CHAPTER III.
LUNG & LUNG.
It is needless to dwell upon the anxiety of the Bradys over the strangevanishing of their accomplished partner.
They were otherwise very seriously inconvenienced.
The Secret Service people, satisfied with the very valuable haul thedetectives had made in the line of smuggled opium, now called them off.
The Bradys are not regular Secret Service men.
They have, however, an arrangement with the Government under which theirservices can be claimed at any time.
The day after Alice's disappearance Old King Brady was notified by Mr.Narraway that the regular force would finish up the matter, inasmuch ashe felt satisfied that the heavy loss they had sustained must havebankrupted the smugglers.
Thus under ordinary circumstances the detectives would have made hasteto cross the continent and get back to their own business in New York.
As it was, they had no idea of leaving San Francisco yet awhile, ofcourse.
Each day was devoted to the search for Alice.
Even the police took a hand in the game, much as Old King Brady dislikesto have them mix up in his affairs, but as we have said before, it wasall in vain.
On the morning of the fourth day before the Bradys had yet left thehotel, a page announced that a Chinaman wished to speak to the olddetective, and at the same time he handed in a business card printed inEnglish on one side, and in Chinese on the other.
The English side read thus:
LUNG & LUNG, GENERAL IMPORTERS, 1015 Dupont Street, San Francisco, Cal.
Ah Lung Gee Lung Wun Lung.
"The whole Lung family," remarked the old detective, looking at thecard. "Show the man up."
It proved to be Ah Lung who came.
He was a very much Americanized proposition, California born and collegeeducated.
In short, both in dress, intelligence and manner he was as perfect aspecimen of a Chinese gentleman as the Bradys had ever seen.
Before proceeding further we must pause to explain that while the Bradysthrough their influence had been able to keep the matter of Alice'sdisappearance and the boxed-up princess off the police blotter, and soout of the papers, it was an open secret among the force.
Consequently it was no surprise to the detectives to have this Chinamanat once allude to it.
"Mr. Brady," he began, "I want you if you will to take up an importantmatter for our firm, which you will find upon investigation, if you arenot already aware of it, stands high in San Francisco commercialcircles."
Old King Brady had heard of the firm of Lung & Lung, and said so. Hedoubted, however, if he cared to take up a case for them.
"It is work you are already engaged in," replied Ah Lung quickly. "Itconcerns the Chinese princess, Skeep Hup, who disappeared along withyour Miss Montgomery the other day."
"What do you know about that?" demanded Old King Brady, "and who toldyou?"
"My information comes through my cousin, who is interpreter at policeheadquarters," replied Ah Lung. "I am prepared to tell you what I knowof the Chinese princess. I suppose the information will interest you inany case."
"It certainly will," said the old detective. "Fire away, Mr. Lung. Thisputs altogether a different face on the matter."
"It is this way," continued Ah Lung. "I have had frequent occasion inthe course of business to visit China, and, being a merchant, am allowedto come and go as I please. When in Pekin, some three years ago, I wasintroduced to this Chinese princess, as you have called her. She is notactually a member of the Imperial family, but the daughter of a verywealthy Mandarin. I fell in love with her, and it was finally arrangedthat we should marry. It was my intention to go to China after her, butthe illness of my brother Wun prevented it, so she started to come tome. I supposed her to be a passenger on the Manchuria, the last steamerin from China. I was so informed by letters I received, but when I wentto meet her at the wharf, I was surprised to learn that her name was noton the passenger list. Both the purser and the steward informed me thatshe had not been seen on the steamer.
"I immediately cabled to China, but it was only to be told that she hadstarted for Shanghai with the intention of taking passage on theManchuria, and that it was supposed by the family that she had done so.She traveled from Pekin in company of a man named Wang Foo, a cousin ofhers. This person was to return to Pekin after seeing the princess off.He had failed to put in an appearance at the time the answer to mycablegram was sent, nor had anything been heard from him.
"You can imagine my anxiety, gentlemen. I was quite at a loss to knowwhat to do when my cousin told me the story of your adventures with thatbunch of opium smugglers. That was late last night, and not wishing todisturb you, I put off my call until this morning. If you can find myintended, you will probably also solve the mystery of the disappearanceof your partner. It is up to you."
"Oh we will take up your case, of course, Mr. Lung," said Old KingBrady. "Have you any idea what the motive for all this can be? Anystarting clew to give us?"
"None whatever. I am just as much in the dark over the matter as youare."
"Suppose this Wang Foo wanted to marry the princess?"
"Would he box her up and treat her as he has if he loved her?" put inHarry, speaking for the first time.
"Listen," said Ah Lung, "Chinamen are not all fiends, as you may think."
"I don't think so," retorted Harry. "There are white fiends as well asyellow fiends."
"You are more liberal-minded than most of your race," replied theChinaman, "but we will leave the white fiends out of the question.Yellow ones there certainly are in this town, and I greatly fear that itis into their hands the princess has fallen."
