do so. and at the
same time he might be heard But that
was absurd, for all his native servants
were arrant towards. and there was
no foreigner nearer than the town. Ali
at once he remembered that two OFF,
GERS from the British cruiser in the
harbor were to spend the evening with
him. Might they wonder at his abb
sence and look for him? He, who was
never q praying mau. called upon God
to send his friends that way. Then
he lifted his voice and shouted their
names again and again.
By and by when he was tired ST.
lence' reigned in the chamber; one by
one the snakes came back and stared
at him with lidless watching eyes. He
gazed at the porcelain orbs of the
Goddess of Mercy and thought how lit
tie mercy there was in her disciple, the
Canton man.
The serpents were becoming OBJ
noxious again. and this time be pulled
out his revolver and aimed at the tiny
viper in the outstretched hand. There
was the sharp tinkle Of shattered
porcelain and when the smoke settled
down TO the floor the Goddess of Mercy
still thrust forth an arm. but the hand
was broken: on the floor among the
crushed fingers lay the straight slim
body of the dead viper.
Osmond leaned forward and peered
at the half palm extended toward him.
His eyes distended and his breath
came sharply. The hand was hollow,
and poised on the broken edge was |
something that cleaned strangely in |
the lamplight! The emperor had been |
no fool who had placed his Offering
within the hand of the Goddess of
Mercy. The doctor stretched forth a
hand and. with unbelieving eyes, !
touched the sparkling green stone; it |
fell into his palm and nestled there. !
while he gloated over il. Reaction |
came when he remembered that he !
was a prisoner until death.
He shouted again and again. He /
lifted his weapon and shot the porce- /
lain eyes from the staring image. He |
shot at the other hand and saw that it /
was wood. He shot at the kissing |
serpents and drove them away from /
the stone steps. and then he mounted |
the steps and tried to throw flash of |
light through the crack of the flag /
stones.
at last there was a distant shout
an English shout-and he shouted in
return; he reloaded his weapon and
fred recklessly through the cracks
and he flashed his light repeatedly.
The shouts grew nearer, and he recog-
nized the voices OF the naval visitors
he had expected.
When they found him his own eager
hands helped to lift the stones of his
prison. Briefly they told OF their visit
to the bungalow and their wonder at
his absence, their natural suspicion
and their search for him. In turn he
told his story. and they did not believe
he had found the emerald until be dis
played it TO their wondering eyes.
Back I'm the bungalow Osmond asked
for the time. lit must be near morn
ing" he said.
''Ten o'clock" remarked Lieutenant
Breer. with a glance at the white hair
that sprinkled Osmond's head-it bad
been jet black the day before.
And it was about o when | left
the bungalow" said Osmond briefly.
After that DR.. Osmond went back
to Hongkong and plunged into his
neglected practice. 81 came back to
get rested he explained. but he lost
interest in the ruins of Chinese tenn
pies. and whenever he was asked why
he merely looked at n cleaning emer-
a4d on his little finger and answered
vaguely, ''3ecause"'
Be sure and take a bottle of Cham
berlain's Collie, Cholera and Diar-
rhoea Remedy with you when start
ing on your trip this summer. 1t
cannot be obtained on board the