ory of Teeny-bits' unexplained origin. With this
information stimulating his mind to solve the mystery, the English
master suggested to Teeny-bits that they lose no time in visiting
Greensboro.

CHAPTER XII

A VISIT TO CHUAN KAI's

On Monday afternoon Mr. Stevens and the new football captain journeyed
to the thriving young city. They went first to Stanley Square. Starting
from the yellow brick market building with the tower and the clock,
Teeny-bits attempted to retrace the steps that he had taken on that
night when he fled from the place where the Orientals had held him
prisoner. They went down one street and up another, turning this way and
that, until Teeny-bits finally stopped and said:

"I'm afraid I can't remember just which way I came. I was pretty excited
and I ran down these streets as fast as I could and it was dark, and I
didn't think much about remembering where I came."

"Well," said Mr. Stevens, "there's one thing we can do. We'll ask the
officer over there on the street corner where the Chinese places are,
and perhaps that will lead us somewhere."

"At any rate," said Teeny-bits, "it must be very near where we are now,
because I know I came from this general direction and I covered about
the same amount of ground that we have covered since we left the
square."

In answer to their inquiry the police officer informed them that there
were four Chinese establishments in the city--two laundries and two
restaurants.

The laundries proved to be near the center of the town, one on Main
Street, the other on Clyde Street. Mr. Stevens, and Teeny-bits looked
both of these establishments over, but Teeny-bits quickly announced that
neither of them could be the place they were seeking. They were small
and both were across the electric car tracks from Stanley Square.
Teeny-bits remembered that on the night of his escape he had crossed no
tracks until he reached the square.

The first of the restaurants which they visited backed up to the
Greensboro River, a shallow stream which wound through the town. There
was an alley in the rear which to Teeny-bits looked somewhat like the
one down which he had hastened while the two Chinese had come pattering
after him, but he did not remember that he had seen any water. They went
inside, however, and questioned the wrinkled yellow man who, thinking
them customers, came to take their order. He answered them in pidgin
English, and Teeny-bits became convinced, after