The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-12-06

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He knew his place too well to indi-
cate any surprise at my visit; yet l
felt he must be curious over an event
so unusual.
Il have an inquiry or two to make.
Romney," / told him, as, accepting
his suggestion, stepped into his
cosy, old-fRshioned sitting room. Il
heard some shooting over this way
this morning, and I've been wonder
ing whether the game laws weren't
being broken"
He placed cushioned rocking
chair for me, and sat down.
Now did you hear that, too, Mr..
Clyde?" he asked, Frightening, as he
leaned against the low sill of one Of
the daintily curtained windows.
" Twas about ten o'clock, sir; little
after. maybe. was dom bit Of
trimmin' on the hedge outside, sir,
when them same shots set me
a-thinkin' that very thing. An right
away, sir, says to myself. says J.,
It's that Chink what just went up to
the house to borrow a rifle
THAT Chink?" l repeated, puzzled.
yes, sir. Yellow Chinese boy, sir.
He works for Mr.. Murphy, the artist,
what has the bungalow, down on the
shore near Cos Cob. About half an
hour before that he comes by here on
his way up to the house. What's
wantin'?' l asks. 'Mistle Mulfy,' he
says. 'wantee hollow life, shootee
weasel, stealee chickee.I All right l
tells him, and away he goes. So,
you see, sir, when hears the shots l
thinks right away that Mr.. Murphy's
Chink is tryin' his Followed life on
some Of Mr.. Cameron's pheasants,
maybe. But 10 minutes later, along
comes John again, with an innocent
grin on his face, the rife over his
shoulder, and his hands empty as air.
Well, to be sure, l stops him, sir.
You been shootin' in the woods"
asks. No. shootee, he grins back.
Me no shootee.' Then, sir, l swears
at him, good and hearty, and calls
him what he is. But all he can say
Is, No lie; me no shootee.' Then
asks him II he didn't hear gun go
off. Gum he says, as If he didn't
know what gun meant Life l ex-
plains. Yes, yes says he, me hear
life shootee. Not my life Whose
life? asks him. Man with life,
up load he says, pointing back. An
that was all could get out of him,
SIR"
l should have been amused, sup
pose, by old Romney's recital. 1t
was certainly very graphic, and his
imitation of the Chinaman was his
ironically artistic-I fear the stage
missed a comedian Of merit when
Romney took to lodge-keeping-bu
at the first mention of the oriental,
had pricked my ears, and throughout
the narration my mind was busy with
those strangely worded letters Of
Cameron's and those still stranger
blots which looked one way like a
Chinese junk and the other way like
coolie in a straw helmet. The pos
sibility Of connection, especially in
view Of the rife and the perforated
painting, seemed to me the reverse OF
remote. And yet l could hardly rec
oncile the notion Of this apparently
ignorant Monaghan being In any wise
interested in bringing disaster upon a
person so far removed from him in
every way as was Cameron; much
less in evolving or taking part In
such a crafty plot as everything we
had thus far learned of 1t indicated
this to be.
My questioning of Romney shed
very little new light on the subject.
He had seen the Chinaman pass the
Lodge on several occasions; he had
rarely entered the grounds, however.
tried to ascertain what his rarely"
meant, and finally got him to say that
in the past six months, John" as he
called him, had visited Cragholt, on
one pretext or another, possibly three
or four times. But Romney's memory
for dates was exceedingly feeble. He
could not recollect whether one of
those times was on or about the
twenty-first Of August. He was equal
ly at loss concerning the fourteenth
Of August and the fourteenth Of Sep
TENDER.
what do you know of this artist,
Murphy, who employs John?" l
asked.
mot much, sir" was his answer.
"They do say as he is rather eccen-
trio, sir. He and the Chink lives alone
there in the bungalow, summer and
winter. He's a big red-headed and
bearded fellow, sir. did hear story
as to him gettin' into a fight up at
Garrisons hotel in Greenwich village,
and nearly KILN three young water
men near as big as himself"
HAS he lived here long?"