Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-31

Chi-kwei he complained about the
quality of his vegetables and remarked
that he had passed q very promising
shop in Haskell road. where the prod
uce seemed to be especially inviting.
He wished his trade could be given Ia
this particular shop. His cook prompt
~ explained that Neu Chi-llWei was
difficult Chinese to deal with: that H.
refused much good trade. and had re-
fused. even. to serve any more patrons
at all for a time.
'.Neu Chi-kwei busy" the cook de
clared. because he take allie time
bundles to patlons who live lon=
ways. Shut UP shop and go long
ways every day" When Agent Mark
ham dropped into Neu's shop. TO pur-
chase for himself an especially al
traCtive box of fruit. he discovered
that instead of being unusually reason
eXorbitant. The last circumstance
was directly opposed to reports gath
cred from the families of murder vie
TINS he had served. and from the
Russian. priest on the other side Uf
the foreign settlement. 1t was plain
that Neu did not want any more trade
than he had and. 10 the watchful eyes
of Agent Markham. il was apparent
that what trade Neu did have would
much Of his time making his far-away
deliveries. which he invariably mad,
| himself. On his trips he shut has shop
as. evidently, he did not think il
worth while to employ an assistant
to watch over his tiny store while
| he was absent Agent Markham and
Mural Vidal knew he was enga ged at
something else than merely serving
vegetables and fruits.
nj hnr inv
abandoned in favor of Neu Chi-kwei
His antecedents were secretly as
sembled. He operated his own truck
garden some place outside the city
| borders-inland and along the Nan
kin road. the Lincoln highway of
China. which passes through MANY
, fertile provinces. Each morning Neu
came in from the Nankin road in his
one-horse cart. During the day the
horse rested. and then drew his master
out along the road again at shutdown
All police records seemed TO prove
Neu to be a very respectable. diligent
gardener-merchant. That he was pros
porous in his way was indicated by
the total absence of any financial I'M
broglios. He paid his bills promptly
every six months. kept the joss sticks
burning through the twilight in front
of his shop, made his obeisanceS TO
drove the devils out his shop each
morning by making a terrific din on
his copper toms. Because 4 Chinese
never answers questions that appear
to be heterogeneous upon his own af
fairs no one knew Just where Neu ;
garden was located. And it would
have been useless TO ask him.
Every shutdown long procession
OF carts, rickshaws and nang-pan<
strung on poles bor,ie by runners, goes
out the Nankin road. 1t is the road
the gardeners and truck merchants
take to their little truck farms. The
appearance in the procession of q for
eigner would be chartered about for
miles again. in the sing song tone
with which the coolies pass on their
gossip to those ahead or behind them
Neither Constable 1872 nor Agent
Markham could openly follow Men,
and they decided not To bring to their
| assistance any OF the native Chinese
police. SO it was that "A Chinese
girl. shrouded in a white veil. waS
| carried in a 'nang- pang" on the Shoul
| ders of two coolies out the Nankin
road just at dusk. Close ahead of he
| Neu Chi-kwei rambled along behind
| his horse.
CONSTABLE 1872 did not return
~ that night As she had said she
would remain in the neighborhood Of
| Neu'S garden if she succeeded in traC-
| ing him to it. Agent Markham did
| not worry. The next afternoon he.
! too. went along the road. almost de
! serted now. He travelled openly on
! horseback He watched keenly for a
sign or signal. When he found Bit
of white linen caught on fence post.
| some two miles outside the city. he
| stopped. At the base of the post
there was mound Of freshly dis
| turbed earth. He Scraped the mound
| and found a hastily scrubbed note.
! go back and leave horse. Come
| again tomorrow afoOt. Turn to the
twelfth hut on the left of the path.
Pass the twelfth hut on the left OF the
pass. You will come to square garden
| around a little house painted white
| Watch carefully. | shall be hidden
| above the rafterS. Neu lives there
with one boy. The boy stays in the
garden during the day. Bring me
| some decent food and enter the house
! when you have located the boy in the
field and are sure he does not observe,
We are on the right track" There
was no signature. but Agent Markham
knew that Mura Vidal had deliberately
! thrust herself into what might at any
time prove to be her deathhouse.
Markham obeyed the girls instruc-
tons. Shortly after noon he walked
with the idle stroll of the sightSeer
along the Nankin road until he came
to the post which he had marked
He found the path and made his turn
to the left. counted by II of the little
matched rooted huts in which chatter
ing families of coolies and gardeners
live in single room. until he cam"
to the better house painted white. All