The Washington times., 1918-08-18

long passage we went until We reached
another door, in front OF which an incense
lamp was burning.
The queen knocked. and the door swung
softly open. We stood in huge hall.
which was very dimly lighted About the
walls were ranged gigantic statues Of gro
tesque appearance. l knew we were in
some sort of temple
"He is among the gods" she whispered
to me softly.
AS my eyes became accustomed to the
gloom, made out figure roaming slowly
about the room. 1t was Pope, violin in
hand.
Across his eyes was a white bandage.
He moved hesitatingly. as though not sure
Of his footing. and close behind followed
a huge soldier, who occasionally reached
out his hand and guided the boy.
"Pope!' / shouted to him as he came
near me. He never turned his head.
"Pope!" / shouted louder than before.
but he continued walking slowly about
with shambling gait, paying no attention
to me.
The woman murmured something in her
musical voice, and the boy stopped in
stantly, holding out his arms in her direc-
tion, violin in one hand, bow in the other
He stood that way a moment. then he
tucked his violin under his chin and drew
the bow softly across the strings.
The first notes of Then You'll Remem-
Der Me" sprang from the violin, seeming
to stir the very air in the gloomy hall
Louder they rose, and then Popes rich
voice joined them, rising and falling in a
cadence that seemed to come from his
very soul.
The woman stood as still as one Of the
horrible gods against the wall until he
reached the second verse Then Pope's
voice stopped. but he continued playing.
and she took up the song in that tinkling
soprano that we had heard in the forest
AS she sang she moved nearer to the
boy. standing there with his bandaged
head bent over the violin and wringing
from the instrument such music as I never
expect to hear again unless 1t be in heaven.
As the woman's voice died away with
the music, she reached out her shriVeled
hands and caressed the boy | saw his
white teeth show in a pleased smile, and .
he bent his head low to her. / heard him
whisper the name of the girl about whom
he used to moon, calling this hag by it,
$50 he will continue doing forevermore,S
she said, turning to me, and patting the
What nonsense is this?" / demanded,
aroused to action. l darted past the SOL
dier's outstretched hand, and seized Pope
by the shoulders.
Pope, boy!" / called to him. Don't
you know Swank? That isn't your sweet
heart, boy Its only a crazy old woman
Come, Wen go away from here If we have
to kill her to do it!''
jerked the bandage from his eyes.
Look at me, boyi" begged of him.
Look at old Swanki"
He turned his head with a curious listen
ing motion. l looked into two CHASTITY
empty holes where his eyes should have
been.
Il could not bear to have him see the
change in me" / heard the old woman saw
and then / must have tainted dead away.
When / came to myself / was in that
grove where we had camped when we were
captured. My surroundings looked Just as
they had when we had settled down for
the night, our traps in the packs as had
left them.
looked around for the boy, thinking it
had all been a horrible nightmare. Then
l must have gone mad myself, for when |
next realized anything / was in the mis-
sionary's house in Chin-Kiang, lying upon
a bed and being fed with soup by the mis-
sionary.
He said I had been there three weeks
l had wandered in one night, out Of my
head and sick with fever.
l told the missionary the story Of Pope
but he only smiled and said, "Yes, yes"
soothingly.
| stayed with the missionary until I was
strong, and then he gave me money and
servant to help me get back to Tientsin
Before I left he said:
"Old chap, you know 1 don't doubt your
word at all, but if l were you l shouldn't
tell that story when you get back below.
Folks might think-well-er-you know,
folks are rather skeptical. You might tell
them that your companion lost his life up
here, but l wouldn't go any farther
thought over his advice. and took it.
Very few people knew that l had gone into
the interior with Pope, and the easiest
way out of it wasNto say nothing. And l
havent-until now.
Once before had a mind to tell it. One
day, about a year after all this happened,
a big pink and white yacht dropped into
Nagasaki while l was rusticating there,
and a pink and white old man, with lot
of pink and white girls, came ashore.
The old mans name was Pope. | would
have guessed that at first glance, for he
was the image of the boy. He was search
ing for a son. l heard him telling some
Americans about it on the hotel veranda.
He ran away to see The world because
he had a little quarrel with his fiancee."
the old man garrulously explained. Hes
just a boy. and We shall find him knocking
around some Of these ports and pretty
hOmesick. We brought his fiancee along
to cheer him up when we find him. She's
that good-looking girl over there"
looked at the girl, and looked at the
Ettln orav-ha aired old Wnman with sad ewes