Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

560 time to escape the loud cries that broke from Lalu Gan Deth, standing at the iron face of Buddha. IV. LATE that evening, an officer of the Yamen, passing the secretarial apartments occupied by Chiang tu Lee, heard unmis- takable sounds of grief emanating from within. Pausing curiously, he peeped in- side the room and saw Chiang lying on an ottoman, his face buried in his hands. The sound of his sobbing seemed to fill the apartment, With the discretion of his kind the official withdrew. The private sorrows of the illustrious young judge must not be interrupted. Two days after the trial of Feng Ho, the Blakes came home. They were genuinely disappointed to learn that Odette was re- turning to Vahiti with Paula. In his ca- pacity as commissioner of customs, Blake was a traveling gazette of information re- garding local affairs. The appointments and resignations of government officials were usually the subject of his criticisms. Speaking to Paula, on the morning of her departure, he said: ‘““ The Chinese Legation is furious over an affair that happened in the Yamen, the other day. The judge, who happens to be a friend of ours, has been asked to resign. They say he sent a coolie woman with a baby to a form of torture known as the iron glove!” ‘ Paula was silent. Neither she nor Odette had mentioned their visit to the Yamen. “T may tell you, Mrs, Wyngate,” Blake went on, “that the silly little chap will never live it down in these islands. He was such a decent sort, and between ourselves, a great admirer of Odette. As proof that something had interfered with his judgment, U U. ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY, he sent the coolie woman five thousand dol- lars, enough to keep her in luxury for the rest of her days, She’s out of prison, of course, and seems none the worse for her punishment. I’m really worried about Chi- ang; such a decent little chap!” Paula and Odette arrived safely at Va- hiti. Odette was not so badly burned as the coolie woman with the baby. She mar- ried Frank Dillon when he became captain of the City of Peking, an event brought about by the retirement of his aged supe- rior. It is recorded in the first years of his marriage, that Dillon saved three hundred lives at sea, and never mentions the fact. It is assumed, therefore, that the wayward Odette is in safe keeping. Two years later, Paula received a letter bearing a Chinese postmark. It was from Chiang. She read it with a strangely beat- ing heart: Dear Mrs. WYNGATE: True happiness comes only through repres- sion of the senses. I loved Odette with a purity of mind that resembled a fiery flame. My spirit told me that she was mine. It was never possible for you to turn us from our marriage purpose, But to renounce the sweet- est pleasure in life was a task almost too great for me. Yet the echoes of your crying heart reached and penetrated me. My chance came through that—woman in the Yamen. I seized it. It was then I made flame eat flame—the fire that scorched the woman’s hand burned my image from Odette’s heart. In my present sanctuary of transcendent purity I have found true happiness, perfect content. May the wings of peace descend upon you and your people, THE SHRINE OF THE SEVEN STARS. Paula sighed softly as she burned the let- ter over the yellow flame of the veranda lamp, ‘“‘T wonder if he could have loved Odette as he loves this philosophy of his?” she murmured, U U ~ THE MISSING MONDAYS” By HOMER EON FLINT will be our next Novelette. It will be printed in two parts, the first of which will appear in our next issue, to confound all our readers by the mystery in:connection with the second day of the week. 5A EORMIC OOOKS (E@)