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text-align: left; } - a:link { text-decoration: none; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;padding-bottom:1em; - background-color:#E3E4FA;border:1px solid silver; margin:1em 5% 0 5%; - text-align: justify; } - .blackletter { font-family: "Old English Text MT", Gothic, serif; } - .epubonly {visibility: hidden; display: none; } - @media handheld { .epubonly { visibility: visible; display: inline; } } - .htmlonly {visibility: visible; display: inline; } - @media handheld { .htmlonly { visibility: hidden; display: none; } } - .column-container { margin: auto; clear: both; } - .column { display: inline-block; text-align: left; vertical-align: bottom; - width:49%; } - ins.correction { text-decoration:none; border-bottom: thin dotted gray; } - .quote { font-size: 95%; margin-top: 1.0em; margin-bottom: 1.0em; } - .linegroup .group { margin: 0em auto; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mrs. Spring Fragrance, by Sui Sin Far - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Mrs. Spring Fragrance - -Author: Sui Sin Far - -Release Date: August 16, 2020 [EBook #62940] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MRS. SPRING FRAGRANCE *** - - - - -Produced by KD Weeks, Mary Glenn Krause and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>Transcriber’s Note:</div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Footnotes have been collected at the end of each chapter, and are -linked for ease of reference.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Please -see the transcriber’s <a href='#endnote'>note</a> at the end of this text -for details regarding the handling of any textual issues encountered -during its preparation.</p> - -<div class='htmlonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated using an <ins class='correction' title='original'>underline</ins> -highlight. Placing the cursor over the correction will produce the -original text in a small popup.</p> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/cover.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>The first set of images below are used as a background for each set -of pages throughout the volume. This was not feasible in this format. -The second set served as background on the title page and its facing -page.</p> - -</div> -<div class='epubonly'> - -<p class='c001'>Any corrections are indicated as hyperlinks, which will navigate the -reader to the corresponding entry in the corrections table in the -note at the end of the text.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_background-detail3.png' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_background-detail4.png' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='column-container'> - -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_background-detail1.png' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> -<div class='column'> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/i_background-detail2.png' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='xlarge'><i>Mrs. Spring Fragrance</i></span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div> - <h1 class='c002'><span class='xxlarge'><i>Mrs. Spring <br /> Fragrance</i></span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div><i>BY</i></div> - <div><i>SUI SIN FAR</i></div> - <div>[<span class='sc'>Edith Eaton</span>]</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id003'> -<img src='images/i_titlepage-detail.png' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><i>CHICAGO</i></div> - <div><i>A. C. McCLURG & CO.</i></div> - <div><i>1912</i></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='pageno' id='Page_I'>I</span>COPYRIGHT, 1912</div> - <div>A. C. McCLURG & CO.</div> - <div class='c000'>PUBLISHED, MAY, 1912</div> - <div>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c004'> - <div>THE·PLIMPTON·PRESS</div> - <div>[W·D·O]</div> - <div>NORWOOD·MASS·U·S·A</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_v'>v</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='90%' /> -<col width='9%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr><td class='c006' colspan='2'>MRS. SPRING FRAGRANCE</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p1'>1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Inferior Woman</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p21'>21</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Wisdom of the New</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p47'>47</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'>“<span class='sc'>Its Wavering Image</span>”</td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p85'>85</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Gift of Little Me</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p95'>95</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Story of One White Woman Who Married a Chinese</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p111'>111</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Her Chinese Husband</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p132'>132</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Americanizing of Pau Tsu</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p144'>144</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>In the Land of the Free</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p161'>161</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Chinese Lily</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p178'>178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Smuggling of Tie Co</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p184'>184</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The God of Restoration</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p193'>193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Three Souls of Ah So Nan</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p203'>203</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Prize China Baby</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p214'>214</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Lin John</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p220'>220</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Tian Shan’s Kindred Spirit</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p224'>224</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Sing Song Woman</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p235'>235</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr><td class='c006' colspan='2'>TALES OF CHINESE CHILDREN</td></tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Silver Leaves</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p242'>242</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Peacock Lantern</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p246'>246</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Children of Peace</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p249'>249</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Banishment of Ming and Mai</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p265'>265</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Story of a Little Chinese Seabird</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p277'>277</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='pageno' id='Page_vi'>vi</span><span class='sc'>What About the Cat?