Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-01-02

/
"hat Chlnk?" 1 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 b. here on 1
| his way up 10 the house What's |
| wantin?' ! asks 'Mistle Mulfy,' he |
| says, 'wantee hollow life, shootec |
weasel. stealoe chickee.' All right ] !
! tells him. and away he goes. So,
! you see, sir, when | hears the shots ]
thinks right away that Mr. Murphy's
! Chink is tryin' mis- Followed lille on
| some OF Mr. Cameron's ph"asants,
maybe. But 10 minutes later, along
comes John again, with an innocent
grin on his face, the rifle over his
shoulder, and his hands empty as air.
| Well, TO be sure. stops him. sir.
I 'Iou been shootin' in the woods|
asks. No shOotee,' he grins back.
Me no shootce 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 IL he didn't hear a gun 90
Off Gum he says, as If he didn't
know what gun meant. Life ] ex.
plains. Yes, yes, says ne, me hear
life shootee. Not my life Whose
life? | asks him Man with life,
up load he says, pointing back. An
that was al l could get out Of him,
sir"
l should have been amused, ] sup.
. h. al npr,voyfc ragffa1 |
was certainly very graphic, and his
imitation of the Chinaman was his
ironically artistic fear the stage
: missed a comedian of merit when
Romney- took to lodge-keeping-bu
at the first mention OF the oriental, ]
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 n
2 Chinese Junk and the other way like
u a coolie in a straw helmet. The pos.
e sibility OF a connection, especially in
J view Of the rife and the perforated
+ painting, seemed to me the reverse Of
= remote. And yet could hardly rec.
orcile the notion Of this apparently
I. ignorant Monaghan being in any wise
! interested in bringing disaster upon a
person so far removed from him in
: every way as was Cameron; much
I less in evolving or taking part in
such a crafty plot as everything we
5 had thus FAR learned Of it indicated
. this 10 be
a Ny questioning Of Romney shed
l. t..
= He had seen the Chinaman pass the
+ Lodge on several occasions; he had
e rarely entered the grounds. however
i tried 20 ascertain what his rarely
b meant. and finally got him to say that
o in the past six months. John" as he
n called him, had visited Cragholt, on
4 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-frst OF August He was equal
" at a loss concerning the fourteenth
Il OF August and the fourteenth Of Sep
!. TENDER.
e What do you know OF this artist
y Murphy, who employs john"
h asked.
o Not much, sir" was his answer
s. They do say as he Is rather eccen
J.; trio, sir. He and the Chink lives alone
If there in the bungalow, summer anC
winter. He's a big red-headed anc
II bearded fellow, sir. did hear o story
/ as TO him gettin into fight up a
G Garrison's hotel in Greenwich village
e and nearly KILN three young water
men near as big as himself"
r Has he lived here long,"
n Coin on two years, now, sir"
# HE paints and sells pictures, sup
n pose?"
q Maybe. sir. never sees any
< though. But they calls him an artist
sir"
/ determined TO visit Murphy OF
D. the pretext OF purchasing some Of hi
n work. and in this manner learn, (
possible, something more Of his &c
!; lesual servitor.
I. "Of course you didn't see any on,
s. else with a rife. tCda.?" I asked, il
o. conclusion The man with life vi
load didn't materialize?"
T. No, sir Not another soul, sir.
/ asked some of the boys-them as hai
1t charge of the deer in the preserve
over the way the shootin' sounded
g. But they hadn't seen no one, either
e sir Though they did hear the shots.
Is thanked Romney for his interes
Il he knew | was one Of the state
y game wardens-and admonished hin
r 10 keep his own counsel as TO ny
= visit. leaving the impression with hin
that ] wished 10 round UP the culprit
?. and feared II my activity in the me-
ter were scented my prey would b.
r put on his guard and thus ESCAPE
.e me.
u II still lacked twenty minutes o
s. the hour OF my appointment viii
lie Evelyn when | issued from the Lodge
II and 10 occupy the time ! entered th'