Newspaper Page Text
| The Fla ming
i Heart
>
/ Quest For a Hidden Ruby In
the Hills of China
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>
! By JAMES A. REIXICK
The little woman in black had kept
to herself during the long voyage from
Sni) Francisco to Shanghai, and now
with the China coast lying straight
ahead, a long, flat line of yellow merg- 1
lug into the muddy, yellow waters of
the broad mouth of the Yangtzekiang,
she < .ved her fellow passengers with a
close scrutiny.
A n lier Clarkson had noticed her
from the very beginning, perhaps 'be- j
cause of her evident though self Im
posed loneliness, as well as the serene
beauty of her face. To her fellow pas
senger she was Mrs. I’earce, a widow. ;
To Clarkson she was an object of in
terest.
He was surprised on this last day of
tin* voyage when she approached him j
where lie stood near the ship’s rail and
spoke.
"Mr. Clarkson.” she said, rather tim
idly. while a faint color flushed her
clear skin, “the captain tells me that
yon are a resident of Shanghai and
may be of assistance to me. I am a
perfect stranger here and—l need
help!”
“It will give me the greatest pleas
ure to lie of assistance.” assured Clark
son courteously. "Pray command me;
I am entirely at your service.”
“You are more than kind," she said,
with a little tremor in her voice. ‘‘l j
need a friend, oh. so badly! I have:
a most delicate and dangerous mission I
to perforin, and I need tin* advice and
help of a friend. May I call you that,
Mr. Clarkson?”
"I shall be honored. Mrs. Pearce," lie
said sincerely. i
"Thank you. Now. lot me s.ly that,
although my mission is a dangerous
one. if it is successfully accomplished
it will make me a very rich woman
ami you a rich man. although, pardon
me. you may be rich ’beyond the
dreams of avarice’ already!” She
smiled charmingly.
“I am anything but rich,” laughed
Clarkson.
Mrs. Pearce put out an eager little |
hand.
“Then you are just the man to help!
me out!” she cried enthusiastically.
Again Clarkson laughed.
“I begin to see that poverty has Its
n«l vantages,” he said, clasping her
hand In his for an instant.
"Thank you,” she said simply. “I
felt that I could before i approached
you. Let me state the case briefly: I
am the widow of Henry Pearce, who
commanded the big steamer Catalpa,
plying between Vancouver and the far
eastern ports. My husband had lived
in China many years and had good
friends among the Chinese ns well as
the foreigners.
“Four years ago Captain Pearce had
a vacation and when he reached Shang
hai turned the Catalpa over to a eom
(b |
“TIIE I’LAMIXO HEART !" EJACULATED
CLARKSON.
potent commander and took a long j
desire 1 trip up the Yangtze river. It
was up,there that he fell upon the
trail of tUo Flaming Heart.” She
paused and drew a long breath.
"The Flaming Heart?" ejaculated!
Clarkson, deeply interested.
Mrs. Pearce nodded, and tears filled
her beautiful gray eyes.
“The Flaming Heart cost my hus
band his life. For three years after
ward he suffered from the effects of a
stab wound he received when he dis
covered Its hiding place, and on ids
deathbed he told me the story and
made me promise that I would take
measures to interest some honorable
men in the enterprise to recover the
Heart that is his by right of discovery.
I knew that the meu I could interest
must lie found here on the spot, some
one who knows the Chinese.”
“It sounds good to me.” said Archer
Clarkson soberly. "Tell me the rest
of it please”
"It seems Chat on a previous voyage
to the east my husband befriended a
mandarin who was returning home to
die. This Chinese, who was very
rb '.Y told my husband of a certain
jew*!, a very valuable ruby, called the
Flaming Heart. This ruby was se
creted In one of tlie niches of a rock
temple along the upper gorges of the
Yangtze river, and there was a bitter
rivalry between Lin Wah. our man
darin, and Fuh Kienso, who ruled
another province, for the discovery
a::(l possession of the jewel.
