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Show I Tales of the China Seas Ltalj I When the sun shines and the wind whispers softly, the magnificent hnrbor of Hongkong is a regular show place of Neptune. In the pale glimpses ol tho morn the old follow with his trident and his crown of sea shells may ,hc seen rising from tho waves of silvery green and grinning with delight at tho number num-ber of his junks, rafts. liners, cruisers, battleships and their attendant vessels. For ships require attendants, from the launches, those maids and valets of Uio warships, to the parent cruiser, which takes caro of her troublesonio family of torpedo boats, which must "be mothered and protected from the wicked destroyers. destroy-ers. Neptune, however, retires to Ins ocean eaves when t lie typhoon signals are hoisted, and the ships scuttle off, sometimes a couple of hundred of them, to sheltered places, where they huddle together like- frightened sheep until the signal from the tower comes down. The monsoon, however, had succcedo j i ho typhoon period on a brilliant Oeto- bcr morning when Trevor, a lieutenant commandor of the most recent vintage and looking Hko a pretty boy of 2o, limt;rtr? fl'irr nvnr i li r il?snnfi1i Vnr! Seagull at Hongkong for a cruise up the C'hoo-kiang river to look after some consular affairs. Tho ship was to st,op at. a town called by the Chinese Kwang-lung Kwang-lung and by all tho $st of the world Canton a town of a million cutthroats, some mandarins and a. handful of Kuro-poans Kuro-poans and Americans, and dearly loved of sailor men. Trevor had had one or two commands, about as big as a teacup, but tho Seagull Sea-gull was a big thing for him, though she did not quite reach the ISOO-ton mark. She had a complement of ten officers and 307 men. and only lacked a chaplain to be. really important. She was a pretty thing in" ber whitq dress aud buff funnels, and could leg it at a lively gait when she had coal that suited her digestion. Trevor got the ship by a scries of shifts and changes incident to a foreign station, aud ho calculated that ho would keep her for at least six months before another series of shifts and changes would take him out of her. ITo could have gone to the Kuropcan station, but the east had cast her spell over him. He was learning .both tho Japanese and Chinese languages, and wanted six months more boforo ho could express all the feelings of his soul in Chinese or Japanese, and here was a chance in which everything was combined that, could give him joy. His executivo officer of-ficer was Bruco, u red-headed, capable man, whom Trevor admired and trusted and haled cordially. His former chum al the United States naval academy, Halkott, throe classes below him, was merely a wajch and division officer. Treyor, however, meant to be kind i,o him and iold him so, the first night, when they dined together in the captain's cap-tain's cabin cosy places arc theso captains' cap-tains' cabins. And as if nothing were wanting to complete Trevor's joy, that first dinner showed that, the Japanese cook, Hoshi, and tho Japanese boy, Sat-sui, Sat-sui, and the Chinese steward, IIop Sing, wero all precious legacies left by Trevor's Tre-vor's predecessor. The dinner was selected, se-lected, cooked and served in a manner simply ideal; the table, with its soft glow 'of caudles and vases of scarjet gladiolus, was a dream. And Emily Cotesworth, the admiral's daughter, was at Canton with her father, and Trevor felt his chances of winning Admiral Cotesworth 's good opinion wouM be much improved bv giving him a dinner selected by Hon Sing, cooked by Hoshi and served by Satsui, the, beautiful Jnp- nnnso hnv. Japanese or Chinese. All Japanese look alike unto most people, and so do all Chinese: not so to Trevor. Ho made a brief but searching search-ing scrutiny of his domestic staff and concluded it would be well to keep from them the fact that ho was fairly fluent in both the Japanese and Chinese languages. lan-guages. Hop Sing had a name like a laundrymnn, but had no other characteristics char-acteristics of that railing. Trevor policed a strand or two of yellow yel-low silk in the queue that hung down Hop Sing's back and was tucked in at the neck of his snow-white blouse. His hands were exceedingly delicate, and Trevor noticed that the right was "a writing" hand a thing easily detected. Tho thumb is enlarged and the middle finger is shaped to tho handle of tho pen. Hop Sing's inflections, too. smacked of the schools. As for Hoshi and his brother, the beautiful boy Satsui, Sat-sui, Trevor never had the least doubt of their caste. Hoshi was as uglv as the boy was beautiful. He was short, with proternaturally long arms, but had perfectly military carnago and a walk no 'civilian could imitate. Satsui. however, how-ever, was thoroughly unmilitary in every ev-ery way, and judging by the delicacy or his small hands, had never done any work of anv kind. His eyes, which had only a faint upward slnnt, were of velvet vel-vet blackness, his skin clear and smooth as old ivory, and hd. had n set