The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1915-04-22

turned to prosaic details of the life In
surance business. s
Clocks were striking when he closed
his desk and left the office.
His pulses quickened as he approach
ed the Mission street corner. He Won
dered if some nlisadventure were to
befall him. Was the receipt Of the
golden bells a prelude to tragedy?
He shrugged and unconsciously has
tened his steps.
A little crowd Of people crossed the
street as the traffic officer blew his
whistle.
From that crowd a hand reached out
and thrust an envelope into Hardness
grasp.
Before he could turn and identify the
unknown messenger the crowd had
dissolved.
Hardness did not open the letter un-
til he was in his room at the hotel
where he lived.
There was no address on the en-
velope, not even his name. He ripped
it open and several objects dropped
upon the table. These he examined
with amazed interest.
One was packet Of five new, crisp
$500 bills .
Another was steamship ticket to
Shanghai, with a memo stating that
the Futuria sailed the next morning at
dawn.
The third Enclosure was a little note,
evidently written in a disguised hand:
Remorse has eaten the heart Of the
slayers of your parents. Find the golden
fan and place the bells upon it; then will
the grave of your parents be discovered
to you and recompense be made. In
Shanghai go to tbs house of Tinglatao,
the silk merchant. Show him the golden
bells. Preserve them with care; they are
your passports to safety.
Hardness reread the letter in amaze
ment. Was there truth in the state
ment?
But here was the money and the
ticket, and in his pocket the golden
bells.
A long dormant spirit Of adventure
plucked at him, and he fought it off.
"Of course l shan't co." he said
aloud. 49,, ....
Then the telephone bell rang. He
answered it to hear the voice Of the
unknown man.
"You will sail tomorrow on the Flu
turia ?" it asked. @.I...--..-
"Of course" replied Hardness sharp
ly and surprised himself.
"Good!' circulated the suave voice
and rang off.
"Now, I've got to go on this wild
goose chase" muttered Hardness rue
fully. perhaps Lee will take care of
the business until l return. I shalt
have to work all night, and must say
goodby to Molly too.' ~
Molly was the girl he expected to
marry in the spring, and if Molly
would not consent to his going, why,
it would be all off. He would let
Molly decide.
To his amazement. Molly urged him
to go.
"You will have the comfort of bring
ing your parents bodies home," said
the girl, for she knew how he had
grieved because his loved ones rested
in unknown graves In a barbarous
country.
SO, busying himself all night, putting
his affairs in order so that the chief
clerk, Lee, might conduct the business
until his return home, Hardness finally
completed his task, and when the Flu
turia sailed at dawn he was sleeping
soundly in his stateroom, quite un
aware that in the steerage three Chi
nese coolies discussed his affairs in
guarded tones.
A few weeks later the Futuria anchor
ed in the mouth of the Yangtze river,
while busting little steam tugs took
of the passengers and chugged away
up the little tidal river to the city Of
Shanghai.
Hardness quite forgot that he was
here on special mission. The strange
life about him, the shifting scenes upon
river and bund fascinated him.
At last he went to hotel and after
dinner made inquiries for Tinglatao,
the silk merchant.
darkness round That the shop of the
silk merchant was on one of the prin-
cipal thoroughfares, but, his informant
added, at this hour the shop would be
closed. Perhaps Tinglatao would be
at his home on the Ningpo road.
Hardness called a ricksha and was
swiftly borne around corners and down
brilliantly lighted streets, where street
cars changed their way amid jinriki-
shas, wheelbarrows, carriages and mo-
torcars-a strange mingling Of the oc-
cident and the orient.
At last they turned into the Ningpo
road and presently they came to the
handsome house Of the silk merchant
Hardness was promptly admitted to
the merchants reception room and
there found large, benign looking Chi
nese enthroned upon a teakwood chair.
Nk0< IL