| Show S V W l 1 1 t f 5 I fYE HU 1 y I itnA HA 1 1 BEGIN ima nEKE TODAY Monica Vincy beautiful widow lives with her brother Captain John Toha Hewitt CommIssioner of o Po Police po- po police lice at British North Borneo Peter is hired by the government to apprehend nd Hung Chat leader of ot The Tho YelloW Seven a gang g-anK of Chinese bandits Yin Llen- Llen Yin Lien Yin forner agent of o 0 Chat Chat- Hung comes to Captain Hewitt r with a great bronze bronie jar lar which he be contains tho the shoe ashes of oChal Chal HeWItt doubts the re re- re port of Hung's Chal death NOW GO ON WITH THE TUE RY He placed the Jar Sar carefully on a corner of the desk aI I Im sorry JacK Tack she abs sId said wear wear- wearIly wearily il ily I 1 didn't want ant to disturb you you but the sheer loneliness of trio I place Is getting on my nerves I just had to come ink In ln She slipped Into the chair he ho bad pu pushed hed ward tor-ward for tor- sard ard and the kitten treeing freeing with an effort began chasing II a giant cockroach across the floor Youve got a touch of fever tover suggested Hewitt Howitt sympathetically Better Detler take a stiff dose doIe of quinine and and turn In in in- She smiled faintly I dont don't think Its It's fever Its It's this awful uncertainty Im I'm worried about Mr Mr Pennington Hes He's been on the Island too long loas The natives nates mut be getting to know him I haven't slept for nights Ive I've been picturing him wandering through the jungle on this goose ca wild for that creatures creature's tomb with the followers of ot Chal HunS on hIs hia track The Commissioner perched him hIm- hImself himself himself self on the table Hell come back all aU right he h declared aware all the time of a certain unaccountable huskiness In his throat Pennington always does docs Her graze gaze traveled to the bronze jar Is that the thing she the demand demand- demanded demanded ed dully nodded She left her chair and ud crept ward tor-ward for tor- forward ward half halt her hands outstretched In front of ot her br Pres Pres- Presently pres- pres presently Presently she stood before the the jar looking wistfully down at It It And to think that think that everything depends on that that everything at least that matters The Commis oner jerked up his head and stared bard hard at the wall wallI I to 10 discover how Monica knew but the very fact that she did know startled him In the silence that followed he ho caught tho measured I tread of the sentry on duty out out- outside outside out outside side the insistent hum of ot nocturnal r Insects the pattering of the ab absurd ab- ab absurd absurd surd kitten across the boards On Onn Ona Ona n a tray by the bookshelf there re- re reposed reposed re reposed posed a decanter and glasses He went over to it and d poured out a stiff stitt tot tot She took it unquestionably mak mak- making mak- mak making ing log a wry face tace as the spirit burnt her throat thront So So ton Pennine-ton does matter he said quietly I The Tho warm earm 1 arm blood mounted to her herI cheeks I I Of Of course Im glad of that He was waa placing the glass glais back bad on the tray when be he realized that his sister had bad followed him across the room Must we keep that wretched jar here bere Cant Can't lou ou just look to In-to In tomake make and sure sure and send It back to them again 7 He his head and laughed to dispel a 8 certain uncomfortable Inward feeling that Monicas Monica's Mon cas ca's pres pres- present present prea- prea ent mood Inspired the dealt deill de II of It he be told her I 1 cant can't find out hoV ho v It works She sun surveyed sur him for some Borne mo- mo mo moments ments her head on one side Why dont don't you send tor for a black black- blacksmith smith smith-or smith or r somebody somebody-nd somebody and force for e it open 1 like to do 00 that You see sec It wouldn't bo tie policy polley to tf provoke any further unpleasant unpleasant- unpleasantness unpleasantness ness by deliberately Ung sacrilege Besides Its It's an uncommonly uncommonly uncommonly fine tine urn Ho He looked down at his watch watch- Time to lo go to Yin's bedLien-Yin's bed bedLien Lien Lien- LIen Yin's Yin's coming coining round In the and morning morning and then we shall know all about it iL It She he clutched at lt his bis sleeve Jack I 1 cant can't sleep Bleep hero here with that thing in the house Ive I've been feeling perfectly horrible ever since they brought it here You call It nerves I 1 know but Ive I've seen things thing at the window window What sort of things I I 1 cant can't quite explain Just agUe shadowy objects object That was made me come to you I 1 could have sworn I 1 heard them breathing and once once for tor a fraction traction o ot of a second second second- two tao lIke hands hands like claws rested laws rested sted on r the sill I should have one gone madI mad I 1 I had stayed I In spite ot of himself the stoner glanced at the wide open aperture through which the tho cool night air filtered His s keen gahe ga efell e fell tell upon nothing but the lar tar patch of or blackness she had ox- ox expected ex expected to bee eo Ho He w walked ked deUber- deUber to It and tossed the end othis of ot his cigar Into the garden There Is nothing there you see he ho declared I tell you what It Is Monica Youre You're worrying too much about oung Pennington and Iud you want a holiday It If you take my ray ad- ad advice advice vice vico you'll get married ted as soon ashe ashe as he comes cornea and bock back and get him to take lou ou for a long sea trip Arent you looking rather far ahead s ild Monica demurely lou iou 10 1 get forget forget ho hasn't asked me yeti The Commissioner tapped the bronze jar with