of perfect per-fect teeth that gleamed as he smiled ' his slow, lazy -and incomparably vanning smile. In short. Salsni was 'a regular pocket Adonis after tho Japanese model. Trevor reasoned the situation out easily eas-ily enough. There is much poverty in China and Japan. A Chinose professor profess-or and a Japanese naval officer got about enough to keep body and soul together to-gether on an economical, plnn. Hoshi . and Hop Sing might both bo spies Satsui was nothing but a prett- bo3" with a taste for decorating a table and a sinuous grace of movement and a faint odor of rose perfume about his hair or all throe of them jnight simply be gentlemen desiring to make- a living as best they could. After all, a sp-could sp-could do no harm on a well-regulated Hhip. They could only tell what everybody every-body knew that the discipline was good, the target practice the best in the world in short, all these things which make an enemy loth to attack. Nevertheless Trevor thought it well to unpack his own kit and to take his Chinese and Japanese grammars and histories down to Halkett's room nnd to ask that friend of king 83'ne to take care of them. This was late In the evening, after the delicious dinner and before Trevor took his final cruise around the 6hip to sec that all was safe for the night. Jt was a bright moonlight night, the placid, moon reflected in the waters and showing the great city of ships lying quietly at anchor, their lights making sharp points like stars in the veiled brilliance of he day. The monsoon was at hand. Down in Halkett's room, a holo which he shared with another man, Trevor deposited his Japanese nnd Chincso books in Halkett's chest of drawers nnd charged Halkctt; to lose tiio key. Then, closing tho door, Trevor begun lo ask some question. Through tho open port they could sco tho wide waters wat-ers of the harbor and the crowded shipping; ship-ping; the naval nnchorago was but sparely inhabited. "You ought to see Bruce," said Hal-kctt Hal-kctt with a delighted grin. "I don't believe he haB Blopt four hours at a fllrerf'h since ho found you were coining coin-ing to the ship. Work, work, work, day and night. He was just eleven minutes at dinner tonight, I hnppen lo know." Binco and Trouble. "And 1 was sixty-three minutes at, mine. Bruce, you know, would be my choice as executive. Very capable man," said Trevor, in a commanding officer's voice, "Oil, Lord!" cried Halkott in raptures, rap-tures, "L'd give a month's pay if Bruce- could hear that tono in your voice. But Bruce is n first-class man, and I would rather Bruce should have the deck than any other man in the wardroom when there's troublo brewing." brew-ing." "Don't be afraid, Hallic," said Trevor, Tre-vor, kindly, "1 mean to be a father to 3011 and I don't mean to take advantage ad-vantage of any littlo slip .you may make and report you to tho ndmiral." "Thanks, awfully," was Halkett's dutiful response, '"shall I knock my head nine times on tho floor, as the Chinese viceroys do before tho cm-press"" cm-press"" "Oh, no, indeed, just tell me all tho ship news, I don't know anything that has hannoned down here since T went up the Yang-tso in January." "Dull as ditch water, except 1 think we have a larger coniplcniont of officers of-ficers than tho regulations allow in this ship. Japanese, you know. " "Ah!" answered Trevor, "this grows interesting. Proceed." "t think 3'our cook outranks you. Lt strikes 1110 that he is a commander at least, and a nobleman besides. One of our Japancso boys in the wardroom, 1 believe, is a midshipman. He was on shore leave last week, and came back to the ship drunk. Your cook, Hoshi, was in the boat with him, and hauled him aboard. Tho boy blubbered and Called the cook ' Excellency 1 and 'Baron.' The cook in return gave him a thundering beating, and the 1)03 Bottle of Beer is his name on the ship's books, tho Japanese name being too complicated for every-day use appeared next da- with a black oyo. Tho doctor asked him where ho got it, and ho answered, 'Hoshi, he give me hell.' Your Chinese steward saw and henrd the whole business and twice since has called 3'our cook bv tho name and title, grinning. And tficy'vc had a scrap each time, in which the Chinaman China-man got worsted." "Where was the master-at-arms?" asked Trovor, sharply, in tho first flush of a commanding officer's responsibility. "Sitting 1)3' the forward hatch reading read-ing the Ladies' Homo Journal," re-phcd re-phcd Halkctt. "It is tho unwritten law in this ship that when scraps occur oc-cur among tho black or yellow races the master-at-arms is not to be disturbed dis-turbed utlt.il everything is over." "How main- Japancso and Chinese are thore in the ship?" asked Trevor. "About a dozen all told. Bruce doesn't like them and ihej" have a grudge against him, so the wardroom boy lets out when ho gets drunk. By. the way, Bruce 's fiancee, Miss Kgcrton, is here with tho Cotcsworths came from Manila with them. But T don't, think Bruco has seen much of her." ".nd ho will see loss," answered Trevor, darkry. "I liko the society