The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1913-03-28

"Confdentially, Doctor" | admitted,
tive haven't the faintest notion just
how he is. He may be In excellent
health or he may have ceased to
exist"
Good God" he exclaimed, and his
face was as white as his linen.
Our best information is that he Is
on steamer-a tramp-bound for
China, but we have no particulars, and
worse still, no verification."
II was neither fair nor consistent to
conceal longer from one so justly in
terested the whole truth. and So with
out reservation. ! told DR.. Addison the
story.
Before had quite concluded, Miss
Clement was announced, and when
she was shown into the library, in
stead of permitting the physician TO
leave. as he made offer of doing,
presented him and insisted upon his
remaining.
IL want you to tell Miss Clement
about your patient. Doctor" | said
Miss Clement Is a very good friend
OF Miss Grayson's."
Graciously he complied, making II
quite clear that sedatives and sleep
would undoubtedly effect prompt re-
covery
And now Miss Clement will tell us
something" ! added She has had a
patient, too, who died this morning, as
you may have seen by the afternoon
papers--the Eurasian who was shot
by McNish."
Up to that moment | knew but little
sionary, In her two or three brief tele-
phonic talks, had given us scarcely
more than promises of important reve-
lations when opportunity could be
made for a meeting: and | was impa-
tent for the fulfilment.
She had chosen a seat at some little
distance from us, but now. at my So
licitation, she accepted a more COM
Portable chair, which / placed In con-
fidential juxtaposition with our own.
Its rather long story" she be-
gan, in her sweetly quiet voice. And
as 1t came to me piecemeal. I'm afraid
ii will be rather disconnected. You
see this poor fellow suffered horribly
at times and when he was not suffer
ing he was under the influence OF OPT
ates, so ordinarily | doubt that It
would be safe to accept as fact good
deal said under such circumstances. 1t
appears to me. however, that in his
case, these very conditions only
strengthen the probabilities; for his
mind seemed to hold only the one
theme. and his statements could hard
ly have been either spontaneous or
studied inventions. On the other
hand, they were rather sort Of invol-
untary recital of the particulars OF a
subject which had engrossed him for
years to the exclusion of almost every
thing else"
DR.. Addison nodded his head en-
couragingly. 81 quite understand,
Miss Clement" he said. And |. too,
assured her that her reasoning ap-
peared to me logical.
1T was significant" she continued
that so far as | could fix dates, he
made no references at all to any hap
pening prior to sixteen years ago. The
tragedy OF that time was the begin.
ming Of what | think | may call his
mania. Everything he told me had to
do with 1t. 1t came at the beginning
at the apex, and at the end OF every
revelation"
THE tragedy OF sixteen years ago.
inquired the physician.
THE tragedy OF what has been
called The Sable Lorcha,' remind
ed him.
| "Oh, yes, of course"
| 'You know of that, them" asked
Miss Clement. And briefly | ran owe!
what Yup Sing had told me.
] John Soy, | understand, was the
cook whom McNish imprisoned in the
galley" added.
ut seems he broke his way out jus
as the lorcha was sinking. McNisl
! had waited until he had gone TO his
bunk for his usual hop. and haC
chosen the hour he was sleeping Il
get away and scuttle the vessel. Fo
five days Soy fioated about on a bit o
/
was finally picked up by proa ant
taken back to Macao at the mouth o
the Canton river. where. after weeks
of delirium. he told his story Of TIL.
lorcha's fate. From that day the searcl
for McNish began IL seems that h,
had partner an lrishman, nance
Moran, who for a time was suspected
of having been in the conspiracy; for
you must remember. It was though
then that the sinking OF the lorcha ha,
been planned from the first. the ide,
being that It was simply scheme Il
get the passage money from the poo
COOLIES, and then drown them"
"Horrible!" calculated the ply
stefan.
But the Chinese are just" the mis-
sionary continued. "They discovere,
that certain United States cruise
that had been warned of the attempt
cd smuggling, did. on that particula
day, give chase to lorcha, whicl
eventually disappeared in the fog. 81
the enmity against Moran subsidized