</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p285'>285</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Wild Man and the Gentle Boy</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p288'>288</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Garments of the Fairies</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p291'>291</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Dreams that Failed</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p294'>294</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Glad Yen</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p296'>296</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Deceptive Mat</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p297'>297</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Heart’s Desire</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p300'>300</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Candy that is not Sweet</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p303'>303</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Inferior Man</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p308'>308</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Merry Blind-man</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p312'>312</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Misunderstood</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p314'>314</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Little Fat One</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p320'>320</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Chinese Boy-girl</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p323'>323</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Pat and Pan</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p333'>333</a></td> - </tr> - <tr><td> </td></tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Crocodile Pagoda</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#p344'>344</a></td> - </tr> -</table> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'><i>ACKNOWLEDGMENT</i></h2> -</div> - -<p class='c009'><i>I have to thank the Editors of The Independent, -Out West, Hampton’s, The Century, Delineator, -Ladies’ Home Journal, Designer, New Idea, -Short Stories, Traveler, Good Housekeeping, -Housekeeper, Gentlewoman, New York Evening -Post, Holland’s, Little Folks, American Motherhood, -New England, Youth’s Companion, -Montreal Witness, Children’s, Overland, Sunset, -and Westerner magazines, who were kind -enough to care for my children when I sent -them out into the world, for permitting the -dear ones to return to me to be grouped together -within this volume.</i></p> - -<div class='c010'><i>SUI SIN FAR</i></div> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_1'>1</span> - <h2 class='c005' title='Mrs. Spring Fragrance'></h2> -</div> -<h3 id='p1' class='c011'><i>Mrs. Spring Fragrance</i></h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -When Mrs. Spring Fragrance -first arrived in Seattle, she was unacquainted -with even one word of -the American language. Five years later -her husband, speaking of her, said: “There -are no more American words for her learning.” -And everyone who knew Mrs. Spring Fragrance -agreed with Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance, whose business name -was Sing Yook, was a young curio merchant. -Though conservatively Chinese in many -respects, he was at the same time what is -called by the Westerners, “Americanized.” -Mrs. Spring Fragrance was even more “Americanized.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next door to the Spring Fragrances lived -the Chin Yuens. Mrs. Chin Yuen was much -older than Mrs. Spring Fragrance; but she -had a daughter of eighteen with whom Mrs. -Spring Fragrance was on terms of great -friendship. The daughter was a pretty girl -whose Chinese name was Mai Gwi Far (a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_2'>2</span>rose) and whose American name was Laura. -Nearly everybody called her Laura, even her -parents and Chinese friends. Laura had a -sweetheart, a youth named Kai Tzu. Kai -Tzu, who was American-born, and as ruddy -and stalwart as any young Westerner, was -noted amongst baseball players as one of the -finest pitchers on the Coast. He could also -sing, “Drink to me only with thine eyes,” -to Laura’s piano accompaniment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now the only person who knew that Kai -Tzu loved Laura and that Laura loved Kai -Tzu, was Mrs. Spring Fragrance. The reason -for this was that, although the Chin Yuen -parents lived in a house furnished in American -style, and wore American clothes, yet they -religiously observed many Chinese customs, -and their ideals of life were the ideals of their -Chinese forefathers. Therefore, they had betrothed -their daughter, Laura, at the age of -fifteen, to the eldest son of the Chinese Government -school-teacher in San Francisco. The -time for the consummation of the betrothal -was approaching.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Laura was with Mrs. Spring Fragrance and -Mrs. Spring Fragrance was trying to cheer -her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had such a pretty walk today,” said -she. “I crossed the banks above the beach -<span class='pageno' id='Page_3'>3</span>and came back by the long road. In the -green grass the daffodils were blowing, in -the cottage gardens the currant bushes were -flowering, and in the air was the perfume of -the wallflower. I wished, Laura, that you -were with me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Laura burst into tears. “That is the walk,” -she sobbed, “Kai Tzu and I so love; but never, -ah, never, can we take it together again.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, Little Sister,” comforted Mrs. Spring -<a id='corr3.11'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Fragrance'>Fragrance,</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_3.11'><ins class='correction' title='Fragrance'>Fragrance,</ins></a></span> “you really must not grieve like -that. Is there not a beautiful American poem -written by a noble American named Tennyson, -which says:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“’Tis better to have loved and lost,</div> - <div class='line'>Than never to have loved at all?”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance was unaware that -Mr. Spring Fragrance, having returned from -the city, tired with the day’s business, had -thrown himself down on the bamboo settee -on the veranda, and that although his eyes -were engaged in scanning the pages of the -<cite>Chinese World</cite>, his ears could not help receiving -the words which were borne to him -through the open window.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“’Tis better to have loved and lost,</div> - <div class='line'>Than never to have loved at all,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>repeated Mr. Spring Fragrance. Not wishing -to hear more of the secret talk of women, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_4'>4</span>arose and sauntered around the veranda to -the other side of the house. Two pigeons -circled around his head. He felt in his pocket -for a li-chi which he usually carried for their -pecking. His fingers touched a little box. -It contained a jadestone pendant, which Mrs. -Spring Fragrance had particularly admired -the last time she was down town. It was the -fifth anniversary of Mr. and Mrs. Spring -Fragrance’s wedding day.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance pressed the little -box down into the depths of his pocket.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A young man came out of the back door of -the house at Mr. Spring Fragrance’s left. -The Chin Yuen house was at his right.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good evening,” said the young man. -“Good evening,” returned Mr. Spring Fragrance. -He stepped down from his porch and -went and leaned over the railing which separated -this yard from the yard in which stood -the young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you please tell me,” said <a id='corr4.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Mr'>Mr.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_4.22'><ins class='correction' title='Mr'>Mr.</ins></a></span> Spring -Fragrance, “the meaning of two lines of an -American verse which I have heard?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly,” returned the young man with -a genial smile. He was a star student at the -University of Washington, and had not the -slightest doubt that he could explain the meaning -of all things in the universe.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_5'>5</span>“Well,” said Mr. Spring Fragrance, “it is -this:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“’Tis better to have loved and lost,</div> - <div class='line'>Than never to have loved at all.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Ah!” responded the young man with an -air of profound wisdom. “That, Mr. Spring -Fragrance, means that it is a good thing to -love anyway—even if we can’t get what we -love, or, as the poet tells us, lose what we love. -Of course, one needs experience to feel the -truth of this teaching.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man smiled pensively and reminiscently. -More than a dozen young maidens -“loved and lost” were passing before his -mind’s eye.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The truth of the teaching!” echoed Mr. -Spring Fragrance, a little testily. “There -is no truth in it whatever. It is disobedient -to reason. Is it not better to have what you do -not love than to love what you do not have?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That depends,” answered the young man, -“upon temperament.