Two from THE SAINT (Number 4)

(1) "Vase of Tu San."

By Dan Ross (1912-95).

First appearance: The Saint Detective Magazine, April 1958.

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "I’m here to finish you and maybe help myself to a few of your trinkets."

WOULD-BE killers, like just about anybody who might be aiming a weapon, sometimes suffer from target fixation . . .

Main characters:

~ Mei Wong, Blake, the messenger, Tu San, and three policemen.

References:

- "for your ancestors" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "target fixation" (HERE; Wikipedia).

Resource:

- Today's story marks the first appearance of Mr. Mei Wong, the wise Asiatic rival of Charlie Chan. Four of the Mei Wong stories were co-written with Dan Ross's wife, Charlotte, and twenty-seven by Ross (who often used the byline of W.E.D. Ross). Six appeared in The Saint and eighteen in Mike Shayne (FictionMags data).

(2) "Ready Money."

By John Falkner (Ernest John Gale, 1917-76; the ISFDb HERE).

First appearance: The Evening Standard, December 22, 1954.

Reprinted in The Saint Detective Magazine, November 1955 (today's text).

Short short short story (3 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "But there’s no such thing as sentiment in business, is there?"

THE Scout Motto is "Be prepared." While today's central character seems ready for just about any contingency, a Boy Scout he ain't . . .

Main characters:

~ Mrs. Hanson, Mr. and Mrs. Conway, both Miss Weatherheads, a couple of students, the actor, Mr. Miles, Lieutenant Reece, and the unnamed narrator.

References:

- "Scout Motto" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the crisp century notes" (HERE; Wikipedia):

  "$100 bill is occasionally a 'band' or 'C-note' (C being the Roman numeral for 100, from the Latin word centum) or 'century note'; it's more commonly referred to as a 'Benjamin' or 'Benny' (after Benjamin Franklin, who is pictured on the note), or a 'yard' (so $300 is '3 yards' and a $50 bill is a 'half a yard'). 'A stack' is $1,000 in the form of ten $100 bills, banded by a bank or otherwise."

- "in Atlantic City" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "a one-time Hollywood extra" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the Irish Sweepstakes" (HERE; Wikipedia).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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