New Britain herald., 1924-09-12

Tan Took. Brisk him, Ihornton.
 Helpless in that iron grip, the coolie could not resist. His eyes went to the face Of John Duck, who snjled and nodded Hs said nothing. From his clothes, Thornton took a pistol, also a large and keen knife. The captain ironed his man and dropped him into chair. "Now," he said, standing over him, "d'you want to talk?"
 i John Duck interposed, apologeticaiiy' He came forward with small boI open Tn his hand and showed this box to the prs oner. He spoke for moment rapidiy ' botb the words and the infection were m comnrebensible to Thornton. Lui Yen Yuan nodded. ,
 HI. will tell everything, for he is badly, in need of the drug" he said. "Sut he knows no English" A.,
 "Tell him to speak Cantonese, md 10 sneak slowly" said Thornton.
 This was done. The prisoner, hs eye t..t.nsd on the bo1 in the hand ol John Duck. obeyed.
 w. knew that Tan Took was cmins hsre" he said. we followed hin and n.uvh, him in the street below. Il was n.orlv 9 in the morning. l held him while Hin Sing cut at his throat, then l cut also. We took his money and left him.
 ..straight enough, said Thornton turn ;.. ..Csn'p. 70 down and use my tele-r phone. Get Hip Sing at once brig the wagon here with an interpreter am set tbe story all over again. No dope untl the ;rtsrnreter also gets the story, John luck! Tbat'u make sure of everything.
 Fifteen minutes later the prisoner 'nce ..o;r rscited his confession. He seeme to have zone utterly and absolutely to plees. It w,x somewhat unusual case, but the opium explained his talking so freely He event went to the extent of signing cn- fession in full. Then, and not until thn' Jobn Duck gave him the little box of opiu pellets. Before the wagon left telephone mes sape came saying that Hip, Sing had beei arrested and protested his entire innocence Rut the story that Hip Sing told made np difference whatever. When the police had departed Thornton turned to John Duck.
 ''I regret our suspicious of you, he said "But there is one thing" and he went on to tell of the red drip. When he had hn' ished, John Duck beckoned him into the laboratory, smiling. - .. -...s. ..' "I have been engaged on work relating to dyes" he said. and went to the orlel windows. "In order to get rid of unneees' sary fluids, which might injure the house piping, constructed this outlet. .s
 He lifted small trap in the flooring by the windows and showed a pipe which led down and out. .....-
 Anything put through this pipe, he ex.. plained. will pass outside to the ground, Last night had been working on red dye. What you saw was not blood, but an aniline fluid. Thornton went downstairs, wondering at the workings of destiny.
 Two weeks later John Duck gave up his lease and disappeared from sight. Within another month I.ui Yuan and Hip Sing were found guilty of murder in the first degree, although Hip Sing protested innocence, and were duly executed.
 COME months passed. Bixby Thornton C had completely forgotten the peculiar case of. the brazen serpent in the rush of work thrown on the service by the prohibi- tion laws and the income tax.
 One night ThorAton came home dead tired His wife, with the agreeable intimation that she had corned beef and cabbage for supper handed him letter bearing a Chinese post mark. In some surprise Thornton examined this letter and perceived that it had been posted in Peking. He got into his slippers and settled down by the fire while Mrs Thornton set about getting supper on the table.
 Thornton drew from the envelcp. type. written sheet The letter was not long, but it contained gently ironic sist of informs. tion:
 Perhap, you remember tn. srassn .erps.. s@rsir7 @ I n,n esnnot lot thts s go lonssr without rTla. story which, which told yss, and ,A. pell.. sho ,tol. ths bras. A STason go from the temple is nf'f1Ii' sla myself in New York. A, ..n.ts Ia, he called me to receive the dragon; is. stead, killed him and left him in the stree, outside. Hip Sing, his fellow priest sent nns strip of his skin, you know, in pnute threatening. Hip Sins. l presume. had been watching the house and found the body The way out was very simple. I hired Lui Ysn Yuan to die for me, which he was siad to do in future poverty. He implicated Hip Sing The at liberty to pursue my research work I thAak you. and beg to remain.
 Your humble and grateful ssrvant,
 JOHN DUCK.
 Bixby Thornton pressed the letter int crumpled ball and quietly laid it on th, coals before him. A moment later his wifi, hustled into the room with passing query
 And who was your Chinese letter from my dear?" -.. j.. ..r .'-.y.t.
 Thornton started slightly. "Thati Oh that was just note of thanks" he ssi, rehectively, from young Chink I helpe, out of trouble some little time back Mrs. Thornton noticed, however, that he husband did not relish his corned beef an, cabbage nearly so much as usual tha evening. '...