of Miss Cotesworth, and T can't leave a lot. of hoys like .you to keep ship, so Bruce will have to spend much time aboard while we are in Hong Kong," Trovor Gives Dinner Party. Trevor kept his word. Miss Egerton proved most agreeable, and as sho was Emily Cotesworth s guest, Trevor gave a dinner in honor of the two girls. Withf Hoshi. Satsui and Hop Sing dinner-giving was a merry jest. Of course, Bruce had to be asked, and so was Halkott and another junior, as mates for a couple of English girls. Emily Cotesworth was easily the loveliest girl present. Miss Egerton, looked, as did Emily Cotesworth, a perfect type of American beauty. The two English girls, with their abundant hair done up in buns, warranted to spoil the beauty of Vonus, and voices of inexpressible inex-pressible sweetness, were also fair tj'pes of the daughters of Albion. Bruce, who was a bashful man, kept as far away from his fiancee as possible and appeared ap-peared relieved whon the found himself him-self placed at the other end of tho table from her. Everything was most promising, except ex-cept that Satsui apeparcd to have more attar of roso upon his sleek blackball black-ball than was altogether agreeable in a small cabin. No mention was made of the state of affairs between the charming Mary Egerton and Bruce out of regard for Bruce 's feelings. But Hoshi, whether he had a grudge or not against Bruce as the tips3" wardroom ward-room bo3r said, contrived to make the executive officer wretched during tho whole dinner. When the soup was served Miss Egerton Eger-ton found in her plate a beautiful heart made ' of sugar candy stabbed with an arrow and tipped with a large B, while Bruce saw floating in his plato a similar heart tipped with an E. Bruco 's complexion turned as red is his hair, and although the temperature tempera-ture was only about flu it felt to him in the neighborhood of 200. Miss Egerton laughed rather faintlv at this, and the scarlet Bruco glanced suspiciously at his commanding officer. "I swear I'm innocent," said Trovor. "My acquaintance with the cook is still toorcccnt for me to know of theso accomplishments." After thnt the fish courso was handed.. hand-ed.. This time tho blushing Bruce and the smiling Mary Egorton received heart-shaped portions ornamonted with love birds made of sugar and labelled respectively B and E, Bruco was evidently evi-dently in torture. With the toast duck came another painful surprise. Hoshi had managed to construct a couplo of Cupids out of cucumbers, with bows and arrows of sugar candy, and a bandage made of a roso leaf over their eyes. By that time even the two English girls had discovered Jthe joke .-nd were softly laughing, while everybody except tho unhapp3' Bruco was in raptures of amusement. Tho res't- of tho dinner was only a long succession of hearts, darts and Cupids. . It was all very amusing until tho guests .'were gone and Trevor and Halkctt Hal-kctt were having a final cigar on tho poop. "Your cook took it out of Bruce," said Halkctt. Trovor felt slightly uncomfortable. To be innocently anxious to please and to be phi3'ing tricks on the oxecutive officer are two things. Next morning Hoshi was sent for and Trovor curtly informed him that no moro sentimental decorations were to appear on the cabin tablo unions ordered. or-dered. Hoshi took this with his best military bow. "It'fihall be as 3'our cxccllcnc' pleases. I only wanted to do honor to your excellence's guests." "By the way," said Trevor, Hop Sing being out of hearing, " how do you and Hop Sing got on 7" "Perfectly well, 'sir," replied Hoshi. His accent was remarkable- good nnd his tone that of one gentleman reassuring reassur-ing another. K'Tso bai blood for what happened in 1S94? You ought lo bo satisfied with having given Hop Sing and his people a good licking then." Sun Off the Flag. A flash of light came into Hoshi's black cyrs as ho replied softly: "Wo did lick," "Why didn't you make tho Chincso lake tho sun off tho flag?" continuod Trovor, meaning to mako Hoshi talk. "You know t.hoy put it there 2000 3'cars ago, meaning that, the Chincso "dragon had swallowed the Japanese sun, nnd thero it has stayed ever since." A rapid grin liko a streak of lightning light-ning passed over Hoshi's 3'ellow face. "Jt is no matter," ho said. "The Land of the Dragon stands still. The Land of tho Kising Sun goes forward. Hop Sing, when he speaks to Satsui and 1110, still calls us Wo, which means tho Submissive People, and whon the treaties of peace between his country and 111 i no were made the Chinese named 11s in them still as tho Submissive People." Peo-ple." This species of information from a cook of an3' other race than the Japanese- might have been called surprising, surpris-ing, but nothing is surprising in a Japanese. Jap-anese. The week in Hong Kong sped away, nnd seven days later the Seagull was trailing up the river toward the Boca Tigrcs, which is tho best tho Portuguese Portu-guese could mako out of "Tiger's Mouth" in Chinese. The Cotesworths and Miss Egerton woro also going up I to Canton for a week, and