Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 35: what you’re looking at

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

pre found guilty of murder in the first de- ee, although Hip Sing protested inno- ce, and were duly executed. : V. Some months passed. Bixby Thornton had completely forgotten the peculiar case of the brazen serpent in the rush of work - thrown on the service by the prohibition laws and the income tax. One night Thornton came home, dead tired. His wife, with the agreeable inti- mation that she had corned beef and cab- bage for supper, handed him a letter bear- ing a Chinese postmark. In some surprise Thornton examined this letter, and _per- ceived that it had been posted from Pekin. He got into his slippers and settled down by the fire while Mrs. Thornton set about getting supper on the table. Thornton drew from the envelope a type- written sheet. The letter was aot long, but it contained a gently ironic gist of infor- mation: My pDEAR Mr. "Taorwron: Perhaps you remember the brazen serpent affair? I cannot let this go longer without giving an explanation which is due you, my dear friend. The story which I told you and the police officer was incorrect. I myself was the person who stole the brass dragon from the temple in U U ~ THE BRAZEN SERPENT. 317 Singapore. Facts will suffice; reasons are im- material here. I hid myself in New York. At length, Tan Tock ran me down; but by that time I was - prepared for him. ‘Thinking me repentant, he called on me to receive the dragon; in- stead, I killed him and left him in the street outside. Hip Sing, his fellow priest, sent me a strip of his skin, as you know, in mute threatening. Hip Sing, I presume, had been watching the house and found the body. The way out was very simple. I hired Lui Yen Yuan to die for me, which he was glad to do in-.order to relieve his honored parents from all future poverty. He implicated Hip Sing. The police attended to all other details, and left me at liberty to pursue my research work. I thank you, and beg to remain, Your humble and grateful servant, Joun Duck. Bixby Thornton pressed the letter. into a crumpled ball, and quietly laid it on the coals before him. A moment later his wife bustled into the room with a passirig query: ‘“* And who was your Chinese letter from, my dear?” Thornton started slightly. “That? Oh, that was just a note of thanks,” he said reflectively, ‘‘ from a young Chink I helped out of trouble some little while back.” Mrs. Thornton noticed, however, that her husband did not relish his corned beef and cabbage nearly as much as usual that evening. vo °)|UOS SHE KEPT IT DARK “BY PAULA REVERE SHE kept it dark, though Father Time Conspired to perpetrate the crime Of turning raven locks to snow When raven locks were needed so: A business maid must look her prime. | Alas! for tragic pantomime When frost doth raven tresses rime! ¢ It shall not turn,’ said Mae, and so She kept it dark. With art and skill and many a dime, Black locks remained, though years did Climb; But, that the world should never know Her camouflage, nor guess her wo, She kept it dark! Digitized by Google | THE Original fro ING 6) OHIO STATE UI real JOO S C@