Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1915-07-02

glided into New YORK anu 1OS
slipped along the platform to meet
his man, receiving from him shabby
suit of clothing, and thin little book
lettered H
Dismissing the man, he crossed
quickly TO hotel, secured room In
a moments time, and changed to the
disguise.
Very soon he had finished trans
forming himself into an ordinary-look-
ing tough down on his luck, and had
dropped into a chair, skimm1ng
through the book. Suddenly he stop
ped at one entry and read it through
carefully.
electrician - works alone-for-
merry actor in Cambridge plays-ath
letic-rope-wrestler = work
ed in Liverpool safe company two
years" He paused, and fixed his
eyes more soberly on the note which
had caught his eye at first, an entry
made some years after the full &C
count had been written. Then he ex-
claimed, eyes! Opium! Opium! I'm
agination! Murder! l feared il"
Rising quickly, he slipped the book
into his ragged coat-pocket, and passed
out Of the hotel without being no.
ticed. At the door he took taxi as
far as Grand street, and walked down
Allen for several blocks, slipping
along as one accustomed to the haunts
of narrowed souls, lodging in and out,
shying at the street lights.
At length Poe shufled down the
moldering steps to an apparently de-
serted cellar on Rivington street, gave
a double rap on the door, and waited
till a panel glided noiselessly back,
and a rat-eyed oriental peeped out,
jangling, not unmusically:
"Yen she Qua?"
It was a threadbare password to
Poe, merely meaning. do you smoke
opium?"
He answered mechanically, Sui
govt" the name for the little sponge
with which the bowl of the opium pipe
is cleaned.
Eli f." cried the Chinese Waterman,
and Poe, responding to the command
to hurry in, slipped through the door
as it slid open on well-oiled hinges.
On his way to the general room he
had passed the open door to several
smaller compartments, accommodate
ing only two or three smokers. In
passing each he had given furtive, I'M
easy glances at the occupant, his
manner that of the narrowed habitue,
seeking some pal" No flicker of
feature betrayed him, when he sudden
ly saw in one of the small rooms his
friend Burns, curled UP with pipe,
While on the bunk opposite stretched
long, English looking man, with close
cropped hair, watery, hollow eyes, and
a dead-white face.
Though his mind was quickened by
the discovery, Poe lounged on, and
with dull eyes asked "Simmy," the
squint-featured Chinaman in charge,
for a layout"
In a short time Burns entered from
his smaller compartment, pushed Poe
aside with the rudeness characteristic
of the place, and, dropping down be-
side him, managed to whisper unno-
ticed:
did you see him? He comes
close to your description, stoop and
all. l spotted him at five this eve
ming; his mouth and eyes watered
for a pipe. Nobody knows him. He's
got a steamship ticket to Liver
pool"
Good! I'll try him. He looks the
part. Do you think we could get
him out of here?"
Not till he sails. Says he hasn't
had pipe for a usually smokes
in Boston. Seems suspicious. Hasn't
been here in year.
"You stay here" directed Poe, draw
ing his cheeks as though putting deep
ly, Simmy having looked toward the
pair sharply When he got another
chance to whisper, Poe finished: IF
you hear two knocks on my pipe, start
for the door, get yout"gun ready, and
block the passage if necessary"
With that he rose, stretched, and
loafed into the one where the suspect
lay alone. The latter hardly looked
at him, and Poe began toying aimless-
ly with long cord which he tore loose
from the mating cover to his couch.
His companion watched him with
heavy, idly-moving eyes.
Suddenly the pale man reached out
a moist, trembling hand, and took hold
of the cord
'Let me tie you a knot he said
in pleased, sleepy tone, for he had
just reached the blissful stage. Toy
ing with the string for moment, he
managed to twist it into an intricate
stopper-knot, and then jerked an end
Of it into Matthew Walker"
"Tll bet you layout / can tie
better Walker" answered Pee.
That's too easy" grinned the 9TH
or his fooo hn0aTniuO rh0u1ioh in tho