AN ARRESTED SACRIFICE
The hand moved nearer and nearer Mr. Kit-ze's breast; a moment more and
it had buried itself in the folds of his robe. Even as Helen continued
to gaze like one transfixed, ere yet she had the power to recover
herself, a face appeared above the hand. But it was not the face she had
expected to see--that of Mr. Choi-So. Instead, the moonlight showed her
clearly the repulsive countenance of the old _mutang_.
There are moments when sudden excitement leads us into a line of action
our cooler moments would by no means approve, when quick emotions bring
impulses that are followed without a pause for reasoning. Such a time
had now come to Helen. Mr. Kit-ze was being robbed. She could see that
plainly. The thief was the old _mutang_, and the object of her theft, it
almost instantly flashed into Helen's mind, was the red _miriok_. In
truth, even as the intuition came to her, she saw the hideous little
image in the woman's hand.
All Helen's energies were now bent toward a frustration of the old
woman's design of carrying away the _miriok_. She, Helen, must recover
it ere the _mutang_ got off with it. For if the _miriok_ disappeared,
how could she ever carry out her good intentions for either Mr. Kit-ze
or Choi-So? All would be frustrated. For would not Mr. Kit-ze be
violently angry? and would he not at once charge the theft to Choi-So?
And what might not happen? As to poor Choi-So, he would surely grow
demented when he found that the image had gone beyond his reach--oh, she
felt that he would!
In her sudden excitement, Helen never stopped for reasoning. Hence it
did not occur to her that her testimony would exonerate Choi-So with Mr.
Kit-ze, nor that, so far as the part relating to Choi-So was concerned
the old _mutang_ might be located and the stolen image recovered.
All that Helen then thought of was the recovery of the _miriok_. She
must get it and at once. Even now the woman was slipping away with it.
If she waited to arouse the others the old woman would be gone, for at
the first sounds of alarm, she would speed away like a hunted animal up
the bank. Helen knew the magic influence of money, especially of shining
_yen_. Had not the old woman shown her greed for them during the
afternoon? If the _miriok_ could be recovered, it would surely be
through the agency of the _yen_.
Both girls had lain down in the loose wrappers they wore for comfort
during a part of the day. In the pocket of hers Helen had her purse.
Besides a few smaller silver pieces there were in it three _yen_.
She leaned quickly over Dorothy; she placed her arm under her neck and
gently shook her, all the while whispering: "Get up quickly, dear, and
come with me. Don't speak out, don't question; only come and be quick!
quick!"
Fortunately, Dorothy was not hard to arouse when once she had been
touched. Like some even heavy sleepers whom a vigorous call cannot
awaken, the touch was like magic. In a second or so she was fully awake,
and gazing at Helen in deep wonder but alert.
"It is the red _miriok_!" said Helen to Dorothy again in a whisper. "The
old _mutang_ has come and stolen it from Mr. Kit-ze. He does not know
it, and there is no time to arouse him and the others. We must recover
it. If we are quick we can overtake her before she gets away. Then this
will accomplish the rest," she added, confidently holding up the purse.
The _mutang_ had now sprung down from the side of the sampan into which
she had crept, and was moving rapidly up the slight incline when Helen
and Dorothy in turn reached the bank. She saw them almost instantly and,
with a muffled cry, very much like the growl of an animal, increased her
speed.
"Stop!" said Helen in low tones, and as persuasively as she could.
"Stop! We only want to talk to you. We mean no harm."
But the old woman either did not understand them or she would not stop.
It was evidently the latter, for as much as she could, she quickened her
pace. But swift as she was, Helen and Dorothy were even swifter. They
were only a pace or two behind her as the top of the bank was reached.
It was not far from daylight. The signs of the approaching dawn had
already begun to appear along the eastern sky. At the brow of the bluff
and stretching away from the temple, was the village of rude mud huts,
with now and then a more pretentious one showing in their midst. There
was one principal street which ran along between the rows of huts. The
_mutang_ made for this with Helen and Dorothy close behind her.
"Stop!" entreated Helen again, and louder than before. "Oh, do stop! We
mean no harm. We only want to talk to you." But the more earnestly she
entreated, the more determined the old woman seemed to be to resist her,
to escape from her.
Helen had now drawn near enough to lay hold of the old woman's clothing,
but her grasp was violently shaken off, as the _mutang_ sprang away
again with renewed energy.
The two girls, intensely excited, stuck to the chase. All their thoughts
were concentrated upon it; their one desire to overtake the old woman
and to induce her, by offering _yen_ in exchange, to return the
_miriok_. Absorbed in these thoughts, this desire, they lost sight of
all else, especially of how every moment that they were getting nearer
and nearer to the woman they were going farther and farther away from
the sampan.