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I thank you. Good evening,” said Mr. -Spring Fragrance. He turned away to muse -upon the unwisdom of the American way of -looking at things.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, inside the house, Laura was -refusing to be comforted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, no! no!” cried she. “If I had not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_6'>6</span>gone to school with Kai Tzu, nor talked nor -walked with him, nor played the accompaniments -to his songs, then I might consider -with complacency, or at least without horror, -my approaching marriage with the son of -Man You. But as it is—oh, as it is—!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl rocked herself to and fro in heartfelt -grief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance knelt down beside -her, and clasping her arms around her neck, -cried in sympathy:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Little Sister, oh, Little Sister! Dry your -tears—do not despair. A moon has yet to -pass before the marriage can take place. -Who knows what the stars may have to say -to one another during its passing? A little -bird has whispered to me—”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a long time Mrs. Spring Fragrance -talked. For a long time Laura listened. -When the girl arose to go, there was a bright -light in her eyes.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mrs. Spring Fragrance, in San -Francisco on a visit to her cousin, -the wife of the herb doctor of Clay -Street, was having a good time. She was -invited everywhere that the wife of an honorable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span>Chinese merchant could go. There was -much to see and hear, including more than -a dozen babies who had been born in the -families of her friends since she last visited -the city of the Golden Gate. Mrs. Spring -Fragrance loved babies. She had had two -herself, but both had been transplanted into -the spirit land before the completion of even -one moon. There were also many dinners -and theatre-parties given in her honor. It -was at one of the theatre-parties that Mrs. -Spring Fragrance met Ah Oi, a young girl -who had the reputation of being the prettiest -Chinese girl in San Francisco, and the naughtiest. -In spite of gossip, however, Mrs. Spring -Fragrance took a great fancy to Ah Oi and invited -her to a tête-à-tête picnic on the following -day. This invitation Ah Oi joyfully accepted. -She was a sort of bird girl and never felt so -happy as when out in the park or woods.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the day after the picnic Mrs. Spring -Fragrance wrote to Laura Chin Yuen thus:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'><span class='sc'>My Precious Laura</span>,—May the bamboo ever -wave. Next week I accompany Ah Oi to the -beauteous town of San José. There will we be met -by the son of the Illustrious Teacher, and in a little -Mission, presided over by a benevolent American -priest, the little Ah Oi and the son of the Illustrious -Teacher will be joined together in love and harmony—two -pieces of music made to complete one another.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>The Son of the Illustrious Teacher, having been -through an American Hall of Learning, is well -able to provide for his orphan bride and fears not -the displeasure of his parents, now that he is assured -that your grief at his loss will not be inconsolable. -He wishes me to waft to you and to Kai Tzu—and -the little Ah Oi joins with him—ten thousand -rainbow wishes for your happiness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My respects to your honorable parents, and to -yourself, the heart of your loving friend,</p> - -<div class='c010'><span class='sc'>Jade Spring Fragrance</span></div> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>To Mr. Spring Fragrance, Mrs. Spring -Fragrance also indited a letter:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'><span class='sc'>Great and Honored Man</span>,—Greeting from -your plum blossom,<a id='r1' /><a href='#f1' class='c016'><sup>[1]</sup></a> who is desirous of hiding herself -from the sun of your presence for a week of -seven days more. My honorable cousin is preparing -for the Fifth Moon Festival, and wishes me to -compound for the occasion some American “fudge,” -for which delectable sweet, made by my clumsy -hands, you have sometimes shown a slight prejudice. -I am enjoying a most agreeable visit, and American -friends, as also our own, strive benevolently for -the accomplishment of my pleasure. Mrs. Samuel -Smith, an American lady, known to my cousin, -asked for my accompaniment to a magniloquent -lecture the other evening. The subject was -“America, the Protector of China!” It was most -exhilarating, and the effect of so much expression -of benevolence leads me to beg of you to forget -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>to remember that the barber charges you one dollar -for a shave while he humbly submits to the American -man a bill of fifteen cents. And murmur no more -because your honored elder brother, on a visit to -this country, is detained under the roof-tree of this -great Government instead of under your own -humble roof. Console him with the reflection that -he is protected under the wing of the Eagle, the -Emblem of Liberty. What is the loss of ten hundred -years or ten thousand times ten dollars compared -with the happiness of knowing oneself so securely -sheltered? All of this I have learned from Mrs. -Samuel Smith, who is as brilliant and great of mind -as one of your own superior sex.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For me it is sufficient to know that the Golden -Gate Park is most enchanting, and the seals on -the rock at the Cliff House extremely entertaining -and amiable. There is much feasting and merry-making -under the lanterns in honor of your Stupid -Thorn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have purchased for your smoking a pipe with -an amber mouth. It is said to be very sweet to -the lips and to emit a cloud of smoke fit for the -gods to inhale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Awaiting, by the wonderful wire of the telegram -message, your gracious permission to remain for -the celebration of the Fifth Moon Festival and the -making of American “fudge,” I continue for ten -thousand times ten thousand years,</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c017'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your ever loving and obedient woman,</div> - <div class='line in31'><span class='sc'>Jade</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>P.S. Forget not to care for the cat, the birds, -and the flowers. Do not eat too quickly nor fan -too vigorously now that the weather is warming.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='footnote' id='f1'> -<p class='c001'><a href='#r1'>1</a>. The plum blossom is the Chinese flower of virtue. It -has been adopted by the Japanese, just in the same way as they -have adopted the Chinese national flower, the chrysanthemum.</p> -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>Mrs. Spring Fragrance smiled as she folded -this last epistle. Even if he were old-fashioned, -there was never a husband so good and kind -as hers. Only on one occasion since their -marriage had he slighted her wishes. That -was when, on the last anniversary of their -wedding, she had signified a desire for a certain -jadestone pendant, and he had failed to -satisfy that desire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Mrs Spring Fragrance, being of a -happy nature, and disposed to look upon the -bright side of things, did not allow her mind -to dwell upon the jadestone pendant. Instead, -she gazed complacently down upon her -bejeweled fingers and folded in with her -letter to Mr. Spring Fragrance a bright little -sheaf of condensed love.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mr. Spring Fragrance sat on -his doorstep. He had been reading -two letters, one from Mrs. Spring -Fragrance, and the other from an elderly -bachelor cousin in San Francisco. The one from -the elderly bachelor cousin was a business -letter, but contained the following postscript:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>Tsen Hing, the son of the Government school-master, -seems to be much in the company of your -<span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span>young wife. He is a good-looking youth, and -pardon me, my dear cousin; but if women are -allowed to stray at will from under their husbands’ -mulberry roofs, what is to prevent them from -becoming butterflies?