Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1912-09-10


ed with varying degrees Of brightness.
From the Chinese theater on the left
came a bedlan Of inharmonious
sounds: the brazen crash Of cymbafs,
the squeaking of faucous stringed in
struments, the resounding clangor Of a
gong. Voices high.pitched and voices
cultural, mingled with hoarse and
strident laughter, echoed from wall to
wall Of the streets encroaching
squalld buildings.
Before the least unpretentious of all
these structures, my hansom stopped,
and as ! stepped to the curb I got
glimpse of it's banner and lantern
strung balcony, giving to the street
a touch Of color that helped to lift 1t
into an atmosphere which, if not
Oriental, was at least wildly un-Amer-
lean.
Finding nov that 7 had anticipated
my appointment by something like ten
minutes | chose to watch further the
Kaleidoscope scene without, rather
than pass the time waiting at table
within: and TO this end took up d posi-
ton Of vantage on the restaurants
low step.
Whether I am more or less keenly
obserYant than the average man | do
not know. Probably any one as fas-
cinatedsby the general scene as was ],
would have noted as closely its indi-
vidGal elements. l am not sure. But
the truth is that in a very few mo-
ments | had acquired a mental photo
graph Of the opposite side OF the
street, in so far as it came within my
direct vision. In other words every
detail of the background Of the NOV
ing picture before me was indelibly
printed upon my minds retina. There
was the playhouse, with it's plain, rec
tangular doorway, unadorned, save by
a quartette Of rude signs; two above,
slanting outward, and one on either
side, all announcing Chinese Thea
ter" and one giving the current at
traction in Chinese characters, with
the added notice, Seats reserved fer
Amer'cans" To the loft Of thiq yvae
quick lunch restaurant, with white
painted bulk window, beneath which
pair of cellar doors spread invitingly,
one Of them resting against conven-
,ional American milk can. On the
theater's right was laundry dim and
evil-looking, two pipe-smoking celes-
,ials decorating it's low step. And be-
You'd this was the wide opening to a
basement, above which, in white
Roman lettering on black ground,
read the legend: Hip Sing Tong"
Again and again my gaze persisted
In returning to this sign and the dim
ly lighted cavern beneath it. The
: place held for me the inexpressible,
unfathomable charm OF the mysteri-
Gus, beside which the heathenish
racket Of the theater across the way,
the sinister aspect Of the dismal laun-
dry and its pair Of pipe-smoking guar
dams, even the constantly changing
procession of varied types in roadway
ana on sidewalks, exerted but meager
allure.
From time to time dark, silent fig
ures glided vaguely into view only to
disappear within this nav of mystery.
Once, while l watched, l had seen a
figure issue forth to be lost again in
stantly in the distant gloom of the
curving street. Now, reverting once
more TO this magnet, after a moments
truancy, my eyes were rewarded by
sight of another slowly emerging
form, silhouetted nebulously against
the dusk
At the head Of the steps it paused
uncertainty, and then, instead of Gid
ing swiftly away in the direction of
Pell street as did the other, it turned
in my direction, passing almost at
once into the comparatively glowing
radius of the street lamp opposite
l saw then that it was a man, thin
to emaciation, round-shouldered, and
crooked limbed. Whether some one
jostled him, or voice from the road
way startled him, l don't know But
for some reason he turned his head
suddenly, and the light from the lamp
fell full upon face, stubble-bearded
deep-lined, and repellent, the face not
Of Chinaman but of white man;
face into which | had looked but
tf'iNN, gnu tlltll bNIl III III ri LuO7
ment; yet face as indeHbly fixed in
my memory as We're the grim fronts
OF the buildings now behind 1.-THE
face Of Peter Johnson, the pretended
castaway
I think l must have had 1t In mind
to pick him up bodily and carry him
away with me that | might by inquisi.
torial torture wiring from him a con
fession. Otherwise l should have
adopted a less eager and more subtle
method of bringing the miscreant tc
book than that which I rashly at.
tempted Before l considered the sit,
uation I was across the street and at
his heels. My finger tips. indeed,
were at his shoulder In the fraction
Of second l should have had him
gripped and have been hustling him
through the crowd as my prisoner.
But at the instant Of seeming success,
he eluded me. In some strange way
he caught alarm and. shrinking be-
meath my han3, larted sinuously off,
between this pedestrian and that, with
the flashing speed Of lizard