[Illustration: "'STOP!' ENTREATED HELEN!"]
"Oh," said Helen breathlessly, "we must overtake her! We must get her to
give us the _miriok_. We can't let her escape with it in this manner,
for what then could we do about poor Choi-So and Mr. Kit-ze?"
"Yes," replied Dorothy, "we must get it back. I am like you, Helen, I
can't bear to see the old woman get off with it. Oh, every time I think
of that poor man Choi-So and his melancholy, pleading eyes, I feel that
we must keep on, that we must overtake her and secure the image by some
means!"
"Why," said Helen suddenly, "I have forgotten to tell her about the
_yen_ I have for her." Then she began to call, holding up her purse:
"See! I have _yen_ for you. Stop and let me tell you about it."
At last she had used the magic words. At sound of them, twice repeated,
the _mutang_ slackened her pace. Then she turned her head. Encouraged by
these signs, Helen renewed her efforts.
They were now some distance into the village, and a half-mile or more
from the sampan. The red glow of the coming morning had fully dyed the
east. Already there were signs of stirring life in the huts about them.
Then too, the noise of running feet and of Helen's loudly spoken words
had attracted attention. One by one forms began to appear on the street.
Soon there was quite a group in the neighborhood of the pursued and
pursuers. By the time Helen had succeeded in gaining the old _mutang's_
interest, there were many curious spectators surrounding them.
"What is all this commotion about?" asked one man as he approached. Then
as he noted the _mutang_ he stopped respectfully. The old woman had now
paused in her running, and had turned toward Helen. "What were the
words? Say them again."
Helen repeated them.
"Why are you running after me in this way? Why do you offer me _yen_?"
she now asked angrily.
Helen told her as simply and as plainly as she could.
At this the old woman's eyes blazed more than ever. But she seemed to
take a second thought, and asked cautiously, "How many _yen_?"
"Two," replied Helen, closely watching her face.
The old woman shook her head vigorously, then began to stamp. "Too
little! too little!" she said. "Your head is under your arm to think I'd
be such an idiot!"
Then she set off again.
"Three!" called Helen desperately, for she knew this was the limit of
her resources so far as _yen_ were concerned.
"No! no!" shouted the old woman. "Too little! too little! Five or none."
As the last sentence was uttered, she turned to see its effect on Helen,
but as there was not the response she expected, she renewed her efforts
to get beyond their reach.
"Oh, if I only had my purse too!" said Dorothy. "But I gave it to my
brother yesterday just before we left Mr. Ko's."
In her despair Helen called after the old woman again and again to stop,
to turn back with them to the sampan, promising her the _yen_ she
desired if only she would do so, and further assuring her that no harm
should come to her, for Helen knew Mallard would gladly supply the
amount of _yen_ she lacked. She would tell him about the _miriok_. She
had been intending to do it the first favorable opportunity.
There was now quite a hubbub in the street, for in addition to Helen's
calls and Dorothy's added entreaties, there were the shrill cries of
defiance of the old _mutang_ herself. People had come running from all
directions, and their loudly voiced questions and exclamations added to
the noise. Among others there came five runners, the court officers of a
near-by _yangban_ (gentleman), who was serving as magistrate.
When they saw the two girls they began to cry out something against the
hated foreigners, and three of them at once took Helen and Dorothy into
custody, while the other two hastened away to capture the _mutang_. They
were too hardened to mind the old sorceress and her wiles. Moreover, the
court was no respecter of persons.
Helen and Dorothy were now much frightened and, for the first time,
began to realize what they had done in setting off on this mad chase
after the old _mutang_.
Helen was the first to recover herself. "I guess," she said, "it won't
be so dreadful. They won't dare hurt us. And soon our dear ones in the
sampan will come to the rescue, for surely we can get them word. Anyhow,
it won't be long ere they miss us, and they'll search the town over till
they find us."
A young man, whom Helen declared looked more honest than any of the
others, was soon engaged, in consideration of the offer of two of
Helen's smaller silver pieces, to carry the news of their predicament
to the sampan. But alas for Helen's confidence! After securing the
silver he had taken only about a dozen steps toward the river when,
overcome by curiosity to see the thing out, he turned back.
The _mutang_ had now been captured, but not until she had made such
vigorous resistance that not only the clothing of the runners had been
torn, but their faces also scratched.
In close company with the old _mutang_, and with the runners encircling
them so that there could be no chance of escape, and a leering, hooting
mob following them, the two girls were conducted along the street to the
house of the _yangban_.
"Oh, Dorothy," said Helen, "this is dreadful!" and, in her pain and
mortification, she sought to conceal as much of her face as she could
with her hands.