the prospect pros-pect was most alluring to Trovor and tho bashful Bruce. Tho run to Canton was mado in a day. Trovor had Halkctt in lo the 12 o'clock breakfast. Tho wardroom cook was not. particularly good aud Trevor felt it would be a sin novcr to sharo Hoshi's rissoles and salads and other delicacies. Halkett's gratitude grat-itude was touching. When breakfast was over Satsui handed tho cigarotles on a silver tray, with tiny gladiolus blossoms fringing it. After the 1)03' had left tho cabin Halkctt said: "Handsomest Japanese bo3r T over saw but he runs too much to pcrfumo nnd flowers. This cabin smells like the Garden of GuJ. What is it?" An idea came to Trovor. "It is the perfume that Japanese ladies of (he highest rank use. How did the boy got hold of it?" "My dear fellow," replied Halkctt, "3-011 have a suite of persons of much higher rank than anybody in this ship and don't 3-011 forgot it." Evon as 11103 spoke the cabin was flooded with an odor of roses almost intolerable in its sweetness, but it came from without, not from within. Trevor Tre-vor touched his bell and Hop Sing ap-pcarod. ap-pcarod. "What is it?" asked Trevor holding his noso. wlulo Halkctt put his head outside of a port. "A black man who wails in tho waidroom got; hold of Satsui 'st bottle of attar of roso and rubbed it into his wool. Satsui told Hoshi. who gave the black man hell all the day. " "Send Satsui and tho black man to me," Trevor ordered. Tn enmo the black man, Ananias Green, a wardroom attendant and a native na-tive of Chinquapin Eidgc, Va. Ananias Ana-nias Js skin had turned tho peculiar ashen ash-en color which shows when, a negro is thoroughly alarmed, and his wool exhaled ex-haled the pcrfumo of a million roses. Behind him came Satsui, trembling, and with tears in his eyes. "Look, my captain," wailed Satsui, showing a tall, slender glass bottle, holding a couple of gills; "the black crenfuro took ni3' attar of rose, of which a single drop is perfume for one person a whole day, and rubbed it all all all in his hair!" "I 'clar fo' Gord," stuttered Ananias, Ana-nias, "I ain' n-n-n-nevvcr sec Satsui 'b ashes of roses. T ain' never fetch that bottle I ain' got one single drop on me" "Shut up," said Trevor, "I'm southern, south-ern, and when you begin to 'clar fo' Gord,' that means 3-011 are tying from the start. And you haven't put a drop of perfume on 3'our head? Ha! ha!" Trevor might laugh. Not so Satsui, who said in a voice broken by sobs: "It is a pcrfumo used only by Indies of the highest rank in Japan, "and ho, this creature of black skin, has dared to use it has dared to use it!" "Cap'n, I 'clar fo' Gord " Ananias An-anias began again. "Take him to tho barbor and have his hair clipped and his head parboiled," par-boiled," were Trevor's orders, and they were as nearly obc3'ed as feasible without with-out endangering Ananias' life. On tho Soagull. Satsui looked so tearful still that Trevor Tre-vor said to him, kindly: "Was the roso porfumo so valuable?" valu-able?" "It was very valuable, 1113- captain, aud to think the black-skinned creature crea-ture should have it all!" "Wli3', if it is reserved for ladies of rank, do 3-011 daro to use it?" Satsui smiled a mysterious and beautiful beau-tiful smile, showing his small and perfect per-fect tooth. "It was a gift to mo, my captain. My brother Hoshi does not' want.mc to use it. hut I do not alwa3's obey Hoshi. Hoishi, However, did give the black man hell, for which I am glad, for I love justice." "I am sorry for your loss, Satsui, but glad to get rid of thej)crfumc. It has bothered mo over since I came aboard.'7 Tn the late afternoon of the day they hud left Hong Kong the Soagull reached Canton and found a comfortable berth' at the naval anchorage. Three hundred hun-dred 3'ards away lay a big Japanese battleship, whoso 1-1,000 tons made the white Seagull look liko a yacht;. On the battleship's stern were gilt letters like those on a tea box, which being interpreted meant "Tho Conqueror of tho Sea." The Japanese arc well up in naval etiquette, and by the time tho Seagull's anchor had kissed the mud a launch put off from the battleship and a littlo Japanese lieutenant about five feet in height came aboard tho Seagull with the usual compliments that one warship pays another on its arrival. Tho captain of tho Conqueror of the Sea scut his compliments lo the captain of the Seagull Sea-gull and desired to know if ho could be of service, etc. Trevor, at first sight of the Japanese Japa-nese lieutenant, wanted to pinch himself to find out whether he was awake or dreaming, drunk or sober, for Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Ttyo, of tho Imperial Japancso navy, as his card rend, was apparently Satsui Sat-sui dressed in a Japancso naval uniform. uni-form. There was the same slenderncss and grace, the samo long, soft, black eyes, the same rod-lipped mouth, tho same exquisite ex-quisite teeth. Lieutenant Ityo was, next to Satsui. the hansomcst Japanese- Trevor had ovor seen and he had seen many. He was so staggered by tho strange resemblance that