Charlevoix county herald., 1918-12-20


While ate there came the sound of
feet in the little reception closet. A
rap fell on the door. Kim Lee spoke
shortly and / glanced up to see the
door open and admit six men. They
were Cinnamon. such as we associate
with the word in this country.
Seen together there was little in
common between them and the man
who sat at the lakewood table. They
were flat faced, flat nosed. slant eyed.
clad in nondescript apparel. For the
most part they were of small stature
and thin boned. Only the last of all
was large, big framed. with stronger
cast of feature than the others.
They came in and bowed low before
Kim Lee, who sat impressive at the ia
BILE until one and all they stood before
him, awaiting his pleasure.
These knew were the men he had
sent for; his retainers, il one might
call them by such name. They were
the men who bowed to his word in all
things, went where he told them, and
did what he said and looked to him for
protection in their acts.
Kim Lees men! Seen on the street
no one would have thought them other
than the many Cinnamon who throng-
ed the district There was nothing
about them Of distinction. Only here
in this room they bowed themselves
TO the floor and stood in silence wait
ing the word of command from the one
who had called them. There was some
thing almost sinister about it to me.
Suddenly il came over me that these
men would go out from this room and
rob and kill or kidnap with the same
unQuestioning calm with which they
stood waiting-because the overload
had so directed.
Kim Lee waved his hand TO their lit
tie group. Here, o Abdul, are. your
ears and eyes," said he.
Dual swept them with slow glance,
before which they ducked their faces,
half minded to bow 10 him also.
They will suffice for the present."
he accepted. And the larger man,
Kim Lee; is he fit at the need to seize
another and still his cutlery before it is
uttered?"
He is a veteran Of wars" said
Kim Lee. He is one of my tong"
] repressed a shudder. / knew the
half spoken meaning of those words.
l looked into the sinister face of the
big man who stood silent beneath the
Of
was crdel face in every line of its
features, even down to its little snaky
eyes, and the thin, pallid lips which
lay together in an almost colorless
line.
This ] felt sure was one of the
Ratchet men of the tongs; one of those
paid mercenaries of the Chinese who
Stay by order in the most cowardly of
fashions. They live on the Quarrels
OF the various societies of their race,
and live by taking life for a price. In
that light a terrible sort OF humor
seemed to lie in the question of Semi
Dual
Dual nodded. Good" he made
comment. "If there is need, he may
prove his strength" He turned to the
men and began to address them in
their own language. Once or twice he
paused as if for answer, and received
a servile assurance in a sing-song
whine. Seemingly he told off three
men to some task, for they bowed low
to him and their master and fled crab
wise from the room.
There remained two of the others
and the grim-faced Ratchet man.
Dual spoke to the two coolies. To
my utter surprise he directed their
gaze at me. BY his direction, as it
seemed, they came closer to where |
sat, stood and stared at my face, as il
fixing it in their minds beyond any
chance Of forgetting. lifted my head
and gazed back into their beady brown
eyes.
IF you will stand now, Miss
Foote," Semi Dual prompted.
l gave him the obedience / had
promised.
Full of wonder at the request, and
his purpose in having these two men
study my face and figure, raised my
self from my seat and stood while
they walked about me, studied me as
a modern woman might inspect man.
ikin in a new-style creation, and final
ly retreated to their places.
l glanced at Dual, and he nodded me
back to my seat. sank into my chair,
filled cup Of tea, and drank it.
Dual was addressing the two again.
His voice ran on, rose and sank,
drooned and strengthened, in every
seemingly possible infection Of the
difficult Chinese tongue. / found my
self marveling at his mastery of the
language, and told myself that after
all it was but another manifestation
of the unbelievable things this incom-
prehensible man could do.
In the brief time / had known him,
days merely since l had met him in
Salt Lake, had found that he under
stood and spoke English, Italian,
Greek, and now Chinese.
The two men he was addressing
whined what took to be an affirma-
tive assurance. Dual nodded to Kim
Lee, and their master waived his men
from the room. At further word
from Dual the Ratchet man also made