Tensas gazette., 1916-01-07

iOui pei Seul, iustedu OI tle nVe winch
the imperial government had had tc
pay for its last issue. The scheme
was as clear as daylight.
You understand the situation. nc
doubt" said Sir Arthur, who had been
watching my face closely.
II. tirely, your excellency." an
swel~l 1T is necessary for us to OBJ
tain nat document before the count
can present it,"
Yes, which means before sundown
when, since Mutsuhito's death can be
concealed no longer. Yoshihito will be
notified Of his accession to the throne
The document will undoubtedly be pre-
sented to the American minister at
the palace. the count occupying the
suite of the minister In waiting
there"
1t may be strange that the heir to
the throne could have been kept two
days In ignorance of his fathers death
strange to one ignorant of japanese
court ceremony: tJt not to one aware
that the emperor, as divine being,
may not be touched, or even seen, by
the members of his own family. ex-
cept at his demand.
| could picture the dead monarch
behind the drawn screens In the death
chamber; the doctor. fearfully per
forming the last medical rites; and
the imperial family. waiting in ante
chambers for their gods permission
to bid him farewell before his trans
lation to the celestial spheres.
"My information" continued Sir
Arthur, comes from the Chinese min
lister, who vouches for it's accuracy
AS you know. he is a warm friend OF
America, and he has methods of his
own for making such discoveries The
Chinese spy system is greatly in ad.
vance of the Japanese. Yet | am a
little uneasy for fear Of some subtle
trick having been laid for me. and
am anxious to obtain your advice, on
account of your acquaintance with the
inner affairs of Japanese court life.
His excellency's reference to my at
tache days, when 1t was said, be-
lieve, that ] was the only European
acquainted with the ramifications of
political intrigue in what was still
called the Hermit kingdom. touched
me Sir Arthur had a good memory,
when he chose to give 1t play Still,
those were the early days Of Meiji, as
the new era is called, and things are
different Eow.
In brief" continued the ambassa-
dor. "the Chinese minister asks me to
place myself in the hands of Doctor
Fong, the third court physician. Did
you ever hear Of him?'
Hear Of Fong? A shadowy figure
suddenly leaped into my mind, per-
fectly outlined. remembered Doctor
Fong perfectly.
An accomplished Chinese scholar.
he had been employed years before in
the medical department of the Japa-
nese legation In Peking. What his du-
ties had been is immaterial; but he
was connected-falsely, believe, With
the mysterious death of the predeces-
sor of the late empress dowager, Tsi-
An, the first wife Of the penultimate
emperor of the extinct dynasty.
Fong had been put on trial for muir
der, had been acquitted and had later
become head of the department OF
tropical medicine at the University of
Osaka. The government subsequently
removed him from his post. and he
had lived a lonely and embittered life.
blaming the cause Of his downfall
upon Count Okuma. The knowledge
of this made me believe that Fong
would prove of genuine service to US.
knew that the late emperor's mys-
terious disease had been a form OF
beriberi. a malignant, chronic kind pc
culiar to the Island of Hondo.. and |
surmised that Doctor Fong's knowl-
edge Of tropical diseases had brought
him back to favor as one of the i'm
perial attendants. | communicated all
these facts to Sir Arthur
Then will you accompany me to
the palace at once?" he asked me.
Each of the ambassadors has a suite
set apart for him there; and We can
interview our man unmolested."
| assented at once. and, a few min
utes later. We were bowling through
'rickshas A run of thirty minutes
brought us to the palace grounds, and
shortly afterward We were In the am.
bassador's quarters, consisting Of two
or three spacious rooms on the second
foor
Although there was no outward sign
Of lamentation. something in the at
mosphere of the interior showed that
the news of Mutsuhitos death had al
ready become common property.
There was gloom upon the faces OF
the palace attendants. shutting to and
fro along the corridors In their felt
slippers. At the far end of the long
passage. at the back entrance to the
state apartments, we saw an anxious
throng assembled. and, as we we're
about TO enter the ambassadors rooms.
we saw the crowd suddenly PROSTATE
itself as a tiny lady. attired in a Eu-
ropean court dress. with low neck and
sweeping train upheld by four pages,
passed by.
Her highness. the royal concubine.
Otura." explained the ambassador.
Let's get inside before We meet her
one requires tact in meet
ing certain court situations. don't you
know"
Inside the rooms a tall man, with a
anxious face, was seated
beside the fire. reading the Daily Her