Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-01-08

I been to know that this ring, OF ordt-
nary appearance-this ring on the
finger Of the mandarin, negligently
waved under his very eyes-was the
ambassadors ring! Meantime, Ben
sons greed was helping greatly to
urge on the fate Of Jim Hanecy, that
other foolish foreign devil. whom the
mandarin greatly wanted out Of the
way. The witnesses were we'll primed,
the confession of Wu's secretary was
well signed and in order-and the sec
rotary was dead. The two soldiers
who had stolen into the old scholars
house, who had murdered him and
stolen many of his precious objects.
were dead also. The mandarin had
seen to that, very promptly, on deliv-
cry Of the goods.
So. slipping at the whisky. the
mandarin smiled and blinked in COM
placent satisfaction.
Behind him, the paper screen
moved. noiselessly, and was pushed
aside. Two saffron figures. nearly
naked. dropped into the room. Be-
turn, one iron hand clamped about
his throat, another clamped on his
two fabby wrists. He was held pros
trate. silent. agonized.
One of the two saffron figures held
up against the nearest candle a thin
silver of steel, the shape and size of
a hatpin: then he leaned forward over
the helpless official A voice mur-
INJURED softly:
ut is written that a magistrate
without honor is more vile than the
turtle. The spirit of WI LANG awaits
you in the hall of Judgment, base
one"
The saffron figure came erect and
showed back into his black, twisted
hair the thin skewer of steel. His
mate loosened the dead man. The
mandarin lay huddled. without spot
of blood. without visible token of
death except the fright in his fat
face. The exact manner Of his death
had been sudden, sharp. invisible:
very interesting from scientific
viewpoint, but hardly suitable to de-
tailed description.
Ono saffron figure dropped some
thing into the flask Of whisky. refilled
the aubergine cup, and poured liquor
into the dead mans mouth. The other
figure took the dead hand and re-
moved the gold ring, slipping it I'M
der his waistcloth. Both figures lifted
the mandarin to a. sitting posture,
clamped his fingers about the half
emptied cup, left him dropped over in
a huddled position as though he had
died while drinking.
Then the two saffron figures fitted
to the window again, silently The
paper screen was moved back into
place. If two nearly naked men van
ished into the garden Of the temple,
only the moonlight could tell.
TT WAS nearly midnight when Jim
Hanecy. sitting over a chessboard
with his friend kiang, the fur dealer,
was checkmated for the last time At
this instant a gong throbbed some
where. Kiang arose and excused him
self to answer summons.
Hanecy yawned. He had been ex-
tricated very neatly from his after
Moons predicament by two minor
members Of the kung-so to which
Kiang belonged. They had struggled
him home again to the merchants
house, where he had learned that the
yamen was seeking him-that he was
accused Of the murder of WI Liang
on overwhelming evidence.
Hanecy wanted to go out and fight,
but Kiang gently counseled the chess
board instead. And, being wise in
some ways, Hanecy had assented.
Now, Kiang came back into the
room. smiling to himself.
There have been interesting hap
penings at the yamen," he said