</p> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“Sing Foon is old and cynical,” said Mr. -Spring Fragrance to himself. “Why should -I pay any attention to him? This is America, -where a man may speak to a woman, and a -woman listen, without any thought of evil.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He destroyed his cousin’s letter and re-read -his wife’s. Then he became very thoughtful. -Was the making of American fudge sufficient -reason for a wife to wish to remain a week -longer in a city where her husband was not?</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man who lived in the next house -came out to water the lawn.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good evening,” said he. “Any news from -Mrs. Spring Fragrance?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is having a very good time,” returned -Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Glad to hear it. I think you told me she -was to return the end of this week.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have changed my mind about her,” -said Mr. Spring Fragrance. “I am bidding her -remain a week longer, as I wish to give a -smoking party during her absence. I hope -I may have the pleasure of your company.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be delighted,” returned the young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>fellow. “But, Mr. Spring Fragrance, don’t -invite any other white fellows. If you do not I -shall be able to get in a scoop. You know, I’m -a sort of honorary reporter for the <cite>Gleaner</cite>.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well,” absently answered Mr. Spring -Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course, your friend the Consul will be -present. I shall call it ‘A high-class Chinese -stag party!’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In spite of his melancholy mood, Mr. Spring -Fragrance smiled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everything is ‘high-class’ in America,” -he observed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sure!” cheerfully assented the young man. -“Haven’t you ever heard that all Americans -are princes and princesses, and just as soon -as a foreigner puts his foot upon our shores, -he also becomes of the nobility—I mean, -the royal family.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about my brother in the Detention -Pen?” dryly inquired Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, you’ve got me,” said the young -man, rubbing his head. “Well, that is a -shame—‘a beastly shame,’ as the Englishman says. -But understand, old fellow, we -that are real Americans are up against that—even -more than you. It is against our -principles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I offer the real Americans my consolations -<span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>that they should be compelled to do that -which is against their principles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, well, it will all come right some day. -We’re not a bad sort, you know. Think of -the indemnity money returned to the Dragon -by Uncle Sam.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance puffed his pipe in -silence for some moments. More than politics -was troubling his mind.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At last he spoke. “Love,” said he, slowly -and distinctly, “comes before the wedding -in this country, does it not?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, certainly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Young Carman knew Mr. Spring Fragrance -well enough to receive with calmness his most -astounding queries.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Presuming,” continued Mr. Spring Fragrance—“presuming -that some friend of your -father’s, living—presuming—in England—has -a daughter that he arranges with your -father to be your wife. Presuming that you -have never seen that daughter, but that you -marry her, knowing her not. Presuming that -she marries you, knowing you not.—After -she marries you and knows you, will that -woman love you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Emphatically, no,” answered the young -man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is the way it would be in America—that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>the woman who marries the man like -that—would not love him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, that is the way it would be in America. -Love, in this country, must be free, or it is -not love at all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In China, it is different!” mused Mr. -Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, yes, I have no doubt that in China -it is different.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But the love is in the heart all the same,” -went on Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, all the same. Everybody falls in -love some time or another. Some”—pensively—“many -times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance arose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must go down town,” said he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he walked down the street he recalled the -remark of a business acquaintance who had met -his wife and had had some conversation with -her: “She is just like an American woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had felt somewhat flattered when this -remark had been made. He looked upon it -as a compliment to his wife’s cleverness; but -it rankled in his mind as he entered the telegraph -office. If his wife was becoming as -an American woman, would it not be possible -for her to love as an American woman—a -man to whom she was not married? There -also floated in his memory the verse which his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>wife had quoted to the daughter of Chin Yuen. -When the telegraph clerk handed him a blank, -he wrote this message:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Remain as you wish, but remember that -‘’Tis better to have loved and lost, than never -to have loved at all.’”</p> - -<p class='c013'>When Mrs. Spring Fragrance received this -message, her laughter tinkled like falling -water. How droll! How delightful! Here -was her husband quoting American poetry -in a telegram. Perhaps he had been reading -her American poetry books since she had -left him! She hoped so. They would lead -him to understand her sympathy for her -dear Laura and Kai Tzu. She need no longer -keep from him their secret. How joyful! -It had been such a hardship to refrain from -confiding in him before. But discreetness -had been most necessary, seeing that Mr. -Spring Fragrance entertained as old-fashioned -notions concerning marriage as did the Chin -Yuen parents. Strange that that should be -so, since he had fallen in love with her picture -before <em>ever</em> he had seen her, just as she had -fallen in love with his! And when the marriage -veil was lifted and each beheld the other -for the first time in the flesh, there had been -no disillusion—no lessening of the respect and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>affection, which those who had brought about -the marriage had inspired in each young heart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance began to wish she -could fall asleep and wake to find the week -flown, and she in her own little home pouring -tea for Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mr. Spring Fragrance was walking -to business with Mr. Chin Yuen. -As they walked they talked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said Mr. Chin Yuen, “the old order -is passing away, and the new order is taking -its place, even with us who are Chinese. I -have finally consented to give my daughter -in marriage to young Kai Tzu.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance expressed surprise. -He had understood that the marriage between -his neighbor’s daughter and the San Francisco -school-teacher’s son was all arranged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So ’twas,” answered Mr. Chin Yuen; “but, -it seems the young renegade, without consultation -or advice, has placed his affections upon -some untrustworthy female, and is so under -her influence that he refuses to fulfil his -parents’ promise to me for him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So!” said Mr. Spring Fragrance. The -shadow on his brow deepened.