"Lin Wah had the advantage over
his enemy because he alone possessed
the directions how to find the ruby, but
it became necessary for Lin Wah to
go to the United States, where he had
relatives, and during Ids absence lie
left trusted men to guard the rock
temple until he could return and com
plete his search for the Flaming Heart
"But the mandarin was taken ill and
died before the Catalpa reached Shang
hai, and he gave the precious paper to
my husband anil with his dying breath
willed him the Flaming Heart. That
is why Captain Pearce took a vacation
the following year and went up the
Yangtze river.
“When he reached the rock temple
he discovered by careful inquiry that
Lin Wall’s guards had been killed at
their posts and that the rock temple
and its vicinity were swarming with
the men of Fuh Kienso. who were
making a frantic search for the gem. #
They evidently suspected my husband's
Interest in the matter, and one day
they stabbed him. and after searching
iiis clothing and finding nothing (for
he had taken the precaution to commit
the directions to memory) they left
him for dead and ran away, abandon
ing for the time the search for the
ruby.
“Captain Pearce was an invalid for
four years, and before he died he learn
ed that the mandarin, Full Kienso. was
also dead and therefore the way to the
safe discovery of the Flaming Heart
must be open. If you will go with me
and discover the gem half of it will be
yours.” finished Mrs. i earce.
"That part may be settled after
ward." said Clarkson gravely.
A week later Archer Clarkson and
Mrs. Pearce were sailing up the Yang
tze river In one of the steamers that
ply the great stream as far up us linn
kow. There they hired a boat and
boatmen, and. always accompanied by
Clarkson’s trusted Chinese “boy,” Van
Ping, they proceeded up the river.
At last they reached a point where
they bade their “trackers" make camp
by the boat, and Mrs. Pearson mid
Clarkson went on with Van Ping, who
had been born in that province and
knew the country well.
Another day’s Journey by a devious
patli that sometimes skirted the river
or again wound around through the
pine clad hills and at last they emerged
on the top of a mighty rook that frown
ed above the river. Standing at the
edge of the precipice. Archer Clarkson
looked down at the river, boiling down
through the rocky gorge below.
Mrs. Pearce uttered a little cry of
alarm, the first symptom of weakness
she had indulged since they began the
Journey.
“What a dreadful place!" she shud
dered. “Captain Pearce said the open
ing to the rock temple was just below
the summit of the rock, but how can
one reach It?”
“We must rig a sling and lower our
selves down in front of the entrance.
Either Van Ping or I must go first.”
“Let Van Ping go—there might be
danger!” she cried quickly, and tears
filled her eyes.
Clarkson felt a queer throbbing in
the region of his watch pocket. A
great tenderness for the plucky little
woman filled his heart.
Van Ping, who had not fallen }n
love with any one. had been studying
the situation from a practical view
point. Now he approached his master
and. apologizing profusely for the in
trusion. begged to offer advice.
“Fire ahead!” was Clarkson’s sug
gestion.
Van Ping declared that as a little lad
he had played about this great rock,
and he remembered that there was a
legend concerning a heart that was
buried in the rock. “But,” said Van
Ping earnestly, “the way to the hiding
place is from the top of the rock and
not by the entrance that overhangs
the gorge."
"The top of the rock?” Clarkson was
asking when from behind them there
came a shrill cry of triumph, and they
turned to see a dozen rascally looking
Chinese approaching them through the
pine woods.
In an instant Clarkson realized the
great danger that faced them. It
would be an easy matter for the ban
dits to rush them and crowd them
over the edge of the precipice into the
river, where all traces of them would
he forever lost.
He caught Nita Pearce by the hand,
and. calling to Van Ping to follow,
Clarkson pulled out tils revolver and
rgn to meet the Chinese. This unex
pected move so startled the latter that
they paused in confusion, thus giving
the fugitives an opportunity to get
down from the rock and out of the
danger that threatened them.
Van Ping went forward to interview
the attacking party.
Presently he returned to his master.
"These scoundrels velly wicked men
—want Flaming Heart—say so lang
ago—way back, their mandarin he
promise Flaming Heart if they help
hut no can find, and he die. Now
they search some more and find you.