it was with difficulty ho had self-possession enough to return tho usual compliments. Halkelt, who had the dock at the time; two midshipmen,, the pa3'innstor aud, in fact, cvor3-body who saw tho Japancso lieutenant, noted tho extraordinary extraor-dinary duplication, ns it wore of Satsui. Hogan, the mail orderly, whisporcd to n passing marine: "Have we stole a Japanoso lieutenant, lieuten-ant, or has the Conqueror of the Sea stolo the captain ' boy, begorra?" Lieutenant. Ityo'fi visit wns short, and as the Japanoso launch sped past Trevor. Tre-vor. Halkctt, tho two midshipmen, tho pu3master and Hogan saw a slock, black head nnd a dclicnto, ivory-white hand outside tho cabin port and making strange motions. And from tho launch where the handsome- Ityo sat, his sword across his knee, came an answering motion mo-tion of the hand. Halkott heard the commander's voice in his ear. "Queer likeness, wasn't it?' said Trevor. "I think the3' are brothers." "Twins," answered Ilnlkctt. There was plenty for tho Seagull's officers to do in the way of calling and receiving visits, with tlio Japanoso bat lleship, two English cruisers and a French warship all bowing to each other at tho naval anchorage. Trevor watched to see signs of perturbation per-turbation in Hoshi and Satsui, aud sin-? them plainly in Satsui. Neither asked leave to go nbonrd the Conqueror of the Sea. Nevertheless, Trovor suspected that both of them went aboard on tho sly. Trevor dined on board of Conqueror Con-queror of the Sen, and could have sworn, if he had not seen his Japanese Japa-nese bo3- id Tto at tho samo time, that he was sitting opposito Satsui in a Japanese naval uniform. In returning the hospitality to the Japanese officers Trevor included Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Ityo in the dinner party. He said nothing in tho presenco of either Hoshi or Satsui lo show that rt3o was to be present, but himself wrote the name cards and put them around tho table. Thero woro to be ladies to dinner Kniily Cotesworth, Mary Egerton but Trevor had given Hoshi warning that no symbols of love woro to be used. Satsui was arranging tho flowers with his usual taste, when his eyo fell upon tho card inscribed "Lieutenant Ityo." Instantly his countenance changed. He hesitated for a moment, and Trevor caught a glimpse of Hop Sing's intelligent intel-ligent fnco wearing a grin of delight. Bandaccd Hand. , Without saying a word Satsui skipped into tho gallc3' where Hoshi presided, rive minutes afterward he came out with his right hand bandnged. "It is most unfortunate, my captain." cap-tain." ho said, "but I have just, burned my hand and a bandaged hand docs not look nice in serviug a dinner." Trovor did not believe a word of this and neither did Hop Sing. Suddenly Hop Sing seized Satsui 's hand and tore the bandage off. There wcro some red marks on it which might be a burn and might bo mado with cochineal such as bakers use. Hop Sing dipped s napkin in water, wiped the red marks off, and lo! Satsui 's hand was, as usual, like ivor3'. Satsui made no rosistance in tho hands of the big Chinaman and stood mute when his fraud was exposed boforo Trc-Tor. Trc-Tor. Trevor wns much annoyed. "No moro tricks. Satsui,"' ho said, sternly; '.'no moro lies." "Wo all tell lies sometimes, my captain," cap-tain," said Satsui, humbly, in' reply to this. Then the guests wcro arriving. It was a party of twelve and wns a tight lit for the Seagull's cabin. Bruce was present, looking much alarmed, and Miss Egerton, very roguish and smiling. Emily Cotesworth was at. her Iovo-Iiost, Iovo-Iiost, and there were a couple of other European ladies of Canton. Lieutenant Ityo was promptly on hand with tho captain of the Conqueror of tho Sea, whose aide he was. Just before dinner was announced Satsui entered, bearing bear-ing on a silver tray bouquets for the ladies. The sight of him compared , h, J,?'0 ca,1S0(1 a shock of surprise to thrill the little group of Americans and English. Tho Japanese, who smile when t.hoy spoak of a dead child and sing while they cut themselves open boforo bo-foro the door of an oncm3', remained unmoved. un-moved. The amazing resemblance between tho handsome boy and tho handsome Japanese Japa-nese lieutenant was so obvious that it cast a certain awkwardness and ro-straint ro-straint over all present, It is not pleasant pleas-ant to be spied upon, and tho thought 111 tho minds of all was that tho beautiful beau-tiful Japauose boy who was the double of the Japanese lieutenant was thcrc for a purpose. The conversation was strained, strain-ed, and the dinner, which should have been extremely mcriy, was tamo and conventional. When tho guests were gono and Trevor Tre-vor had deposited the last, laughing girl in the launch ho returned to tho cabin and sent for his bn3. "Satsui," he said, "vou aro Lieutenant Lieu-tenant I.tyo's brother. His twin, I think." . . ' At this Sa'tsui fell on his knees and clasped his hands. "I swear to you, my captain." he said, "I am not Hyo's brother. I will send for Hoshi, who is my brother, aud ho will swear