Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-05-05

had never appeared less gracious, his
lady of mercy!
He returned to his mail. A letter
from China fell from the next envel-
ope he opened-news of business, good
business. He had almost forgotten
there was such a business. He read
to the end of the polite communication
indifferently; with no second thought,
laid it down. But the next missive
held his attention longer. His brows
drew together. Near his elbow in the
one vase he permitted himself, dried
rose, with every semblance Of it's rose
ate life gone, hung feebly over the
cold porcelain rim.
Bruce, regarding the paper before
him, read again: looked more closely
at the signature.
Ting. Urgent need!"
A new, more pressing and danger
Gus complication had Unexpectedly
arisen. Bruce got up. Leaving the
room hastily, he carefully locked his
door, descended to the street and made
his way to a nearby station of the
Elevated. For what seemed to him an
time, the train whirled
him on. At length, however, he got
out and walked some distance. Night
was falling; the lights of the squalid
in which he found him.
self seemed battling with the shadows.
AS he made his way quickly up this
street and down that, he became for
the first time aware of two slouching
figures he remembered having noticed
in the train. They moved after him,
keeping him ever in sight. They were
rough, unpleasant-looking fellows. He
did not know them, but that signified
they had merely superseded
James. Sir Archibald was by no
means yet beaten; he confessed only
to a temporary rebuff. Bruce had rea-
son now to entertain an even greater
respect for this leader among his ad-
versaries. With singular swiftness
had Sir Archibald shifted his tactics;
with adroitness and skill
his forces into a channel which would
lead whittier? Bruce feared he knew
only too well.
A little farther, and he stopped
abruptly, on pretense of looking in a
miserable shop window. The fellows
following almost rubbed elbows with
him; nevertheless, he seemed not to
notice.
Near by, his alert senses caught a
faint tinkling, made by tiny bits OF
glass that, hanging pendant and sway
ed by the wind, gave forth crystal
line murmur. An odd, half-timorous
little sound, that seemed to shrink
from mingling with the multisonous
of the great metropolis, TO
apart, as if, indeed, according
to certain affirmation, the more or
less honorable spirits of the dead bab-
bled their messages through this dull
Get medium.
A moment Bruce stood; then he
suddenly and crossed a thres-
hold. He found himself in one of the
tea houses and restaurants, frequent
ed mostly by Orientals. Seemingly not
a large place. it was really a network
of rooms of sufficient size to accom-
modate many guests, transient and
otherwise. At far end of one Of the
OIL RI
Raphael face and expression encoun-
tered so often in the Orient, picked
from a musical instrument the stray
single notes of what was intended to
be melody.
Bruce took his place at small ta-
BILE and an Oriental brought him pot
of white, steaming liquor. The young
man toyed with the egg -shell-like cup
into which it was poured while he
glanced around. The two fellows he
had observed on the Elevated and af-
terward had remained without, near
the front entrance, presumably. From
the next room came the low murmur
of voices.
The young man listened. A native
banquet was evidently in progress, for
waiter went by with the steaming
towels the guests were wont frequent
ly to mop their faces with. Bruce
stopped his own waiter; paid, and
spoke to him. The latter nodded, in
dicated with his hand and the young
man followed him to the back
of the place through a side hall. Here
were several winding ways and a
number of doors. One Of these the
young man opened, then crossed a
narrow court and found himself not
long afterward in another little pas
sage which led into a small room.
The one he had stepped into that
night when Sir Archibald, his secre-
tary and Miss Wood had interrupted
a certain visit on his part at Ting's!
He had hardly known her then; much
had transpired since. 1t was only the
night before he had danced with her
Could so much history be compress
ed in a day? He stood in darkness
now, thinking of her. But twenty
four hours before had been movement
-joy-dazzling lights! Now his hands
reaching out touched but that empti-
ness. his future portion. Another
would WOO her and win her-this
strong aggressive Englishman, with
his titles and landed interests; she
would rule in the stately and superb
home of the Bamfords. The romance
for Bruce had been very brief; the
awakening had come with stunning
abruptnesS. Dreams. dreams! That's
what one got for dreaming. An hour
of wonderful glamour; and afterward
how he could laugh at himself there
In the black night
He threw back his head abruptly; il
was no time for such thoughts. The
need for action pressed on him: he
had use for his wits now. truly. Gag
liOn had hit upon definite trail at
last. He held the thread delicately but
surely: the net was out. and the sec
retary, masterhand in that oriental
environment, was drawing it in--with
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