The pioneer express., 1912-12-06
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a-thfnkin' that very thing. An right
away. sir. l says to myself. says l,
It's that Chink what Just went up to
the house to borrow rifle"
That Chink?" I 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'?' asks. 'Mistle Mulfy,' he
says. 'wantee hollow life. shootee
weasel. stealee chickee.' All right
tells him. and away he goes. So,
you see. sir, when I hears the shots
thinks right away that Mr.. Murphy's
Chink is tryin' his Followed lifle' on
some OF Mr.. Cameron's pheasants.
maybe. But 15 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, I stops him, sir.
You been shootin' in the woods?' l
asks. No shootee,' he grins back
Me no shootee.' Then, sir, 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 a gun go
of. 'GunT he says. as If he didn't
know what gun meant. Life I ex.
plains. Yes, yes.' says he. me hear
life shootee. Not my ufle.' Whose
life? asks him. Man with life,
up load.' he says. pointing back. An
that was all I could get out of him,
SIR"
! should have been amused, I 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 comedian Of merit when
Romney took to lodge-keeping-but
at the first mention Of the oriental, l
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
a coolie in a straw helmet. The pos
sibility of a connection. especially in
view Of the rifle and the perforated
painting, seemed to me the reverse of
remote. And yet ] could hardly rec.
oncile the notion Of this apparently
ignorant Mongolian being in any wise
interested In bringing disaster upon
person SO far removed from him in
every way as was Cameron; much
less in evolving or taking part in
such crafty plot as everything we
had thus far learned of it 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.
I 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-f1rst of August. He was equal
ly at loss concerning the fourteenth
Of August and the fourteenth of Sep
tember.
What do you know of this artist,
Murphy. who employs John?" i
asked.
Not 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 big red-headed and
bearded fellow, sir. ! did hear story
as to him gettin' into fight up at
hotel in Greenwich village.
and nearly killin' three young water
men near as big as himself"
"Has he lived here long?"
"Goin' on two years. now, sir"
"He paints and sells pictures. sup.
pose?"
Maybe, sir. I never sees any.
though. But they calls him an artist,
,ir.'
! determined to visit Murphy on
he pretext of purchasing some Of his
work, and In this manner learn, II
something more of his ce-
estial servitor.
"Of course you didn't see any one |
Use with rife. today?" I asked, in
"The man with life up
DAD didn't materialize?
mo, sir. Not another soul, sir. I
lsked some Of the boys-them as has
:harge Of the deer in the preserve,
,ver the way the shootin' sounded.
But they hadn't seen no one. either.
ir. Though they did hear the. shots."
thanked Romney for his interest
he knew I was one Of the state
,ame wardens-an admonished him
O. keep his own counsel as to my,
'isit, leaving the impressions with him
hat wished to round up the culprit.
md feared IL my activity in the mat
Or were scented my prey would be
nut onsshis guard and thus escape
A..
It still lacked twenty minutes of
he hour Of my appointment with
evelyn whom issued from the Lodge. |
nd 70 occupy the time ! entered the