The Topeka state journal., 1919-10-25

|
north and are very cianisff and su-
perstitious. The old people among
| them are densely ignorant and pre-
| JUDGED and still bitterly oppose the
export of tea-which they think is
the sacred beverage given by the
! gods to China and its people for their
exclusive use-+and when. they hear
Of the series of deaths at the wharves
| here, it will be comparatively easy
matter for their leaders to stir them
up to trouble"
And what them" asked the in
| spector, becoming more and more in
terested in Wang Foo's story.
why. then they might strike and
refuse to work or to allow any other
coolies to work, and turn around and
before we could stop them they
would pitch thousands of dollars of
tea over into the harbor-'
Like otr American cousins in the
old days at. Boston, eh?"
"Yes, and, as far as their minds
are concerned, with even much bet
ter reason. This would not only
mean great financial loss to the
buyers and shippers and serious
injury to British, trade, but, what to
my mind is far more serious. it
would strike a blow at British pres
tige in this colony, from which it
might take years to recover, sir"
The result of this interview of
Wang Foo with the inspector, which
lasted considerably longer than
either of them had anticipated, was
that the latter promised to have a
private counsel with His Exeellency
the Governor and to report to Wang
Foo's residence Immediately any fur
tfer fatalities at the tea wharf. That
-
quarters handed in the official chit
book to Old Chang, who promptly
carried 1t upstairs to his master. He
took out the enclosed note and quick
ly tore it open. 1t contained only
this brief sentence: =
Dear Mr.. Wang-Number six
was stricken just before dark.-In-
spector Wallace
He signed the book and handed it
back to Old Chang. saying as he did
so, "See-that the bearer has boiling
tea and a pipe before he leaves and
slip two extra bits (ten-cent pieces)
of dollar into his hand, from ME,
before he passes out the gate ~
There was no time to lose. and Wang
Fob made all his preparations for the
morrow before he turned in to rest,
feeling more deeply than ever the
heavy responsibility that circuni-
stances had laid upon. him of being,
es the old master, Cenfucius, said of
Yang Loo the Faithful, the "HAf-
monfzer" between the opposing peo-
pie. Yet under all the burden he
was supremely happy, for. was it not
written in the pages of the Great
Teaching, THE ideal gentleman and
scholar is he who deFotes his learn
ing to make the people understand. .
Three important interviews must
be had: the first with the Governor,
the second with the tai pan (head OF
the f1rm) of Jardine's, and the third
with the old priest across the river.
All three bore q direct reference to
the problem before him, which was
to put an end to the shifting of the
wharf coolies by their carrying of the
fatal tea chest. He was fortunate
enough to secure a few private mo-
ments with His Excellency and 10 OBJ
tain from him an introduction to Mr..
Gregory. the head of yardine's, with
whom he was closeted for over an
hou4, and from whom he obtained
something that he very much needed
for the successful carrying out of his
plan. It only remained now for him
to see the priest, and to this he de-
voted the afternoon.
Infinite tact and an Intimate
knowledge of his people and their
ways secured for him at last what
very few others would have been
able. to obtain. Appearing in the dis
guise of an aged gentleman OF
wealth, he ingratiated himself into
the old priests confidence and finally
the latter confessed to him that he
had received a payment of twenty
Mexicans for each trip that he had
taken across the harbor
There are just twenty thousand
chests more to be landed said
Wang Foo; that means four pos.
sible deaths from carrying the fatal
one. -Four times twenty is eighty
and twenty more for good luck make:
a hundred. Seei Here are hundred
new and shining dollars, If you fin.
l ish your trips and sign the paper
which I ask"
s The old priests eyes sparkled al
= he saw the coin; he hesitated for q
4 moment--but this' was sure, and the
: trips across the harbor might not be
e he went for his inksslah and the
: temple seal and ere long the great
detective stepped again onto the
ferryboat with the coveted document
r IN his sleeve.
When Inspector wallace took hi:
' seat at his desk in the morning, he
found lying there "a chit in the fam.
: iliar round script of Wang Foo. JUS
: how and when it was delivered there
nobody seemed to know, but the of.
: fee coolie insisted that it was there
' when he swept out the room, in the
3 early morning, SO it must have beer
: delivered into the hands of the nigh
watchman before daylight. Ht
opened it and read as follows:
J My dear Inspector Wallace:
"Ple~se put your mind at perfec'
ease about the tea coolies at tbs
,, wharf. There viii be no more
-, deaths from the fatal chest whil'
this seasons cargo is being lanSed