Evening star., 1921-02-27

more favorable moment.
4 X x i.
BEFORE Wang Foo had his next
interview with his old friend, the
abbot. he had made a pilgrimage to
the shrine at the Pale Moon Hills.
and there had, while in the disguise
of peddler of native jewelry, wan
dered in and out among the priests
and people and ascertained every
thing that he could about the disap-
| pearance Of the Buddha's tooth. He
found, somewhat to his surprise. that.
while the people were quite one in
their conviction that the foreigners
| had taken it away, the priests them
teriously disappeared" and this, to
his carefully trained mind was per-
fectly satisfactory evidence that they
had made away with it themselves.
Especially as they were careful to
add the statement that on the
Day of the Buddha's Good Wish
whenever that might bet would
return of its own accord to it's place
in the crystal shrine. AS he thought
the matter carefully over at night,
walking out upon the hillside, he
came to the conclusion that it could
only be one of three things-namely,
| either they had sold it or rented it
out for miraculous purposes to some
other temple. or they We're conceal
| ing it for some sinister purpose
| themselves. He made careful inquiry
among the villagers as to whether
any other foreigners had recently
visited the shrine. and. while they
We're quite positive that no white
agreed that some dark k-complexioned
pilgrims. speaking broken Chinese,
had passed through there few
weeks before. 'Ah. a little more
light along our darkened way" he
said to himself. as he hastened back
While he had little doubt in his
mind that the dark-visaged visitors
were concerned in some very direct
way with the disappearance of the
relic, he had not yet cleared up the
mystery as to how the report had
started in Hong Kong that the Euro
peans had stolen it. Yet he had met
that while sitting at a teahouse by
the wharf. they had distinctly heard
it said that Yang jim Tao Liao Flu
va" ("the ocean-men have stolen the
buddha's tooth"). This was quite
enough for them to carry back the
report that every one in the island
knew it and was talking about it.
-NOW lOW III the WoT1U cOulU q TOmOr
of this kind have started in Hong
kong and actually been carried from
there to the Pale Moon Hills, before
the people in the latter place had
thought anything about it? Why this
entire reversal of the ordinary meth
cd of conveying of news? For they
didn't even know that the relic had
disappeared at all. until a commit
tee of village elders, to make them
mi n 70
and demanded TO see it. and were then
told by the priests that it had wan
ished." Yes. this was the question
that baffied even the expert mind Of
Wang Foo, until he went in person
to the teahouse by the wharf, and
there caught the words from a serv-
ant that gave him the answer and the
key to it all.
We'll done. we'll done" exclaimed
the abbot. as he sat in the upper
room of the detectives home that
evening and listened to his tale. The
visitors from India were looking for
M. shedding of the skin" as they
call it, of Sacret Tooth of the Pure
one. which they think takes place
once in every hundred years. and they
travel about from land to land until
they find it,"
And they pay we'll for it, do they
not?'
Almost any price that is asked, for
it is cut up into little charms and
sold to wealthy devotees."
And so you think the priests al
lowed them to take it away?"
Undoubtedly so. for you sea. the
Hir doos being very suspicious, would
not trust that the enamel was gem
uine unless they could chip it off them
selves
And where do you think they are
now"
The abbot looked carefully around.
as IL to be sure that the coast was
perfectly clear. and then leaning over
toward his host, he whispered, They
are right here in the colony-not ten
minutes away from this house where
we are sitting, and they are probably
working at the shedding Of the
toothskin' while we are talking"
SO far so good we could not ask
Tor better progress than we have
made. But now we have a most i'm
portant though very delicate task be-
fore us. and that is see that the police
keep the foreigners away from the
Pale Moon Hills until tho excitement
blows over-otherwise we may have
a sudden uprising and before We