Triple Spies

e court-yard he shivered. He was not cold, though this was Si

were gripped in a life and death struggle. They had been struggling thus for five minutes, each striving fo

once; that had always been his way in the States. Not that he was a quarrelsome fellow; on the contrary he was fond of peace, was Johnny, in spite of the fact that he carried on his person various medals for rather more-than-good feather-weight fighting. H

at he could not get these Russians to stop quarreling by merely whipping t

dered one had flashed a knife. This had been instantly knocked from his grasp. By some chance, the knife had dropped on

ding toward the other's throat. And, right there, Johnny had decided to draw the line. He was not going to allow himself to witness the strangling of a man. That wasn't his idea of fighting. H

button on the other's rough coat when Johnny reached fifty. At sixty it had come to the top button. At sixty-five his long finger-tips were doubling in for the fatal, vice-like grip. N

e tread of Japanese military police who were guarding that section of the city. For a moment he studied the probabilities of the short one's power of endurance, then, deciding it sufficient to last until the police arrived, he g

of increased tumult. They came quickly enough. There was a r

rp chin; the man who the moment before had been the under dog. He was followed closely by another runner, but not his antagonist in the street fight.

chin is wanted for something," Johnny muttere

squirrel-lined coat and, dropping out o

en that, giving a wide berth to a group of American non-coms, dashing off a hasty salute to three Japanese officers, he at last tu

and a pair of squint ey

door wider, and then closing it almost

of vile odors; opium smoke, not too ancient in origin, mixed with smells of cooking, while an ill-defined but all-pervading od

own realm, which was clothes. His establishment had grown up out of the grim necessity and dire pressure of war. Not that the pressure was on his own person; far from th

e their station in life, and that very quickly. It was Wo Cheng's business to help them make this change. Many a Russian noble had sought this noisome shop to exchange his "purple and fin

cident when out scouting for billets for American soldiers. He had later

tal grinned, as Johnny seated him

nge." He gripped the lapel of his blouse, as

Chinaman squinted at him w

-spread his face. "Ow!" he exclaimed, "no ca

y, glancing about at the tiers of costum

to return with the uniform of an American privat

u no wanchee savvy. No wanchee uniform. Wanchee clothes, fur

the Chinaman, sc

my see you. Allatime, my see you. Not speak

ng shi

Johnny, "m

ckly with a great coat of real seal, trimmed with sea otter, a

" Johnny sho

This was his rarest offering. "You no got cum

my," Johnn

d returned with a similar one, less pr

indeer meat, rations for the regiment that was Johnny's, or, at least, had been Johnny's. He could catch a ride on that train. A

and giving them an occasional fling here and there, as some garment caught his eye, he came presently upon a solid square yard of

quirrel skins of Siberia, and was trimmed with wolf's skin. As Johnny held it against his body, it reached to his kn

ns of reindeer, and trimmed with wolverine, he seemed satisfied, for, tossing the others into a pile, he had drawn o

houlders and sharp chin. As Johnny's eyes fell upon it now, he realized that it was an altogether unusual weapon. The blade

siderable difficulty in getting his left arm into the sleeve. This task accomplished, he stretched himself this way and that. He smoothed down the fur thoughtful

rap at the door-three raps, to

n American officer. His fur parka, topping those khaki trousers and puttees of his, would seem at least to tell a tale, and might co

, "my wanchee you keep m

grunted th

he had opened

and women came to him; some for a permanent change of costume, some for a night's exchange only. Peasants, grown suddenly and strangely rich, bearing passports and tickets for other lands, came to buy the cast-off finery of the one time nobility. Russian, Japanese, Am

ussian, Japanese, C

who stood blinking in the light was not a man, but a woman, a sh

uy?" solici

and trimmed with ermine. Then, as if it were an everyday occurrence, she stepp

he came upon some smaller garments, which might better fit her slight form. Comparing for a moment one of squirrel skin with one of fawn skin, she finally laid aside the latter. Then she attacked the pile of fur trousers. At the bottom she

e before a murky mirror. Then, turning briskly, she

asked, handing the furs to

naman g

to-day as yesterday-very often more. The thing that did surprise Johnny was the size of the bills she left with the dealer. She was buying those garments, there could be no question about that. But why? No one in this re

ooked at his watch. It was one o'clock.

ain there came a rap, this time loud and insistent, a

ny stifled a groan, as h

n in a whisper, "my wanchee y

d Wo Cheng, his