Evening star., 1922-01-01

thing was plant. Benson sent that
damned Korean to lure me here--had
it all framed UP"
While he thought, he was whipping
out his pistol. He fired at random,
merely for information. The flash
showed him two Cinnamon to right
and left, coming forward at him with
barred steel.
Hanecy fired a second time. One Of
the two men went down with a crash
and a groan. The other man flung
himself on Hanecy in time to defect
the third bullet.
Gripping the Americans wrist SO
that the automatic roared up at the
roof, he stabbed. Hanecy jerked him
self free of the knife that held him
to the door, wrenched himself about SO
that the lunging arm passed over his
shoulder. and his left hand shot up.
His fist smashed into the assassin's
face and jolted the man backward.
At this instant from the floor at his
feet Hanecy Neard a rattling cough,
and about his ankles fastened the
hands of the first man whom he had
shot. That grip was totally unex-
pected and came near being ruinous.
Hanecy went down heavily. His right
hand, dashed violently against the
door behind him, lost the automatic
pistol.
Realizing In a flash that he was in
desperate straits, Hanecy kicked out
as he lay there. He freed his ankles
from that terrible dying grip. rolled
over and came to his feet in the pitch
darkness.
where is he?" pantedsthe voice of
the living man. 1t was answered
from the floor by rafting, choking
cough.
Hanecy, cursing the luck which had
cost him the pistol, stopped and fum-
bled for it. With the sound. there
was rush Of feet as the remaining
bandit leaped. Hanecy staggered be-
crashed into him sidewise. By sheer
good fortune his fingers clutched on
the knife arm reaching for his throat.
and now for a moment the two men
stood breast to breast, swaying.
The finish came swiftly. Hanecy
waited on.y to catch his breath. then
worked his right arm against the
others breast. With a swinging heave
Of the body, no back-heeled the as
sassin. breaking loose his hold and
j. sending him hurting backward with
an oath and a smashing fall. Leap
ing to the door, Hanecy groped along
the floor for his pistol-and found it.
L He Strengthened up, waiting. Only
silence ensued. He stood notion
less. The dying bandit at his feet
> coughed and coughed again. No other
! sound broke the dread stiffness Of
the room. At length, with ready
t weapon. Hanecy took match from
. his pocket and struck it. AS the tiny
, flame arose he saw the second assas-
sin lying against the farther wall in
, huddled heap. The man had fallen
upon his own knife and was dead.
. The American leaned over and
picked up the dropped candle. The
, wick was still a red cinder. smoking
blackly, and burst into flame from his
/ match. He held up the candle and
? looked down at the coughing man.
? AS he looked the cough ceased and
? the body relaxed.
| Poor devils" said Hanecy. Ben
son was behind it somewhere. That
. damned peddler helped. and probably
. the priests had a hand in it. And
these two ignorant Jumps of clay pay
the penalty for all that crooked work.
But II Benson was behind it-then
what about the lump Of red amber?"
LIE WAS shaken by the CHASTITY
swiftness of the tragedy, but he
was more perplexed and puzzled by
the possibility that Benson had
! planned his murder thus He held
aloft the candle and surveyed the
: room. On a small table in one corner
he saw huge lump Of some blood
red substance. glistening with
transparent luster in the candle-glow.
The American stared at the thing and
his jaw dropped.
by glory" he muttered. "They
had the blood amber all right, but
why hasn't Benson got hold of it be-
, fore this? He knew 1t was here. and
il he planned this affair he would
surely have taken-"
A scratching noise at the door
: aroused him. It was followed by the
voice of the Korean, speaking the
dialect.
"Hef, brothers! Open to me quickly
I can tell you where the foreign devil
keeps his money! can"
Hanecy looked at the dead men on
the floor with a trace Of pity in his
eyes. After all. they were but tools
ipoor, ignorant tools Of more crafty
men. The pity in his eyes turned to
steel as he strode to the door and
opened it
A single shot volleyed echoes
through the mountain glens.
Toptft. who was Hanecy's partner
and q young man of poetical tenden-
cies. was very comfortably esconcsd
in the Tu-kung temple, just outside
the south gate Of Cheng-tu. 1t quite
suited him. for the temple was
memorial of Master Tu. a poet of the
eighth century, and naturally the
monks In charge were partial to poets.
! Toptit was finishing up a transla-
ton OF the famous Oak-tree Poem of
Tu, which hung in the main hall of
the temple. when Jim Hanecy came
back from his trip to the hills. Han
ecy walked in, bearing under his arm
= large bundle. He was weary and
unshaven. but greeted Toptit with his
usual cheerful grin.
'Hellow said Toptit, springing up.
did you get the amber"
81 usually get things, don't 1?'
Hanecy dropped thankfully into q
chair and put the bundle in his lap.