Part 25 (2/2)

”Bless me! That certainly complicates matters. But surely there was only one who ran a business at the North Beach and engaged in hop smuggling on the side.”

”There again you are wrong. There were two; what is more, there was another place called North Beach in those days.”

The Chinaman named the location. It was over the Bay above Saucelito.

There, Ed Woo explained, a certain cove was once called North Beach and enjoyed a short-lived popularity as a Sunday bathing resort, but had now been entirely abandoned for several years.

”And was there a Gong Schow in business over there?” asked the old detective.

”There was,” replied Ed Woo, ”there was one out there and one at the old North Beach in San Francisco. Both took a hand at hop smuggling. I knew them both, so you see, Mr. Brady, it is important that I should know which one you mean.”

”Well, under the circ.u.mstances I should say so,” exclaimed the old detective. ”The man I refer to died shortly after the fire.”

”Then he was the Gong Schow over the bay,” was the reply. ”The other one so far as I know is living still.”

Here was information of real value.

Hurrying back to the hotel Old King Brady found Harry had just come in.

”Have you accomplished anything?” he asked.

”Nothing, I may say,” replied Harry, ”except that by mere accident I learned that Dr. Garshaski took the princess to the North Beach last night and made a hunt for Gong Schow's house, but failed to find it.”

”Which North Beach?”

”What? Are there two?”

”Sure.”

”You don't mean it. Do you know that is just what I was wondering. You certainly know San Francis...o...b..tter than I do, Governor.”

Old King Brady smiled.

”Oh, I can't lay claim to have been in possession of the knowledge for any length of time,” he said, and went on to explain.

”Singular that I should have been seized with the same idea,” remarked Harry. ”Alice, how does it strike you? Can this and not the regulation North Beach be the place?”

”Easily,” replied Alice. ”Skeep Hup knows nothing of San Francisco, remember. When she said North Beach, she was only repeating what she had read in her grandfather's letter. She told me that the letter stated that the house was a little frame affair standing back under the bluff, and that it had a green door; that there were other houses near it and that all had been abandoned.”

”h.e.l.lo!” exclaimed Harry. ”You did not mention the green door before.”

”Didn't I? Then it must have slipped my mind. But when one comes to think of it, no Chinaman in his senses would ever think of hiding money anywhere around North Beach, San Francisco.”

”Dr. Garshaski seems to have been as badly deceived as ourselves,”

observed Harry.

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