The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-08-07
55UG YEGl0W SEVEN:
s, K China Chin. Tea, p
BY Edmund Smell.

by Edmund 0"e"'
emily, 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 one of my pockets" The lines OF
his handsome face hardened sud
denly and he began stroking his
black hair with the flat OF his hand.
"Look here, Penn. When are you
two going to get married. Monica's
fretting her soul out because you're
still prowling about, carrying your
life in your hand. If youxwere actual
ly the COMPOUNDED idiot you appear
to be sometimes, wouldn't tell you
all this I'd be the last man to tell
any ordinary Teller that a sister of
mine was missing meals on his &C
count. But I'm counting on you to
understand my motives. Monica's
had deuce of a hard time up to
now, and--I want to see her happy"
Pennington's long fingers closed
suddenly over the Commissioners
and held them tightly.
\ "Thanks," he whispered huskily.
ats uncommon good of you-and l
appreciate it. 1t won't be long now.
l swore I'D wait until I'd got Chat
Hung by the heels-and, by heaven!
Il mean to have him this time. You
understand the most of me, Jack,
but you've missed 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 I
first came here. The feeling has
grown upon me until it's become an
obsession. Pm no longer the in
strument of European Power, using
my facial peculiarities and knowledge
Of dialects to wipe out Chinese,
faction: It's Pennington against
Chai-Hung, his life or NINE" He
paused for moment, the muscles of
his face twitching, the points of his
his fingers pressed together. Owe
worked damned hard since l came
here. I've had a score of identities.
I've posed as coolie, Dusun
trader, a mandarin, q rickshaw-boy--
anything-everythin 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
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, obselv-
ing him curiously, saw that great
beads of perspiration stood out on
his temples.
"Where is he 2" he asked quietly.
Pennington was clipping the stray
ends of tobacco from freshly rolled
cigaret. stnaf,. r,4at Es sls. r.
an lone hut in a gully with
wall of solid rock behind him and MS
many of your agents as 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
every effort of white civilization to
entrap him, has all but succumbed
to the common enemy of US ALT"
The Commissioner bent forward
until the box on which he sat tilted
dangerously.
"How do you know all this?"
ave seen him!"
Chinese Pennington blew out a
thin wreath of blue smoke and
watched it as it assembled roofward.
"T secuted round until l bribed one
of Chai-Hung's men to take me to
his lair. 1t was mighty tough
proposition, and if the Teller had
guessed for moment who l was
he'd have thrown in his hand. i
pitched yarn that had heard Of
the great bandit and had Come all
the way from Singapore to settle n
dispute that had arisen as to whether
such q man as Chai-Hung existed at
all. He took me to be a Chinese
magnate with more money than
sense, and consents t6n tthe condi-
ton went alone and unarmed.
wormed my way to the hut-and
peered through a convenient crack
where the timbers had worked apart.
Chai-Hung lay on sort of stretcher.
I saw enough to satisfy me that
there could be no possible deception.
There were a dozen or SO offhis fol-
lowers in the room and pack of
Chinese playing-cards spread face
downward on the table,"
II know" broke in Hewitt grimly
"They were drawing for the Yellow
Seven. I'm not likely to forget the
time when you pulled me out of
tight corner, when they'd got me
and were drawing lots for the pleas
ure Of assassinating me. Go on"
(Chntinued in Our Next Issue)