Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-17
The Mysterious Ways ofWangF0o By Sidney G Partridge

with most gracious smile bf well
come, before the English officer HAD
had time to say. q word. II am highly
honored to have you under my very
humble roof. Please take seat and
pleasure of serving you. You surely
haven't come to. consult me about the
you| " 80. S .t.. A'''' nav
That's just It.: replied the captain.
we may as we'll confess 1t. we're In
a TX. and you seem to be the only one
that can help us OUT
did the inspector himself send you
for me?' inquired Wang.
HE did, sir. and he is anxious to
a see yoa ne a0 out. It! IT. Of know
vt have read about 1t in the Eng
Iish papers" was the brief and char
acteristic answer.
AT this point grandma suddenly APP
which SHE placed before them on the
table, with two bowls Of smoking Foo
Chow tea and little tray containing
some cigarettes for the use of the for
eigner not accustomed to the native
to his guest, and after few minutes
conversation on the weather and tho
ordinary topics of the day. the cap
tain arose to leave.
4,
the inspector, to await your"
Say TO him. with my very best COM J,
rliments. that he may look for me ats
Ing"
rat his Office r suppose?"
Yes. at his Office
"dood- might. sir, and. as the chi
ne nes so say: may lucky stars guide you
fhn m Nto1 To-
road on his way home he kept saying
to himself: ~ -.
Wonderful man. that Wang. No
doubt, he knows all about his country
y did he get that smooth and polished
English? Not a syllable of 'pidgin.
the whole time I was there. Why he
speaks as correctly as am English
scho03marm." SCI s4a~, =
He. did not know that Wang; had
. bishops own daughter Ia the old mis-
sion on the .Bund. and polished and re-
lined 1t .afterward by two-year:
residence ip Melbourne. Long and,
faithful study had made him a master
Of 1t. as he was Of his own ancestral
tongue and its complicated literature. :
venerable grand one" he said. ad- !.
dressing the old lady, who had bolted
the door, otter the departure Of the
foreigner, where is old Change. :.
call him at once. and tell. him TO !,
go to the Temple of the Queen of ,
Heaven and ask for the abbot ana say
that Wang Foo desires the honor Of
his presence without delay" ~ j
1T Is done as the master says" /,
In scarcely twenty minutes time the
old @abbot arrived. and after the tea
and pipes they assembled the rickety !.
stairs to the upper loft. s.
welcome, venerable father, to the .
humble shrine Of Choo- Foo-Tse." said !.
Wang Foo as they entered and took
seats in the little study =
II am 'honored beyond words in being
admitted TO the shrine that bears the )
name OF the greatest scholar Of the
classics" replied the guest.
For two long hours they were clos /.
eted together, and the. results Of their
consultations amounted to this: It was
not likely that any Chinese official, :
even OF the rank Of viceroy, would .
knowingly give to a European jewel
OF such value and such national pride
as the famous jade-stone pendant of
the dynasty of the Tsings. Therefore, .
on first thought, what the governor
received must have bean cheap du-
plfcate or an imitation, trusting that
the European eye would never detect
the difference. But no Chinese thief
would ever be able to dispose of such /,
a,treasure without being instantly ap- +.
pretended. Therefore, on second
thought the only conclusion was that
the viceroy actually did present the .
genuine pendant to the governor. and
then privately arranged for it to be
stolen and brought back to him.
The guilty party. whoever he might
be. must be sought in the viceregai
yamen at Canton. But it must be
done with the utmost secrecy, for the
exposure of an official of high rank
would mean almost certain death to
the informer An immediate trip to
Canton and an entree into the inner
yamen must be the very first step in
tracing the criminal.
you are quite sure. venerable faith
err" he said to the old ecciesiastic on
leaving. that your description Of the
jewel is correct?"
"Quite positive" was the answer.
See! Here 1t Is as I copied it today
from one of our rarest volumes in the
temple library. entitled Jewels of the
Imperial Line and Sacred Possessions
of the Sons of Heaven No. 2S-The
jade -stone pendant. or seal of the
Using emperors. The most perfect
stone ever brought from the imperial
jade-stone mines Of Shen 81. 1t meas
ures two inches in length by an inch
and three quarters in width and
depth. 1t is of the clearest green,
pure as the waters Of the sacred sea.
On 1t are carved the words of the
motto of the great Tsings. Pure as
this stone must ever be the imperial
heart But that which gives 1t it's