The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 238: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

———_— -. so. we "Struck a vein o' copper once, miss," Mr. Cherry said. "But they got her away from me. Howsomever, I'm lookin’ still." "Been on the desert a long time?" Eden asked. "Twenty, twenty-five years. One desert or another." "And before that?" "Prospected in West Australia from Hannans to Hall's Creek—through the Territory into Queensland. Drove cattle from the gulf country into New South Wales. Then I worked in the stoke hole on ocean liners.” "Born in Australia, eh?" Eden suggested. "Who—me?" Mr. Cherry shook his head. "Born in South Africa—English descent. Been all up and down the Congo an' Zambesi—all through British Central Africa." "How in the world did you get to Australia?" Eden wondered. "Oh, I don't know, boy. I was filibusterin' down along the South American continent fer a while, an' then I drifted into a Mexican campaign. Seems like there was somethin’ I wanted in Australia—anyhow, I got there. Jest the way I got here. It was over yonder, an' I went.” Eden shook his head. "Ye gods, I'll bet you've seen a lot!" "I guess I have, boy. Doctor over in Redlands was tellin’ me t'other day—you need spectacles, he says. ‘Hell, Doc,’ 238 comiicboeoe S CO