The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 270: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a —— "Pretty good, considering the dark. A thin pale man with sort of grayish lips—no color in them at all. Talked kind of slow and precise—awful neat English, like he was a professor or something.” "And the man in the back seat?" "Couldn't see him very well." "Ah, yes. And when did you meet Madden?" "T'll come to that. After I got home I began to think— Madden was out at the ranch, it seemed. And I got a big idea. Things ain't been going so well here lately— Florida's been nabbing all the easy—all the good prospects—and I said to myself, how about Madden? There's big money. Why not try and interest Madden in Date City? Get him behind it. Worth a shot anyhow. So bright and early Thursday morning, I came out to the ranch.” "About what time?" "Oh, it must have been a little after eight. I'm full of pep at that hour of the day, and I knew I'd need it. I knocked at the front door, but nobody answered. I tried it—it was locked. I came around to the back and the place was deserted. Not a soul in sight.” "Nobody here," repeated Eden, wonderingly. "Not a living thing but the chickens and the turkeys. And the Chinese parrot, Tony. He was sitting on his perch. 'Hello, Tony,' I said. 'You're a damn crook,’ he 270 comiicboeoe S CO