The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1917-12-21
The Shining
Black Feathers
And How theLost Gold
Was Discovered
BY Ethel Holmes

Phil Manton of the Far Eastern bank
In Shanghai went out into the streets
feeling dull and out of sorts.
Each morning for week he had
found mysterious envelope on his
desk. No one could explain whence it
came. 1t was not in the mornings
mail-it was simply there!
The envelope was one Of those long,
narrow oriental affairs perhaps two
inches in width by twelve inches or
more In length. Sometimes 1t was
longer or shorter, to accommodate it's
contents.
The contents were invariably the
samoa black feather, narrow and
shining.
The inscription In Chinese was ia
miliar to him now. "a feather from
the wing of the black pheasant" was
the meaning Of the ideographs.
"A feather from the wing Of the
black pheasant" he was repeating to
himself as he went down the Bund, I'M
mindful Of the curious glances sent in
his direction by friends and acquaint-
ances.
whats the matter with Manton 2"
they asked each other, for the presi-
dent of the Far Eastern bank was nor
mally practical, well balanced, cool
headed business man. Hope nothing
is wrong with the bank"
Manton confided his business to no
one. He had lived In the east long
enough to guess that some evil influ-
ence was working against him, some
secret power that was trying to weak
en- his efficiency, to break down his
nerve.
Some one had whispered that Oscar
Blare, the former president of the Far
Eastern, had committed suicide be-
cause ''he had seen things"
What had he seen?
Money had vanished at the time of
Blares death, but no one could ever
trace it or could account for the man.
ner in which it had been spent The
money, gold in canvas bags, had van
ished.
Phil Manton could have told anoth-
er tale-that for two months now there
had been steady pilfering at the
bank. One gold piece after another
had vanished from the strong room.
Privately he had had the different
employees watched, and each one was
proved impeccable.
OF course there was Wong Suong
the Waterman, but Wong Suong was
poor and had big family to support
and he was proved to be impeccable as
well as the others.
And the shadow of the black pleas
ants wing darkened the days for the
young president of the Far Eastern.
The next morning he found another
feather in its envelope and put it away
The accompanying card he studied
carefully.
Phil Manton had tried many devices
to find If his employees were trust
worthy, and, nothing having developed
in that line to help him, he was at his
wits end. Even his friends were be
ginning to take notice of his abstract
edness, and, worst yet, it was getting
on his nerves to the extent of interfer
ing with his heretofore splendidly rest
full nights. Certainly something mus
be done, and he was feeling that HI
must be the one to do it.
Italy, dItcI lOl1S uciIDtl HULL, III
made up his mind that in the after
noon when it was time to leave h.
would secrete himself in the stron!
room and, revolver in hand, griml.
wait for the thief to appear.
From his corner behind a heap 0
canvas sacks Phil watched the clerk
as one by one they came into tn
strong room to put away cash am
books. Each one went about his busi
ness in an open, honest way, and tn
last one locked the steel doors an
threw the heavy bolts of the combine
tion lock.
Phil Manton knew that the stron
room of the Far Eastern was well SUI
piled with fresh air from a ventilatin
pipe which ran up to the roof, so tina
even If his Imprisonment had Taste
for several days he would not hav
suffered except for food.
In the dimness of the strong ROOF
thoughts crowded heavily upon hin
lie found himself remembering man
things that he had forgotten in the rus
of daily life.
One thing was that Oscar Blare ha
been discovered dead in the stron
ROOM in this very spot, perhaps, wit
an empty pistol in his lifeless hand.
Then the gold deficiency had bee
discovered
A cold horror took possession of hin
Was history going to repeat itsell
Was he, Phil Manton, unwittingl
guilty of the thefts2 Would he, too,
found dead In the strong room?
Suddenly he laughed his fears
scorn.
'sThat wretched black pheasar
feather business is getting on n
nerves. he muttered. II wonder
Blare knew the black pheasantY'
Still laughing at his own vague feal
and regretting that he had immune
himself in the strongroom for the nigh
Phil made himself comfortable behir
the pile Of canvas sacks, feeling TIL
the president of the Far Eastern bar
was lowering his dignity.