Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-22
CHAPTER Xxx.
A DEVIL INHABITs LuM WE.

'@S A1NA1AD1 40 IUM WE.
MY inclination was TO And Caro-
HH line, but sense Of duty kept
me at F7ique's side.
4 thought you wanted to see
Lum We" said, as he pro-
ceeded up the hall.
ut is a private matter. this, M.
fAntiquaire," F1ique informed me. we
shall call on Lum We at his chamber
over the garage. 1t was the kitchen
door you found open this morning, yes?
nodded.
''Is it your belief that Lum We left
1t open?" 1 inquired. 81 mean, do you
think he stole and broke and returned
the phoenix because Parados wouldn't
let him burn incense to his ancestors?"
Flique shrugged. There is a mys-
terry here. my friend. Perhaps this Lum
We is the guilty one-I do not know"
AS We rounded the corner of the
house and proceeded along the cinder
walk to the two-story building that
served as garage and servants quarters
Granger appeared from behind hedge,
q pair Of clippers in his hands. F1ique
hailed him.
I'VE seek the chamber of Lum We,
my good Granger" Flique announced
blandly. will you reveal 1t to uS?"
Granger gave him a long, hard look
TITS in the north room, sir. He's
got his name over It in Chinese. You
go up that outside stair. But he keeps
it locked, sir"
Because It is the temple of the
spirit of his ANCESTOR" F1ique inquired
Maybe" Grainger's tone was almost
sullen. This Is a mighty queer house"
And you have the queerness, also,
my Graingerl" Flique retorted briskly
4.1I ...lsS IL
you with his riding whip. All, we'll, II
does not matter. Your reason-it is In
your eyes,"
With this cryptic remark, Flique
seized my arm and led me to the out
side stair of the garage. Granger
stared after us.
A white card with Chinese kilograms
printed on it was tackled above one door
off the landing. It was locked, as
Granger had said, and F1ique took out
a bunch Of queer-looking keys. One of
them At. and we entered.
1t was q square, bare interior with
whitewaShed walls. A cot stood against
one wall: near it a chair and table; an
old-fashioned brass-bound trunk and a
rickety bureau comprised the other fur
nishings. The atmosphere was heavy
with fumes of incense
Flique darted toward the bureau and
picked up square block OF wood-teak,
I thoughtr-which appeared to have
been the base of some object that had
been destroyed. A round hole was bored
in the block and out of 1t protruded
splinters of lighter variety of wood.
In front of where the block had stood
was a small, metal bowl, with deposit
of aromatic ashes in the bottom of 1t.
did not tell you 1t was the temple
of the spirit of his anceStor?" Flique de-
manded triumphantly.
"His ancestral tablet" muttered.
"All that's left Of It," was pretty sure
now what had happened to the tablet.
'Mais oui," Flique continued volubly.
"And 1t is broken. But what Is this?"
A black oblong box Of fine Chinese
lacquer lay on the bureau behind where
the block had stood. The box was
locked, but F1ique, despite my protest,
soon opened 1t with piece of wire.
M Watson must pocket his scruple, i"
he informed me. "Lookl"
The box was filled with broken pieces
of wood similar to those sticking out of
the hole in the teak block.
"They can cut The Destroyer on
Parados' ombstone-that's the epitAph
he's earned" said. HE did his best
to spoil every decent thing he got his
hands on"
at is broken" F1ique murmured
incense to the soul of his ancestor"
I'D bet ParadoS made Lum We
watch him do it, too," declared We
hemently. mo wonder Lum We broke
his god and shot him."
"Ah, you think that, NJ. PAntiQuaire?"
"You mean he didn't"
1--WE have solved one OF our little