The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-03-06
The Brother OF the
Moon
An Audacous Hazard of Nikoai Independent Agent as
Related by His Lieutenant, Summers
BY H. M. EGBERT
Copyright. 1913. by W. G. Chapman
BY H. M. EGBERT

That vase" said Soltykoff, stop
ping before bit of pottery some five
Inches high, placed in a lakewood
cabinet, is worth one hundred thou
sand dollars. But If l could find its
companion, and smash it, this one
would then be worth half million.
But the chances are, l would be SO
enamored of their beauty that /
would place them side by side in my
collection and never sell them at all
ut is a peach-blow vase, made dur
ing the reign of the Ming dynasty.
There are only two in existence. This
one was stolen from the emperor's
apartments in the summer palace at
Pekin during the looting of that city
nine years ago. The other Is owned
by the emperor's uncle, known as the
Brother OF the Moon. His palace is
fifty miles away, at Ling Kow-lun. Re
is high official in the board of CEN
sors. That is all can tell you about
him-except that he is said to have
incurred the enmity of the dowager
empress recently. Now, do you still
propose to carry out your undertak-
ing?"
He watched Nikolai and myself mar
rowly. Soltykoff was the richest COL
lector in China, and his annual sales
were a sensation in London. We were
seated N his apartments in Pekin, In
the British concession, and he had
n
feet. that we should steal, or otherwise
obtain, the companion vase from the
Brother of the Moon, and convey 1t to
him. For this he offered us fifty
thousand dollars apiece.
You cannot sell it except through
me-" said Soltykoff. "My name alone
would stamp 1t as genuine. So-what
is your decision?"
l looked at the shimmering, rides
cent thing. SO carefully placed behind
the glass doors of the cabinet-which
was, In turn, riveted to the roof and
floor, proof against accident. Not
even an earthquake could shatter 1t,
for the rivets went through the boards
below and into the foundations. And
charged wires protected it, winding
and twisting in and out of the cabinet
itself
81 accept" said Nikolai promptly.
Good" said Soltykoff. ITO gain
admittance to the house of the prince
will not be difficult. Just now he is
crazed over western inventions and
his doors are thronged with agents Of
commercial houses. Take him the
newest scientific toy-a gyroscope, for
example-and he will give you all his
attention and lodge you In his pal
ace. But where he hides the peach
blow vase nobody knows"
We set out for Ling Kow-lun that
afternoon. Half the distance was
made by the new railroad; thence we
procured pack-mules and logged along
easily from inn to inn. 1t was a part
of China much frequented by Euro
peans, and the populace paid us no un-
pleasant attentions. Two days after
ward we were knocking for admit
lance at the palace of the prince.
During our stay in China Nikolai
had mastered enough of the CONNER
cial dialect to enable us to dispense
with the services of an interpreter.
Thus we proposed to have distinct
travellers whom we expected to find.
We had our gyroscope model with us;
a little thing, slung upon my back
for, as usual, Nikolai assumed to be
the lord and / his servant. often
think Of the subservience into which
/ seemed to fall naturally when in his
company; sometimes, when I Judge
was that unnatural difference which
betrayed him into his act of treachery
To our establishment, the court be-
yond the entrance hall was empty.
There was no sign of anyone but our
selves. The little Chinese boy who
had opened to us ran away in terror,
and everywhere / saw evidences of a
hurried flight. and of looting. Rich
rooms, opening out on either side, had
been stripped of their hangings and
the more portable articles; costly fur
niture had been toppled over and
thrust here and there pell-mell
There is one room in Chinese
house of the better class, wherein the
owner of the house alone can sit-the
hosts room. Not even his wife, or
wives, dare enter there until he sum-
mons them. To this room we came at
last-and stood still in amazement
upon the threshold.
For there, In the middle of the rich
carpet, seated cross-legged, surround
ed by half dozen weeping women,
sat the Brother of the Moon, wearing
his mandarin's cap with it's yellow
button. His claw-like fingers were
stretched out in his lap, and between
them ran something with which he
toyed-a slender cord of saffron silk.
As we entered, the women looked up
for an instant, and then fell to wall
ing and beating their breasts; but the
Brother OF the Moon sat impassively
upon the floor, and ran the cord
through his fingers.
Nikolai approached. stopped, and
bent his forehead to the floor. fol-
lowed suit. Then he unpacked the
gyroscope. But the Brother of the
Moon paid not the least attention. He
sat impressive as a statue of Buddha,
and ran his fingers back and forward
through the stuff of his gown, twin
Ing them around the cord of simmer
Ing silk. At last, looking up, he ad-
dressed Nikolai In a slow and unim-