that T am not Ityo's brother, aud wo will swear lo 3011 the oath that binds us here and forever." Trevor called Hoshi, who enmc in. "Tell the captain I am not Ityo's brother," cried Satsui with tears. "I swear to you," said Hoshi, likewise like-wise getting down on his knees, "that Satsui is not tho brother of Liciilcn-ant Liciilcn-ant Ityo. And T swear that ho was never in tho Japanese na'3', and knows nothing of any navy, except waiting upon your serenity in this cabin." And then thoy both swore the awful aw-ful oath that binds tho Japanese, and Trevor believed them. Others who know not the Japanese so woll disbcliovod the story, and it was whispered through the ship that the commander's boy was a brother of tho captain's nido on the big Japanese battleship. bat-tleship. The week at Canton was ga3', as ga3' as Hongkong, and. Trevor was sorrv when tho day came that the Scngufl had to leave. She was (0 go up tho river to see about some consular matters mat-ters apd would be gone several dn3-s. On the first night, as tho ship was leisurely moving up the river at a thirteen thir-teen knot gait, Trevor, who had smoked his after dinner cigar on tho poop with tho other officers, had chosen to return to his cabin. As he approached he heard voices Hop Sing's low gutturals and Satsui 's laughing, pining treble. Thoy wore speaking iii Japanese and Hop Sing wns saying: "What, if I toll the captain?" "Toll what you like," answered Satsui. Sat-sui. "Thoro aro many wiys of getting off a ship without waiting for her to. anchor." "If you will be kind to mo" Hjup Sing was saying. Severed Quouc. Tho next moment Trovor steppod within tho cabin in time to sen Satsui pick up the scissors on Trevor's desk and with one clip sever Hop Sing's queue, of which the long ond was buttoned but-toned inside his jacket. Hop Sing seized Satsui by the arm at the Bsrae instauce the door of the pantry opened 1 and Hoslii appeared, while Trevor moved into tho gleam of t.ho swinging light. A dead silence followed. "What did vou cut Hop Sing's queue off for?" ascd Trevor sternly of Satsui. "Bocauso lie tried tn bite me," answered an-swered Satsui, with a sweet smile. "It is 11 woman," said Hop Sing, "She is tho wife of Hoshi: thoy have promised lo kill me if 1 tell, but it is true." A light broke in upon Trevor's mind. "And the twin sister of Lieutenant Ityo." he said to Satsui. Hoshi and Satsui had begun a faint protest, but at that. the.y stopped, and Satsui, with a sidelong glance at Trevor, Tre-vor, smiled broadly, showing her beautiful beau-tiful white teeth. "1 don't want , vou around here an.y moro, Satsui," said Trevor shortly; "tomorrow morning we will reach Kwo-tung anil you can go ashore. Hoshi will go loo." Hoshi at this bowed and wished his cxeolIone- long life and happiness, and so did Satsui. Hop Sing had a light of triumph in his oyc. Trovor, after a few niinulcs, went again on deck. He felt anno3'ed and disturbed, and amused loo. How cleverly clev-erly had he been plnyod by these two! Hik suspicions as to their real rank had proved correct, although he had boon thorough' humbugged in other ways. He had no doubt, that evoivthing Hoshi had observed would go to' tho navy department at Tokio; but thai was of little, account. Thero was nothing secret, in the Seagull, Sea-gull, nnd after all it was quito likely that Hoshi was simply a naval officer reduced to cooking for a living. For Japan is very poor and a Japanese naval officer when not omplo3-crl must have rice to live upon. Tho night was still and soft and radiant ra-diant with a great, vivid. golden moon. The ship swept on steadily, the swish of the water under her keel making music. Trevor mado no mention, as he sat smoking with the other officers, of tho upheaval in his domestic staff. He was full of regrets for Hoshi, but as for that impudent Salsui. as she called herself, he had nothing but. imprecations. It was nearly midnight when he went below to turn in. But he fell, disinclined to sleep and threw hinipolf on the transom, with a pillow under his head and a book in his hand. Tho cabin had never got quite free of tho roso scout, and it scorned stronger strong-er to Trevor's imagination than ever before. After half an hour's rcadiug he began to be drows3, the book dropped from his hand and lie felt himself slipping slip-ping into a delicious doze. Then, as in n dream, he saw Salsui sitting by him. She woro a skirt of whito silk, embroidered em-broidered in gold, and a kimono of hcliotropo silk, also richly' embroidered, as was the scarf arourtd her waist. Ovor her hair, cut short like a boy's, was a Japanoso head dress, which is nothing moro or loss than a wig, and glittering ornaments shone upon her head, and in her ears and around her neck. She knelt by Trevor's side, and, taking the scarf from about her waist, softl3" enveloped en-veloped him in it. Tho odor of the roses became sickening. sicken-ing. It dulled Trevor's senses and paral3'zcd his limbs. Ho wished to move, to throw her off, to call, for help, but he could do none of these things. He could, onh' son