Part 7 (1/2)

”DEAR HARRY: I have just had a call over the 'phone from Leggett.

He wants to see me at the Harper House, on Mission street, and that's where I am going now. Don't know what for, but I suppose it relates to Volckman. Don't wait for me. Be very careful of yourself to-night.

”O. K. B.”

Was the caution needed?

It certainly was.

For a detective to mix up with Chinese opium smugglers in Chinatown, San Francisco, is always dangerous.

But Young King Brady felt confidence in Ah Lung.

Not only had he taken a liking to the man, personally, but having gone to the trouble to look him up in a business way, he found that the standing of the firm in white circles was very high.

”Half a million capital invested,” one person stated.

”Good for anything they want to buy here,” another firm declared.

”Squarest Chinese house in San Francisco,” said another, and so on.

So Harry made his Chinese disguise, and at eight o'clock turned up at the handsome new store on Dupont street, near Sacramento, where the Lung Brothers held forth.

Inquiring for Ah Lung, he came up against his brother Wun, who was quite a different proposition, being in native dress and speaking broken English.

”Ah, him go joss house,” he said. ”Say, you comee longer me. Meetee him dlere.”

Harry a.s.sented, and to the new Jackson street joss house, the most important Chinese temple of America, they went.

The big hall contained many Chinamen, most of them standing around with their hats on talking business, for this joss house has a good deal of the character of a Chinese commercial exchange.

But there were wors.h.i.+pers there before the idols, if they can be so called.

Really, it bears no resemblance to Christian wors.h.i.+p.

When a Chinaman gets down on his knees before the idols and throws joss sticks out of a box just as a gambler would throw dice, he is consulting the spirits of his ancestors as to what course to take in business, love or pleasure. Just this and nothing more.

There were about twenty Chinamen thus engaged when Harry entered the Jackson street joss house, and among them he spied Ah Lung throwing the sticks for all he was worth.

”Dlere he be. We waitee,” said Wun Lung. ”Him findee out what go to happen to-night.”

So Harry stood waiting while the joss stick throwing went merrily on.

CHAPTER IV.

ALICE Pa.s.sES THROUGH THE DOOR OF DEATH.

What then had happened to Alice?