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span>“But,” said Mr. Chin Yuen, with affable -resignation, “it is all ordained by Heaven. -Our daughter, as the wife of Kai Tzu, for -whom she has long had a loving feeling, will -not now be compelled to dwell with a mother-in-law -and where her own mother is not. For -that, we are thankful, as she is our only one -and the conditions of life in this Western -country are not as in China. Moreover, Kai -Tzu, though not so much of a scholar as the -teacher’s son, has a keen eye for business and -that, in America, is certainly much more desirable -than scholarship. What do you think?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eh! What!” exclaimed Mr. Spring Fragrance. -The latter part of his companion’s -remarks had been lost upon him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That day the shadow which had been following -Mr. Spring Fragrance ever since he -had heard his wife quote, “’Tis better to -have loved,” etc., became so heavy and deep -that he quite lost himself within it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At home in the evening he fed the cat, -the bird, and the flowers. Then, seating -himself in a carved black chair—a present -from his wife on his last birthday—he took -out his pipe and smoked. The cat jumped -into his lap. He stroked it softly and tenderly. -It had been much fondled by Mrs. -Spring Fragrance, and Mr. Spring Fragrance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>was under the impression that it missed her. -“Poor thing!” said he. “I suppose you want -her back!” When he arose to go to bed -he placed the animal carefully on the floor, -and thus apostrophized it:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“O Wise and Silent One, your mistress returns -to you, but her heart she leaves behind -her, with the Tommies in San Francisco.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Wise and Silent One made no reply. -He was not a jealous cat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance slept not that night; -the next morning he ate not. Three days and -three nights without sleep and food went by.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a springlike freshness in the air on -the day that Mrs. Spring Fragrance came home. -The skies overhead were as blue as Puget Sound -stretching its gleaming length toward the mighty -Pacific, and all the beautiful green world seemed -to be throbbing with springing life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance was never so radiant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh,” she cried light-heartedly, “is it not -lovely to see the sun shining so clear, and -everything so bright to welcome me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance made no response. It -was the morning after the fourth sleepless night.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance noticed his silence, -also his grave face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everything—everyone is glad to see me but -you,” she declared, half seriously, half jestingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>Mr. Spring Fragrance set down her valise. -They had just entered the house.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If my wife is glad to see me,” he quietly -replied, “I also am glad to see her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Summoning their servant boy, he bade him -look after Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s comfort.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I must be at the store in half an hour,” -said he, looking at his watch. “There is some -very important business requiring attention.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the business?” inquired Mrs. -Spring Fragrance, her lip quivering with disappointment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot just explain to you,” answered -her husband.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance looked up into his -face with honest and earnest eyes. There -was something in his manner, in the tone of -her husband’s voice, which touched her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yen,” said she, “you do not look well. -You are not well. What is it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Something arose in Mr. Spring Fragrance’s -throat which prevented him from replying.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“O darling one! O sweetest one!” cried -a girl’s joyous voice. Laura Chin Yuen ran -into the room and threw her arms around Mrs. -Spring Fragrance’s neck.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I spied you from the window,” said Laura, -“and I couldn’t rest until I told you. We -are to be married next week, Kai Tzu and I. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>And all through you, all through you—the -sweetest jade jewel in the world!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance passed out of the room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So the son of the Government teacher -and little Happy Love are already married,” -Laura went on, relieving Mrs. Spring Fragrance -of her cloak, her hat, and her folding fan. -Mr. Spring Fragrance paused upon the -doorstep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sit down, Little Sister, and I will tell you -all about it,” said Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -forgetting her husband for a moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Laura Chin Yuen had danced away, Mr. -Spring Fragrance came in and hung up his hat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You got back very soon,” said Mrs. Spring -Fragrance, covertly wiping away the tears -which had begun to fall as soon as she thought -herself alone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I did not go,” answered Mr. Spring Fragrance. -“I have been listening to you and -Laura.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But if the business is very important, do -not you think you should attend to it?” -anxiously queried Mrs. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is not important to me now,” returned -Mr. Spring Fragrance. “I would prefer to -hear again about Ah Oi and Man You and -Laura and Kai Tzu.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How lovely of you to say that!” exclaimed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>Mrs. Spring Fragrance, who was easily made -happy. And she began to chat away to her -husband in the friendliest and wifeliest fashion -possible. When she had finished she asked -him if he were not glad to hear that those who -loved as did the young lovers whose secrets -she had been keeping, were to be united; and -he replied that indeed he was; that he would -like every man to be as happy with a wife as -he himself had ever been and ever would be.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You did not always talk like that,” said -Mrs. Spring Fragrance slyly. “You must have -been reading my American poetry books!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“American poetry!” ejaculated Mr. Spring -Fragrance almost fiercely, “American poetry -is detestable, <em>abhorrable</em>!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why! why!” exclaimed Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -more and more surprised.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the only explanation which Mr. Spring -Fragrance vouchsafed was a jadestone pendant.</p> - -<h3 id='p21' class='c011'>THE INFERIOR WOMAN</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mrs. Spring Fragrance walked -through the leafy alleys of the park, -admiring the flowers and listening to -the birds singing. It was a beautiful afternoon -with the warmth from the sun cooled by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span>a refreshing breeze. As she walked along -she meditated upon a book which she had -some notion of writing. Many American -women wrote books. Why should not a -Chinese? She would write a book about -Americans for her Chinese women friends. -The American people were so interesting and -mysterious. Something of pride and pleasure -crept into Mrs. Spring Fragrance’s heart as -she pictured Fei and Sie and Mai Gwi Far -listening to Lae-Choo reading her illuminating -paragraphs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As she turned down a by-path she saw -Will Carman, her American neighbor’s son, -coming towards her, and by his side a young -girl who seemed to belong to the sweet air -and brightness of all the things around her. -They were talking very earnestly and the -eyes of the young man were on the girl’s -face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” murmured Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -after one swift glance. “It is love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She retreated behind a syringa bush, which -completely screened her from view.