The Washington times., 1913-03-03
acopyrIsh. by the FrankA. Mun.ey Company

tuUt, tndt ne pursue one or Two
Self-appointed tasks uninterrupted.
For one of these Sum Fat, not with
out wonder, furnished him the materials
canvas, stout thread, scissors, a heavy
needle and bit of beeswax, from
which Whitaker purposed manufactur-
this task he labored diligently and pa
tiently for the better part Of two hours,
with result less creditable to his
workmanship than to a nature integral
ly sunny and prone to see the bright
amining the finished product with q
prejudiced eye, was fain to concede its
crudity. 1t was not pretty, but he be-
lieved fatuously In its efficiency.
His other task was purely one Of self.
begun to entertain grave doubts of his
emotional poise. He had been of late
in the habit of regarding himself as a
man for whom life retained no illusions; I;
bit prematurely aged. perhaps. but
wise witt! a wisdom beyond his years;
no misogynist, but comfortably woman
proof; a settled body and a sedate, with
every right to contemplate IN the spirit
Of kindly liberation the futile antics OF
mad, mad world.
But now he was being reminded that
no man is older than his heart, and
that ones heart IL headstrong mem
Der, just as apt as not to mutiny with
out warning and proclaim youth quite
inconsistent with the years and the
mentality of its possessor. In fine, he
could not be blind to the fact that he
was in grave danger of making an ass
of himself II he didn't watch out.
And all because he had an eye Tor
beauty and a weakness for fair women.
tendency, humorous faculty and q
keen appreciation Of a mind responsive
to II.
he was not at liberty to o. make aatS love; E, a
single day of propinquity!
He went to bed. finally. far less sat
isfied with himself than with the
crazy issue OF his handicraft. The
latter might possibly ser serve rye Its pur,
hopeless sort of proposition, not IN
the least amenable to the admonitions
of common sense If he we're, indeed,
he would have already been planning
stood with him, he knew he had not
the Ieat intention Of doing anything
as sensible.
But in spite of his alf-hearted per-
turbation and dissatisfaction, the
WEAKNESS of a long. full day was so
almost before Sum Fat had finished
making him comfortable, and SO knew
nothing Of the further precautions
taken to insure him nights uninter-
Extinguishing the candle, the China
man, moving with the silent conf
fldence of a cat through the tempered
darkness of the bed-chamber. closed
and latched the outside shutters at
the windows, then sat himself down
just outside the door to the living
room. to wait and watch, sleeplessly
alert.
An hour passed in silence. and an
other. and yet another: Sum Fat sat
xr.sN a, IL.
his dark-biue s,iken garments blended
so perfectly as to render him almost
indistinguishable, a figure as patient
and imperturable as any bland, stout,
craven god of his religion. Slowly the
ienSthened until it almost touched fl: The
toe of one of his felt-soled shoes. AMI
imperceptibly withdrew. The wind
had fallen, and the night was very
quiet; few sounds disturbed the still
steady respiration of the sleeping man.
faint. stealthJ creakings seemingly in
separable from any human habita-
ton in the night; dull lisp and muir
mur of II" tide cropping its way along
the shore: muted rumble of distant
surf: hushed whisperings of leaves
disturbe by wandering airs.
Sum Fat neard all and held impas-
sive. But in time there fell upon his
cars another sound. to which hn
self together. tensing and flexing his
tired muscles. while his eyes shifted
quickly from one quarter to another,
vision ranging from the door and win
dows Of the living room to the close
darkness OF the ped-chambc-.
And yet, apparently. all that had
aroused him was the drowsy whistle Of
a whippoorwil.
Then, with no other presage. shado
fitted past one of the side windows,
and in another reappeared substantially
the bulk of man on the vcranda. Sum
Fat grew altogether tense. his gaze
fixed and exclusively focused upon that
single figure.
Cautiously. noiselessIy, edging inch
by inch across the Veranda. the man ap-
preached the dooT. 1t was open. hooked
back against the wall; only the screen
was in his way. Against this he fiat
tened his face; and a full long minute
elapsed while he carefully surveyed
what was recognizable of the Interior.
Sum Fat even held his breath through
out that interminable reconnaissance.
At length, reassured, the man laid
hold of the screen and drew il open.
II complained a little and he started
violently and waited another minute for
the alarm which did not come Then
abruptly he slipped into the room and
drew the screen slowly shut behind
him. Another minute; no sound de-
tectablc more untuward than the steady
respiration of the man in the bedroom:
with a movement as swift and sinister
as the swoop OF vulture. the man
sprang for the bedroom door.