Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1912-03-21
A Present from China.

Fact is, Tor the moment it was the
only thing saw Somehow, its splash
of yellow there under the shaded lamp
seemed to catch NY eye and hold it.
| screwed my giaes light and ex.
aminca tho THU" With interest Moth.
ing rCm"rkable: t"st a tiny, oblong
package, bcarin. curious foreign
marking, its wrapper plainly adj.
dressed to me, but
BY Jove! From China!" l eiacu
lated
So ny ~ - ,1ina sending
me- r'...r. r'.-. .u,ias and charges
prepaid eyG--tly.
Anybody | know in China, Jen.
kins?" I asked. And to help him out
1 added: Fact is, some chaps sent
me a package, you know"
Name on box, sir, perhaps" Said
1t offhand, just like that-no trouble
of thinking, dash it all-never even
blinked. Just instinct, by Jove!
And there IL w.. nicely printed il
the corner Win . pen:
Rolall .l,r~a0n, Government
Pc House, Hong Kong, China.
read it aloud-can't read anything
you know, unless I read it aloud-and
looked at Jenkins inquiringly. But
he came right up to the scratch; just
seemed to get it from somewhere
right out of the wall over my head:
BEG pardon, sir; but think it's thai
London gentleman-entertain yob
at the Carlton when you were over
the-oth side"
Mastermann! By Jove, so it was
l began to remember him now, be
cause l remembered his dinner, sew.
eral of them, in fact, during the three
years L had lived over there, acquir.
ing the English accent-manner, you
know-and all that sort of thing!
Mastermann-oh, yes, l had him,
now! Jolly rum old boy, but enter
tanning and clever-long hair, pink
wart on jaw! And, by Jove, l had
promised hiEl-promised him-what
the deuce was it l had promised him?
Let me see: he was something OF
other in the foreign Office; yes, | had
that-and tremendously interested liz
mummies and psychical Investigation
and rum sort of things like that, and
~ OSNS' CJuSuAobCu, elo IL SdIlS
ito me. And for that reason he want.
ed them to send him out to China"
beg pardon, sir" put in Jenkins,
"but think you had a letter with a
Chinese postmark last week."
He looked around at my little writ.
ing-desk and coughed slightly behind !
his hand.
WAS just a-wondering, sir, If 1t |
might not be among those you haven't |
opened--there are several piles. II |
might look, sir"
I nodded. Fact is, allow Jenkins |
much privilege, owing to long service. |
Then. you know-oh, dash 1t, he's so
original-so refreshing and that sort |
of thing-so surprising. Just as in
this case, he thinks Of so many devil.
ishly ingenious, out-of-the-way sort OF !
things!
1t was Jenkins idea that find out
what was In the box by just opening
the dashed thing while he looked for
the letter. !
Clever that, Ell? Well, rather!
So 1 unsheathed my little pocket
manicure knife, cut the strings and
removed the wrapper. Inside was
just little, straw-coVered box with
telescope cover and inside the box,
wrapped in tissue, was tight roll OF
bright red silk.
: That was Rll-not another thing but
this little silk roll. 1t was a wad as
thick as three fingers and perhaps
twice as long, tied with bit of COM
mon string ending in a lOOSe how.
knot.
! pinched the roll gloomily.
IF it's red silk muf1ler, Jenkins,
catch me wearing it, that's ALL" l
burst out Indignantly. Rotten bad
form, if you ask me. I'd look like an
out-and-out bounder!"
Then / had horrible thought:
, "Or-or the Salvation Army, dash
It'll"
Here jenkins thrust letter at me.
Perhaps this may explain it, sir" he
suggested.
Sure enough, it was from Hong
Kong, and from that chap, Master
mann. Out there on special mission
for his government, he said. don't
know what it was-never did know,
in fact, for l skipped down to this
paragraph, which read aloud:
Every puff of those rare cigars you
sent me has but reminded me that my
debt to you is still unpaid"
/ read thus far; then read it again.
But / could make nothing of it.
"Cigars-cigars?" ! exclaimed, pug.
sled.