Page 110 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Sorcery and Everhard 105

Brought up from babyhood to think a man "Why are you so interested?" she de-
was part god. manded with something very much like
Sin Chang made money out of them, enor- suspicion, though there was nothing to be
mous money. Every lousy coolie that gets suspicious over.
into business or wins a lottery wants one. "There's a friend of mine involved, for
City was full of low-breed Chinks that had one thing."
made money, and the airs they put on! "What's her name?"
What was Sin Chang himself? Born in a "Whose name?" I
sampan at Woosung. Fed off the garbage "Your friend's?"
caught in a net from the galley sluices of I told her my friend's name was a man's
visiting ships! Now look at him. Fat as name.
Buddha himself. She made some kind of dubious, unsatis-
Then the secret came out: Sin Chang had fied sound, and, propping her head on her
once suggested to Madame Guigane that for palm, lay amid the cushions for a long time
the financial advantage of both it might be without saying anything, but watched me
well if thev were married. He would be an closely. At last with a chilliness that I re-
unforgiven Chinaman to the day of his sented she asked-
death, to the last tick of eternity! "Why come to me?"
"- told him I'd stick him on the end of a I told her that I had not come to her for
needle, toast him over a lamp and roll him any help in that matter; but that, having
into a pea for the devil's pipe! Can you- come, I had thought of it, that I was per-
can you imagine such a thing? And he just fectly able to go on with it myself, and in-
sat there with his hands on his big fat stom- tended to do so, though i!_ was rather queer
ach and face like a baby's and said he wasn't that I should since the woman herself was
sure, but he was inclined to believe that no friend to me, as I had good reason to
Flower of Heaven-meaning me!--did not know; but that all I had to go by was the
look with favor upon his humble offer. feeling that I ought to do whatever I felt
Well-well-then I did make myself clear!" ought to be done-which might be rather
"And then? And now?" complicated; but I wasn't going to stand by
She gave a little gesture with both hands, and see a white woman sold bodily to any
suggestive of helplessness. man, white, yellow or black, simply because
"I have to have poppy-birds in my busi- she happened to hate me.
ness. Sin Chang has the market between I picked up my hat and coat. I had ex-
his toes. We're friends now; but-" and a pressed myself with sufficient clearness,
savage gleam came into her black eyes- though with a little more feeling and length
"but he knows better than to offer any more of sentence than usual. And I meant her
suggestions like that one to me." to understand that strangers could scarcely
Then I threw my bombshell at her. have less relation between them than we
Understand that I had no intention of doing would have from then on. I was leaving.
anything of the kind when I came. As a But there is no understanding women.
matter of fact, I was moving over uncer- In a tone of weary exasperation she
tain ground. But I asked if she would do said:
anything to prevent Sin Chang from getting "Sit , down, Don. Sit down. My trade
his hands on to a beautiful girl who was doesn't start till around midnight, and you
likely to be bartered by a devil ten times are not tajing up my time. . . . I know
worse than any Chinaman-who was likely you didn't mention that ....
to be sold for a ruby. "Now listen to me, you dear idiot. You
To my very great surprize Madame Gui- can't expect a woman in my busine s, who
gane appeared ,uninterested, merely asking hears all manner of wild stories every night,
between half-closed eyes- to get very agitated over a simple little tale
"Who is she?" like yours. You ought to take to the pipe,
I told her what I suspected, of Hur- or to booze, or coke--- even chew gum;
gron je-something of Hurgronje; not my do . something to humanize you. I'll do
personal affair with him-a nd his madness anything in the wide world-anything-to
over gems; "which has, I understand, been help you rescue your poor little maiden in
considerably increased recently by the loss distress. I'm not joking--and don't look
of a collection he valued very highly." at me that way."