The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1914-09-03
TheDeath Stone
of MuSu
1.-The Tale Has Served Its
Purpose"
By JESSIE |. SHARP

| tender blue. In the far distance the
snowy peak Of Fujiyama seemed paint
| ell against the horizon, and below at
| the foot of the terraced hill the waters
of the inland sea Tapped the silver
sands.
1t was all very beautiful, very peace
! full. a place to dream OF love or q
happy past or sweet, reckoning fu-
| ture.
Yet Harrington stood there with a
| ,rim smile on his lips and murder in
| his heart In the doorway Of tiny
| hillside temple his form bulked large
beside the small Japanese guide
You are sure" he asked Taxi for
| the third time that afternoon.
''Of most positive sureness." re-
sponded Taxi, also for the third time.
Harrington turned slowly and went
| back into the temple. Six strides car
| ried him across to the shrine with its
image of the sitting Buddha, calm,
peaceful and remote in its attitude of
meditation.
He did not look up at the image
| His eyes sought the small fat gray
green stone set in the exact center OF
| the votive table. 1t was round and
polished as if with much rubbing.
IF you have lied to me. Taxi" he
said sternly to the guide. who had pad
| ded softly in his wake lit will go hard
with you. am not to be taken in by
ordinary tourist stories"
THAT is TRUTH" assured Taxi sol.
EMMY. Il have myself seen it with
my own eyes"
"Seen what?'
1.-THE action of the death stone. hon
orable SIR
Harrington suppressed shudder.
and his voice shook little as he mo-
toned to the japanese.
go on, Taxi. Tell me about it,"
Taxi drew a long kissing breath and
| sat down upon his heels. Harrington
| leaned against the votive table and
gazed moodily down at the green stone.
"A man from my village had an en-
envy. He wished him much evil. and
he persuaded his enemy to come to
| Musu and to kiss the death stone; said
| it would bring much virtue. The enc
my kiss the stone and fall dead on the
| table"
Harrington walked slowly to the door
and went down the crooked path
among the cryptomerias. Presently he
came out on the seashore and made
his way toward the picturesque little
i'm where he had been stopping
His host came forward. rubbing his
hands with i'll concealed pleasure.
my lord will not dine alone to-
| night" he said. smiling. "Other Amer
lean gentlemen and ladies will honor
my worthless house"
| Harrington smiled absently. and then
as a sudden thought blazed its way
through the dark chaos Of his mind he
asked abruptly:
"These new neople-what are their
names:"
"Alas, it has escaped my wretched
! memory" lamented Chenyo, but one
is a tall gentleman Of reddish hair and
merry laugh"
| "Grayson himself. At last" mutter-
| ed Harrington, and be hurried away to
his tiny room, where a servant was in
waiting with water for his bath.
When he emerged an hour later he
was clothed in spotless white. and
cool, refreshed and handsome, he was
warmly welcomed by the little party
Of Americans dining on the veranda.
'Dick Harrington, by all that's
good" shouted James Grayson, spring
ing up and grasping Harrington's re-
luctant hand. priscilla. here Is an
old friend. You remember Priscilla
ELI. Dck?" Grayson laughed heartily
rs his pretty wife arose and shook
hands with the grave eyed man.
"Yes, | remember Mrs. Grayson.
rumbled Harrington's deep voice. and
the pretty color which had graced Pris-
elias cheeks faded and left startled
pal!or.
Priscilla Grayson had nearly loved
Dick Harrington once upon time
Then Grayson had come and swept
her heart into his own keeping. She
had never forgotten Harrington's white
hot anger. his bitter despair and his
denunciation Of Grayson. who seemed
quite unconscious of playing traitor &c
his friend.
Harrington had waited his time
Some day, he told himself. there would
come the opportunity to pay back
Grayson for his treachery. kindly
fate must bring them together. ano
then-let Grayson look out for him
self.
SO Harrington had nursed his hatred
and jealousy through a bitter year OF
restless wandering from one country
TO another. nowhere finding comfort
or peace for his troubled heart. few
weeks ago, when he first came to in
pan. he heard that the Graysons were
In Tokyo. When Taxi. his guide. hac
told him the story of the death stone
Of Musu 1t had entered tIarrington's
mind to lure Grayson here. and-well
the death stone would do the rest.
1t was something OF shock for him
to lind that the Graysons had come tc
Musu without a lure OF any sort save
the beauty Of its sloping hillsides and
the exquisite pictures Of sea and land
and sky at sunrise and sunset. James
Grayson was landscape painter. and
Musu had drawn him to paint bel
ioyeliness.