Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1918-11-28
CHAPTER TX.
The Hammer of God.


The Hammer of God.
The man across the table and l ex-
changed salutations
"Then you know where Miss Foote
| is at PRESENT." / asked, with no at
| tempt to mask my eagerness.
"She is with McKabe," said Dual
evasively.
"And that" ! began.
"I expect to learn very shortly"
Semi finished. "At present my very
| good friend, Kim Lee, and myself, are
| waiting a report from some OF his
agents as to the exact whereabouts of
| the place where these people have con-
| fined the two. Sit down and tell us
what has happened at your end of the
line while we wait"
l took a chair and drew it across TO
an end of the table.
Nothing much has happened" l
replied. Sheldon insisted on coming
UP here and trying to fad Miss Lucille
and Kim Lee He failed, and was
shadowed to the hotel. Connel phoned
| lust before you called and said we had
| made a hash of things in general. That
was after he was sent word of Miss
| Foote'S capture. He also said he was
going to turn Reich and the woman
loose as a last resort"
81 shall advise him to do so after
| a time" said Dual.
l gasped | turned my eyes to his
face and sought to read his meaning.
/ A cold hand seemed to seize my
| heart and squeeze it slowly until 1t
beat with palpable effort.
Turn them loose?" l stammered.
Were they beaten then, / wondered?
Had Dual failed at last, and was he
about to admit it. and set free the ones
they demanded in order to save the
man and the girl he had sent to her
fate?
He met my gaze fully. In his eyes
there was nothing to answer my ques-
tion. They were clear, deep, calm, as
two gray shadowed forest fountains.
| There was neither encouragement
nor elation in their strange, inscrut-
i, able glance. Yet they seemed to read
I the unspoken question in my mind be-
fore he answered:
Patience, Gordon. The time is not
yet, my friend. Reich and the woman
shall go free at time already decid-
ed. shall advise Connel by and
by"
A rap came on the door of the re-
ception cabinet. Kim Lee seemed to
bark his answer, and leaned forward
in an almost un-Oriental excitement
/ saw that his dark eyes glistened.
A man pushed open the door and
entered in hurried manner. His face
showed traces of exertion, and his
breathing was that of one who has
spared no labor in arriving.
He sprang into the room, paused,
and bowed low before breaking into a
rapid stream of speech which had no
chance to follow. Unlike Semi Dual,
/ had no knowledge of tongues save
my own, and the man was speaking in
Chinese.
Therefore confined my efforts to
watching the face Of Dual.
/ saw a quick fire light 1t at the
words the messenger uttered. He lis
tened without interruption until the
fellow paused, and then snapped into
question after question, which the
Chinaman seemed to answer without
hesitation.
| At the end, Semi turned to Kim Lee
and spoke in English:
"Is there such place as this, Kim
Lee?"
Most certainly. Abdul" the mer-
chant assured him.
Dual smiled. He thrust hand into
his garments and dragged out some
pieces Of gold. With an outward flip
of his hand he cast them at the fell
lows feet.
"a reward of service, Kim Lee," he
said to the other. "He is valuable
man. We shall use him again. Bid
him wait"
Kim Lee spoke to the man, who not
until then bowed himself before Semi,
and picked up the gold. admitted to
myself that the servants of this mer.
chant were trained exceedingly well.
Dual turned to me.
II shall translate" he began.
"Above the basin where the Italians
keep their little fishing boats, between
here and the northeastern shore of the