the shining of Satsui Sat-sui 's 03'os anil tho gleam of her teeth as her thin red lips wero pnriod in n smile. Then he could no longer keep his oyes opon, and ho drifted off into a river of dreams and perfumos that led to an ocean of forget fulness. When he waked he found himself in semi-darkness. The electric lighis woro turned out and tho light from the moon grown pallid and sickly stole in at the port and half lighted tho cabin. Trovor struggled lo his foot, turnod on tho electric elec-tric light and looked at his, watch. It was a quarter past three in the morning. morn-ing. His limbs were still heavy, but his mind was perfect' clear, and being used fo working methodically and promptly in emergencies, did so now. He walked unsteady- to tho door of his sleeping cabin and wcut straight to the motnl safe built in tho steel walls of tho comnartmont. In this safe wero kept the ship's papers, valuable memoranda and the privato signal book, for which an officer must answer with his honor, is not his life. Tt is a book of no value to anyone except an onomy, but. if it falls into the hands of tho enemy aii3' naval ship ma3" be lured to its destruction, destruc-tion, officers and men may fall into a trap that means annihilation. Sonic-times Sonic-times it has been stolen, aud 'oneo iu the history of navies it was sold by an officer under the spell of a woman. He was publicly disgraced and imprisoned for life, and was thought to have got off well without being shot. Lost Signal Book. Thevor opened the. complicated lock of the safe. Tho signal book was not there. IIo searched for it carefully. Only tho da3' before it. had been there and there had been no communication with I he land sinco thoy loft Canton. So the book of privafo signals was either still in the ship or at the bottom of tho river. Ho rang his bell at once, which meant that Hop Sing, the steward, should appear. ap-pear. Then ho rang it twice, which was .tho call for Satsui, and next ho rang it threo times for Hoshi. In two minutes they were all standing before him in tho bright- lighted cabin. Satsui was wrapped in a kimono. "Whereis the private signal .book?" said Trevor, looking full at Satsui. "The privato signal book?" repeated Satsui swoci.13-. "I do not know what 3-011 r excellency means." "I had uiy hand upon it yesterday morning." replied Trevor. "Last 'night about midnight ns I lay here half asleep you came into the cabin dressed ns n Woman, and I inhaled a perfume and know nothing for a time. Then it was you took tho signal book." "Pardon." said Satsui, "but .your excellency ex-cellency was dreaming. I am the wifo of Hoshi, and do you think he would lot 1110 como into a man's room at midnight?" mid-night?" "Where is the signal book?" repeated Trcvon. Satsui shook her close-cropped head "I do not know what yon mean,'' she replied. "I know what his excellence' means," said Hop' Sing. "The private signal book would bo worth much to Lieutenant It3'o, and his twin sister would not let him want for it." "Go," said Trevor. "At 7 o'clock bring mo tho private signal book." Hop Sing, Satsui and Hoshi bowed thomsclvcs ,out of the cabin. Trevor, who wns dressed just; us he had been tho night before at dinner, oponod the port, and inhaled the cool night air. Tho moon was sinking dismally and gave forth a faint and ghastly beam that shono mourn Cully upon the water and then dropped below the horizon. Tho darkness descended and the shin, stealing steal-ing softly on her way, soemcd to be the only thing that lived in a world of black sky nucf blacker -water. Overhead Trevor could hear the steady tramp of tho officer as he walked up and down. No sound came from the lookouts, tho sleepless watchers in the ship that keep silenl guard while others sleep. Trovor watched from I he port the .black night turn to tho gnt3' light and tijic wind of dawning ruffle the water and turn it from a blackness like the Hiyx first to steel, then to silver, and al last t.ho splendid sunrise made it all molten gold, decked with penrlo and diamonds. dia-monds. The ship's bell struck iwo, nnd it sceirtcd a cull to life. Instantly tho morning watch tumbled up on dock. There were sounds of scraping and scrubbing, the ship's bath had begun, that universal bat 11 which she receives all ovor, followed 13' her toilet. The sound of tho bells had hardly died awnv when Hop Sing enmo in from his pantry nnd laid the signal-book down on the table before Trevor, and 011 it was a small, white object. Trevor gazed at, it curious': it 'was a small, beautifully-shaped white front tooth. Trovor looked at Hop Sing inquiringly. "It is Hoshi's wife's front tooth." said Hop Sing, calmly. '-Hoshi and his wifo hilvo not. failed to remind mo that they did lick us in !8$H. and that the Dragon on the Chincso flag has not 3'ot devoured the Sun of Japan. But the Japanese are noc the only clever people. I went, from tho cabin to the doctor and waked him up and told him T had an aching tooth that must come out. 