Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine, Vol. 107 No. 3 — page 89: what you’re looking at

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

.. ell | ye HE SWALLOWS “You didn’t say anything was wrong with Ruth,” said Huber Davis calmly. “But my agent mentioned that her right arm looked badly bruised—her sleeve fell away, I imagine—and she said it had been a slight accident. What was it?” Carefrew’s brows lifted. ‘‘ Damned if I know! Must have hurt herself after I left, eh? Too bad, now—” He turned and left the room, ‘whistling. Huber Davis gazed after him; one would have said that the man’s cold eyes sud- denly glowed and smoldered, as a shaft of, sunlight suddenly strikes fire into cold amethyst. “Ah!” he muttered. “You damned blackguard—it goes with the rest, it does! You’ve laid hands on her, and yet she sticks by you; some women are like that. You’ve laid hands on her, all right. If I could prove it, by the Lord I-d let out your rotten soul! But she’ll never tell.” — Presently Carefrew’s gay whistle sound- ed, and he sauntered back into the dining- room. “ That’s queer!” he observed lightly. “The red ink wouldn’t come off. Ill get some of your cocoa butter after dinner and try it on. Hello! Real steamed rice, eh? Say, that’s a treat! I despise this Dutch stuff.” . IV. Huser Davis, who had an excellent of general agency, always dealt with Li Mow Gee in silks and fabrics—that is, he dealt with Li Mow Gee direct, which meant that he was one of a circle of half a dozen men who did this. Not more than half a dozen knew that Li Mow Gee had any particular interest in the silk trade. Two days after Carefrew had brought home the candlestick and appurtenances thereof, Huber Davis sought the Street of the Heavenly Elbow, and entered the dingy cubby-hole which opened upon the widen- ing shop of Li Mow Gee. That morning Carefrew had carefully tied up his temple candles again and was preparing to pack his purchases of silk. After a very short wait Huber Davis was ushered through the fan-shaped apartments to the hub and kernel of Li Mow Gee’s GOLD. | 431 enterprises, where the owner sat before his charcoal brazier, heated his rice-wine, and gazed upon his nudes—to call them by a polite name—with never-flagging apprecia- tion. » Li Mow Gee greeted him cordially and ordered tea brought in. Huber Davis said nothing of business until the tea had been poured, and then he did not make the usual foreigner’s mistake of drinking his tea. He knew better, for Li Mow Gee fol. lowed the tea ceremony implicitly. When he had concluded his business in silk Huber Davis took from his pocket a sheet of note-paper upon which were in- scribed three ideographs. “IT wish you would do me a favor, Mr. Li,”’ he said. ‘‘ My brother-in-law is vis- iting me, and the other day he picked up a candlestick bearing these characters. For the sake of satisfying my own curiosity, I copied the characters and put ’em up to my clerk, but he said they were very old writing, and that only a university man like yourself could decipher them: correctly. So, | if you would oblige me—”’ Li Mow Gee took the paper and glanced at the three ideographs. He wrinkled up his dissipated eyes and gazed at Huber Davis. Then he picked up his pipe and began to smoke. “Your clerk was a wise man, Mr. Davis,” he said quietly. ‘‘ You have heard the Heaven-and-Earth Society, no doubt?” Huber Davis started. ‘ You mean—”’ “Exactly, my friend. How your es- teemed brother-in-law picked up this can- dlestick I cannot imagine; but it is marked with the emblems of that society, of which I am a member.” Huber Davis whistled. He knew that not all the power of the Manchu emperors had availed to stifle that secret fraternity, and he knew that Reggy Carefrew was playing with hot coals. But he kept si- lence, and presently he had his reward. “Tf we were not friends,” said Li Mow Gee reflectively, “‘ and if the ties of friend- ship were not sacred and honorable things, I would say nothing to you. Even now it may be too late; as to that I cannot say, for others may know that your brother-in- NOO = A (C(O) S (C(O) mM