Evening star., 1925-11-15

Entering the place in this unusual
manner was uncha lleneed. In a
tiny Chinese restaurant in the marker
district. owned nv the uncle Of stu
dent friend. I changed into the Euro
pean clothes which I had with me.
"A was boarding a train to leave
the city I was confronted ny Yalna.
moto.
"Ah" he said. af,er the usual in
comfortable style than yan came.
II came very comfortably. | said.
But you bed at Chinese house
very nice?' he smirkedl
Indeed. Is there anything | can
tel you to make your records more
complete"
He sucked In his breath a moment
Tell me what YOU do now
''Yamamoto.' | chided. THAT ISN'T
sportsm Mike. Any clues Won get 70
my past ! will he glad to elucidate
secret service tn ask man to dis
close his future. And left him
there sucking In his breath
Before leaving Tsinktao I received
word that friend and trusted Eel
low Investigator. Yu : Ming en-. wa :
down with. smallpox ID A villa "a In he
northwest part Of the: promentory
Detrainins ar wethsien-two walled
cities connected by high bridge
set out to fetch him, !.
The Feet. Union" partic ,ifarly
prosperous in Ills district. wanted to
charge me outrsgeously for animals
so | fell hack on the wheelbar rrow.
China's "hivvef. Travel by wheel
barrow consists of alternately walking
and sitting sidewise--or with feet
stuck straight out before one-on the
narrow bench beside the great squeaI
ina wheel. The barrow man hala
with his hands, hut pushes with a
cloth belt passed over his shoulders
and hooked on either shaft.
Most barrow men have their pace
physical and mental. which an earth
quake could not cha snee. MY motive
power on this occa sion was different
He was great genial giant who had
| bossed gang OF lonRshoremen at
Tsinstso during the heyday Of Ger.
man shipping. Later he became
ma ior domo In A German home. Big
! Wang had made money In Tsingtao.
hut lost it all gambling. And then
| the yellow River washed away, his
patrimony and he took to the wheel
hs rrow.
To encourage speed I challenged
| him to q walking race He pushed
the vehicle with its load Of luggage.
of course. while walked unhurden.
-. On we strodA. over the green
plain and through villages hiding
their filth under glorious trees Dogs
rushed At us. children cea sed their
shuttle-cock games TO follow us. peas
snts stared at us and asked our des.
tination, the universal. greeting OF in.
terror China.
WHEN We had covered 10 miles l
realized my mistake Here was
the Jack Dempsey Of the walking
world. I was about to slacken when
he offered to give me boost m the
harrow. this not to count against me
In the race Here he got nv pride
and refused to give in.
Ry ntshtfall wang. the barrow
) man. and ! had gone the length OF
tho county. I was Glad tn squat
on the ksnk and have my food
brought to me on A tray. Other
quests came in mostly foot travellers
with their bedding and several extra
! pairs of cloth shoes on their. backs:
A group Of srizzled home corners from
MAnchuria. bearing In tiny CONN
the bones of fellow townsman who
had died during their wanderings:
itinerant merchants. company OF
ravelinG actors. a district eadma n ,
an Illicit drug peddler with supply
OF -four" and 'molass topium)
and porphia needles, and professional |
GA amhlera.
Sitting on the ksng listening to the
tales Of the proletarian COMPANY.
fell asleep. In the night I awoke
with chill. to And myself uncovered.
The next morning I had every symp-
tom Of the influenza or small
plague" as the Chinese call It. though
It has killed A million or two Of them
Wang insisted that l lie quiet. vol
nnteerins 10 go alone and fetch Yu.
| Two days later he brought Yu in on
his barrow and we lay side by side
on the inn kang, recovering. Yu told
narrowing tale of having been car,
| ried by his innkeeper to an Isolated
temple outside OF the town wall to
die. The man did not wish to as.
sumo the responsibility. very great in
China--o death In his hosielry..
A soon A. we were able to- travel
! on the harrow. we set out In a north
easterly direction for Tenschow. the
fairy port on the Eulf. where Gen.
WI Pei-fu was horn. Our route took
| us through the most prosperous pa rt
of Shs nEtune. and one Of the world =
! Hlost OfpuuctiFe aHriCuiturdt ulstflcts,
just then in the verdure of early
Spring.
From Tsngchow we headed due
| west toward the Yellow. River delta:
We were Aoon out OF the fertile cnlrn-
| try and onto a barren tidal hat con
sistins alternately Of salt marshes
| and gravel, broken At intervals by
| rocky. crags. There is an occasional
town Of prosperous salt -satherers,