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About Southern Oregon miner. (Ashland, Or.) 1935-1946 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1935)
SOUTHERN OREGON MINER YU’AN HEE SEE LAUGH Copyright by S ax liobmar. SYNOPSIS Matt Kearney, young American living In London, say« good-by to his slater Eileen, on board the Wal laroo. The ship Is conveying 4!.000.- 000 In gold to Australia. On his way home Kearney meets Inspector Daw son Haig, of Scotland Yard, very much In love with Eileen Haig Is on the trail of opium, which he Is convinced is concealed In Jo Lung's warehouse. Called to other duty. Haig delegates Kearney, with De tective Norwich to visit the place and find out what he can. While In the warehouse Kearney picks up and carries away a notebook, which he turns over to Haig. CHAPTER II—Continued Her blue-black balr gleamed like a raven's wing. Her long dark eyes were ever so slightly oblique, and she had a petulant red mouth, small and delicately chiseled features, and held her head disdainfully high. Her complexion was peach like but dark, and silk-clad ankles and tiny shoes peeping beneath the fringe of a black lace frock had a dainty and patrician elegance. She was Imperially petite, allur ing yet menacing. The Greek and Jo Lung stepped aside deferential ly as: “Yu an." she said, and the voice of thia cold woman had a deep, warm, caressing note, “who were those men? I saw them from the stair." “Come In and shut the door." the Chinaman replied. “Did either of them see you?” “No. I don't think so." "Do you—suspect them?” Polodos solicitously passed her a card. “This is the Introduction they brought, my lady, and Mr. Bernardson had advised us that they were coming.” The woman took the card, glanced at It, and tossed it onto a side table. “Are you ready to leave, Yu’an?" “1 have a telephone call to make to the Wallaroo," he replied. "There has been much bungling. J must speak to the doctor." He stooped, dipping his band, a plump, waxen hand with tapering Angers. Into an inside pocket of the heavy fur coat which lay at his feet Suddenly he glanced np, the china white of bls eyes glaring. “I removed my coat as 1 entered the warehouse,” he said, “and car ried It here. I have dropped my notebook." Something In those words broke throogb the high dis dain of the woman watching him. "Your notebook?" Yu'an. clutching the arms of the chair, continued to watch her. bis drooping lids slowly, slowly cover ing those ominous eyes. The oth ers were watching her also. “1 said so. It contains . . . our death warrants!” The woman clasped her slender throat—a curious gesture. "Ab I” she cried—“1 am blind 1 It must be! I saw one of those men pick up a small notebook! It was like yours—It must have been yours I On the steps from the Silver room." “You saw this. Pilodos?" Yu’an whispered In flute-llke tones. The Greek was very pale. “1 had stepped back. I remember turning up the light on the stair.” Yu’an. his eyes now apparently quite closed, turned In the woman’s direction. “Open the door, go down to those stairs, quickly, quickly, and tell me if you deceived yourself." Some, but not all her disdain de sorting her, the woman turned, opened the door, and swept out of the office. “Jo Lung,” Yu’an continued, "fol low her. Your life and mine de pend upon what I tel) you. If those pigs have found and taken that notebook, our necks are hung upon a silken thread. There Is fog—but they must be overtaken. That book WNV R*rvlo* By SAX ROHMER served upon the luggage rack sur mounting Ila roof what looked like a rolled up blanket, or. ns another thought, a very dilapidated kit bag. , . . Dawson llalg hurried across the little court lu which Kearney's must be back here, upon this table, shore muffled scream. Stockstill rooms were situated. The old man servant who looked after the place within an hour.” he stood, and listened. opened the door at once, lie knew Jo Lung moved silently toward Dim, distant noises reached him. the nimble of remote lorries; that llalg well. the door. "I'm sure It’s very Important, sir." “Two men," Yu'an added. muted booming which Is the life blood of the port of London pump ho said, "but Mr. Kearney hnd to go "AU shall go—" Ing through Its many arteries; fog across to the ofilce the moment he “And send for the Adder. . , As Jo Lung disappeared, Yu'an signals. He could detect no foot arrived home.” "But what's this about some turned his apparently closed eyes step—no other sound. book?” in the direction of I'olodoa. At men It was dose upon midnight. He "The book la lying on the desk tion of that name—"the Adder”— pulled up again as he saw two the Greek’s face had grown clammy things of Interest: one. definite, the upstairs, sir, with a note, and my orders are for you to go up." with perspiration. It trickled down other, perhaps chimerical. Either Two minutes later he sat nt from bis balr Into his thick eye unpleasant memories of the estab Kearney's table, rending the note brows. lishment of Jo Lung still haunted which his friend had left llalg hnd And Yu'an began to laugh. He him, or he had seeu a curiously not removed his white