"Yes," said Dorothy, on the verge of tears. "Oh, Helen, it would have
been better, many times, to have let the _miriok_ go."
"No," said Helen, "no!"
It was now sunrise, but far too early for the magistrate. They were
informed that they must wait an hour or more.
Dorothy and Helen were finally permitted to enter the women's
apartments. They afterward learned that it was through the overwhelming
curiosity of the _yangban's_ chief wife. At the entrance they were laid
hold of by the serving-women and fairly dragged into the apartment.
There they had a trying experience which lasted nearly an hour. To them
it seemed five times that length. Their clothing, their faces, and their
hair in turn were inspected, and by each wife. They were bidden to take
off their shoes, their wrappers, and other wearing apparel, and each
wife in turn must try on each article. But the bulk of the curiosity was
directed toward Helen's hair. It seemed that the women would never tire
of handling it. They even wanted to cut it off, and but for Helen's
heroic efforts, aided by Dorothy's quick ingenuity, would have
succeeded.
At length they were summoned before the _yangban_, the wives, unable to
restrain their curiosity, following them to the room, where they sat
behind a screen.
The _yangban_, who was quite a young man, was lounging on his platform
and smoking an immense cigar. He was dressed in a pea-green silk robe
confined by a red girdle, and on each hand was a very showy
paste-diamond ring.
He had ordered the outer door to be thrown open, and had allowed as many
of the curious crowd to enter as could be accommodated within a certain
space. Near him stood his interpreter, for he had early been informed
that two of the accused were foreigners. After smoking awhile in
silence, he commanded the offenders to be brought before him for the
usual form of questions. He began with Helen. As she stepped a little
apart from the others, and nearer to the magistrate, in her earnestness
to tell him her story, she happened to raise her eyes for a moment and
let them rest upon the crowd gathered at her left. As she did so a
little muffled cry escaped her. There, standing almost in the front
line, and with his dark eyes fixed mournfully upon her, was Choi-So. How
had he come there? Afterward she learned that he had not been far away
from the sampan, and, sleeping very lightly because of the thoughts that
disturbed him, had been attracted by the sound of running feet and by
Helen's calls to the old woman. He had overtaken them just as they had
been arrested and started to the _yangban's_. He had heard Helen try to
tell one of the runners the cause of the trouble. He had gleaned just
enough to set him on fire with interest and excitement. For an instant
Choi-So's presence at the magistrate's court so disconcerted Helen that
she could not remember the words she had been on the point of uttering.
But soon more confidence returned, and she began bravely to tell her
story.
The magistrate listened patiently, but he was evidently full of
curiosity and deeply excited over the appearance of the two young girls.
Though he had seen the white foreigners on the streets of Seoul, yet he
had never before been brought in such contact with them. The fearless,
earnest manner of both girls impressed him and had much to do with his
decision.
The _mutang_ should return the image, he declared. He had not asked to
see it yet, and so was in no wise impressed by it. Helen and Dorothy had
proved to be of such tremendous interest that all minor objects had been
for the time obscured.
Yes, the _mutang_ should return the image, and the _yen_ that Helen had
offered should go to himself.
This decision was barely rendered when there came a communication from
his chief wife. He appeared to frown over it for a few moments, all the
while smoking hard. Then he further announced, and in the most laconic
manner, that Helen was to sacrifice her hair ere receiving the image.
A cry of dismay escaped Helen, while Dorothy, hot with indignation,
began to pour out her protests, first to the magistrate, then to Helen.
"It can't be done! You can't think of such a thing! Don't! _Don't!_"
"Oh, yes," said Helen, who had now grown strangely quiet and calm. "It
isn't such a dreadful sacrifice, dear. There are many far worse. I can
endure it. My hair will grow out again. Oh, surely it is worth this when
we remember what it means to get back the _miriok_!"
All the while she was speaking, though she was looking at Dorothy, yet
Helen saw those mournful eyes that she knew were fixed upon her from the
other side of the room.
"Take the scissors, Dorothy," she entreated. "I had forgotten until now
that I had my folding ones here in the little case in my pocket. Oh, it
will be so much better for you to do it, dear, for I couldn't bear any
of those rude hands to touch me."
Dorothy took the scissors, but still making vigorous protest.
"Do, Dorothy, _do_, my dear," pleaded Helen.
With trembling hand Dorothy grasped the rich, shining braid. The
scissors were raised; but ere the two gleaming blades could close on the
glossy strand, a voice cried out authoritatively:
"_Stop! Stop!_"
Helen and Dorothy raised their eyes simultaneously. It was Mr. Kit-ze.
He had pressed to the extreme limit of the line of spectators, and with
his hat gone, his clothing in wild disorder, his eyes gleaming like two
globes of fire, was gesticulating frantically to the magistrate.