Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1913-02-27

And In the absence OF any confirms
tory evidence to the contrary. and
with the knowledge CLEANED from Mics
Clement that Yup Sing, on occasions
added to his regular business Of mer.
chandizing that of an employment
agent, ] saw no reason 10 attach an
undue Importance TO the incident.
Nevertheless | relinquisbed none OF
my suspicious regarding Murphy. but
continued the detectives surveillance
with a fresh injunction to vigilance.
And did not apologize to Yup Sing.
Miss Clement, to whom / believe /
owe my life, visited me at my request.
How whelmed her with my gratitude
is no more material than how she en-
deavored to make light OF her service
to me, declaring that such Offices were
a part OF her days work in her chosen
field, and that her days work was her
passion. And yet II was this part OF
our interview which gave me my
strongest insight into her exceptional.
ly worthy character. Absolutely un.
selfish, she joyed in a life that even a
religious fanatic might we'll have
quailed before; finding flowers in
muck heaps and jewels amid tinsel.
In five minutes, too. / glimpsed her
Astounding magnetism, the moving
agent in that rare efficiency which was
part and parcel Of her Later, l learned
of the weight Of her influence among
tho dwellers in the Chinese colony;
not from any direct narrative of what
she had accomplished-for she was
chary OF speaking of herself-but by
deduction, purely. Moreover, my
watch, a few trinkets and q little
money, taken from me that night In
Doyers street, had all been returned
through Miss Clements good offices;
and II, thus far. she had afforded us
no real clew in our absorbing ext
gency, felt that ultimately her knowl-
edge, coupled with her resourceful-
ness, would prove to us OF unbounded
value. And, as events shaped them
selves, / was not wrong.
1t was now nearly four weeks since
Cameron's disappearance, and n fear
that he had met death in some fiend-
ish form at the hands of his abductors
had come to be with me very nearly
hiding my real state OF mind from
Evelyn could not well be exaggerated.
When ! appeared to her most hopeful
was actually most despairing With
Miss Clement, however, | had no rea.
son to dissemble. With all frankness
told her of my despair; and when,
instead of trying TO comfort me with
empty words of encouragement she
agreed with me that the chances of
bur ever seeing Cameron again we're
at a minimum, liked her the better
for being straightforward.
81 sometimes feel" | said to her,
full confession, that we made
a terrible mistake In not at once noti-
Tying the authorities. Even now am
inclined to lay the matter before them.
would be better than uncer-
tainty. A few arrests and the third
degree might work wonders"
Where would you start?" she asked
in blunt, logical way that reminded
me of Evelyn's faculty OF going to the
root Of things. You see, you know so
little. The story about the portrait
and the mirror, the police would re-
gard as more amusing than convinc-
ng. And besides, you haven't any
proof. Yup Sing. you tell me, has the
only original letter. and by this time
ne may have lost It or have forgotten
hat he ever had 1t. If you had seen
Is much of tho Chinese as / have, you
would appreciate how willy they are.
Ny belief is that the police would con-
,lude that Mr.. Cameron fell overheard
rom his yacht and was drowned In
Iced It would be fortunate IL they did
not take the view that he Jumped
overheard and committed suicide. Or,
worse still, 1t would not be beyond
hem, Mr.. Clyde, to charge that you
pushed him over. The yellow papers
would almost certainly intimate such
l possibility" Had some one else
'oiced this suggestion / should prob
IDLY have resented it, but | under
stood Miss Clement. She was as kind
Is her eyes Indicated. and that is
speaking very strongly.
Nevertheless" said, with growing
determination, Il shall make the case
public. 1t is my duty, and l am will
ng to run all the risks you point out.
shall start by making a complaint
against Peter Johnson. Wen have
him arrested, get his record, and fol-
ow along that trail until We turn up
he other conspirators. If poor Cam
IRONS shares fall in the market, they'll
nave to fall. II the notoriety precipi-
ates delayed fatality of which Cam
eron is the victim, 1t cannot be helped.
simply will not longer shoulder the
responsibility Of silence"
The way she had Of silent delibera- |
ion was almost masculine. can see
Ter, even now. as she sat there that
her hair the same shade
If gray as her cloth gown, her fresh,
clear complexion lined in thought.
Ter kindly eyes half closed. For the