raincoat. A did not show his teeth In laughter. small, active figure durt Into the Ills red lips merely seemed to thick shadow of a doorway not twenty Yard car wan waiting—and a ghast ly duty called. . . . en—and his eyes closed as he paces behind! But, as be rend. Ills expression laughed—high hideous squeals, like His heart beat faster. Ths head me amplified note of a bat . . . I lamps of what looked like a taxi changed—grew puxxled—and then • •••••• cab dimly visible through fog I In Indicated sudden excitement. The Kearney felt a tremendous sense deed. perhaps the sound of the mo little leather-bound memo book, to of relief when he found himself out tor. although he had not recognised which Kearney's note chiefly re again lu the narrow lane. Even the the fact, had prompted him to lated. lay upon the table beside him pause, to turn. He plckevf It up again, glanced fog seemed friendly. The little notebook tn his pocket I at the curious penciled entries It It was good to be free of that He had meant to speak to Nor contained. The book was newly strange building, with its silence out of which the breathing of hid wich about IL but changing his issued, and these were few. Rome den watchers seemed to come; Its mind had determined to examine It were unintelligible, being written ghastly emptiness, as of a place un himself snd then to hand It over to In what looked like a combination occupied, deserted, yet which he Haig when he met him. ilia idea of cipher and Chinese. But others, knew by virtue of some extra sense that It might prove to contain some opposite to certain dates, set him to be Illusive. The Arab doorkeep piece of evidence of value to Scot furiously thinking. er. the Greek—and that strange land Yard a sail med a new and The Aral of these Intriguing notes woman—had not been the only oc grave importance. appeared against the dste the Uth— cupants of Jo Lung's emporium that Coming upon It after the discov the day which had just passed. It ery of the Dakenham opals, he had read as follows; night. There were others—many others, appropriated It without scruple. "D 21—25—32. B—7—B 4." watching, listening. He knew It— Voder the date of the 13th wan: he had felt It all the time. “Baria. Suleiman Bey's." A gap until the 22d. and then oc By virtue of some mutual under curred the entry: standing. Kearney and the Scotland “Mohammed.” Yard man paced along to the neigh On the following day, the 23d. the boring street In unbroken silence. writer had scribbled something But, the corner turned: “Those opals!" Kearney began. which Haig was unable to read. But on the 24th came this curlona Item: “I knew you bad spotted some "!«• 34’ N. and 44* .V I thing there!” “I had. You've got your case Finally, agalnat date the 23th. ap- clearly enough If they don't dispose peered a croaa In red Ink. This of them before tomorrow. Those was the last entry. opals belonged to Lady Dakenham. Dawson Haig reread Kearney's who was lost at sea ten months note and looked for and found a ago I How In the name of all that's leaflet referred to. It was one 1» wonderful did Jo Lung get hold of sued by the steamship company, and them ?’’ It gave the dates at which the Walla “H'm!" said the Scotland Yard roo touched ports en route to Brie man. and his tone betokened dlsap bane. Australia. polntment "There's no case In Very deliberately, although his that, sir 1 suppose they must have brain was on fire, he compared cer been washed ashore. Where did tain entries In the memo book with the accident happen?" this leaflet The date, the 17th. cor “In the Red sea or the Persian responded to that at which the ship gulf I” reached Marseilles; the next—the Detective Sergeant Norwich 22d—to that when she arrived at laughed. Port Raid! The Anal dates meant "Outside our beat!" he said. nothing to him, except that he ee "Then you mean there's nothing tlmated them to correspond to the you can act upon?" Wallaroo's position at some place "I'm afraid there Isn't,” Norwich south of Sues. confessed. "Everything In the place And “B 4” was the number of Is of number one quality. But there Eileen's stateroom! And Yu’an Began to Laugh. was nothing that I definitely recog “What the devil does It mean?” he nized. In fact. If you ask me, we Now, watching alowly approaching said aloud. were spotted!" head lamps, and questioning the He turned the leaves back. If “Do you think so?” reality of that figure which ho be only he could read those hieroglyph “I’m positive!” lieved he had seen dart Into hiding, But they were mean "Yes.” Kearney murmured, “I’m he remembered that he was un Ic notes! Ingless. He stared again at the en afraid we have wasted our time. armed. And he wondered. . . . tries In the diary. Then a possible Somewhat annoying In view of the Nearer and nearer came the fact—unless we can get hold of a lamps. He stepped out onto the explanation presented Itself, Of wandering taxi—that I have a long edge of the curb aui! raised his course! He should have thought of It before I foggy journey ahead.” arm. The man pulled up. These notes related to Jo Lung’s Norwich laughed again. “Hard Kearney opened the