The Forrest City times., 1913-03-14

when them same shots set me
a-thinkin' that very thing. An right
away, sir, I says 10 myself, says L
It's that Chink what just went up to
the house to borrow a rife
That Chink?" l repeated, puzzled
Yes, sir. Yellow Chinese boy, sir
He works for Mr.. Murphy. the artist,
what has the bungalow, down on the
/ shore near Cos Cob. About half an
hour before that he comes by here on
his way up to the house. What's
wantin'?' I asks. 'Mistle Mulfy,' he
says, 'wantee hollow life, shootee
weasel, stealee chickee' All right,
tells him. and away he goes. So,
/ you see, sir. when | hears the shots
| thinks right away that Mr. Murphy's
Chink is tryin' his Followed life on
some of Mr.. Camerons pheasants.
| maybe But Is minutes later, along
| comes John again with an innocent
| grin on his face, the rifle over his
| shoulder, and his hands empty as air
| Well, to be sure, I stops him, sir
4 You been shootin in the woods l
asks, No she tee, he grtns back.
Ne no shootee. Then, sir, l swears
at him. good and hearty, and calls
him what he is. But all he can say
/ is, No lie; me ne shootee.' Then /
asks him If he didn't hear a gun go
OFF. Gun" he says, as If he didn't
know what gun meant. Life I ex-
plains. Yes, yes says he. me hear
life shootee. Not my life Whose
life? p l asks him. Man with life,
UP load he says, pointing back An
that was all | could get out OF him,
SIR"
| should have been amused, I sup
pose. by old Romney's recital. It
was certainly very graphic, and his
imitation of the Chinaman was his
ironically artistic fear the stage
missed a comedian OF merit when
Romney took TO lodge-keeping-
at the first mention of the oriental,
had pricked my ears, and throughout
the narration my mind was busy with
those strangely worded letters OF
Cameron's and those still stranger
blots which looked one way like a
Chinese Junk and the other way like
a coolie in a straw helmet The pos
sibility Of a connection, especially in
view Of the rife and the perforated
painting, seemed TO me the reverse Of
remote. And yet I could hardly rec
oncile the notion of this apparently
ignorant Monaghan being in any wise
interested in bringing disaster upon a
person so far removed from him in
every way as was Cameron; much
less in evolving or taking part in
such a crafty plot as everything we
had thus far learned of it Indicated
this to be.
Ny questioning Of Romney shed
very little new light on the subject
He had seen the Chinaman pass The
Lodge on several occasions; be had
rarely entered the grounds, however
tried to ascertain what his rarely
meant, and finally got him to say tina;
in the past six months, John" as he
called him, had visited Cragholt, on
one pretext or another, possibly three
or four times. But Romney's memory
for dates was exceedingly feeble He
could not recollect whether one OF
those times was on or about the
twenty-frst OF August. He was equal
ly at loss concerning the fourteenth
Of August and the fourteenth Of Sep
I TENDER
What do you know of this artist
Murphy. who employs john"
/ asked.
Not much. sir" was his answer
They do say as he is rather eccen
/ tric, sir. He and the Chink lives alone
/ there in the bungalow, summer and
winter He's a big red-headed and
bearded fellow. sir. | did hear a story
as to him gettin' into a fight up al
/ Garrison s hotel in Greenwich village
and nearly KILN three young water.
men near as big as himself"
Has he lived here long,"
Coin on two years. now, sir"
He paints and sells pictures. I sup
pose"
Maybe, sir. never sees anv
though But they calls MIN an artist.
sir"
uSAc4 L-44AEu 10 WISH Murphy on
the pretext OF purchasing some Of hts
work. and In this manner learn, II
possible. something more OF his ce-
lestial servitor
of course you didn't see any one
else with a rife, today" asked, in
/ conclusion. The man with life up
load didn't materiaU2e ,"
I No, sir Not another soul, sir. I
asked some Of the boys-them as has
charge Of the deer in the preserve,
over the way the shootin' sounded.
But they hadn't seen no one, either.
sir. Though they did hear the shots. "
| I thanked Romney for his interest
he knew was one OF the state
game wardens-and admonished him
TO keep his own counsel as to my
visit, leaving the impression with him
that l wished to round up the culprit,
and feared if my activity in the mat
! ter were scented my prey would be
/ put on his guard and thus escape
/ me.