Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1913-11-07


sunkeu niofOrboat
Just us he had reached the bottom
rung OF despair be heard sound at
the d1or. and Instantly be followed the
wall around until he stood beside the
partly opened door He felt something
soft and 81 s, thrust toward him. aud
he grasped IL hnkfuily. together with
the Iii hand whose fingers terminal
ed In long. sl,-i-llke nails.
He lid the struggling hand long
enough 10 slip the diamond ring upon
one finger. AMI hen he let it 20. und
as tie door ct j he heard the same
delightful slegie ihat assured him that
maidcns wrir th, same the world over,
whether of tae Il or west
II any one ai ,irk Terry's college
mnies had svtn lin that night they
would have foui him employed IN a
strange task Monroe had looked
in upon him he ID have discovered
that the careless nuth Of Eve years
ago had departed aud that here sat
stern faced man calling upon his coun-
try 10 save his life.
IN the dim light of an III smelling oil
lamp which he had found by diligent
search and lighted with matches from
his pocket Dick examined the offering
OF the Chinese ldrl and found that she
had indeed exceeded his widest hopes.
There were several lengths OF rich silk
-one Of blue. one of red and a third
of white. Wrapped in the folds were
needles and skelns Of sewing silk
His penknifc was sharp. but it did
not entirely take the place Of a nair
Of scissors. His fingers were clumsy.
and he had not the least knowledge Of
the mystery of needle and thread. but
be learned by experience And when
morning dawned gray and coid in the
prison cell he blew out the lamp and
looked at the product Of his hands with
eyes whose lids were stiff with weari-
ness.
He had made a fiag-the flag of his
country. II was a strangely wrought
emblem. The red and white stripes
were curiousIy zigzag In their mean
derings and the stitches were beyond
mention. II is sufficient to say that
they were strong On the rich blue
field In the upper corner be had sewed
oddly pointed white stars. jagged from
the silk with his knife II mattered
not that this Gag Of his bore only the
thirteen stars representing the original
thirteen states Of the Union He made
as many as he could and stopped.
As he looked at the product of his Ia
bors and realized what this flag meant
to him now when his life was at stake
he flushed hotly in remembrance of his
witl.ss speech to Monroe years before
What was 1t be had said with that su-
pe-ior smile of his youthful. eonceited
self?
"Oh. of course. I've got plenty Of re-
spect for the grand old rag, but one
can't throw fit every time it breaks
to the breeze"
II guess III have story to tell Mon
roe if ever get out Of this alive" be
muttered as he fell to concealIng about
his person all the bits of silk that were
left from the flag. He bad no wish to
implIcate the girl in this matter.
A manservant brought his breakfast
and when the meal was concluded the
American was led to the magistrates
audience chamber. Beneath his coat
was wrapped the American fiag which
he had made during the night.
The hearing was farce. Not one
present understood word Of anything
save Chinese. and none Of them ap
peared to recognize the different native
dialects with which Dick was familiar
and all Of which he tried upon them
without success. 1t was plainly evi-
dent that they wished TO railroad him
through to a speedy execution. and he
had not the slightest doubt that they
could concoct a crime against him as
well as prove that he committed it,
The magistrate was a large. sleepy
eyed. Indifferent individual. who ap-I
peared bored by the whole proceeding.
He waved Dick aside when the young
man tried to speak and listened i'm
novably to the complaints of the half
dozen rascally looking men who had
captured him. When they had con-
cluded the magistrate uttered few
sharp words and waved his hand in
dismissal.
As eager yellow hands were out
stretched to grasp him Dick opened his
coat. flashed out the silk flag and wrap
ped the stars and stripes about his
shoulders.
Touch that II you dareF he yelled,
and so eloquent was his voice and ges-
trre that they understood and shrank
back. looking uneasily at the magis-
trate
That individual scowied unpleasant
ly and pondered awhile Then he ut
tered more sharp commands, and. in
accordance with the Chinese custom of
supplying some sort of victim for ev-
cry sacrifice. the vociferous complain
ants were hustled forth to execution,
while Dick Terry was reluctantly es-
corted to the river bank and permitted
to exchange several pieces Of good Eng
lish gold for filapidated little sam
pan. in which lie eventually reached
treaty port, where he took train
for Shanghai
The silk Lia occupies place of hon
or in Dick Terrys bore. and be never
loses an opportunity to point moral
by relating the story of how that flag
was made.
1t is needless to say that whatever
,<oaaefor, Gude fho efo SO aod efrfrac dis