San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-25

nails Z
Out of black alley-way glided
muffled figure. The stealthy step Of
the Asiatic. 8
A glimpse of parchment, corpse-
ike face. A racking cough and the
phantom merged into the night,
Just Chink. A Hunger! Poor
beggars, the fog gets EN-"
Under a black, dripping archway.
into another mysterious street.
Like an evil eye blinked a pallid
night over a low, dark doorway,
Here the policeman paused and ran
ped.
"A lady from America I'm shown
round" as yellow face peered
out.
No, no." Helen shrank back. II
don't want to go in anywhere"
why, miss, you're safe ere as in
your own 'ome," he urged.
A low room, hazed with smoke.
Cinnamon, half-breeds, sailors, Iouny.
ing around a long bare table. Mugs
of ale, chips and cards.
With the stoldity of their race, the
Cinnamon barely glanced up. The
others stared.
A small room in the back showed
their hunks" hung with dingy red
curtains.
One naked gas-jet over the table,
the only light.
The policeman was bantering with
one of the men.
TRAPPED.
A burly, freckled sailor grinned at
Helen. Suddenly his arm shot up. IA
roar OF voices. He had turned off the
light! The place inky black.
Too frightened TO scream, Helen
stood in petrified terror.
Trapped!
In that agonized moment she lived
through all the sensational horrors.
Abduction-trap doors-secret pas
sages-opium-white slaves
Another mysterious disappearance.
The unsolved crimes Of London.
No way of tracing her. No one
knew she had come. Warren-He
would never know
A match flickered. The gas leaped
up.
The men around the table had not
moved. The imperturbable Cinnamon
still intent on their cards.
The Irishman, who had piunged
them into darkness. shook with
laughter as he eyed Helen's blanched
face.
Trying to conceal a grin. the police
man upbraided him sharply.
"Oh, please-please let's CO." quiv-
cred Helen, edging toward the door.
The relaxing relief Of the cool, misty
street
Sorry Mike scared you, miss. He's
tough 'un-full of prsnks. Saw you
was shaky so he played up a bit"
As they walked back through the
crooked, shadowy streets, Helen tried
to quiet her humping heart.
SAFE ON BOARD
"You see, miss, they get fed up with
slummin' parties. Not much TO see
down 'ere-it's all in the story books.
But folks likes to think there's evil
goings-on. The Chinks are a decent.
quiet lot. Smoke a few pills and
knife each other once in a whilc-j
but they don't arm nobody else. Now
'ere's a good chop suey place. You
can come down ERE any time and have !
a good meal-nobody'd bother you"
Can we 20 back nowW ventured
Helen. Il don't want TO be too lote."
I'm takin' you back, miss-another
way. See them lights at the topy
That's where you get the bus"
They reached the top" just as a
bus rolled up.
Thank you SO much" fumbling in !
her purse. 1T was very interesting"
Take you any time, miss-or any
o. your friends" pocketing the half.
crown.
Another moment. and she was on
the bus-top, bound for Charing Cross.
Again through Whitechapel, the
market stalls gone now, the small
shops closed. But the corner pubs
still crowded.
On and on. Past St. Paul's through
the now deserted Fleet Street. the
ever-lively Strand-and finally, Char.
ing Gross.
Only few moments to Whitehall
Court. But now after ten, Helen took
n taxi.
mo, madam, l didn't see Mr.. Cur
tic come in" the doorman reassured
her.
Down the spacious, polished-woo6
hall to the mirrored lift.
Out at the sixth floor. through their
private hall, TO their cheerful fire-lit
sitting room.
No, Warren had not come. He need
never know.
Everything as she had left it, Even
the fire not burned out. Yet that
strange sense of having been away
a long time.
The mantel clock chimed. Eleyeni
That three hours could hold 80
much!
EMULATION.
Her guidebook still under ths
reading lamp, opened at "Limehouse.
She had consulted it hurriedly,
only for the bus route Now sls
read on.
"To visit Limehouse at night, the
services Of licensed guide should
be secured. The toughest characters
of the waterfront infest this region.
Opium and other iniquitous dens
abound. No jewelry should be worn,
and il is advisable to leave your
wallet at home. The crimes Of this
sinister district are notorious"
As TO the safety Of Limehouse.
the diidebook and the policeman
seemed TO differ. Helen preferred TO
believe the guidebook. 1t enhanced
the shuddery thrill at her own dar
ing
Closing the book. with fearsome
delight she relived the scene in thar
wierd. smoke-hazard "iniduitous den. =