The Last Ditch

r. Ti Kung entered with grave smile and hand outstretched. For just a second he had looked into Romney's eyes. His manne

ner, but it was not until their coffee was served and the catfooted servant

deal why I brought you to my home, and toward what end things were

oured and Dr. Ti Kung drew his

continued the Chinese. "To me it symbolised the blending of America with my poor country. We are now wit

e, 'To hell with it,' that most ingenious of many wonderful American remarks. I thought of that. I said to myself, 'Huan Ti Kung, you are heavy; you are long-f

of excitement. You have seen from the little episode in front of the Provincial House last night, that all China does not love me. I counted it a good omen that

as simply the Oriental way of introducing a subject

Kung co

d you are my strong friend. You are a mind-an interpreter of our life. We need

ow room in which they dined was empty, yet the voic

much of the first day here in Shanghai was consumed. The three days since, I have been catching up, studying the events that came to pass during the tw

ghting people, whetted by recent victories. There are three parties here in China: Old China,

i Kung was aligned with this third one; and yet

that war as it is being waged on French and Polish and Carpathian fields at this moment, is

hting to you-fighting such as they know. You may say that war is a

h force of the same nat

is going to stand pat on the expediency of tol

Kung. "We believe that Japan c

ung-a hurried sentence. Voices from the street now rea

ney to follow. They made their way to th

glad you appreciate these absur

become att

acket of papers in

from you or hurt, deliver the packet in person to the address i

coat and laid it upon the top for his own passage over, his hands and arms already bleeding. On the coping, he perceived that Ti Kung was not a

rom below. The assailant had vanished. Something in the touc

ey," came a whisper. "There will

are

. We must get away from here with

ng for his coat, pulling it loose from the gl

ad you mentioned that. I'll

Kung, regain

or work of walking. The American lifted him forward and listened for direc

sciousness leaves me, put me in a carriage, paying the driver and speaking the words, Sarenji loopni; then make your way as rapidly as p

od. It looked like death to the American. The hardest, or possibly next to the hardest thing he ever did, was to

of the vehicle, and whipped away, leaving Romney standing alone under the dim street light. He watched the vehicle out of sight, and began for the first time to feel the effects of the night's activities. Under