The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1914-05-01

and saw you place the glass in water
and then breathe upon the water, NUT
tering as you did so. and rs you
breathed upon the glass the picture
came out upon 1t clearly: thereupor
Wung fastened to send me word OF
your wickedness against my people,"
"As it is useless to try to convince
your excellency that there is no magic
about this picture taking. can only re
peat that you must make restitution
for your i'll treatment Of me or else
He hesitated and smiled confidently.
"Or else snarled Hep Foo. with
sudden and unexpected ferocity.
II must remind your excellency that
a few hundred II down the river Amer
lean gunboats are anchored"
"Humph! What can your gunboats
do to me?' scoffed the mandarin, who
had never seen gunboat in his monot-
onous life.
Dick smiled.
"They will force you to make restitu-
ton, or they will take you prisoner and
carry you to Peking."
Hep Foo was silent for long time.
At last he lifted his head and barked a
sharp order to his secretary. The man
vanished at once. and q look of sur
prise and fear passed over the faces of
the people.
Wung, the traitor servant of Dick.
was evidently suffering with remorse
at having betrayed his generous en-
ployer for he moved slowly until he
stood directly behind the American
and muttered a few words in English
that Dick barely caught before Wung
glided back to his former position quite
unnoticed by the Chinese who stood TO
man with eyes glued on the door
through which the secretary would re-
turn.
These are the words that Wung ut
tered:
Take not the melon, for II deadly
asp is hidden within; take not the
orange. for it is poisoned; the pear and
the plum will stille you with noXious
fumes. but the applet is safe to take
the apple, my lord"
Dick would have laughed Wung's
warning to scorn. for he had no reason
to trust the man. but the servants fear
was evident. and the following Incl
dent convinced him that Wings warn
ing was sincere.
what said you to the foreign devil?'
asked Hep Foo OF Wung.
II was haunting him. my lord" lied
Wung humbly.
DOG! BE out of my presence" thun-
dered Hep Foo. And the unlucky
Wung was dragged out and thrust
through the gates to wander dejectedly
where he might.
Then the secretary returned. and in
his hands he bore red lacquered tray,
on which was piled fruit Of most eX-
quisite tint and form-a melon. pear,
a plum, an orange and rosy apple.
The secretary stood before Dick. and
the young man looked closely at the
fruit.
To his surprise it was carved from
ivory. with delicate tinting cunningly
laid on. The stems were of ebony and
the leaves of polished jade.
Choose" ordered Hep Foo-"choose.
foreign devil. And you must abide by
whatever fate is allotted by your
choice"
AIN other words. be a sport" NUT
tered Dick grimly. Then to the man
DARN he said, And if a kindly fate
befalls me. excelIcncy. am assured of
a safe departure from your DOMAINE
81 am Hep Foo. and my word is
good" said the mandarin proudly.
Dick was muttering to himself:
mot the melon nor the pear, plum or
orange, but the rosy apple for mine
But l must keep 'em guessing for a
minute"
So his hand poised uncertainty above
the melon only to dart over to the
orange and from that to the plum
then again to the tempting greenness
of the melon and at last to alight sure
ly on the ivory apple.
"This. excellency, is my choice" he
declared.
A long sigh burst from the assem-
bitu thlht't' anu WIN OiiS uNNoiu thNy
looked up into Hep Zoos baffled coun-
tenance.
You are lucSy-lucky. he muttered
at last Take him away" added Hep
Foo. impatient of the close scrutiny Of
his servants.
The secretary gave the tray Of ivory
fruit to an uudering. kotowed to Hep
Foo and. ilotioning to Dick Hastings,
stalked toward the door.
Dick kotowed in the accepted man
ner and then arose and laid hand on
his precious camera.
Hep Foo leaned forward, look Of
deadly hate upon his face.
rs Is not enough that you have
chosen my ivory applet" he shrilled
angrily. rs il not the most precious
of my possessions? Never before has
II been chosen. and now-to lose It to a
foreign devil!" He spat contemptuous-
ly. leave the devil machine here. 1t
will be destroyed. The ivory apple Is
reward enough for any man, however
greedy he may be-"
Now dozen Chinese leaped forward
and pushed Dick out Of the door,
through a long corridor paved with
marble into stone courtyard, where
the secretary awaited his coming.