The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-01-02
and my cable to them brought back the

pTlHCe, WuO lOlu Ile tHdl HIS wife was
very Ill and that the purchase money
for the pearl was to be used to defray
the expenses of costly operation shat
would save the life of his wife. This
the proud japanese told me with tears
I'm his black eyes.
IL have learned in the last week that
the wife of the prince has just under
gone the operation and that she is now
safely on the road to recovery. wrote
| him a letter of congratulation on this
fact, but have not heard word in re-
ply and suppose ] have shocked his
sense of propriety. You know there is
so much ceremony involved in the in
! terchange of letters in this country
that l am continually getting myself
! in hot water in that respect" Lane
/ Wendell smiled ruefully.
81 don't see how the Jap could take
offense at kindly inquiry. no matter
how unceremoniously 1t was framed"
protested Jessup. rising and stretching
his form luxuriously.
You don't know EN-" declared Wen
dell, also rising. "Come>on and take
walk with me-
perhaps we will run across your
missing jinrikisha man"
"No such good luck"
Their idle strollinG led them along
pleasant thoroughfare into the open
country. Here, at the parting of two
ways, they met a peasant girl. a seller
of bamboo baskets, who looked at them
| from calm, childish eyes. She held
forth a round basket and spoke softly
in the vernacular which Wendell un-
! derstood
Honorable sirs, have here the root
of the moon lotus Will you not be
pleased to buy?
your flowers look dead. o Blossom
of the Plum said Wendell courteously.
"They are only sleeping, my lord"
said the maid timidly.
"Incredibe.' murmured Wendell
Pardon my exceedingly bad man
ners, oh, honorable sirs." she humbly
begged, but pray which one of you
is the illustrious American, Misteer
Wendell?"
"She has probably followed us from
the hotel" said Wendell in English
as he gave her his card, upon which
was inscribed his name in both Eng
lish and Japanese characters.
Il am deeply grateful for your kind
ness to most unmannerly girl" she
murmured as she presented the basket
to Wendell She did not look at the
| coin he gave her, but dropped it in
her wide sleeve, and with a pretty
obeisance clattered away on her wood
| en- clogs.
what do you make of it. JessupW
said Wendell as they turned back to-
ward the city.
IL won't be ass enough to say you've
made a conquest, for it was most
businesslike proceeding. You're sure
| there isn't bomb concealed in that
| basketT"
Wendell peered within. Nothing
except the plant and slip of paper
with Japanese characters-probably
the directions for causing this magic
plant to bloom"
"She called it moon lotus didn't
she?" asked Jessup late that evening
as he joined Wendell in the latter's
| apartment.
"Yes. I've read the directions. They
are simple. All we have to do is to
submerge the whole plant in warm
water, set it In the moonlight and
wait for results Here's copper dish,
and I've ordered a jar of warm water
-ah, here it comes now"
They waited until the servant had
left the room and then Wendell wheel
ed a small table into the moonlight
that streamed through the open win
dow. He filed the shallow copper
dish with warm water and plunged
the bottom. Then he put out the lamp
and drew chair beside Jessup's, close
to the table.
Now let us see what will happen"
he said with a note of curiosity in his
voice.
The moonlight streamed full on the
! copper dish and showed the plant
lying dankly in the bottom. In few
! minutes, however, there seemed to be
a movement there as If the plant was
stirring.
Presently something writhed up and
unfolded into a green lotus pad; an
other came and another. Then from
their midst there shot up brown bud
threaded with paleness that gradually
unfolded into great pearly lotus bios
som that lay on the green leaves like
fair pearl in its casket
$50 that is the moon lotus" muir
INJURED Wendell. "It is very wonder
ful-surely a symbol of resurrection"
"What wonderful little people they
are!' was Jessups tribute to the magic
of the rapid evolution Of the living
flower from the dormant roots. "Wen-
dell-what Is thatT Jessup pointed a
quivering finger at the heart of the
moon lotus.
Wendell, who had been searching his
memory for clue to the identity OF
the basket girl whom he was sure he
had seen before that day, pulled HIM
self together and looked.
| nNTu pao ri ha oriad In on auad