Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1912-01-19
BY ELMER CRANTsY


B -.-And uWeIt d toDDIti CdIltu w uIE
He cobbIed shoes all day and in IN,
evening vert 70 his insignificant home
and the first thing be did after rei,;c Il! !.
ing 1t was to touch a concealed sprin.
III the wall. a tiny door few open. anC
in space not two inches square was ;
diamond the size of a hickory nut. The
cobbler took the stone in his hand, ex
amined 1t carefully. put it back In its
place and closed the door The next
morning before going to his shop ht
repeated this process. mis- examinations
being made for the purpose of making
sure that the stone had not been stolen
Now. WI Tung was not a .cobbler. III
all. but diamond merchant, He had
purchased the diamond from a rajalI
In India for third of it's real value
the rajah being in need of ready cash
and had crossed the border into China
intending TO take 1t to Picking with u
view to selling il TO the emperor. But
Ne well Knew that the transportation
or such valuable article across the
whole OF that vast territory would be
well nigh impossible. Both The Indians
aud the Chinese are very cunning. and
II II were known that he was travelling
with 50 great Il treasure he was sure
to lose it by the way.
WI Tung was as subtle as his enc
mics He sent a man out bearing a
chrystal instead Of the diamond with
the stone so carefully concealed that
he thought no one would find it. If it
was not discovered he would then send
the real stone by another messenger
hldden IN the same way. But the day
AFTER the bearer started he returned
without the chrystal. He dispatched
another with different device, but he.
too. was sent back with the same expe-
rlence. After sending several different
persons t. make these tests he deemed
his own ingenuity inadequate and look
ed about him for some one shrewder
than himself.
Next door to the cobbier lived a
man. Ching Fang. so poor that be and
MS FAMILY were starving. One dav
TINS poor fellow told WI Tung that his
children were dying one by one. and
ne considered it better that he should
ole that they might live lie had been
ol1ered sum of money by Il man con-
Iehlhed to be executed to take his
place' ana u" was about to accent the
'her' wa 1ung, thinking that man
80 desperate would, If any one could
carry his diamond through to Picking,
maze confidhnt of him. telling him
nat II ne succeeded in doing so be
'ould give him quarter of his profit,
Which would enable him to live like
labob for the rest Of his life, Tunr
You'd support his family during his
bsence.
lining rang said he would try TO
hlhh or some, method of outwittinr
lie thugs and. going to his house, laid
le matter before his wife, Wee Sing
hlng Fang was not bright man at
H. but Wee Sing was very ingenious
etie woman. Besides, here was q
nance to save her husband from the
ecess1ty OF being beheaded. Never
ieleSs it took her week to hit unon
plan that promised success
AS soon as she had proposed it Ching
ang went to the cohblpr and told him
would undertake to deliver the dia
ohd In Peking. but that he would
u be ready to start for several (
onths and that meanwhile VIII Tuno
nst keep his family from starving
Iung agreed. provided Ching Fang '
ouid commit his plan to him, where
'on the latter placed his lips against I
e formers ear and WHISPERED tho /
cret +
Done" said WI Tung and bapdod Il
in. o'' Fl
lhree months from that dav chino h
ing after executing papers ,bat h
'uiu put his family at WI Tune,s b
Grey in case he proved dishonest a,
III hothing but the clothes be wore n
out upon his journey. He had been b.
~ secret as TO his interviews with
principal. but knew full we'll that di
had been observed He was walk. II
on road not far from his st,rti,,, tn
NJ "heh man caught up with him W
entered into conversation Chino XII
ne telt assured that he was after ma
diamond but rhatted with him ae
ety. The man said he had means :
n which TO sleep at an inn and IN. wi
IL us FELLOW traveller to share his a
with him. Ching Fang assantod Fla
D evident thankfulness since no sn
.,eu no money for his Journey and MS
''u otherwise have been Obliged tn an
= III the open air. So the two stop-
al an Inn. and the stranger order. M
some supper. of which they both WI
ook. then went to he'd ant
ing rang slept soundly. and when sci
woke ths next morning the stran. a'l
nao disappeared. Ching Fanp,s -,
les were scattered about giving ohl
ence that the man had gone thr
ugh them. "o"e mel
ough Ching Fang bore a diamond p.
n many thousands of dollars no rep
not the wherewithal to buv foo, tel
money would have been taken nav
nim' He begged. he stole no acre acre
every conceivable means. to sat. II
MS hunger and keen enonah pow
gin to travel. Now be womb %, 80 I
'etable from n yard., o Re' his
q mouse. IA, a, 80. "ou" poss
'e"' Tor doll,