Evening star., 1921-03-20

us;
talkee any more. Sposee can catchee
dat tiefee. must makee thloW him Wa
ter side tie big stonee"
They evidently are in considerable
excitement" remarked Consul Hoiio-
way, "and it might be Just as Wen Iol
canal. Not that fear any actual at
tack upon us, for I am not an alarm
ist at all. but 1 have been IN TINS
country long enough to know that II
doesn't pay to irritate them unneces-
sarily. and, in fact. that the OLD adVlce
to the griffins is true
"And what might that he!' asked
DIR. Robinson.
why, simply this: In case OF any
native trouble. always run in the op-
posite direction.' A.,
And what do you UNDERSTAND Ine
His pidgin English is just SO much
Why" replied the consul. che says
that the priest of the little SHRINE
across the way there is in a state
Of great anger because some one mas
broken and carried away tne a..id
stone ball that the lion rolls around
in his mouth for a tongue and that
this prevents his talking and roaring.
He threatens. if the culprit is caught
to tie a great stone around his neck
and to drown him In the depths OF
the lake
But they surely dort suspect us Of
being guilty of a theft OF that kind
asked the reverend gentleman. be-
ginning to feel just a tTifle appre hen.
sive for the safety of himself ano
family.
apparently not yet" replied Dr.
Holloway thoughtfully, but at any
moment some one may raise the cry
that the foreigner is guilty. and then
il would spread like widfie and we
should be mobbed before we knew II
1 think we had better pass. tho woru
along to the low-dah fheAd boatman
to quietly slip away at -midnight-you
see il we pull out now 1t might only
excite their suspicious"
AS the evening wore away the ex-
citement Quieted down and the crowo
gradually dispersed. until by ID o, ciock
the coast was entirely clear. All the
party had gone below to their cabins
were lingering for a farewell look az
the Bridge of Lions, which they felt
they might never see again.
You know" he whispered. i've
great mind to just run ashore there
and see if they really did steal the
critters mouth. or whether IT Is all
a fake, as the boys say at home. MISS
Alice, double-dare you to go with
me-
"Sir knight. your taunting chal-
lenge is accepted she replied, just as
anxious to crafty her curiosity as ne
was. SO stretching a bamboo boat
hook from the deck-rail to the shore.
he led her across the plank which the
low-dah had left there. and in mo-
ment or two they stood by the side OF
the old stone image. He raised MS
hand and placed it In the lions open
mouth-sure enough. the stone tongue
was gone and the king of the forest
was speechless!
AS he stepped down from the ped
estal a well aimed blow from dark
figure that had been crOuching behind
it felled him to the ground. Before
the young lady by his side could even
utter a cry for help she was seized
and gagged and carried by strong
arms to a little skin moored behind
the shrine. Here she was deposited
on the floor boards with no more care
or ceremony than a bag of rice, and
before she had time to come TO her
senses and realize anything that was
happening the boat and it's burden
were being rapidly sculled across the
lake,
THE North China Daily News Just
L two days later startled the whole
foreign community by the following
head lines:
mysterious Disappearance of Young
American Lady!
Was She Stolen. Murdered or Acct
dentally Drowned"
Then followed the account of the
consurs house-boat party and every
thing that had occurred up to the time
of the fatal evening by the Bridge OF
Lions. 1t told how the form Of young
Mr. weatherby-all bleeding and un-
conscious-had been found at the head
of the bridge by the low-dah just as
they were about to get under way
and how the most careful search fall
ed to reveal any trace OF Miss Robin
son. It told how xhey hurried back
to Soochow and telegraphed from
there to Shanghai and notified the ma.
tive officials. who promised to send
soldiers at once to the scene to inves-
tigate. 1t told how the American doc
tor at the Mission Hospital in 500
chow had treated the patient and how
il was not until he had brought him
back 10 consciousness that they learn
ed that he and Miss Alice had gone
ashore together to take last look
at the historic stone lions.
AT the American consulate all was
confusion and anxiety. Ofiicial notih'
cation had. of course. been sent to the
legation at Peking and special orders
from the foreign Office had come tt
the tao tai direct to Immediately Senc
every assistance that the consul re.
ouired, and Capt. Wheaton. the United
States marshal. was TO accompany
them to the spot. A week of search
ing and Investigation. however
brought no comfort II the hearts OF
the grief-stricken parents. and the,
began to give up practically every
hope of unraveling the mystery OF
their daughters disappearance. Thu
most trying thing of all was just thu
uncertainty OF it. and they woult
have felt il a blessed relief IL they
could have been really assured Of hel
death. None of the villagers or boat
men had seen her: no trace OF hel
body had been found in the lake
! though the large foreign and native
! rewards had called out every species
of boat and craft in the neighborhood
and it was not likely that sho coult
have wandered away over the sur
rounding rice fields. "Hsu TIE! Nj
kan poo kien low was all the ma
| tiyes said. ie.: She has vanished, ~