The Topeka state journal., 1919-09-13


Hong Kong, and that was done by q
gang of drunken Portuguese sailors
who were ashore on a spree and who
carried the child away to the ship more
for a lark than for anything else No,
no, it requires too much care and
trouble and expensive preparation-for
they always require well-paid confed-
erates-and the risk of exposure and
detection is far too great for the or
binary gang of thieves and villains to
undertake it. OF course. there have
been stealings of native children, but
that is a very different proposition.
do not believe this Is case OF kidnap-
ping at aIl-that is simply theory and
nothing more-there is not a grain of
evidence to prove It or even suggest 1t.
Had there been, you may be sure that
the amount OF the reward would have
already tempted some one of the party
to turn states evidence, for the walls
are covered with the posters and thou
sands of handbills have been printed
and distributed through the native
quarter. The child has disappeared
and we must find him, that is all"
Yes. Venerable Father" answered
the Detective thoughtfulfy. that is all,
as you say. but it is e very puzzling
and complicated all. We DO not seem
to have even the shadow OF a clew.
and there Is nothing for us TO do but
to wait. as the English say, until some
thing or somebody turns up. By the
way, you know that our old friend, the
cross-eyed priest at the Temple of the
Moon Goddess. is up to another money
making scheme?"
What! Old Cross sights at It
again? What is it now? A miracle
of some kind, warrant. Jewels fall
ing from heaven or something of that
kind?"
We'll. you hit It very nearly; It isn't
Jewels from heaven this time but it's
the next thing to it. The sacred foam
from the mouth OF the heavenly crea-
ture IS being sold for medicine under
the old name Of dragon bubbles. He's
keeping it very quiet and only selling
1t to the inner circle now--for fear tho
local mandarin will want a heavy COM
mission-but he Is making a good thing
out of 1t. as accidentally learned from
the hotel boy. who believe acts as
his local agent for the devotees in the
Colony. I am going across the Bay to
the Temple Tomorrow to make a per-
sonaI investigation ana see whether 1t
is serious enough to report to the Tao
Tai. I will report to you in the even
ing"
TT is well, It is well that you go,
and may the blessings Of all the Budd-
has be with you." was the farewell
benediction of the old visitor as Wang
Foo bowed him out to his waiting
sedan-chair.
The Following morning OLD Chang
accompanied his master as far as the
Central Wharf. where he took the
steam ferry for the opposite side OF the
Bay and having safely landed at Kow
Loon. engaged q sampan with a sal
to take him to the second inlet be-
yond, where a we'll worn road OF stone
led up to the Temple of the Moon
Goddess. Disguised as a wandering
old peddler of books, he attracted no
notice from the temple attaches nor
did his presence at the inner shrine
into which he had gradually forced his
way-arouse the least suspicion on the
part OF ola Cross-sights'. who was
there in person arranging little Pyra-
mids OF glass balls in front of the
gilded wooden figure OF the Goddess.
Venerable Father" he said with
carefully Assumed air and tone of
rural and unsophisticated Innocence.
what may these treasures be that you
are boarding so carefully"
These are none other than the
foaming bubbles from the mouth of
the Dragon King. The grandest and
most potential medicine that ever came
to mortal man Stir but one OF them
in a basin of boiling water. it will dis
solve into thousand fragments and
he who drinks OF the precious fluid that
remains will be blessed with all the
virtues ten and protected from every
i'll that mortal flesh is heir to. These
little globes are the children OF the
great parent globe that hangs yonder
above the Goddess head-the crystal
lized bubble OF the sacred foam. Seel :
1t has q thousand" He stopped
abruptly in the middle OF the sentence,
startled at a cry that seemed to come
from the inner room behind the shrine.
He dropped the last globe that he held
in his hand, shivering 1t into pieces on
the temple floor. and with wild Shrek
drew aside the sacred curtain and
rushed into the dark space beyond.
Wang Eco followed close behind him
and drawing a bunch Of matches from
his pocket case suddenly struck them.
and before the excited priest could stop
him, he flooded the room with a torch
like glare. Why did he start back?
What was the sight that met his eyes?
What was It lying there upon the mat
ting? A child A European child
Pushing the price. roughly aside. he
siezed the little figure In his arms and
dashed backwards with II into the day
light. Yes! One OF the greatest sur
prises, but one OF the most joyful ex-
periences OF his life. there, soiled and
dirty. hungry and thirsty, but abso-
lutely unharmed. was the lost child
for whom the whole island Of Hong
Kong was searching!
who brought him hereT' he asked
in excited tones of the now thoroughly
frightened priest. Tell me, you cross
eyed Villains tell me quick"
They brought him. they brought
him in the box" he stamnered out
He carried me the sacred crystal in
his hands-the@ dragon bubble. the
dragon bubblei He was the messenger
Of the Goddess"
- a.