San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-07

apartment, just above the rear en-
trance-the gentleman from Macao
arrived quite noiselessly, popping be-
twcen the curtains and startling a
swordless cry from the woman who sat
waiting for him there, alone.
"A mackerel :" was his announce
sment, given in the Portuguese-Chinese
dialect. Sweet poppy of mine. 1 have
seaught one big mackerel at last. Fat
ms butter. He will be here tonight,
and tomorrow-we eat" he said, with
"a click of teeth.
The woman Quailed before the al
most insane flicker in his gaze, the
siger-look of that polite. catlike, bril-
iiantly-smiling little individual.
" She was young enough TO have beeh
A girl not so long ago. was still girllS1
and lovely under the lamplight-slight
and dark, with hair and lashes that
would have made her envied any
twhere. with the rich warmth OF skin
that shames mere white.
! : Somebody for me-" she faltered.
F, = Somebody for you" he mimicked.
with contained savagery. "No-no-
body for you. little flowerlet. Rest
easy. This time it is another kind OF
fool. But you will snare him for me.
How, them: :,
= He caught her wrist in his small,
stcely grip.
Listen! In a little while comes
ihis idiot to play at Ii Chwan's tables,
inside. You will get the seat next to
him. and before he loses all his stake,
see to it that you coax him in here for
a moment. Save your tears for thai
Somehow, somehow, you bring him 10
This ROOM
Lii Chwan will beat me-
= Iii Chwan. Lock that door be-
tween if he follows; / need but the
fentb part of an instant. Tonight is
our great good fortune-comprehend
That. This stranger has money.
much, much money-to be so easily
come by. ! saw it. In a fat purse.
Therefore attend me well.
- You bring him here. You calole
him with what tale you like. loI
! lead him over by this window H.
swept aside the curtain that covered
an exit upon the balcony. You push
I him against the hangings, if you eau,
| 10 make them bulge Il little-thus.
| All. all, / will be ready-fear not
/ IN hiding just behind. Then you ho.d
Tim only long enough to give me true
, aim. Understand:
I She was staring duly past him
: Through the broken bars. down. down
at the water below, where its tide
lapped the billings, and a vagrant ray
of light shone zigzag. -
es"And YOUR she asked mechanically
But when she lifted her weary
glance, she found him already finger
ing a ten-inch Japanese knife-test
ing the beautifully polished blade.
'Meu Deus ~ she screamed. NO
that"
y He struck her across the mouth a
Che fell to her knees. BE silent
t1iou! There shall be no evidence a
all. No one saw me with him. Non
shall see me. He, a stranger-a chanc
tourist, without friends-he comes. L
Iii Chwan's to gamble. Next morning
the police find him i'll the bay VIII
IS he? Who knows! Who cares:
81 will know :" she gasped. IF 20;
drag me into this last infamy-"
"Well:" The gentleman from Macao
took hold Of her and began inferno
gatiyely to probe the soft hollows o
her neck-tbe spot where a dirk goes
safe home. "Ah-ha! Wouldst betra!
me-thinkest thou? Couldst keep suci
ffrcachery in thy heart-thinkcs
fhoug' Pressing with his finger tip
smoothly and deity by some inferna
skill, of sudden he brought hei
'grovelling
- As she writhed at his feet in agony
swiftly she made a snatch at hi
armed fist-drew it to her in despair
ing effort to bury the blade in he
y Quite expertly and playfully he hi
her between the eyes.
: Sweet honey-flOwer, Little mari
gold glossom, l think not, thinl
not :" he purred-and smiled NOR
brilliantly than ever.
So, altogether, it might truly be SAT-
that attractions and amusements wer'
sthoroughly well provided against tn
visit of Camberwell. that eager youni
explorer. when he came to the fan-tai
den of Ii Chwau TO continue his in
Qdiry of local color.
Purple and saffron had been Cam
-berwell's first notion of it. He saw l
so the day he crossed the equator
that line which always seems. sons
how. as if il ought to run the othc
way-much less of boundary be
tween North and South than it is be
tween West and East. They cried til
news in the smoking room, and he IA
sout on deck under a stormy sky NOR
than half expecting to find an actua
mark ruled straight over sea, as
had been in his school geOgraph!
And. sure enough, under a stormy SIX.
the sun showed for a moment thrOug
the clouds and paved a glorious threi
hold.
After that he could hardly curb h
impatience while the steamer wal
dered among antipOdean ports-tran
planted bits of white mans COUNT
where people talked in his own tongr
land almost with his own twang. Bl
presently they headed back on a loT
WESTERLY slant, and one morning
dawn they made their landfall. Can
7berwell stood forward in the bow
and as the mists parted before him
seemed to be flying in through SUI
-eessive Opening gates each more wo
sderful-the first, Jasper; the secon
sapphire: the third, a chalcedOny; Il
pfourth, an emerald and the sire
rof the city was pure gold, as it we
transparent glass" Those flaming o
words came to mind-from Revel
stions. weren't they? 1t was all o
brevelation to him, the goal for viii
che had yearned, fairy-tale come tr
THE dazzling, the gorgeous, the We
Stable East.
Since the earliest time he could
member. Camberwell had been looki
to this moment. He was of the ty
of chap that dreams and that lives
dreams Of those strange foreign par
while destiny holds the balance tr
with a trip between home and bu
Ia.- a.lf 4