door, uttered luck, sir.” he said. "There's a cozv an audible gasp of relief, jumped abandoned dope-running enterprise! “That’s It!” he muttered. fire, an armchair, and a pair of slip In, and banged It shut behind him. At which moment the phone bell pers waiting for me at Stockwell. Twisting about, Matt looked through rang, and: But my orders are to report back the rear window. “Is that you. Haig? Kearney to l/man Street." Baleful eyes glared In at him! “That being the case," said Kear Some one, Indistinguishable except speaking. Fin hung up at the of ney cheerfully, as they groped out for his eyes, was clinging to the fice. Have you grasped the facts about the memo hook I pinched onto Commercial Rond East, “we back of the cabl from Jo Lung's?" part company. I shall head toward “My G—d I* Kearney whispered. "Some of them. It needs a good the station. I’m calling Haig as Suddenly, those weird eyes, which soon as I get back I” seemed to belong to no tangible mnny hours' work and a man who Kearney peered through swirling body, disappeared. . . . The taxi knows Chinese. But I think It does tii® hanging trick. Good for you! mist along perhaps the unlovellest wns well under way now. Kearney craned through the open Shall you be long?” thoroughfare In all London. Not a “I may be an hour. Can’t say.” figure moved as far as his sight window, looking back. “Then I shall have to push iff. Fog , . . desolation . . . noth could pierce the fog. He glanced I'll take the book with me. I’m on back. Norwich had disappeared. ing! But one or two belated pedes my way back to Limehouse—” lie had gone ten or fifteen paces “Limehouse! Why at this hour?' when suddenly he pulled up again. trians, notably a constable, as the “Ao awful thing has happened. ... A sound had reached him—a taxi passed Into Fleet street, ob- Matt —Nora let Urn I mur dered !’’ "What!” *- The words hnd n stupefying effect upon Kearney Norwich murdered i . . That cry In the fog I The shadowy figure In the doorway . . , the unmistakable figure which had looked In at the bnrk of the taxi cab! “You left him somewhere at ths corner of Three Colt Street?" Daw son llalg went nn rapidly. “Yes—ye«—that's right." “lie was found some time later, dead In the door of n warehouse Illa pockets hnd been rifled -everything taken. looked like the work of a common footpad but I know It wasn't I I didn't know until Wil son phoned me and told me about the book Now I've read vour note and studied those entries. I'm pret ty sure the murderer wan looking for this Incriminating evidence on the table before met You hnd a d—d lucky escajie I" "But—’’ Kearney gasped—"how was poor Norwich killed?" There wns a alight Interval, then: ”1 don't know.” llalg replied. "From the account given by l.imn- house and confirmed by tA*man Street, he seemed to have fallen In with a stray panther " “Stray panther? What on earth do you mean?" “Well, they tell me his throat Is horribly torn but not by a knife cut. The thing's teeth pierced his jugular. He bled to death. Thank God you're safe, olu scout.” "But—the Wallaroo.” “I'm putting a good man aboard the Wallaroo. . . ." CHAPTER III HE person variously known ns “Yu’an” and "Excellency." wear ing a plain blue house robe, paced np and down Jo Lung's office The dark eyed woman seated In a chair near the door watched him uneasily. “They do not return." he crooned presently. "Thia may mean death, but you alt there very quietly, ten der hloaaom." “What can I do?” "You have done al! that it Ilea In a woman's power to do. You have perhaps ruined me. Jo Lung, who did hla share, will fall In that ruin and Polodoa with him." Ceaselessly he pace«! the floor, un til: “All left more than an hour ago." said the womnn suddenly; “and wa cannot trust the Adder. If be has . . “Hla orders would justify It." Into the high voice crept a soothing note. “What does It matter, moat beauti ful. provided that It «-orrecta tha conaeqnencea of your folly?” “My folly I" the woman exclaimed, and laughed Indignantly. “How waa I to know when I saw the man pick the book up that It waa not hla own—that it meant so much?” He resumed his promenade and presently began to laugh. As tha short squeals of hla evil merriment rose higher and higher, reaching a note unattainable by any norma! human voice, the woman shrank back In her seat. "Tonight,” said the man who laughed. ”1 shake off the duet of England -from my feet forever, or I lay my bones In thia cold laland." "Let ua start!” the woman Im plored. “Wliat are you waiting for?" “Tender flower," the reedy voice replied caressingly "a clever man knows how long to wait, ft Is only the fool who flics when no enemy pursues him. I have promised you a rope of pink penrls twice as long ns your body. This, also, la the length of the rope used at execu tions In England." • • • • • • • Dnwaon llalg sat hack In the chair, replacing the telephone. A tramcnr wns passing along the era- bnnkment he.vond the gardens. He knew those all-night trains with tt.elr cargo of weary Fleet street workers II«» listened to the fnmlllar sounds audible through nn opened bedroom window behind him. (TO IIE CONTI NV EDI T