Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-06

, latter pushed forward a box and
lsquatting coontentedly on the rough
flooring, felt behind him in some
mysterious recess for beer.
and So" said the Commissioners
withdrawing his lips from the mouth
of the bottle with a 1esounding
smack. I'm to be in at the death
am II"
Chinese Pennington nodded.
"II admit I'VE been long time
over this job" he said, but Chai-
Eung's a genius. He had every
Chinaman on the island under his
thumb-once."
"Once ?" Hewitt echoed blankly.
Before l drove him into the back
woods, bounded him to Island N,
and cut off his source of supplies ef-
fectively. No sort of organization
can thrive on air!"'
He shifted his position on the bare
boards and felt for his pouch.
"How's Moniea?" he inquired
presently. screwing up his eyes until
they disappeared altogether behind
those strange diagonal Sits that had
been directly responsible for the ad-
jective that invariably preceded his
name.
The commissioner smiled.
Pretty fit. I've got a note for you
in ore Of my pockets" The lines OF
his handsome face hardened sud-
denly ard he began stroking his
black hair with the fat OF his hand.
Look here. Penn. When are you
two going 10 get married? Monica 5
fretting her soul out because you're
still proving about. carrying your
life in your hand. T you were actual
" the confounded idiot you appear
TO be sometimes, I wouldn't tell you
all this. I'd be the last man 10 tell
any ordinary fsller that a sister ot
mine was missing meals on his sc-
count. But I'm counting on you 70
understand my motives. Monica 5
had a deuce OF q hard time Up 10
now, and-I want 70 see her happy.
Pennington's long fingers closed
suddenly over the commissioner :
and held them tightly.
Thanks" he whispered huskily.
Its uncommon good of you-snd l
appreciate it. 1t won't be long now.
| swore Id wait until I'd got Chat
Hung by the heels-and, by heaven
i mean to have him this time. Y on
understand the most of me, Jack,
but you've missed a certain side OF
my character that even | wasn't
aware of-until l met her. The white
men that the cursed Chinaman has
murdered in cold blood lie heavily on
my soul. In a queer sort of way
feel directly responsible for every
thing Chai-Hung has done since ]
first came here. The feeling has
grown upon me until it's become an
obsession. I'm no longer the in
strument of a European Power using
my facial peculiarities and knowl-
edge of dialects to wipe out a Chinese
faction. It's Pennington against
Chai-Hung, his life or mine" He
paused for moment, the muscles
of his face twitching, the points ot
his fingers pressed together. I've
worked damned hard since I came
here. I've had a score of identities
I've posed as coolie, a Dusur
trader a mandarin. rickshaw- boy
anything everything I've been
in the hands of Chai-Hung's mer-
cenaries-and wriggled out of them
again. I've held the bandit twice
and lost him because l was alone
and the odds against me were too
great" His eyes blazed with a
strange light. But I've got him
this time. Jack, because the luck is
on my side at last
He broke off, trembling with emo
ton, and the commissioner. observ-
ing him curiously. saw that great
beads of perspiration stood out on
his temples.
Where is he?" he asked quietly.
Pennington was clipping the stray
ends of tobacco from a freshly rolled
cigaret.
I'm a lone hut in a gully with a
wall of solid rock behind him and as
many of your agents as I could mus
ter watching every possible APP
proach."
Hewitt shook his head.
Still the persistent optimist," he
said grimly. How many times have
you drawn in your net-only to find
that Chai-Hung has escaped it?"
True, oh King! And yet, old son,
I've got Chai-Hung! He's down with
fever and none of the followers who
still stand by him dare shift him
if they could. A queer thing that,
Jack! He who has successfully defied