The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-08-23

staged? But Chang gave her no clue.
 Come" he said q fear I have bored you. And dinner should be ready"
 Dagger murmured that she wasn't bored and indeed, she was enthrall- ed The evening promised better than she had anticipated, although she couldn't very well say so, and she returned downstairs, walking demurely at his side trying to guess what would happen next. i Chang led her through a series of rooms on the ground floor, to a terrace set on the midst of for | nal Chinese garden. The grass was groomed as carefully as thoroughbred's hide: the stars were ireflected in a pool where water lilies grew; and a soft wind, sigh ing up from the war torn South, rustled the branches of trees that were lf-unseen. Overhead, the sky was a speckled purple vault. The one definite spot in the clustering shadows was small table, ap- pointed in Western style, about which hovered several servants, whom Chang waved away as he seated Dagger opposite his own place.
 He seemed to have forgotten the recent incident The conversation he started as the first course was served led to political subjects, the roles the Western powers had play ed in China, the undermining of the Empire by the Opium War and the Tai-ping Rebellion two gener- ations since, climaxed by the Boxer uprising.
 He spoke of the impetus to Chi nese liberalism which had been ap- piled by the students sent to Amer ica through the repayment of the Boxer indemnity; and the conse- quent intoxication of people who still dwelt mentally in the Middle Ages, and whose traditional philos- ophy and folk ways must be com pletely amended before they could distinguish between the good and the bad in Western civilization.
 It was as absorbing to Dagger as all her recent experiences, and she threw out frequent comments, which brought grim mods of approval or curt You see it, Mrs. Vaneering!" "Yes, but not many foreigners have the patience to weigh that" Final ly she interjected:
 But didn't Blaine-Mr. Howard l-sympathize with all your ambi- tions. General?"
 Chang drowned over her shoulder in the odd, blank way that was one of his characteristics.
 More than any Westerner who has tried to understand us. But we will come back to that. First, have something to say to you"
 And the cold, nerve-twisting hand of drama clamped down upon Dag gers heart.
 "Yes?p she responded mechani- cally
 His eyes settled upon hers, pos sessive, dominating.
 "All this is mine" he continued, waving his arm, with it's silver-tip- ped fingers, to include the sur- rounding darkness. ''Sung-fu is but the beginning, 100000 square miles, 30 1000 ,OO0 people. But-the begin ming. Someday, if I live, will rule all China. I will be Emperor, Con- stitutional Emperor. I do not be- lieve in your democracy any more than I believe in divine Son of Heaveni"
 He stopped, and his eyes bored harder into hers.
 "A man such as I must have woman to keep pace with him. l did not know that until recently. l thought women were toys to amuse mans ease. But that is one thing you Westerners have discovered. Now and then, very rarely. there are women a man may treat as an equal You are that kind of wom- an"
 Another pause, and Dagger resist ed by conscious effort the com manding influence of those narrow, jetty eyes.
 You have seen my wives" he said bluntly. T will put them all away. I have palace in the hills where they can be comfortable grow old quarreling together" he added cynically. You are different. You are my equal Will you as you Westerners say, marry me? do not know what that means, but I will accept whatever terms you make. " He leaned closer toward her. T lwant you for my Empress. Together we will make China over"