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Up the winding path went the young couple.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is love,” repeated Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -“and it is the ‘Inferior Woman.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She had heard about the Inferior Woman -from the mother of Will Carman.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>After tea that evening Mrs. Spring Fragrance -stood musing at her front window. The -sun hovered over the Olympic mountains like -a great, golden red-bird with dark purple -wings, its long tail of light trailing underneath -in the waters of Puget Sound.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How very beautiful!” exclaimed Mrs. -Spring Fragrance; then she sighed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why do you sigh?” asked Mr. Spring -Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My heart is sad,” answered his wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is the cat sick?” inquired Mr. Spring -Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance shook her head. -“It is not our Wise One who troubles me -today,” she replied. “It is our neighbors. -The sorrow of the Carman household is that -the mother desires for her son the Superior -Woman, and his heart enshrines but the -Inferior. I have seen them together today, -and I know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you know?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That the Inferior Woman is the mate for -young Carman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance elevated his brows. -Only the day before, his wife’s arguments -had all been in favor of the Superior Woman. -He uttered some words expressive of surprise, -to which Mrs. Spring Fragrance retorted:</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>“Yesterday, O Great Man, I was a caterpillar!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then young Carman came strolling up -the path. Mr. Spring Fragrance opened the -door to him. “Come in, neighbor,” said -he. “I have received some new books from -Shanghai.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good,” replied young Carman, who was -interested in Chinese literature. While he -and Mr. Spring Fragrance discussed the “Odes -of Chow” and the “Sorrows of Han,” Mrs. -Spring Fragrance, sitting in a low easy-chair -of rose-colored silk, covertly studied -her visitor’s countenance. Why was his expression -so much more grave than gay? It -had not been so a year ago—before he had -known the Inferior Woman. Mrs. Spring -Fragrance noted other changes, also, both -in speech and manner. “He is no longer a -boy,” mused she. “He is a man, and it is -the work of the Inferior Woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And when, Mr. Carman,” she inquired, -“will you bring home a daughter to your -mother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And when, Mrs. Spring Fragrance, do you -think I should?” returned the young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance spread wide her -fan and gazed thoughtfully over its silver -edge.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>“The summer moons will soon be over,” -said she. “You should not wait until the -grass is yellow.”</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“The woodmen’s blows responsive ring,</div> - <div class='line in2'>As on the trees they fall,</div> - <div class='line'>And when the birds their sweet notes sing,</div> - <div class='line in2'>They to each other call.</div> - <div class='line'>From the dark valley comes a bird,</div> - <div class='line in2'>And seeks the lofty tree,</div> - <div class='line'><em>Ying</em> goes its voice, and thus it cries:</div> - <div class='line in2'>‘Companion, come to me.’</div> - <div class='line'>The bird, although a creature small</div> - <div class='line in2'>Upon its mate depends,</div> - <div class='line'>And shall we men, who rank o’er all,</div> - <div class='line in2'>Not seek to have our friends?”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>quoted Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance tapped his shoulder -approvingly with her fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I perceive,” said young Carman, “that -you are both allied against my peace.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is for your mother,” replied Mrs. Spring -Fragrance soothingly. “She will be happy -when she knows that your affections are fixed -by marriage.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a slight gleam of amusement in -the young man’s eyes as he answered: “But -if my mother has no wish for a daughter—at -least, no wish for the daughter I would want -to give her?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I first came to America,” returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>Mrs. Spring Fragrance, “my husband desired -me to wear the American dress. I protested -and declared that never would I so appear. -But one day he brought home a gown fit for -a fairy, and ever since then I have worn and -adored the American dress.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mrs. Spring Fragrance,” declared young -Carman, “your argument is incontrovertible.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -A young man with a determined set -to his shoulders stood outside the -door of a little cottage perched upon -a bluff overlooking the Sound. The chill -sea air was sweet with the scent of roses, and -he drew in a deep breath of inspiration before -he knocked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you not surprised to see me?” he -inquired of the young person who opened the -door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not at all,” replied the young person -demurely.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He gave her a quick almost fierce look. At -their last parting he had declared that he -would not come again unless she requested -him, and that she assuredly had not done.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish I could make you feel,” said he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She laughed—a pretty infectious laugh -<span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span>which exorcised all his gloom. He looked -down upon her as they stood together under -the cluster of electric lights in her cozy little -sitting-room. Such a slender, girlish figure! -Such a soft cheek, red mouth, and firm little -chin! Often in his dreams of her he had -taken her into his arms and coaxed her into a -good humor. But, alas! dreams are not -realities, and the calm friendliness of this -young person made any demonstration of -tenderness well-nigh impossible. But for the -shy regard of her eyes, you might have thought -that he was no more to her than a friendly -acquaintance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hear,” said she, taking up some needlework, -“that your Welland case comes on -tomorrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” answered the young lawyer, “and -I have all my witnesses ready.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So, I hear, has Mr. Greaves,” she retorted. -“You are going to have a hard fight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What of that, when in the end I’ll win.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He looked over at her with a bright gleam -in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wouldn’t be too sure,” she warned -demurely. “You may lose on a technicality.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He drew his chair a little nearer to her side -and turned over the pages of a book lying on -her work-table. On the fly-leaf was inscribed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>in a man’s writing: “To the dear little woman -whose friendship is worth a fortune.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another book beside it bore the inscription: -“With the love of all the firm, including the -boys,” and a volume of poems above it was -dedicated to the young person “with the high -regards and stanch affection” of some other -masculine person.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Will Carman pushed aside these evidences -of his sweetheart’s popularity with his own -kind and leaned across the table.