, 1923-03-25

way; together wo should almost Ger
tainly be caught" He tool the packet
and went out.
As day broke. Criggsby Doane lay
on the crest of n tcrruced hill locking
off into the purple west. But a few
miles farther on lay Ping Yang.
Beneath him. near the foot of the
slope, four coolies were already at the
radiatihg windlasses OF a well. No out
posts in the LOCKER uniform We're to
be seen. And he heard no shots. 1t
would be Il lull, then, in the fighting.
AS he moved along he heard. far
off, the shots his ears n strained
for on the hin: one, another, then IA
spattering volley; but he walked
straight on. The Mongols and Chih-
leans on the road gave him no more
than the usual glance of curiosity.
He came at length to a scenic arch
in a notch. Through the arch Ping
Yang could be seen in its valley.
He stopped and looked. Near at
hand We're the tents of some of the
LOCKER soldiery; beyond lay the com
pound of the Ho shan company. lying
as still as if II were deserted. There
were nopuffs of smoke; between the
quitting houses small figures appeared
to be busting about but they made
no noise hat could be heard up here.
The scene was %uncanny.
Two soldiers in blue came abruptly
out OF n village house; and then two
other firmly holding a man in red
and yellow with an embroidered
square on the breast of his tunic that
marked him as an officer OF rank.
Other soldiers followed. one bearing
a large curved sword.
Doane stopped to watch.
Without ceremony the officers
wrists were tied behind his back. He
was kicked to his knees. A blue SOL
der seized his queue and with It
jerkei his head forward. The swords
man, promptly. with one clean blow.
severed the neck; then wiped his
SWORD on tine dead mans clothing and
marched away with The others, carry
ing the head.
Doane shivered slightly, compress
ed his lips. and. paler. walked on
At the gate OF the compound he called
out.
The gate opened, and closed behind
him. Within stood men OF the gar
risun, and women. and behind them
the Chinese. All looked puzzled,
MANY Unique BIebltu H1ll at once
eagerly questioning.
He oked about from ono to an
other of the thin weary faces with
burning eyes that hung on his slight.
est gesture and slowly shook his
head. He could answer none of their
questions.
Betty came running across from
the residence.
8nk nam IL 1919 sFz~-.s-
back Her arms were around his
neck. How wonderful But what's
happened? What is tit E~verybody's
so puzzled. Have the troops Gomez"
81 don't understand 1t myself, lear
Though I walked through it, appar-
entity"
ness is over?"
81 believe 1t is, Betty"
She had to run back to~her post.
Doane thought Of the cabiegrom he
carried. addressed to Brachey, but
said nothing about it to her.
An otd little cavalcade arrived. The
carved door of a sumptuous sedan
chair opened and a young Chinese
gentleman. richly attired. stepped out.
Calmly, deliberately. he entered the
NbilpVuilAl. Cil VI Ille tllEllttIAs an
American. addressed him in the Man
DARN tongue. He replied in a deep
musical voice. with a pronounced in
tonation that gave this mellow Ian
guage to a casual ear. something the
sound of French.
The engineer bowed, and together
they moved toward the residence,
where a somewhat mystifIed NJ. Pour
mont aNtratfaI fhapa
Jonathan Brachey sat modify on
the parapet.
The thing might be over. It might
not. Brachey found himself almost
perversely disturbed. however, at the
prospect of peace. He had supposed
That he hated this dirty. bloody bust
ness.
He saw no glory in fighting. mere.
ly primitive bloodlust; an outcrop.
ping of the beast in man; evidence
that in his age-long struggle upward
from the animal stage of existence
man had yet a long, long way to
climb.
But from the thought of losing this
intense preoccupation. of living quiet.
ly with the emphasis again placed on
personal problems he found himself
shrinking.
What n riddle II vast!
He soke shortly to n French youth
took IN his rifle ana led the way up
the hill to the bullet-spattered farm
compounds. They were quite desert
ed. only the huddled, noxious dead
remained.
Weary OF spirit he returned to the
rifle pits only to find these, too, de
serted.
From the upper redoubt a man was
waving, reckoning. The French youth
was looking up at him. That eager
question stu in his eyes. He nodded.
With a sudden wilo shout the boy ran
down the hill, waving his rifle over
his head.
So it was peace-sudden, eniEmatic
Braehey sat astain on tho parapet.
Griggsby Doane was doubtless there
(Brachey knew nothing Of his jour
ney; he had not seen Betty What
could he say TO him, to the father
whom Betty Lived?
This wouldn't do. OF course. He
rose md wont 70 hIa fant Ono