"Is there money coming to the man who marries her?" demanded Old KingBrady, abruptly.
"That's just it. There was $20,000 of what you call dowry to go with theprincess. As you are probably aware, among my people women rarely carrywith them dowry. On the other hand, men who want to marry have to payfor their wives--buy them, you call it, though I never could understandwhere the difference comes in between paying for husbands, as is doneright along in America. However, that is not the point. In this case itis different. The Princess Skeep Hup had in her own right $10,000, givento her by her mother. As our women do not take care of their own moneymatters, that money was to come to me. It was sent to me by mail in theform of a draft on the Bank of California, and I have it now, so thatcan't be the reason for kidnaping the princess, you see."
"All of which makes the mystery additionally puzzling," said Old KingBrady. "But now listen, you, Mr. Lung. There is but just one thingcertain in this case outside of the fact that a voice from that box toldMiss Montgomery that the Princess Skeep Hup was inside, which I, knowingher knowledge of Chinese, believe."
"So do I," declared Ah Lung, emphatically. "I know Miss Montgomery byreputation, and can well believe it. But this one thing you speak of!"
"Is the fact that the matter was managed by opium smugglers. If we cancatch on to who these people were we may stand some chance of success inour chase after this Chinese princess."
Ah Lung sat silent for some time.
"What you say is true," he said at last. "I could help you in thatif----"
"Well, if?"
"If I could feel sure that the Secret Service people would not interferewith me."
"In other words, Lung & Lung sometimes deal in smuggled hop."
"I make no statements. What I want is a guarantee."
"Assure me upon your honor that you are not mixed up with this gang andyou shall have it."
"Oh, I do, Mr. Brady; indeed I do. The worst Lung & Lung have ever doneis to buy cheap opium without asking questions."
"Very well, I accept that. Do what you will. I want to help you out andto help myself out at the same time. Now then, what do you propose?"
"Listen here," said Ah Lung, lowering his voice. "You Secret Service mencaptured a lot of that opium the other night, but you didn'
t get it allby any means. There was another boat load which ran in ahead of the oneyou captured."
"I can well believe it. The people in that boat fired at me in the fog."
"I am told that Young King Brady is very successful in masquerading as aChinaman."
"Who told you that?" demanded Harry.
"My cousin at Police Headquarters."
"And what about it?"
"Can you meet me to-night at eight o'clock at our store on Dupont streetso disguised?"
"I could, of course. But why?"
"I must not tell, but you can guess. I have an appointment. I want youwith me."
"I'll go, but there is one thing you must understand, I can't speakChinese. I always play the dummy when I disguise that way."
"That will be all right. I was born in San Francisco, and, as ithappens, brought up in a part of the city where I associated only withEnglish-speaking children. My own knowledge of the Chinese language isvery poor. I never speak it unless I am obliged to. I won't speak it inthis interview. You can and shall be a witness to all that is said. Iknow you play the dummy when in Chinese disguise. I want you to play itto-night."
"Settled then," said Harry, "I will be on hand."
There was some further talk, but as it developed nothing, it is notworth recording.
Soon after Ah Lung left.
"A lucky thing this matter came up, governor," observed Harry.
"It promises well," replied the old detective. "That's about all we cansay for it, but we must work ahead just as though it had not come up."
It was a busy day the Bradys put in, but nothing came of it.
Towards five o'clock Harry turned up at the hotel, where he found a notefrom Old King Brady, reading:
"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, SanFrancisco, 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 goneto the trouble to look him up in a business way, he found that thestanding 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 atthe handsome new store on Dupont street, near Sacramento, where the LungBrothers held forth.
Inquiring for Ah Lung, he came up against his brother Wun, who was quitea different proposition, being in native dress and speaking brokenEnglish.
"Ah, him go joss house," he said. "Say, you comee longer me. Meetee himdlere."
Harry assented, and to the new Jackson street joss house, the mostimportant Chinese temple of America, they went.
The big hall contained many Chinamen, most of them standing around withtheir hats on talking business, for this joss house has a good deal ofthe character of a Chinese commercial exchange.
But there were worshipers there before the idols, if they can be socalled.
Really, it bears no resemblance to Christian worship.
When a Chinaman gets down on his knees before the idols and throws josssticks out of a box just as a gambler would throw dice, he is consultingthe spirits of his ancestors as to what course to take in business, loveor pleasure. Just this and nothing more.
There were about twenty Chinamen thus engaged when Harry entered theJackson street joss house, and among them he spied Ah Lung throwing thesticks for all he was worth.
"Dlere he be. We waitee," said Wun Lung. "Him findee out what go tohappen to-night."
So Harry stood waiting while the joss stick throwing went merrily on.
The Bradys After a Chinese Princess; Or, The Yellow Fiends of 'Frisco Page 3