Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-23


tortuous street of the old Chinese city
-That? My dear boy, you don't want
to stroll through the Street Of Tombs,
do you?"
"Why not?" demanded Rex Forbes
1T looks promising as Chinese streets
GO"
promising. Ye gods" groaDed
Newell. with disgust.
Fascinating, then" laughed the
other. "Has all the earmarks of orr
entail mystery; smells to heaven; is
filthy, dark; has name that bespeaks
murder lurking around every corner,
and all that, you know"
While Newell hesitsted Rex laughed
again and clapped a hand on his
friends shoulder.
Not afraid of 1t, are you?" he gibed.
After living in China for FIVE years.
'I have a decent respect for few OF
her unexplained mysteries" finished
Newell quickly, land, believe me, Rex,
this is one of them"
Tell me about it,
"III tell you after dinner. Then IL
you still want to walk through the
| Street of Tombs I'll swallow my objec-
tions and go with you" replied Newell.
Done" agreed Forbes. And, re-
! turning to the city gate, they entered
rickshas that had been waiting there
and were soon bowling along the bund
| toward the modern city Of Shanghai
1t was after dinner at the club that
| Forbes claimed the promised story.
Tom Newell lighted a cigar and pun
ed thoughtfully before he spoke:
1.-TWO years ago I had friend, En-
derby You may remember that /
frequently mentioned his name in my
letters to you. He was the agent for
a well known American invention, and
he was well liked by the American
colony here. Only one thing was
against him. He was fond of prowl-
ing around the native city yonder, and
YOU know that it is not considered
good form here in the model settle
ment."
What happened:" asked Forbes
curiously.
Nobody knows-at least none of
his friends in Shanghai nor anywhere
else. One day he asked me to go into
the old city with him to see some por-
celains that were said to date from
the Ming dynasty. He was going to
invest in them if they were the real
thing.
81 went with him, for I liked En-
derby, in spite of his crudities. He |
typified nv own fast growing, ambi- |
tious young country. 1 inspected the |
porcelains in dim shop that looked |
like a thieves den, and I discovered |
that they were all clumsy counter
feits. 1 broke the news TO Enderby,
and he laughed and said, Better luck
next time
ION our way back to the city gate
the very gate through which we
emerged today, Rex-Enderby paused
on that corner of the Street of Tombs
and asked me to wait for him, as he
had a little errand to do down there.
II asked him if he knew how the
street had gained its name-that it was
said that hundreds of men had entered
it never to emerge at the other end or
to return. They vanished completely,
and because of their vanishing and
the mystery surrounding their disap-
pearance the street was known as the
Street of Tombs, for it must contain
many unknown, never to be discovered
graves
Newell lighted fresh cigar, and his
eyes stared thoughtfully at the glow
ing end.
Rex Forbes waited impatiently; then
he spoke:
"Well, are you going to tell me that
was murdered?'
II can't tell you that, for I do not
know. 1 do know that from the in
slant he vanished around the first
turn in the Street Of Tombs he
dropped out of my life. I never saw
him again." Tom Newell's voice was
1 little unsteady.
"And you could find no trace of
him?"
"Not trace. Four private detectives
were sent into the old city,
and what happened?" interrupted
The impatient Forbes.
''They never came back, either" end
ID Newell
There fell long silence between
he two men. Newell, an old resident
If Shanghai, was thinking of the los I
If his friend Enderby Rex Forbes. |
'resh from the United States, was
eagerly hoping for an opportunity to
lear up this mystery of the Street OF |
rombs. ,
At last Newell spoke. s
Still want to stroll through the
Street of Tombs?" he asked. And he p
vas not surprised at the answer he re-
eived. :
Yes" said Forbes doggedly. "Pm !
'oing into the Street of Tombs, and
IN going to uncover the mystery of
he disappearance of Enderby." .,
Very WELL" agreed Newell. 81 am :
fraid IL you are successful you will .
discover 1t is case of sordid murder ;,
or Enderby's money and jewelry.''
"I'll take chance on that" retorted :.
ne other quickly. And you-will you =
ONE too?"
Yes" said Newell without hesita-
on. you've inspired me with a de- -
Ire to pierce the mystery of that dark
freet- We will go together, Rex, but