The Dermott news. (Dermott, Ark.) 1910-1977, 1915-07-22
SIXTEENTH EPISODE
THE CRYPTIC RING.

Kennedy had been engaged for some
time in the only work outside OF the
Dodge case which he had consented to
take for weeks.
Our old friend. DR. Leslie the coro-
ner had appealed to him to solve
very ticklish point in a Tong murder
case which had set all Chinatown
agog 1t was. indeed very bewilder-
ing case. A Chipaman named Ii
Chang. leader OF the Chang Wah Tong,
had been poisoned. but SO far no one
had been able 10 determine what pot
son IL was or even to prove that there
had been 4 poison. except fer the fact
that the man was dead. and Kennedy
had taken the thing up In n great
measure because of the sudden turn
IN the Dodge case which had brought
us into such close contact with the
Chinese
had been watching Kennedy with
interest. fer the Tong wars always
make picturesque newspaper stories,
when a knock At the door announced
the arrival OF Or Leslie. anxious fer
some result
Have YOU been able to find out any
thing yet h. greeted Kennedy Gag
erly rs Craig looked up from his mi-
crescore
Kennedy turned and nodded. Your
dead nan VAS murdered by means of
aconite. Of which. YOU know the active
principle is the deadly a}kaloid aconi-
tine"
There are several treatments FOR
acouite poisoning" Illuminated Ken.
ncdy Il would shy that one OF the
latest and best is dieitalin given hypo-
dermically" lie took down a bottle
Of digitalin from cabinet adding,
only 1t vas teo late iii this case
Just what the relations We're be
tween Long Sin and the Chene Nah
Tong have never hcen able To deter.
mine exactly Tut one thing was Ger
tain. Long Sin on his arrival in Ne"
York had offended the Tong. and now
that his master. WA Fang, was here
the offence was even greater. for the
criminal society hrookrd no rival.
In the GATk ittt%N''N " Il pun ANA
nIshed cellar. serl ing As tho Tong
Headquarters the new leader and sev-
eral OF his most trusted followers We're
now plotting revenge. Long sin. they
believed. vas responsible for the muir
der. and. with truly Oriental guile.
they had obtained a hold over Wa
Fang's secretary,
Their plan decided on, the China
men left the headquarters and made
their way separately uptown. They
rejoined one another In the shelter OF
rather poor house, before which was
4 board fence. in the vicinity Of a
fashionable apartment house. mo
ment's conference followed. and then
the secretary Glded away.
WI had taken another apartment
uptown in one OF the large apartment
houses near a parkway.
There Long Sin was now engaged
in making all possible provisions for
the safety OF his master Anyone
who had happened to glance up at the
roof OF the tall apartment building
might have seen Long Sins figure sill
houetted against the sky on the top OF
the mansard roof near a ilagpole.
lie had just finished fastening to the
flagpole stout rope which stretched
taut across an areaway some twenty
or thirty feet wide 10 the next build
ing, where II was fastened TO a chin
ney Again and again he tested II,
and finally with a nod of satisfaction
descended from the roof and went to
the apartment OF WI.
There. alone. he paused for few
minutes to gaze In wonder at the cryp-
tic ring which had been the net result
so far OF his efforts TO find the mil
lions which Bennett, as the Clutching
Hand. had hidden. He wore Il. strange
~ enough, over his index finger. and
as he examined 1t he shook his head
4 In doubt.
Neither he nor his master had yet
e been able TO fathom the significance OF
the ring
Long Sin thought that he was unob'
served. But outside, looking through
the keyhole. was Wu's secretary, who
had stolen In on the mission which
had been set for him at the Tons
headquarters.
Long Sin went over to desk and
opened a secret box In which WI had
placed several pockages OF money