Adventure, June 1911 — page 187: what you’re looking at

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

The Emerald Buddha door, hoping to find it unfastened. Upon finding it. bolted, he had gone to the hall » window; taised the sash and looked out. He made a quick decision to climb out upon the roof, enter Ashton’s room by means of the window and secure the emer- ald. But fearing lest he might be recog- nized by some chance early riser among the stablemen or gardeners, he descended swiftly to the main hall, threw on a long, tan raincoat and tweed cap belonging to Major icaple and, so disguised, returned to the porch roof. He was making his way quietly along to the window of Ashton’s room when seen by:~-. Miss Temple. He found Ashton’s window bolted on the inside, but the increasing light- showed him dimly the interior of the room; with Ashton asleep in the bed. He had cut his hand badly upon a projecting nail or bit of glass, and had rested his bloody palm upon the sill, his fingers point- ing inward. His efforts to open the window awoke the sleeping man within. What fol- lowed I will try to tell in Li Min’s own words as rendered into English by the in- terpreter: “T saw the man rolling about in his bed. He seemed to be suffering, and I heard him groan and once cry out in his sleep. I pushed the window again, and it madea loud noise. The man jumped up quickly and started toward the window. His face was white and terrible.. And as he jumped from bed, the hand of Buddha, the Mighty, the ‘Wonderful One, who knows all things, smote him. like a flash of fire! He fell upon the floor, uttering a loud cry. “T was frightened,-and ran along the roof and climbed into the house through the hall window. I heard sounds in the room of the young man [Mr. Morgan]. I closed’ the window but forgot to bolt it. I ran quickly along the hall and went down the stairs. I put the coat and cap in the closet in the hall, where I had found them, and went out through the servants’ entrance. | I walked into.Exeter and sent word to my brothers in London that the sacred relic had come, Then I had some breakfast and came ‘back. Afterward I learned that the jewel was I did not know whether the great Buddha had taken it away or not. At last - the dead man was taken away and I was sent to fix the room. I searched every- where, but. I could not find the stone. At 373 st the young man came into the room suddenly.. After a time he took the piece of soap and went away. I was a fool—I had not thought of the soap, which lay there in front of my eyes. It was the only thing I had not searched. I knew that if Buddha had not taken away the stone, it must be concealed there. “T watched the young man. I saw him put it in his bag. I went down-stairs, and when the satchel was left unguarded for a moment I took it. The young man and the officer were outside and stopped me. When I was taken into the jail at Exeter, my friend, Chuen Moy, came to see me. I told him through the bars what had happened. I did not know whether the young man would keep the stone or give it to the officer. I told Chuen Moy to go to London and inform our brothers that they might get the stone. I have done nothing wrong. The man who died had offended the great Buddha. He committed a sacrilege and he deserved to die. The mighty hand of the All-Powerful One was stretched out and he fell dead! I myself have seen the miracle. It is the vengeance of Buddha!” I DO NOT know what the effect of this weird story was upon the others in the court-room, but to me it rang with all the accents of sincerity and truth. Not that I believed in the vengeance of Buddha, although even this I was not prepared to deny, but his story explained everything—and nothing. My heart gave a great leap of joy, for I knew that this terrible thing about Muriel’s father, which she so firmly believed, must have almost broken her heart. Yet for me, she had told the terrible truth, as she believed it, and to save me she had gone all the way to Lon- don, to ask my advice. I began to hope that she might have for me a feeling not dis- Lae to that which I so strongly felt for. er. Major Temple was put upon the stand again, but there was no evidence now to connect either Miss Temple, her father or myself with the murder. Li Min had borne out my story regarding the taking of the cake of soap in every particular. I was discharged, along with Major Temple and Miss Temple, and only Li Min re- mained in custody, held upon the technical charge of assaulting McQuade and threat- ening him with a deadly weapon. In-. Go DOOKS ANUC (C@