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alice,” said he, “once upon a time you -admitted that you loved me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A blush suffused the young person’s countenance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did I?” she queried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You did, indeed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well! If you love me and I love you—”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, please!” protested the girl, covering -her ears with her hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I <em>will</em> please,” asserted the young man. -“I have come here tonight, Alice, to ask you -to marry me—and at once.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deary me!” exclaimed the young person; -but she let her needlework fall into her lap -as her lover, approaching nearer, laid his arm -around her shoulders and, bending his face -close to hers, pleaded his most important case.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>If for a moment the small mouth quivered, -the firm little chin lost its firmness, and the -proud little head yielded to the pressure of a -lover’s arm, it was only for a moment so brief -and fleeting that Will Carman had hardly -become aware of it before it had passed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” said the young person sorrowfully -but decidedly. She had arisen and was standing -on the other side of the table facing him. -“I cannot marry you while your mother -regards me as beneath you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When she, knows you she will acknowledge -you are above me. But I am not asking you -to come to my mother, I am asking you to -come to me, dear. If you will put your hand -in mine and trust to me through all the -coming years, no man or woman born can -come between us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the young person shook her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” she repeated. “I will not be your -wife unless your mother welcomes me with -pride and with pleasure.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The night air was still sweet with the perfume -of roses as Will Carman passed out of -the little cottage door; but he drew in no -deep breath of inspiration. His impetuous -Irish heart was too heavy with disappointment. -It might have been a little lighter, -however, had he known that the eyes of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>young person who gazed after him were misty -with a love and yearning beyond expression.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -Will Carman has failed to snare -his bird,” said Mr. Spring Fragrance -to Mrs. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Their neighbor’s son had just passed their -veranda without turning to bestow upon -them his usual cheerful greeting.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is too bad,” sighed Mrs. Spring Fragrance -sympathetically. She clasped her hands -together and exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, these Americans! These mysterious, -inscrutable, incomprehensible Americans! Had -I the divine right of learning I would put -them into an immortal book!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The divine right of learning,” echoed Mr. -Spring Fragrance, “Humph!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Spring Fragrance looked up into her -husband’s face in wonderment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is not the authority of the scholar, the -student, almost divine?” she queried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So ’tis said,” responded he. “So it seems.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The evening before, Mr. Spring Fragrance, -together with several Seattle and San Francisco -merchants, had given a dinner to a -number of young students who had just -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>arrived from China. The morning papers -had devoted several columns to laudation of -the students, prophecies as to their future, -and the great influence which they would -exercise over the destiny of their nation; but -no comment whatever was made on the givers -of the feast, and Mr. Spring Fragrance was -therefore feeling somewhat unappreciated. -Were not he and his brother merchants worthy -of a little attention? If the students had -come to learn things in America, they, the -merchants, had accomplished things. There -were those amongst them who had been -instrumental in bringing several of the students -to America. One of the boys was Mr. Spring -Fragrance’s own young brother, for whose -maintenance and education he had himself -sent the wherewithal every year for many -years. Mr. Spring Fragrance, though well -read in the Chinese classics, was not himself -a scholar. As a boy he had come to the shores -of America, worked his way up, and by dint -of painstaking study after working hours -acquired the Western language and Western -business ideas. He had made money, saved -money, and sent money home. The years -had flown, his business had grown. Through -his efforts trade between his native town and -the port city in which he lived had greatly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span>increased. A school in Canton was being -builded in part with funds furnished by him, -and a railway syndicate, for the purpose of -constructing a line of railway from the big -city of Canton to his own native town, was -under process of formation, with the name of -Spring Fragrance at its head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>No wonder then that Mr. Spring Fragrance -muttered “Humph!” when Mrs. Spring -Fragrance dilated upon the “divine right of -learning,” and that he should feel irritated -and humiliated, when, after explaining to -her his grievances, she should quote in the -words of Confutze: “Be not concerned that -men do not know you; be only concerned -that you do not know them.” And he had -expected wifely sympathy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was about to leave the room in a somewhat -chilled state of mind when she surprised -him again by pattering across to him -and following up a low curtsy with these -words:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I bow to you as the grass bends to the -wind. Allow me to detain you for just one -moment.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance eyed her for a moment -with suspicion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As I have told you, O Great Man,” continued -Mrs. Spring Fragrance, “I desire to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>write an immortal book, and now that I have -learned from you that it is not necessary to -acquire the ‘divine right of learning’ in -order to accomplish things, I will begin the -work without delay. My first subject will -be ‘The Inferior Woman of America.’ Please -advise me how I shall best inform myself -concerning her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance, perceiving that his -wife was now serious, and being easily mollified, -sat himself down and rubbed his head. -After thinking for a few moments he replied:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the way in America, when a person -is to be illustrated, for the illustrator to interview -the person’s friends. Perhaps, my dear, -you had better confer with the Superior -Woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Surely,” cried Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -“no sage was ever so wise as my Great Man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But I lack the ‘divine right of learning,’” -dryly deplored Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am happy to hear it,” answered Mrs. -Spring Fragrance. “If you were a scholar -you would have no time to read American -poetry and American newspapers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mr. Spring Fragrance laughed heartily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are no Chinese woman,” he teased. -“You are an American.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Please bring me my parasol and my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>folding fan,” said Mrs. Spring Fragrance. -“I am going out for a walk.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Mr. Spring Fragrance obeyed her.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -This is from Mary Carman, who is -in Portland,” said the mother of the -Superior Woman, looking up from -the reading of a letter, as her daughter came -in from the garden.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed,” carelessly responded Miss Evebrook.