Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-05-23
dN TWO PARTs-PART Two)

It was not long after this that shan
chu, determined to solve the riddle O
his fathers portrait, was walking to
neighboriug village TO make inquire
concerning an official, when pro
cession passed by on the way to sacri
flee pig and sheep. He inquired o
one Of the crowd the cause Of the sac.
rifiee.
The old man whom he ADDRESSED
was amused to satisfy his boyish cur
io5dty, and explained that very clever
official had just been appointed who
had prevented a vile miscarriage Of
justice, for which they were now Civ
ing VOWS In celebration. It seemed that
certain tailor had been found dead
IN the river; q man named Ch-'eng
Ta-tung had been known to quarrel
with him, and when the body was dis
covered Ch'eng was condemned by the
then magistrate. In the meantime LtIi
Shih, the dead mans wife, had mar
ried another tailor called Shen. A new
magistrate had been appointed. BY
persistent questioning, having been
made suspicious by Lui Shib,s hasty re-
marriage, the official was eventually
enabled to obtain a confession from
Shen, and learned that Lai Shih and
Shen had conspired jointly to murder
the tailor. It was by but matter Of
minutes that the innocent Ch'eng
Ta-tung's head was saved. The great
throng now celebrated the appointment
Of such just and astute official
Instantly, on hearing this story, the
boy dashed off home to his mother and
related in minute detail his experience.
Have we not at last discovered the
wise official to whom my honorable
father must have been referring2" he
inquired breathlessly.
And with sigh Mel Shih determined
that at last the time had come, as
Shameful declared. She prepared her.
self, wrapped carefully the precious bit
OF silk, and made ready to present her
self TO the famous man. She was po-
htely received, given tea, and finally
hidden to speak her mind. She handed
the magistrate the scroll, and then, be-
ginning from the day when the depart
ed Mr.. nj had espied her in the field,
related every single event that had en-
sued Magistrate T'eng was politely
sympathetic, informed her that he
would on no account countenance in |
justice, and said that he must have
time in which to study the case from
all its divers angles and examine thu |
portrait to which Mel Shih seemed T. |
attach magical qualities.
When Mel Shih was gone, Magistrate
I"eng retired to his private apartments,
md peered at the portrait intently, en-
ieavoring to worm out its secret. nj
Shou-lien was represented with child
n his arms and one arm lowered with
! finger pointing downward The off
ial went over each detail Of the pic
ure thoughtfully, but no single clew
o its meaning would It divulge. Indeed,
Teng soon realized that If the scroll
lid contain some hidden message its
ubtleties must be beyond his powers
( deduction.
Magistrate T'eng was intensely an
Dyed, for 1t was upon those very
overs of deduction that his reputation
eSted. Though he were a mere Chu
en-, he had earned his appointment as
Magistrate, rare honor for that sta
on, by his astuteness and peculiar
'iSdom. To be thus baked, then, in
lred his pride and lowered his van I
y. And so he went back TO his study
the portrait with renewed deter