Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08
The Lacquer
Cabinet
DON'T care what 1T costs. !
want it and I propose to have
it. Why, 1t would be the
e,roo<oo< o,,r{o IN oil NV col.


make those Indian Buddhas and those
Burmese idols look like nothing at all
and, just think, Tony, what spiritu-
alistic seance we can give when we
get back to Syracuse. eh?"
well, old man, suppose II you SET
your heart on it. you'll eventually get
1t, somehow. I don't believe ever
knew you really to want thing-that
is, thing that money could buy-that
you didn't sooner or later put your
hand on it, but it looks as If you were
going to have a mighty hard task be-
fore you this time. The captain says
and the old skipper has been out mere
q great many years, you know-that
no European has ever gotten his hand
on a real genuine one yet, and there
have been lots Of travellers huntlng
curios out here before u.s."
The above remarks were part OF
conversation between Reginald Wells,
a wealthy young American tourist,
from central New York, and his col
lege chum at Cornell. Theodore Irow-
bridge kno wv on .at the the sam smosne
room Of the steamer Nam-Ching. out
of Hongkong. They were real globe
trotters of the traditional American
type. They had started out on q trip
around the world. and, incidentally. on
good time. and at this present pre- ssa,n mo o,
both. They had done" India, the
Straits, Java and Borneo, and now
they were on their way north from
Hongkong to Annoy to fill full their
huntsmen's cup Of Joy with genuine
old-fashioned tiger hunt. They had
south, but Col. johnson, the American
consul at Hongkong, had whetted
their appetite for 1t to the keenest
edge by showing them in his office the
skin of magnificent man-eater.
"More than twelve feet long, gentle
men. from tip to tail! Had killed three
the week before I shot him-grandest
sport in the world, can tell YOU"
That was enough. Nothing would do
but tiger-shoot The consul made
every preparation for them and the
ton Company was now bearing them
rapidly toward the lair of the beast,
armed not only with guns and ammuni-
ton. but with something equally impor-
the leading English firm of the port.
Messrs. Warning & Co. had been notified
by wire of their coming and they were
instructed from their bankers not only
to entertain the travellers handsomely,
but to have boats and coolies ready for
the hunt.
Just at the moment that we are intro
duced to these gentlemen in the smok-
ing room OF the steamer, however. the
interest in the tiger had suddenly waned
and the all-absorbing topic was the rar-
ity and value of the curios which they
had collected in the orient. After listen
ing patiently to their descriptions Of the
unique" and "only genuine" articles
rnht nj, ho1 ind rn1 Mt
tives to part with at fabulous prices,
Capt. Jones chimed in at last with:
swell, you may have Buddhas and
idols and losses galode. but there's one
money can't buy, either-one that's
genuine ancestral cabinet with the orig
inal ghost inside. I've seen lots Of tour
lists offer for them-and mighty high
prices, too-but nary one did they ever
get, for the Chinaman would rather die
than sell his ancestors ghost: and that's
what they believe is really in the little
tablet in the lacquer box"
"Reggy" said Tony from the opposite
side of the room, we've got more Of
know what to do with. Why, you could
stack the whole museum at Cornell al
most full with what we've shipped home
already and even IL you do induce some
tors ghost it would cost you a small
fortune to buy it--so what's the use?"
Six bells rang out from the wheel
house just at this moment and the APP
pearance of the salon-boy with,
"Velly solly. gentlemen, but catchee
lebben clock must putchee out lights"
ended the conversation for the even
ing.
The good ship Nam Ching dropped
anchor in Annoy harbor on schedule
time in the morning and the steam
launch flying Warning & Co.'S house
nag. with the head Of the firm him
self on board, came out to meet the
travellers and give them a. cordial
welcome to the port and to the hos
pitality of the "hong," as such BUSH
ness establishments are called in the
China seas. They found everything
in readiness for the up-river trip and
the hunt, Mr.. Warning having put his
own commodious houseboat, the Mar
guerite. completely at their disposal,
and having engaged extra servants
and competent native guides They
could start in a day or two-just as
soon as they had rested from the sea
trip. The tigers We're waiting for
them, messengers from the. interior
having reported further depredations
from the beasts in the valleys of Foo
King, to the north of them
Annoy and its sights were soon ex-
hausted and a picnic to the famous
White Deer temple. followed by a
dinner to the little foEeign community
AT the hong. completed their program
in that Chinese. city popularity known