Evening star., 1912-11-17


mouth disclosed by the carefully trained brown mus
tache; good nature and spice of temper were sts-
gested by the crisp curl of his sandy hair "W1l1am
B Hicks, President The Hicks Manufacturing Company
Bucyrus, Ohio U. S. A." was the way his card read
and without making his affairs the subject of con
versaton it easily inferred from chance remarks
that his business a source OF large income.
He carried his fifty years lightly rornped with the
youngest passengers, gossiped with the old ladies'
promenaded indefatgaby with the best looking young
women, talked navigation with the skipper, played
poker with the veterans the smoking room, told rat
ting good stories in all sorts OF dialects, played chess
with the returning Chinese diplomat and took his defeat
gracefully and had of bridge problems that kept
the enthusiasts busy. After leaving Honolulu he organ
lied classes among the young and mlddleaged passen
gers, had them tossing medicine balls and sand bags
engineered series of games of skill and dexerity, was
the Judge and referee in these contests was the guiding
spirit in the grand bal masqne that was the feature OF
the voyage, and under his def management there was
something entertaining each day to keep his fellow
travellers in high spirits.
When we dropped anchor in Yokohama and nearly
half passengers said goodby, they seemed to part
from Hicks with genuine regret Hicks was booked Tor
Hongkong, and so was |, and in common with forty o.
fifty others | congratulated myself that there We're
still ten days OF good fellowship ahead OF me-
When we left Yokohama there was added to our first
cabin list three shrewd looking Japanese men IN Euro
pean dress who booked for Nagasakl. They were
little in evidence until after we had made the usual
stop at Kobe where we took on a dozen or more pas
sengers, including blond-bearded German and an at
tractvely gowned handsome woman, evidently his
wife With the advent of this couple the Japanese trio
developed remarkable activity. Whenever the German
sought the deck for promenade of the Japanese pas
sengers found the air beneficial This equally true
when his wife moved about 1t was impossible for
either of them speak to another passenger except
under the casual but the less careful surveillance
of one OF the unobtrusive Japanese.
If the German was aware of the espionage. he gave
no sign but half an hour before finding mooring
at Nagasaki when he and his wife in their cabin
preparing go ashore two of the Japanese paid them
an official visit There brief conversation in
French calm accusation, vehement denial and expos
tulaon and little later the Europeans and their lug
gage ashore enderly conveyed by the three Nip
poneSe.
Hicks who had been an interested observer Of the in
cient and had noticed the of the Japanese
after leaving Kobe watched the departure of the spe-
ci;t launch flying the Mikados flag at the stern and
manned by in uniform.
That, said he to the little group near him at the
rail, looks to like what friend Shorty NcCabe
would call pinch"
Hicks was right We learned afterward from our
Captain that the German. who supposed to repre-
sent certain Russian interests had been incautlous
enough try to carry away with him numerous i'm
portant maps with equally important data and the
three quiet little Japanese active representatives
II the secret service Of the Government
GREAT people, these" volunteered passenger who
- his way to inspect oriental country
for he hal as (DpS1 tDra