The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-12
The Clue of the PigtuH

ed. adorned one OF the walls. and another bill.
may have been Chinese, completed the decora-
From behind curtain heavily brocaded with
little Chinaman appeared. dressed in loose
black trousers and thick-soIed slippers. and adj
shook his head vigorously
shavee-no shavee!" he chartered, simiaf fashion.
& from one to the other Of US with his twinkling
Too late! Shuttee shop.'
Vt you none OF 1t wi mel" roared Smith In
of amazing grufrness, and shook a-tnciaiiy
list under the Chinaman's nose. Get inside and
IN my mate couple O. pipesl smokee pipe YOU
friend bent forward and glared into the Others
tn yindictiveness that amazed me, unfamiliar
with this form OF gentle persuasion.
old o that!'' he said, and thrust coin into
1amans yellow paw. Keep waitin an III
dam shop down. Chariel You lay to it!''
hab got pipee-' began the other
4 raised his fist and Yam capitulated.
Q lighted he said. Full up-no loom. You
see
lived behind the dirty curtain. Smith and I fol-
and ran up dark stair. The next moment
lyseif In an atmosphere which fairly got by
cat 1t was all but unbearable, being loaded
ium fumes Never before had | experienced
: Ike it. Every breath an agony A tin oil
box In the middle of the floor dmy illumi-
mated the horrible place. about the walls OF
which ten or twelve hunks ranged and
all of them occupied. Most OF the occupants
were lying motonless. but one or two were
squatting in their hunks nosily sucking at the
little metal pipes. These had not yet attained
to the opium smokers Nirvana.
NO loom-~samee tea YOU" said Shen- Yam,
complacently testing Smiths shilling with his
yellow. decayed teeth.
Smith walked to corner and dropped,
cross-legged the floor pulling me down
with him.
Two pipe qulck!' he said Plenty room!
Two piecee ppe-or plenty heap troube!"
ian handed him the pipe. which he promptly
put to his lips. and prepared another for me.
Whatever you do. don't inhale any" came
Smiths whispered injunction
Il was with a sense OF nausea greater even
than that occasioned by the disgusting at
mosphere of the den that took the pipe ana
pretended smoke 1t. Taking my cue from
my friend allowed my head gradually to sink
lower and lower, until. within few minutes
sprawied sideways the floor. Smith lying
close beside me.
The ships sinkin'," droned a voice from
OF the hunks Look at the rats
Yam had noselessy withdrawn and / ex-
perienced curious sense OF isolation from my
fellows-from the whole OF the western world
My throat parehed with the fumes my
head ached. The vicious atmosphere seemed
communicating.
dropped
somewhere east OF Suez where the
best Is like the worst.
Where there aren't no Ten Comma ndments
raise thirst.
Smith began to whisper softly.
we have carried 1t through successfully
40 far" he said Il don't know II you have
observed 1t. but there is stair just behind
you half concealed by ragged curtain. We
are near That and vBif IN rne dark I asrs
seen nothing suspicious far-or nothing
much. But If there was anything going for
ward II would no doubt be delayed until
new arrivals were we'll doped. SSH
He pressed my arm to emphasize the
warming Through my hait-closed eyes per
ceiyed a shadowy form near the curtain TO
which he had referred. / lay like log, but
my muscles were tensed nervcusly.
The shadow materiahzed the hgNra
vowed forward into the room with curiously
1.-THE movement
SO close to US stood the newcomer that
was able to make out CHASTITY parchment
face with small ohlique eyes. and mis-
Sharpen head crowned with a cooled pigtatA
surnounting a slight. hunched body. There