We had for some little time been' the recipient of letters from an unknown professing to be an adi and demanding particulars These had given us pause. We knew, at the moment, of no itinerant Seeress who might be willing to cast our horoscope in return for a modicum of publicity. Besides, the letters conveyed that the writer Uelieved us to be far younger than wwe actually are. The latest com plained bitterly of our failure to reveal our identity, and advised that the writer would communicate with us at an early date by telephone, Our native caution, begot of a full half-century's experience of a wicked world, was promptly doubled.
The blow fell, Mencius thi Twenty-fifth, our telephone switehboard operator, who goes about in this frying weather with his singlet well tucked-up under his arm pits, leaving a" gap between them and his waist, leading one to conclude that he} thinks us in the corridor with the set Salome, intercepted "Who man belong Klow Ness? Just_now telephone wanchee he."
Not a colleague in sight, to as-[sume the onus of declaring that, we were not in. To be sure, we might have instructed Mencius the Twenty-fifth to state this. Curiosity, how-lever, proved altogether too-strong, 0 we informed the would-be Salome-dancer that we would take the message. We approached the—instrument with precisely the same abandon exhibited by a person intent on fondling a rattlesnake, and gingerly adjusted: the receiver, quite certain that the Crack of Doom would.assail our tympanum. 'The only..blow was one to our vanity. 'The' typical tremulousness of advanced years greeted us with, "Is this the gentleman who writes From the Crow's Nest?"
Breathing a -hasty prayer thanksgiving that television is yet unknown in Shanghai, -we availed ourself of subterfuge.
jo is not-a gentleman, Madame."
"Oh, is it a lady-who.writes. those articles? I shouldn't have thought came the response.
"No, no," we hastened to assure the unknown, explaining that merely. intended to convey that the writer in question was not a genteman, in.any sense of the word, This did not discourage her, however.
ight I speak to hi "Heavens, no, Madam most shouted, "It isn't safe.'
"Mferey! Just what do you meant" she wanted to know, We were fairly certain by this time that the unknown was not our correspondent, -but we wished to make sure of this. So we countered "Have you by any chance been corresponding with him?"
Sir 111
This at least was encouraging in that it indicated that our impressions of our correspondent were not alto-mistaken, Why may I not speak to him?" demanded the voice.
"Well, you sec; Madame, it's this way," we began, reminding—ourself of "Life's Alibi Contest," "They never let him out until a Friday, just in time to write the Crow's Nest "Goodness! Is he in gaol?"
"He ought to be, Madame, but it isn't that, He has to be confined with ce on his head."
We naturally have @ somewhat.
inion of ourself than this, aw no reason as yet for be: coming acquainted with the Tt was for her to deck She lost no time take it from your remark that you are acquainted with him." Ts that the Intimately," we usured her. "Then plevze tell, me, has kindly disposition?"
"Great Scott, anything but," we informed her, "He's plain hostile from the feet up."
This gave her pause, but not for Jong. She countered with, if he's what you say, how comes it that the paper employs she demanded.
"That, Madame," we told her, "is, one of the world's great mysteries."
"Tellme, ix he paid for these articles?"
"Certainly," we hastened to assure her "But I don't understand it," she murmured, "There amazement," commonest theory: is that it thought better to pay him than to ink being bitten in the ankle."
"You speak of him as if he were a dog," was her indignant obser. good many regard him such," we told her.
"Dear, dear, I'm afraid he won't 0," she vouchsafed.
Precisely, paring to hing up the We realized. however, that we had yet to learn just what we would do for Is there any message to give when they let hin out next Friday?" we asked cautiously.
No, thank you. It's only that going. away for the summer and can't find anyone to care for my pet eat while I'm away, was wondering if he might oblige Tue ex-Emperor and his suite have gone to Peitaiho. His advisers, viewing the rapid change in the North, attempted to persuade him to leave for Dairen or other places in Japan, but he was obdurate, stating his desire to remain his own country and devote the next few yours of his ife' to work' on the history of the Ching-dynasty. He will also travel 6 through many of the cities in North. China, and exchange views with prominent personages. According to his plan, the history will be completed within one year and will be translated into Japanese and Englis
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.