'The doctor swore at me, but got up and look his forceps and pulled out the looth a great one, that took all his strength to move. There were several pairs of forceps, nnd while the doctor was pulling the tooth and it was not ens' to pull I took a pair of forceps that thought would fit a front tooth and hid it in my shirt. "The doctor, still swearing, went back to bed, and 1 went to Hoshi's bunk, ire heard mo coming and sprang up, but he had no knife, and 1 had the carving knife, sharp like a razor. I said. 'Satsui. come with me. T will not. harm a hair of your head, but unless un-less you como, I will kill your husband with this knife. The Japanese arc liars, but thoy know the Chinese aro a truthful truth-ful people, so Satsui got up out of her bunk and said, T will go with Hop bing. It ho does me harm, you, Hoshi, will kill him.' which Hoshi promised. Then I took Satsui into 1113" pantry and bolted the doors, and holding hor by the head, I pulled out one of her beautiful front teeth. There it is. Sho wept, but did not shriek. I said. 'You will bring me the signal-book for tho captain, or T will pull out all 3'our teeth and Chinamen tell the truth, and do not lie, like tho Japanese'. About tho Torture. -one coniinuon weeping and saying, 'I do not. know whore the signal-book is.' I picked up a little mirror and showed her her own face in the glass. Then she wept moro than ever, but still sho said. 'I do not know where tho signal-book is.' I held her head and put the forceps on another front tooth, and she said, 'The signal-book is thrown overboard.' I said, 'I will pull another tooth and throw it overboard to keep compan3' with tho signal-book.' And then she hold up her hands clasped and I took tho forceps out. T went with hor, back to where Hoshi lay still, with my knife in 1113 hand, and Salsui, still crying, knelt, down on tho floor and lifted up a piece of flooring and handed me out the signal-book. I gavo hor the mirror, and she sat on the edge of her bunk and wept and wept, while 1 went to m3' pantry and locked the door, and sta3'ed thero until now." Trevor obeyed an uncontrollable im pulse to clasp Hop Sing's hand and said: "Thank 3-011, from the bottom of my honrt." The next minutes the book of private signals wns locked up where it was wont fo repose. At seven o'clock Hoshi brought Trevor Tre-vor his coffee. There wns not thn slightest slight-est change in his looks or manner, and he romavked unconcernedly that Satsui had a burning fever and could not stir for pain. "Scud Satsui to me," replied Trevor In a couple of minutes Satsui ap peared, dressed in her boy's clothes. "Mm Her face was pale and drenched with ujl much weeping and her hands trembled, if and there was a pitiful gap in her beau- 5Jf tiful white teeth. ill "Satsui," said Trevor kindly, point- Mi ing tn the tooth that lay on tho table, Ml "there is a clever American dentist in i Canton and he enn take this tooth lit and put it back whore it came from. Mm Not lo grow, you know, bul hc can fnst- MSr en it hi cleverly and you will still have "JR" your beautiful tenth." 3 T Salsui fell on her knees and started ai into fresh weeping. S,m "Oh. how good 3'our oxeelloncj- is! I jS I stole the bool; because my brother told JjJ n;e it would be good for our county, fvS and I would die for my brother and J ffl our country. And T would have died '.im rather than give it up, but I could not II stand the disfigurement, and when Hop : 41 Sing told 1110 that I should lose all 1113' wl teeth, all my bonutiful teeth, I was ' ffl a coward, my heart fainted within me ij and I went and got the book. Do auy- 1 1 S' thing vou like" with me, but spare me 'l my teeth " -ill 'Trevor, whose own nerves wore slink . ;l en, could not help laughing. (i "Never mind, Satsui," he said, "tho j book is here, but 3011 and Hoshi must f leave tho ship as soou as wc reach Kwo- 1 J lung." f "Thank you, thank 3-ou!" cried Sat- g sui. "And will 3-011 forgive me? The v perfume did 3-011 no harm, but only J? mado 3'ou sleep." x Trevor could have forgiven am-thing If- now that the privato signal book was M restored. J J The Seagull at noon sailed into the l broad, bright harbor of Kwo-tung, and i the launch was put into tho water to ;g fetch t ho mail. In the launch sat Hoshi Jgf and Satsui. Hoshi professed to bo go- k j ing to the markets, not caring to buy VfL from the market boats that soon crowd- J&! cd around. Satsui was to cany tho basket containing tho market produce, i as it. wns beneath the dignity of Hoshi, ifi as the captain's cook, to carr3r it. As the launch was about to steam jf away, Trovor camo down from tho w bridge and fliped a round golden eagle i at Satsui iu tho launch. . f' & "That is to get a new tooth. Sat- sui," he called out, and cv.crybod3' j.' wondered. ; fl Neither Hoshi nor Satsui returned j& to .the Seagull, and during t he rest of a his six months' cruise Trovor secured i the services of Ananias Green and his jt f coadjutor, Charles Sumner Pinchbeck, 1)' who wore promoted respectively to the , positions of captain's cook and cap- v tain's bo3'. Hop Sing remained and enjoyed Trevor's highest consideration. Nfc |