Evening star., 1921-02-13
F. course" remarked Sir
~ Arthur Dukelow. who had
recently been appointed
~ as commissioners Of Gus

'the Chinese are not yet up to the
European ue Of sympathetic inks.
or 1 should at once recommend that
the usual chemical tests be applied to
the letter. We often have to resort
to that in secret diplomatic corre-
spohdence. you know"
quite So" replied the famous De.
tective Wang Foo. who was closeted
custom house. but you see this ma.
tive paper is not sized or stinened at
all and any acid or strong liquid ap-
piled to it would Immediately destroy
its texture and we should tnereoy
criminal
What would you suggest. them!
His visitor thought for a moment or
two. and then. taking out of his sleeve
a small maenifying glass. gave the
it down the table again and leaning
back in the large office chair. he an
swered: You are of course aware.
Sir Arthur. that Chinese chirograpny
has all the individual characteristics
Of European penmanship-in fact.
tolerably long acquaintance with both
languages leads me to say that IT mas
even more. Our people cannot only
identify the person very easily from
his writing. but some become very
expert in delineating his character
from the various light and heavy
strokes which he makes with the
brush. They claim to do that in Eng
land. too. do they notr'
'Yes. I have seen some remarkable
instances Of it. Scotland Yard has. I
plov who make this special study"
WELL will ask you to do me the
favor to allow me to take the letter
away with me for few days and sub
nit it, in perfect confidence, to one or
two friends of mine who pride them
selves on being expert fortune-tellers
in this particular line"
TT shall be as you say. Mr.. Wang"
and folding the letter up and replac-
ing It in it's red native envelope, he
handed 1t over to him.
NOW tire letter In question had
troubled the new commissioner
more than anything that had come to
so much 50. in fact. that he had de-
cided. after several conferences with
Inspector Macarthur Of the police. to
ask Mr.. Wang Foo. who happened to
help them in the solution Of the mys-
terry. which up to the present had
completely bafied the officials at
Shanghai. The mystery was really
threefold. viz: First. who was the
Third. how had 1t come into the in
side of q stror~iy locked desk? For
when the Office boy handed the com.
missioner his Chinese mail just before
tiffin. the latter had counted them over
carefully and they were just eight In
little pile on the center Of his blotter
intending to open and read them on
his return-carefully locked his roll.
er top desk and went down to the
club, telling the aged and very sleepy
the course Of an hour. and that in the
meantime no one was to be admitted
to the room. When ne came back
and opened his desk. what was his
astonisnnasnt asst 1 rent to t;nd ths: smother let
ready there and that they had been
resofted and carefully arranged in
three piles of exactly three letters
each! Not only this, but there was a
peculiar method In tne arrangement.
ever he was. had not placed them
there by chance or mere accident
The center pile was 1xtd exactly hori-
.ontslly and parallel 20 the edge Of
the desk, while the t1eo On the right
at an angle which made them cofre-
spond to the first -enfee -yf6es Of an
octagon-thue outlining the "Pak
Kwah" or '.rhe Eight Diagrams" the
most famous Of all the symbols in the
Chinese mythology.
in this madnessi" exclaimed Sir Ar
thur. as he rang the bell for the
ocy, Whe have come this room side
While I go tifanr he asked Of the
age must have been very near sixty.
NY can s-clafs no man comss dis
side. my havee sit dis chair all
times" was the immediate response.
when I 30 tifin. have got eight
piecee letter In my desk side-when I
come back have got nine piecee! How
fashion that. eh? You come look see.''
The boy turned his eyes toward the
desk where the three piles Of letters
lay as yet undisturbed-one glance
into the air, he cried: "Pak Kwah!
PAX Kwah! tThe Eight Diagrams.
The Eight DiaRrams,) B'longee Joss
pidgin. No Chinee man he do SO
fashion: Ny talkee tlue. one piecee
joss hab' comee dis side do dis"
TN other words. them smiled the
commissioner. you and I have come
to the same conclusion. namely: It is
either ghost or joss. which PRACTICAL
~ amounts to the same thing"
ev. vas very Or far from as,isfynr sG
the mind Of Inspector Macarthur, who
regarded 1t as simply . piece OF ma
tive yillAiny, with . little supersti-
tion thrown in-or 'sprinkled over
the top like susar on : cake as he
OF any Inquiries on the part Of the
servants. Wang Foo was clearly Of
the very same opinion, even though
he had asked that the letters be re-
placed on the desk in exactly the
position in which they were found.
and had made VEN careful noteA of
1t all.
AIrHouoH the Macpher'o"s had
been already two seasons in
Shanghai. this was really the first
time they had ever been honored
with an invitation from the Hunt
Club to go on one Of their famous
runs over the country. 1t wasn't be-
cause Miss Florence lacked an ap-
probation Of this most glorious far
eastern sport. but simply because
her devoted and overcareful mamma
to have her only daughter risk her
dear life on the back of one of those
awful Monaghan ponies" This au-
tun1n. however. she had finally been
induced to give her consent, but only
upon the repeated assurance Of DR.
Holloway. the American consul. that
he would himself select and try out
the pony beforehand and have his
own daughter twho was reputed to
be one Of the best and most fearless
riders in ChinaD go on a preliminary
run or two with the creature before
the day of the hunt. So the after
noon OF the November "meet" found
Miss Florence securely mounted on
Miss Holloway's favorite pony and
galloping over the fields as freely
t1Npa Ax~x l. A.