They say you die.”
“Well.” mused Clarkson, “suppose
you tell them to go ahead and search.
We won't interfere with them if they
will let us alcne."
After half an hour of parleying Van
Ping returned to say that the Chinese
would search on their own account.
THE COFFEE COUNTY PROGRESS. DOUGLAS, GEORGIA
only they stipulated that the Ameri
cans should not foiibw them to the
rock cave. To this Clarkson agreed
after talking to Van Ping.
And presently the ragged, filthy crew
were crowded on the rock, chattering
vociferously while they arranged a
sling, and one by one were lowered
to the opening in the face of the rock
which gave entrain e to the rock tem
ple.
When there remained only one man
on tlie rock, he who worked the swing
ing seat. Clarkson and Van Ping con
ferred together, and finally, leaving
Mrs. Pearce to watch the Chinaman
from a safe position with a revolver
held menacingly in her hand, they
made a careful search around the
base of the rock for the spot which
Van Ping said he had visited once
when a lad. It was here that he had
learned of the hidden Flaming Heart.
Many years had passed since then,
but as the other searchers had been
on a false trail it remained for Van
Ping to find at last the little mound
• 4
TIIE GUARD SCREAMED SHRILLY.
of moss beneath the crooked pine.
Digging the mound away revealed a
little fiat stone, and the removal of the
stone showed a round hole faced with
cement that apparently led down Into
tlie rear of the rock temple. It looked
very dark down there, and Clarkson
thrust his long arm down and clutch
ed something hard and round like a
metal box. lie brought It up and was
looking down into the cavity when
part of the wall near the bottom fell
away and a yellow band was thrust
In from the rock temple in a futile
search for the treasurd.
“We must get out of this,” said
Clarkson quickly, and he related the
Incident to Van Ping. In u very short
time the searchers below would dis
cover that tlie treasure had been found
by the Americans and there would be
murder and bloodshed at once.
Van Ping earned the undying grati
tude of his master that afternoon.
The Chinese on guard was an opium
smoker, and his senses were dulled by
the drug. Now he sat drowsily at the
edge of tlie precipice, the tope hang
ing loosely in his hand. The end of
the rope had been twisted around the
sturdy limb of a tree, affording a pur
chase for tlie manipulation of the
sling.
Van Ping readied up and cut the
rope wound around the tree. It slip
ped hissingly through the weak grasp
of the guard, and before the man re
alized what had happened the rope had
dropped from his fingers and tlie sling
chair dangling below fell hurtling into
the river.
The guard screamed shrilly, but his
cries were Instantly stilled by Van
Ping's big blue handkerchief tied about
his mouth.
Then, hand in hand. Clarkson and
Nita Pearce weut back along the way
they had come, and Van Ping led the
way.
At last they came up to the camp of
the trackers, and Clarkson offered
them double pay to put off in the boat
at once.
Nita Pearce sat in the stern of the
boat, her hand in Archer Clarkson's.
There was an unspoken understanding
between these two. who had met so
casually and who had taken this haz
ardous Journey after the Flaming
Heart.
They spoke of the Chinese bandits
imprisoned in the rock temple, and
they spoke <>f tlie moment when they
might safely open tlie little bronze
box that was hidden in Clarkson's
pocket. They talked about rewarding
Van Ping. They did not talk of them
selves. k
At last came the moment when, back
In Shanghai at Mrs. Pearce’s hotel,
they opened the bronze box and looked
iq >on the beautiful ruby which had
cost many lives and the possession of
which meant the beginning of a new
life for Clarkson.
“isn't it wonderful?" whispered Nita
Pearce as she looked down at the
glowing ruby.
"Beautiful.” agreed Clarkson, but he
was looking at Nita's face.
"Tiip loveliest tiling I saw,”
murmured Nita. lifting her gray eyes
to smile at him.
"I have seen lovelier." said Clark
son. looking deep Into her eyes.
Now she understood, and presently
when they stood, their faces close to
gether. looking down at the Flaming
Heart they saw reflected in its glow
ing heart a beautiful future back home
in tlie States.
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