The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-12-14

strolling along Queens Road-even II
the smoking-room boy was just = few
PAGES ahead of him-or in his turning
up into Ivory. Alley. or. in fact. Of his
pausing for . moment in front of .
certain WORKSHOP and noting very
carefully the sign, after the boy had
entered and closed the shop door be-
hind him. Why should not any Chinese
gentleman have done this?
The Hong Kong Daily News of the
following Sunday had an interesting
article headed. Important Arrest Of
Opium Smugglers." Among other
things said:
Our local police. cooperating
with Chinese detectives, unearthed
new nest of opium smugglers and
dealers yesterday in Ivory Alley. 1t
seems that the Compradore Of the
s. S. Mandalay' has been in the
habit of lending a handsome ivory
chess-board to some foreign pas
senger and then getting the pas
senger to bring it ashore in his own
baggage in order to avoid suspic-
ion and searching. The entire
board was filled in between with
the choicest Patna opium and every
one of the chess-men was followed |,
out and fitted with a cylinder OF !,
tin containing the drug. All Wang.
the ivory carver. was a confederate J
of the steamer-boys and shared the !
profits with him. The rascals had
stolen the good name of Rollins &
Co. and had secret signs on their
shop indicating to the habitues that
the drug could be had within. We
are very glad that our esteemed
,tfs
his firm have been cleared of any
completely in the matter. and we
trust the native papers will make
this perfectly clear"
AT the same time. Sir William" re-.
marked Wang Foo. as he accepted tho
merchants proffered gift CT a box Of
Havanas. Il think it would be just as
well g take down that tablet now don't
you?"
(which eablet?"
why. the one where you say you
prepare the golden pill of Immortality
because, you see. golden pill OF i'm
mortality is a well-known synonym for
the choicest brand of opium"
| What! Do you mean to tell me that
have actually been advertising the
drug for sale in my own store, and
|
day of my life?"
| Not necessarily so. 81, because, you
see. there was always the ambiguity
in the term. and good people gave you
the benefit of the doubt"
And was it so in that ivory shop
alsoT
"Ah, no: there It was quite different,
and this illustrates one of the niceties
OF our written language. You see,
some Of the Chinese characters are
written from right to left and some
from left to right. The initiated scholar
can instantly recognize the character
or line that has been reversed. The
ivory carver had the word for pills SO
written that the users of the drug
knew at once what it meant. while the
ordinary passer-by, and"-he smiled
as he spoke-"and the police supposed
it was the innocent tonic of immor-
tality. Besides this. you see, the play
on words and sounds between 'tusks'
and opium rendered the game doub1y
fascinating to the native mind. that all
ways takes q special delight in that
sort of resemblance. of which the Euro
pean knows nothing"
"Well, WELL" said Sir William. after
all. Mr.. Wang. human nature is very
much the same all the world over.
Those of us who know the open
SESAME get into the game and those
who don't. stay out. Isn't 1t SOP
THAT, 1 believe, is one OF the things
the Master meant when he said: The
West has its wise mon as well as we.
replied the man Of mystery. -