his bis finger nail Ho No No but bo ho will wilt as soon as aa I show him that Ho lIe was ony waiting walling for tor proof that our enemy was dead She caine e slowly back toward the urn Proof she echoed in a voice so 50 low that It was scarcely audible i 1 If it this clumsy thing proves anything For all alt we know it may be empty In which case caso ncr brother theres there's nothing on earth to prevent us going to bed I But Dut Monica was wa-i not listening She was passing her fingers over the metal surface I fancy that band nd has l something some- some something thing to do with It the it the b band Dd with the four little gold studs She her thumb poised over the nearest of the four tour gold knobs It hovered for tor a 0 second second-a second a bare Inch inch half from the metal and then thena thena I a a form torm plunged wildly through the tho open window landed In a crouching attitude on the bare r boards and extending a 3 lean arm ann thrust thru t her bodily Into a orner The bronze bronie jar jaP toppled awit- awit and ond rolled to the floor where the Siamese kitten fell upon It In a frenzy of ot delight Hewitt wrenched open the drower In which his automatic lay and Mon Men Ie lea her ber eyes wide op open n with tar ter- terro ter terror roE ro leant helplessly I against the wall gazing Into tho the scarred swart face of a Chinaman The Intruders Intruder's greasy coat was waa torn ind md weather weather- stained his bis feet were swathed In sandals sandal of plaited straw and his features wore an expression that she did not altogether understand Put them up gala sald the Com Com- CommIssioner Corn Corn- Commissioner missioner coldly and the c celestial readily d on the astonished Hewitt a broad boyish grin Dont keep me like this for long forlong came the familiar meas meas- measured tired drawl of ot Chinese Pennington Ive got Llen- Llen Yin Lien trussed II like liko ko a hungry chicken outside and Im aa as hun hun- hungry bun bun- gry aa as a hunter bunter The Commissioner his hia THE TIlE BRONZE JAR TAR LAY OPEN weapon bac back Into the drawer In disgust disgust- Look here old son he com com- complained coni- coni complained What the deuce mean by giving us shocks shock like Ilko tb this l The scarecrow produced a rubber pouch and began rolling himself a Im sorry if it I hurt you Mrs Viney only I didn't like liko to see sec you fiddling about with that jar I X wanted to see what was In- In Inside inSide In Inside side She had recovered from the sur- sur surprise sur surprise prise prim his sudden entry had given her Her cheeks were flushed and aud the folds of the kimono at her bosom rose and fell In tune with her quick breathing ran his lower lip along the gummed gummed edge of paper edge the pa- pa paper pa paper per and looked across at the Com Com- Commissioner Corn Corn- Commissioner missioner What V hat did you suppose was waa WIn In Inside In- In Inside Inside side S SHo Ho He flung out the words like a challenge The The ashes of our lamented deeply lamented trien Cha friend Hung Chat The younger man surveyed him pityingly The ashes of sticks fiddle-sticks Chat Chat- Hung or Hung Chal-Hung of all alk men starting men starting out on ona ona ona a nev ne v line and line and arranging to b he cremated Doesn't sound very probable probable probable able docs does If It And yet I suppose bytho even I might have been deceived by bv the tho delightfully plausible story story-If story they hadn't chosen me to be one ot of the tho bearers Good Lord HeWItt passed a clammy hand handover handover handover over his hia forehead Suddenly Monica uttered a little scream and pointed to the I floor The Siamese kitten that had been pIa placing Ing with the bronze bronzo hadI urn I was W lying on Its back kicking spas spasmodically medically The movements ceased I abruptly and before the Commis Commie Commissioner Commissioner abner could reach It the creature was as as dead More amazing still the bronze jar lay open Its gaping mouth dark and hollow like a 0 tunnel displaying no sign of the remains Hewitt had bad e to Bee ace Poisoned said the tho Commis CommIs- CommIssioner Commissioner stoner hoarsely Poor little devil 1 It was playing with the tha gold stud declared the girl sorrow sorrow- sorrowfully sorrowfully sorrowfully fully Mr Pennington you dont don't P I I do I knew it before I came In Ive I've been hanging around here all evening trying to give Lien Yin Lien the slip and prevent you both mak- mak mak making tug IllS fools tools of yourselves of es as lie He turned the tho jar with his foot and all three recoiled In horror There fluttered red out on to the floor a strip of ot pasteboard By a freak of ot chance it fell tell upper face most showing seven black dots dota on ona ona ona a vivid yellow the ground ground the dread sign of the Yellow Seven Tb The Commissioner was waa the first to move Look here bere Pennington he shouted Wheres this fellow Lien Lien- Yin Lien Yin The other nodded toward the thedoor th thedoor door Your mans man's got out him him out there D Dlou ou want to see him T I 1 want to make certain he doesn't get away heI I He fumbled with something In inthe ithe the drawer again and made for the veranda Monica looked up at Pennington and there were tears in her eyes Im heart-broken heart about Peter she said softly but Im I'm Im I'm awfully grateful to you for tor what you OU did My dear Mrs Viney protested Pennington screwing up his eyes For the love Jove of heaven call her ber Monica bawled the Commis- Commis Commissioner stoner oer o'er his should shoulder r He lie went out slamming the tho door after him Island N S N the next episode or of orthis othis this gripping will start In our next ne issue |
