New Britain herald., 1923-07-31

tips of his fingers He found 1t diff.
 cult to reconcile the enormous figure
 Of the Chinese bandit when alive
 with the ridiculous box that was sup.
 posed to contain all that was left oi him when dead!
 How do you mean--there he
 demanded presently. What does that case contain?"
 ''It contains a bronze jar" said
 Lien-Yin calmly, "and in the jar are
 the ashes of Chai-Hung."
 Hewitt sprang to his feet and be-
 gan pacing the veranda.
 What nonsense is this?" he
 jerked out over his shoulder. Since
 when have you commenced burning your dead?"
 For the first time Lien-Yin smiled. His evil, pock-marked face puckered up into innumerable wrinkles and he groped in the depths of a volumi- nous sleeve. He produced yellow document, wound on a rod of black wood with tassels of red silk at either end.
 'These are the last wishes of the great Chai-Hung," he said.
 "State them briefly" commanded Hewitt.
 That, because l have lived both in the West and in the East and have seen customs that are had and some that are good, I would wish my body to be disposed of in manner that believe to be, good. That, in the event of my death in any place out side China, my body shall be burned and the ashes placed in an urn made by my people and suitably inscribed, and shall be transported with as little delay as possible to the home of my 
 T see," broke in the Commis- sioner, taking the scroll from his hand. You will come to me in the | m orning, Lien-Yin,fo for my decision. In the meantime both this and the package must remain here. Do you .'.
 The Chinaman appeared to hesi- ate.
 "They are the ashes of the dead" 1e reminded the Commissioner.
 Precisely" agreed Hewitt. But you forget, MT. Lien Yin that I still 1old a warrant for the arrest of Chai-Hung or alive!"
 He stuck the thing on the top of he safe in his office.
 Captain John Hewitt had long ago given up collecting curios. and yet his great bronze jar fascinated him. f indeed the ashes of the great Chai- lung reposed within, his own trou- ,las were at an end, Pennington was rec to return to Singapore, and the whole of the scattered white com nunity of the island were at liberty o retire tranquilly to rest. More 'ver, it seemed as if within the uneral urn of Chai-Hung lay the key o Monica's happiness.
 He rose presently and. lifting the ar from it's perch, turned it round nd round in his hands. The thing 5as masterpiece of Oriental crafts and the lettering that he ad believed to be painted on the ronze surface-was inlaid, a process !, hat must have taken years of patient oil to accomplish. And yet Chai- lung had only been dead for a mat
  ering what the inscription implied, l nd wishing that Chinese Pennington who could have speedily enlight- t ned him-had chosen any other time r ut this to be away. For some eason or other, he began to feel dis I ltisfied with the way in which the 'ophy had come into his possession.
 was perfectly natural sequence of ( ,ents, after all, and perhaps it was lat which worried him most. Hewitt licked the ash from his A gar. Turning abruptly, he saw onica standing in the doorway. She N as wearing the same kimono as hen Pennington had surprised them V
 the office, and the Siamese kitten p as tucked snugly under one arm. It ', emed to the Commissioner that she T, p as unusually pale and there were b lrk lines under her eyes that he had r ,t noticed before.
 (Continued in Our Next Issue) n