Mystery Wings

my youn

meone close behind him. He had been seated in a corner of the pa

instant as the light of a passing car played upon the stranger, he was tempted to laugh. He found himself looking into the face of the smalle

uch wrinkled face puckered into a strange sm

You do not play. But you think very much. Is it not so? This town, your team, they are everything just now. Is it not so?

e you have thought, 'They will defeat us unless we find a pitcher, a very good pitche

ced to call home at that moment. He was thinking of the coming game. But this new pitcher!

ou are thinking, 'Someone has told.' No, my young friend, it has not been

nny fixed his eyes on t

"It is written, I shall be your friend. Tao Sing sh

d away to the deep shadows beyond. When his gaze returned the dark fi

eat perplexity. "I have only known it three days. It

l manner of weird adventures, he had returned to the place that had fascinated him most as a very small boy-his grandfather's home. At the edge of this sleepy little city, a hundred and

is time, Johnny," he said with

entures and mysteries. I-well, I guess I'd just like to sit

d man had said enthusiastically. "

lowly. "I'm rather poor at that. M

r League pennant promised to go aglimmering, he had marched bravely into the office of Colonel Chamb

ad smiled a mysterious smile. "Truth is," he said, "I've been sort of holding out on you boys. I've

in the

ound tomorrow night." (Doug was Captain of the team.) "I'll have him

ot just in big cities nor in tropical jungles either. You find them everywhere. Take that pitcher-one of the most mys

ke aloud without mean

nce more hearing the sound of the little yellow man's v

man repeated quietly. "There is a reason. Soon

y y

w hand waving befo

ittle man continued. "There is a pep me

o,

Once more the little ye

that?" Johnny call

fting back. "You will not believe. Sometime I

d back to his place on the bench. "A pictur

regard to the mysterious pitcher the Colonel had discovered for the team, there was a bare chance that someone had talked. Th

last night that I'd better not go. And yet he, a strange Chinaman I have never seen before,

round for me to see." Laughing a short uncertain laugh, the boy

orn Americans lived there. Then it began to grow. The Chinese people came first. For some reason all his own, a very rich Chinese merchant, Wung Lu, had settled there. In almost no time at all,

llow men," Johnny told himself

"somehow liking" everyone. And because they somehow came to know this, they liked him in turn. He

"now who can he be? I supposed I had seen them all. And he

a picture of my thoughts. How could he have? Bu

one person being able to read another's thoughts. Could this little man do that? Had h

he found out I wasn't going to the pep meeting.

hat he gave it up and turned his t

een rivals, friendly rivals, but the keenest of rivals all the same. For four years,

crest almost beat them in the last

low man with the wrinkled face said that!" he exclaimed, half in anger.

game? There are others to be played. If we lose one, we'

tsteps were approaching. It

ver get rid of him? He's like a shadow,

voice that was little more than a whisper, "You kn

I do. Suppose you have a p

rawled, "Tao Sing has pict

ir was getting almost fun

this-Barney Bradford." The little Chinaman let out a low cackle. "I have the picture of his thoughts.

ow," Johnny agr

isten!" The little man's voice dropped to a whisper. "You a

ohnny stammered, too ast

ured. "Perhaps some day I will show you the picture of you

into the darkness. He left an astonished

y Strawn at his own door. Meggy was

s up?" she asked.

is going to p

got heart trouble. J

tle Chinaman had taken a picture of Barney Bradford's thoughts. That

he thought to himself

s place on the bleachers there was Burt Standish, the pitcher who

a succeeded in keeping it a dead secret. Not a player on our team knew Burt was to pitch." His