The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-12-09

uath q his uiEhf's t-uE-iuE TIT Just
uow ever faculfy rxs uvs1-S by
I colisiu1 with Cfses Ninr
Tie hruHu skin wzs close-fu-sed
ar0--d tie eyes q sade- Chee Ming
F, uas fnscrutzhle- he rezzr5ez5 ths
1 A1nerfczn vita the usuAi blank stare.
/ tui honbrei hin EIrh q veTy faint
7 t,0E- me figured foids q his bio1Sy
I tacket we're damp with the river fog
T LeTingron nzrruWed the freezing
. sTace between theEa. and reered into
I the stony eyes-
Your little feafher-sticl;~r pat ne
/ to' sleep--
You have no bustDess IN Asia said
Z The other. steadily In good English
-Yol didn't hesitate 90 come 10
America remarked the white man
Bat ne should not quarrel now. A.
Z scou as the ropes are thrown aboard
and we get out into the river. an
going 20 tell you something. Chee
Ming
i have no DESIRE said the Chinese.
conscious that this white adversary
+ had now No map and was therefore
! helpless
Yes. you have Don't 20 yet You
J nearly killed ne last night
i would not XII any one. unless he
makes me trouble said the Oriental.
II pleased Con 10 have him talk II
Z was Interesting 20 watch the thin
brown lips bold stifly the formation
/ Of the English words. Every syllable
I was n struggle for Chee Ming. He
I hated LevIngtOn-Nhich is s refined
emotion in the East. He had not by
any means forgotten the siekening
I twist delivered 10 his own spine when
he had met this young mOuniain-lion
| In the wedger pantry.
The boat began TO grind internally.
The low wet wharf drew backward. A
space Of muddy water widened. The
/ passage TO Peking was begun. There
would be brief stop at the Tien-tsin
/ front then on 10 the Tartar city.
Darkness completely claimed the
river before the boat jolted TO 8 stop.
the. end Of her voyage upstream.
Street lights were hazy around the
! 1fhfllf~ we're III
all was different from rAe port town.
II was one Of the final fogs for Pc
king. and winter was ready TO harden
down. There would be weeks Of bit
ter weather. This was part Of the
plan. for Lexington to traverse she
known lands In the cold season. to be
IN readiness at the edge Of the desert
for his real travei-task at the first
sign Of spring.
Here the streets were lighted. some
Of the doorways almost western In ap-
pearance. snve for the dim figures
that moved In and out Of them. Roofs
were peaked. angular swooping down
10 wide caves The Peking tenements
were squeezed up on top OF the whole
sale houses and native godowns. and
II looked as II only the cobblestOnes
kept the weight OF these from press
Ing the sides ~ a street together.
w's~o IL would be lost. The lateral
alleys seemed to have nearly grown
shut Down one Con had a glimpse
Of FIRE a red flare In the dark, sparks
standing an instant over pltiable house
tops The motor-bus hurried on
amongst the darting ricksbaws, hut
Con could not forget the FIRE it's ruddy
wickedness turned loose upon close
knit city of wood and truman 'frailty.
Itwas daylight when Lexington slept
Il was still daylight when be awaken
ed. Somehow, the matter OF the plain
envelop came 10 his miBd-those in
s;ructions which would bindahim II he
read. II was as IL the Thought Of this
had walsened him.
The Chinese had torn the covering.
hut the contepts had nor been what
be ganted. Why, then bad March
made so much OF the matterf Con
wanted TO reopen the enyelop here and
now. lie could not say why thoughts
OF the letter possessed him, and he
felt rather ashamed OF himself In a
general way.
The closed document haunted him.
He thought Of burning II. unread. and
then turning himself loose. 10 drift
An old bOyhood depression was weigh
ing him down. resching him now
through mere physical weakness and
senGe OF failure. He felt In a low
moment that March should have told
him everything frankly a; the start.
Con wanted 10 get away. somewhere
free. forgotten, lost. He saw himself
Sinking into far dim harbors, an out
cast He was not aware how elaborate
and unreal his loneliness was.
The hum Of the Chinese city entered
at the window. Ike secret Invitation.
The lands TO the south called him. as
always. and the murky seas
Con was all tangle, pain. confusion.
The inner thing that was himself re
fused TO let this fog close over him.
He arose. rang for brandy. and when
II came was liberal TO himself He
would not think. dared not. lie dress
ed. Downstairs. In the BARRIERS chair.