The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-21

He dropped it into the bowl of the
 carved pipe and silently placed the pipe in NJ. Max's hand.
 Max, with simulated eagerness, rest ed the mouthpiece between his lips and exhaled rapturously.
 Said stood watching him, without the slightest expression of interest be- ing perceptible upon his immobile face. For some time the Frenchman made
 pretense of inhaling, gently, the potent vapor, lying propped upon one elbow. Then, allowing his head gradually to droop, he closed his eyes and lay back upon the silken pillow.
 Once more he exhaled feebly ere per mitting the pipe to drop from his list less grasp. ;, The mouthpiece yet rested loosely
 between his lips, but the lower, lip was beginning to drop. Finally the pipe slipped through his fingers on to the
 rich carpet, and he lay inert, head thrown back and revealing his lower teeth. The nauseating fumes of opium
 loaded the atmosphere. Said silently, picked up the pipe,
 placed it upon the tray and retired,
 closing the door in the same noiscless
 manner that characterized sall his movements. For a time M. Max lay inert, glanc- ing about the place through the veil of his lashes. He perceived no evi-
 dence of surveillance; therefore he ventured fully to open his eyes, but he did not move his head. He was too deeply; versed in his art to attempt any further investigations yet. He contented himself with learning as
 much as possible without moving in any way, and while he lay there await ing whatever might come the door opened noiselessly to admit Ho Pin. He swas about to be submitted to a supreme test, for which, however, he was not unprepared. He lay with
 closed eyes, breathing nasally. Ho Pin, his face a smiling, mirth- less mask, bent over the bed. Adept ly he seized the right eyelid of M. Max and rolled 1t back over his fore finger, disclosing the eyeban. M. Max, anticipating this test of the genuine ness of his coma, had rolled up his eyes at the moment of Ho Pins ap- proach, so that now only the white of 1 the sclerotic showed His trained nerves did not betray him. He lay l like a dead man, never finching. Ho Pin, releasing the eyelid, nut tered something gutturally and stole away from the bed as silently as he had approached 1t. Silently he stole | from the room and silently closed the 1 door
 Soon M. Max was conscious of a mo-
 mentary nervous tremor, for now a woman stood regarding him. She l wore a Chinese costume. A huge red | poppy was in her hair. Her beauty l was magnificently evil. She had the l grace of gazelle and the eyes of a l sorceress. He had deceived Ho Pin, l but could he deceive this Eurasian with the witch eyes wherein burned l ancient wisdom?
 l He felt rather than saw her ap- proach, for now he ventured to peep
 no more. She touched him lightly
 upon the mouth with her fingers and
 laughed little, low, rippling laugh, the sound of which seemed to trickle
 along his sensory nerves jelly. She
 bent over him -lower-lower and low CT yet-until above the nauseating
 odor of the place he could smell the
 musk perfume of her hair. Yet lower
 she bent With every nerve in his
 body he could feel her nearing pres 1 ence.
 She kissed h!r1 on the lips.
 Again she laughed in that wicked, ! eeric glee. 1 "Oh. my beautiful one" the woman said softly. and her voice was low and weirdly sweet. My pretty one! Again
 she laughed. musical peal. X will
 creepeto you in the poppy land where