The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-01

as my reward for the Official protec-
ton o. the mfracle-not cash less
will accept. Pledge it to me now and
will be as silent as the Buddhas of
stone and permit no one to trouble
you. If You refuse to agree to this, my
soldiers will allow the mob to wreck
the temple. Just as soon as they think
they are being deceived, and the rep
utation of the great White Stag will
be forever ruined"
''Tis a very his,i price to demand CT
the poor priests" answered Brother
Three; make it four hundred and We
will sign the paper now
NO! Not a casht less though the
evil angel smite me. You call your
selves poor priests why you will be
rolling in riches before the moon is
full, and eating and feasting Ike
princes. Come! Five hundred now
or nothing. What do you say?"
The other two participants withdrew
| into the cerner Of the room, where the
Magistrate could not hear them. and
| spent some moments in n heated dis
| cussion. which finally ended In their
bringing forth a roll of yellow paper
and little box of seals. which they
placed upon the table.
And how much DOWN. asked the
priest.
"one hundred down IL the very low
est" replied the officer.
Out of an old and greasy girdle came
forth roll OF bank notes and a hun
dred taels were countsd over and a
| receipt therefor signed and sealed
the remainder to be paid on the first of
each succeeding month. Hop Tux
passed out into the darkness and the
EuFasian and the native continued
their preparations for the miracle.
| You are quite sure about the pipes !?
| Two weeks will complete the liner"
That is ample time If the nights are
good and dark. We must work very
| carefully and slowly while the foreign
police are on the Sediment patrol. If
| they should catch US. all would be
lost"
rYou can trust me absolutely-every
foot will be laid with my own hands,
and know Just the hour the patrol
| man passes the corner Beyond the
| line. you know, he dare not 60"
Two weeks-two weeks to lay the
! pipes" repeated Brother Three to him.
self, as he slipped his tea. Suddenly he
started, for the old servant who had
quietly entered the room was bending
over him with the boiling tea -ketrie
in his hand ready to fill the bowls. He
looked as blank and innocent as the
wooden idol that stood upon the man
tie, but he might have overheard. he
might have overheard No, impossible:
the suspicion vanished as soon as II
came and the old priest returned to his
roll OF bedding in the temple bunk, as
svrine himself that all was well. BY
the fifteenth day OF the coming moon
all would be ready for THE progidy vi
heaven" the Sacred White Stag and
the Cloisonne Vase would bring untold
blessings to all subscribers and the
| temple funds would run up into the
| thousandsl So thinking and planning
| he fell asleep and dreamed Of the gold
| an palace Of Kwai Shen, the Goa Of
| Riches
Wang Foo the Man OF Mystery from
Hong Kong was simply making q So
| cial call upon Inspector Gubbins of the
Shanghai Police. He was on his way
home from Picking. where he had been
summoned by some Chinese officials OF
high rank to assist them in unravel-
ing a government plot and had not. al
least this time, been sent for to assist
| the officers of the English Settlement
| 1t occurred to the Inspector, however,
| that before he left for the South he
might be able to help the Department
in very practical way by giving them
from az purely Chinese standpoint
the true inwardness" of some of the
progidies and miracles with the aid of
which the various temples were re-
lieving the populace of their hard
earned cash.
| Mr.. Wang" he began. IF your
| steamer passage Is not already en-
| 90 al ch L. tx,
have you explain to US something that
Is taking the attention and the money
of hundreds of the natives and is at
tracing the curiosity of the foreigners
who have heard of 1t through their
house boys and coolies"
Fortunately. Sir. l am in no great
hurry and I shall be glad Of the few
extra days OF rest In the Settlement.
Let me know how 1 can have the pleas
ure of serving you"
well, Sir. 1t Is a supposed miracle
that has taken place in the Temple OF
the Sacred White Stag. as they call it,
and it's Just outside the Concession
line so that can't control 1t or send
my men there to investigate"
What Is the nature of the miracle %
ct haven't seen it myself. but More
head looked in there the other day and
there holding up a cloissonne vase on
his horns and there is a perpetual
stream of water owing from 1t into q
bronze basin, where the priests are
bottling 1t up and selling It to the ma
tives for all kinds of superstitious
purposes The mystery, of course, is
where the water comes from. There
doesn't appear to be any connection
whatever between the vase and the
rest Of the outfit, and yet II keeps
flowing and overfowing all the time
This is very interesting" replied the
| Chinese Detective. of course. 1 have
| heard and seen many so-called mira =
cles in the temples and shrines Of the
country-and. incidentally. have been
obliged, for the protection Of my peo-
pie. TO expose not a few Of them--but
this one Is quite new to me. May
ask your secretary to kindly write