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

pearance of my watch, but not the
true one. AS matter of fact. the
person / followed was a miscreant of
q deeper dye. When last saw him,
previous to this encounter, he was
known as Peter Johnson"
Wideeyed, the girl stared at ma for
an instant.
Peter Johnson" she repeated.
slowly. 80, I was right He was in
the plot. He had something to do
with Uncle Roberts disappearance.
He was the one who broke the amyl
pearls on board the yacht"
It was my turn now to start. Or
what was this young woman talking?
AMY pearls!" Was l mad, or was
she?
She saw my perplexity, and hasten.
ed to enlighten me-
"Oh, dear, Philip" she exclaimed.
Il forgot again. There IS so much to
tell you. Really. hardly know where
to begin. Miss Clement has been OF
such aid to US! She is what they call
an Independent missionary That Is,
she has no utilization with any of the
church societies or reform associa-
lions. For fifteen years she has been
working in Chinatown among the
white women, and she knows the
place and the people as II she were
indeed one OF them. l had her out at
Cragholt for a day and I've seen her
four or Ave times here in town, and
have told her everything, and she has
explained, or at least given quite rea-
Bonable surmises, concerning many of
the Incidents that seemed to us mex.
plicable. Did you ever hear of amyl
pesrls?"
OF course I had heard something OF
amyl pearls, and l said so.
"They are glass capsules" | added,
and contain a liquid which smells
ike bananas. They use them, l be-
love. in heart attacks, by crushing
them in a handkerchief and inhaling
the drug"
But it was net the same drug, Eve.
iyn explained. Miss Clement had told
her all about It, She doubted that it
was an amyl at all, though it was put
up In the same fashion. and released
In the same way. and 1t was like an
amyl, In that 1t was extremely VIOLA
tile.
Miss Clement has never seen one
OF them" Evelyn continued, but
some Of the Chinese have told her of
them, and of the wonders that they
perform. She says the chemical,
whatever It is. Is very expensive and
so they are seldom used, but that In
China, especially in secret govern
ment enterprises, they are employed
on occasion. The effect Is seemingly
to make Invisible the person who
uses them. Really, they don't do any
thing of the sort; for they are moth.
ing more nor less than capsules, filed
with a peculiarlyacting anesthetic-
an anesthetic so quick and powerful
In Its action that the victim falls into
lnsensibility without warning, and
emerges. after an interval Of ten or
twelve minutes, without knowing that
he lost consciousness or that mora
than single second has elapsed"
"The idea seems Ingenious" I re-
turned. l was interested, surely, but
very ldI HUM COuNlHCSu butJ
objected, chow Is 1t that the anaes-
thetizer Is not anaesthetized himself?"
"Oh, he doesn't break the pearls un-
der his own nose" Evelyn explained.
HE casts them. The slightest con-
cussion fractures the shell, and every
one within a certain radius drops In
stantly into a temporary trance"
And the swine before whom the
pearls are cast do they drop to the
ground to rise again when the ten or
twelve minutes are concluded?'
ridiculed
ooh, not at all Your muscles arc
not relaxed. You stand or sit as il
turned suddenly to stone. II your arm
Is extended, for instance, It remains
in that position until the effect
ceases" She was very much in earn
est, and tried to persuade me that,
aided by these pearls, 1t would be a
very easy matter to commit all three
of the depredatory acts which had so
amazed and shocked US.
l am the last man to regard any
thing as impossible in this day of Won
ders. yet was by no means willing to
accept such a solution merely on the
hearsay evidence of a woman who had
spent decade and half amongst the
Chinese of New York City.
Eyes, Evelyn" said, tolerantly. at
is worth considering, and at the first
opportunity l shall look into it. But
Just now there must be more impor-
tant matters for you and me to dis
cuss. Did Miss Clement, by any
chance. see Yup Sing?"
At the question the girls pale
cheeks flushed to her temples and her
violet eyes blazed.
81 asked her to SEQ him. and che
did," was her anwer. II thought she
might learn from him when and where
you parted, and what led up to the
plight in which you were found, But
The told her that you had failed to
keep an engagement with him. He in
simulated that you had come to China
town intent upon making trouble, and