The Bradys After a Chinese Princess; Or, The Yellow Fiends of 'FriscoDoughty, Francis Worcester
General
The Bradys After a Chinese Princess; Or, The Yellow Fiends of 'Frisco
Doughty, Francis Worcester
Detective and mystery stories; Dime novels; San Francisco (Calif.) -- Fiction
"That man must be shadowed," he said. "It is useless for me to undertake
it other than in a general way. He has worked for me and knows my
methods of disguising. He is as keen as a razor. Some time ago he fell
madly in love with Miss Montgomery, and we had all kinds of trouble with
him. I am afraid he is at the bottom of her disappearance."
"I'm on the job. Where shall I lay for him? Here or in front?"
"In front."
"Will I do as I am?"
"It's the best you can do at short notice. Listen. You saw him give me
his card. I am going to his room on Stockton street. If I can get in I
shall not hesitate to give it a good overhauling. I must be quick. Do
the best you can for me, Leggett."
The Secret Service man gave his promise and Old King Brady hurried away.
The Stockton street house proved to be a four-story brick tenement
filled with Japanese.
There was a bell-board with names on it, but that of Dr. Garshaski did
not appear.
Old King Brady had just finished studying the names when a Jap came out
through the open door.
The old detective showed the doctor's card.
"Know him?" he asked.
But the man appeared to be short on English.
"No know," he said. Then pointing inside he made the old detective
understand that he was to inquire at the last door on the right, which
he did.
This proved to be the janitor, whose English was quite understandable.
"Top floor," he said. "He only hire room of 'nother man. Las' door
left."
Old King Brady traveled up the stairs.
He felt that he was running every risk of discovery by the doctor.
Encountering no one in the upper hall, he knocked lightly on the door.
There was no answer.
Producing his skeleton keys, he easily mastered the lock.
It was only a bedroom. There was but little furniture.
On the top of a chiffonier was Alice's picture in an elaborate gilt
frame, which did not bear out the doctor's assurance that he had got
over being love-sick.
Without losing an instant the old detective opened the drawers of this
chiffonier and began disturbing things as little as possible.
It was not until the lower drawer was reached that he found anything to
interest him.
The first was a bunch of three letters fastened by a rubber band.
There were other letters, some in Japanese and some in Chinese.
These, however, were in English, and when Old King Brady caught the
signature, "R. Volckman," he knew that he had made a discovery.
This letter was brief enough. It read:
"DEAR SIR: Yours receipted. I shall be ready for you at 2 thirty.
All serene. R. VOLCKMAN."
"This settles it," muttered the old detective. "Volckman has been
standing in with these opium smugglers all right, and the doctor is in
the deal. I shall arrest the man on sight."
He ran over the other letters.
All related to the landing of the smuggled opium.
In one Volckman agreed to furnish boats to the Chinese smugglers, with
men to take charge of them.
The other was a demand to know when and where he could meet Dr.
Garshaski.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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