Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-01
The Mysterious Wang Foo
he yamen, who acted a. general

as he recalled this name? What made
him compare him with the leper boat
that hid the mandarin from him on
the river? He looked at the little
fatal night. and he saw that Long
Wings seat was directly opposite the
deputy's. Another link in the chain
was being forged most rapidly.
He hurriedly left the gardens and,
taking a jinrikisha. told the coolie to
scending there. he exchanged the jim
rikisha for sedan and directed the
bearers to Tao tails yamen, where he
dismissed them and passed into the
gatekeeper's lodge.
Am I too late to see an officer to-
day." he asked.
Whom do you seek?"
"Long Wing, the interpreter"
Alas, sir, he left for home a half
hour ago"
He called another sedan and started
In the direction the gatekeeper point
ed out.
You fellows know Long Wing?" he
asked of the forward bearer.
Yes, sir, we know him WELL"
DO you ever carry his sedan?'
''The elder-born speaketh true; we
often carry him, because both his
bearers are i'll at home"
did you carry him anywhere, per-
chance, on the evening Of the eight
zenith Of the moon?"
Indeed we did. and on the nine
teenth also"
DO you remember where you took
him?"
ION the eighteenth we went to the
mansion OF the widow Wang. the one
who sold her property for the foreign
mill, and on the nineteenth we went
into the foreign quarter and to the
great hotel"
NVoru ECoosc <hon~h<u ,,,oro M.
faster as he saw the outline closing
in. He stopped the sedan at the City
Temple and, paying the coolies a dou-
bic fare. said: 1.-THE night Is clear. I
will walk the few remaining streets"
He crossed the bridge into the French
sha for the basket makers home. Once
secure within the upper room, he UNI
locked the trunk. and, turning over
slowly the pages OF a well thumbed
volume called THE Poisons OF the An
Gent Dynasties." he came to this: 1.-THE
berries OF the South Formosa lacquer
tree distill a noxious odor, which is
stupefying and deadly in its effect.
Concocted into an ointment it is one Of
the most virulent poisons known. 1t is
Victim becomes Quickly Sncons e e
Perfume Of some kind is always added
to conceal it,
Before his interview with the In
sspector, on the following Monday,
ther facts: First. tho widow Wang had
left for long journey to Peking the
day following the dinner at the hotel;
second. Long Wing was formerly q
resident Of South Formosa; third, his
brother, compradore in the Peninsu-
lar s. S. Co., had deposited 5000 taels
In one lump In the Anglo-Asiatc Bank
on July Is. Monday afternoon he COM
p!eted the chain and when the doors
OF the private office closed upon him,
the chief and Morehead that evening,
rious steps Of crime almost un-
paralleled in their long experience.
They were shown how Long Wing
had accepted a bride Of 5000 taels
from the window Wang to have her
property substituted for that Of the
picion. he had secretly passed this
money over to his brother to deposit
in the bank. He had gone to tho
hotel earlier in the evening and under
the pretext OF arranging some dow-
duplicate deed beneath it. Then. at
the critical moment, he had pushed
the first deed onto the floor and in
pretending. to pick it up. had dex-
terously substituted the second for 1t,
ed. He returned later in the evening,
looking. he said, for lost mem
orandum. and had secured the former
deed from underneath the table.
But how did he. come to go to the
deputy's slider" asked the Inspector.
'Please explain that to u.s."
Your excellency looks warm he
said, answered Wang Foo; "Iet me
refresh you with some fragrance from
the southern isles and drawing a
beautiful sandalwood fan from box
within his sleeve, he stepped to his
side and began to fan him vigor-
ously. The upper portion of the fan
was covered with the deadly lacquer,
wood concealed 1t. 1t took but,
few moments for the poison to doodts
work, but those moments were quite
enough for the impressing of the Tao
tai's seal. In the excitement that
followed he deftly replaced thea.fan
within its alright case SO thatnno
others were affected by it." ,,A
But did not the secretary and
others have their fans?' =
"Ah! That is just the important
point. 1t was the eighteenth, of. the
moon, You know. and the book or
rites and ceremonies is very sstrict
about the etiquette Of FANS Feather
rams alone are used after the. fifteenth
or the moon. and these. you SEE, conlI
not have held the poison or concealed
the odor OF 1t. That is why Sandal
WOOD alone would answer" ~
"Morehead," said the "you
and l have still few things to learn
about our celestial friends. Let u,
Fam" "'o>'
Not bad idea.". replied the detec-
tive. i"