Evening star., 1921-12-18

inference was obvious. The man was
merchant-an old fellow with wispy
gray mustaches and bleary eyes. His
name was Wang. and he dealt in
books; also, he was learned in many
things-a reader Of his own wares.
Wang bought the cicada for a small
string of cash. He bought it hastily
without daring to show his eagerness
or to examine it very closely. and
then shuffied of with the cicada
clutched in his palm, while the
scholar departed to seek substantial
nourishment. f-
Two minutes later Wang paused
outside the main entrance Of the tenn
pie and opened his clenched fist. The
very touch of the cool, sweet stone
thrilled him; the feel Of the wondrous
polished patina against his sweasy
old palm was an ecstasy. He paid no
regard to the fact that other men
were all around, coming and going
He was immensely proud of what he
had Just bought. and was in avid
haste to confirm his first hasty i'm
preston.
He looked at the green stone insect
resting in his hand. He noted the
clear quality of the stone. its leaf
green color, the deftness with which
the artist had made dark spots nestle
like natural insect colorings In the
wings of the cicada. Wang, who had
studied much, knew that this was not
the ordinary jade, fetched in from
| Turkestan by the hundreweight. 1t
was genuine Chinese jade. SUCH as
had not been found in China except
very rarely for about 1000 years.
Han yu" The words escaped his
lips in rapt admiration-as much for
his own cleverness as for the stones
beauty. Han yu! Jade of the Hans!
A tongue amulet from a gravel!
He turned over the cicada to exam
inc the two ideographs on Its belly.
but they were beyond his ability to
read. Thus, examining his find, ne
did not see that two men had heard
his exclamation and had exchanged
swift glance. Han yu, to any ma
tive who knows, has much the same
Significance that Free gold, by
Georgew would have to an old-time
California mining camp. In other
words, it is apt to start something.
Old Wang tucked away the cicada,
his wispy mustaches. and shuft1ed to-
ward the city gate with rapt smile
on his silly old face. Behind him
followed two men, who, by their cos
tune, were evidently members OF the
provincial soldiery maintained by the
! local mandarin. BY their faces they
were bandits. Which amounted to ex-
actly the same thing.
! X y X X
THESE two soldiers knew that a
! white man was the guest of the
! mandarin, and they had heard a great
! deal of talk about Han yu and other
things. They knew that the white
| man was one of the largest dealers
| in antiques on the coast, and was
| thick as a brother with the mandarin.
AS to the mandarin himself, they were
| far too we'll acquainted with him to
/ have any tears on the score of future
| punishment.
/ Old Wang, taking the shortest cuts
! home, plunged into the Street of Ten
Thousand Bright Flowers. This was
an evil little alley occupied by
crowded tenements. 1t was at the
moment deserted except for a few
| children playing in the garbage.
| Now was accomplished mysterious
/ and startling thing. Beyond doubt
Wang, the bookseller, had entered
that alley at one, end. but he did not
come out at ALI Instead of Wang
two soldiers came out at the other
| end, moved a few feet distant to a
| patch of shade, and squatted down
| One of them replaced knife in his
sleeve, the other handed him some
| clinking coins.
There is half the money"
".Ah. And the Han you?"