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, it’s chiefly about Will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, is it? Well, read it then, dear. I’m -interested in Will Carman, because of Alice -Winthrop.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had hoped, Ethel, at one time that you -would have been interested in him for his own -sake. However, this is what she writes:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>“I came here chiefly to rid myself of a melancholy -mood which has taken possession of me lately, and also -because I cannot bear to see my boy so changed -towards me, owing to his infatuation for Alice -Winthrop. It is incomprehensible to me how a -son of mine can find any pleasure whatever in the -society of such a girl. I have traced her history, -and find that she is not only uneducated in the -ordinary sense, but her environment, from childhood up, -has been the sordid and demoralizing one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>of extreme poverty and ignorance. This girl, Alice, -entered a law office at the age of fourteen, supposedly -to do the work of an office boy. Now, after seven -years in business, through the friendship and influence -of men far above her socially, she holds -the position of private secretary to the most -influential man in Washington—a position which -by rights belongs only to a well-educated young -woman of good family. Many such applied. I -myself sought to have Jane Walker appointed. -Is it not disheartening to our woman’s cause to be -compelled to realize that girls such as this one -can win men over to be their friends and lovers, -when there are so many splendid young women -who have been carefully trained to be companions -and comrades of educated men?”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, mother,” interrupted Miss -Evebrook, “but I have heard enough. Mrs. -Carman is your friend and a well-meaning -woman sometimes; but a woman suffragist, -in the true sense, she certainly is not. Mark -my words: If any young man had accomplished -for himself what Alice Winthrop has -accomplished, Mrs. Carman could not have -said enough in his praise. It is women such -as Alice Winthrop who, in spite of every -drawback, have raised themselves to the level -of those who have had every advantage, who -are the pride and glory of America. There -are thousands of them, all over this land: -women who have been of service to others -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>all their years and who have graduated from -the university of life with honor. Women -such as I, who are called the Superior Women -of America, are after all nothing but schoolgirls -in <a id='corr36.6'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='comparison.'>comparison.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_36.6'><ins class='correction' title='comparison.'>comparison.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Evebrook eyed her daughter mutinously. -“I don’t see why you should feel like -that,” said she. “Alice is a dear bright -child, and it is prejudice engendered by Mary -Carman’s disappointment about you and Will -which is the real cause of poor Mary’s bitterness -towards her; but to my mind, Alice -does not compare with my daughter. She -would be frightened to death if she had to -make a speech.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You foolish mother!” rallied Miss Evebrook. -“To stand upon a platform at woman -suffrage meetings and exploit myself is certainly -a great recompense to you and father -for all the sacrifices you have made in my -behalf. But since it pleases you, I do it -with pleasure even on the nights when my -beau should ‘come a courting.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is many a one who would like to -come, Ethel. You’re the handsomest girl -in this Western town—and you know -it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stop that, mother. You know very well -I have set my mind upon having ten years’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span>freedom; ten years in which to love, live, -suffer, see the world, and learn about men -(not schoolboys) before I choose one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alice Winthrop is the same age as you are, -and looks like a child beside you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Physically, maybe; but her heart and mind -are better developed. She has been out in -the world all her life, I only a few months.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your lecture last week on ‘The Opposite -Sex’ was splendid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course. I have studied one hundred -books on the subject and attended fifty -lectures. All that was necessary was to repeat -in an original manner what was not by any -means original.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Miss Evebrook went over to a desk and took -a paper therefrom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This,” said she, “is what Alice has written -me in reply to my note suggesting that she -attend next week the suffrage meeting, and -give some of the experiences of her business -career. The object I had in view when I -requested the relation of her experiences was -to use them as illustrations of the suppression -and oppression of women by men. Strange -to say, Alice and I have never conversed on -this particular subject. If we had I would -not have made this request of her, nor written -her as I did. Listen:</p> - -<div><span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span></div> -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>“I should dearly love to please you, but I am afraid -that my experiences, if related, would not help the -cause. It may be, as you say, that men prevent -women from rising to their level; but if there are -such men, I have not met them. Ever since, when -a little girl, I walked into a law office and asked for -work, and the senior member kindly looked me over -through his spectacles and inquired if I thought -I could learn to index books, and the junior member -glanced under my hat and said: “This is a pretty -little girl and we must be pretty to her,” I have -loved and respected the men amongst whom I -have worked and wherever I have worked. I -may have been exceptionally fortunate, but I know -this: the men for whom I have worked and amongst -whom I have spent my life, whether they have -been business or professional men, students or -great lawyers and politicians, all alike have upheld -me, inspired me, advised me, taught me, given me -a broad outlook upon life for a woman; interested -me in themselves and in their work. As to corrupting -my mind and my morals, as you say so -many men do, when they have young and innocent -girls to deal with: As a woman I look back over -my years spent amongst business and professional -men, and see myself, as I was at first, an impressionable, -ignorant little girl, born a Bohemian, easy to -lead and easy to win, but borne aloft and morally -supported by the goodness of my brother men, -the men amongst whom I worked. That is why, -dear Ethel, you will have to forgive me, because -I cannot carry out your design, and help your -work, as otherwise I would like to do.”</p> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>“That, mother,” declared Miss Evebrook, -“answers all Mrs. Carman’s insinuations, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>should make her ashamed of herself. Can -any one know the sentiments which little -Alice entertains toward men, and wonder at -her winning out as she has?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Evebrook was about to make reply, -when her glance happening to stray out of -the window, she noticed a pink parasol.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mrs. Spring Fragrance!” she ejaculated, -while her daughter went to the door and -invited in the owner of the pink parasol, who -was seated in a veranda rocker calmly writing -in a note-book.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m so sorry that we did not hear your -ring, Mrs. Spring Fragrance,” said she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is no necessity for you to sorrow,” -replied the little Chinese woman. “I did not -expect you to hear a ring which rang not. I -failed to pull the bell.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You forgot, I suppose,” suggested Ethel -Evebrook.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it wise to tell secrets?” ingenuously -inquired Mrs. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, to your friends. Oh, Mrs. Spring -Fragrance, you are <em>so</em> refreshing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have pleasure, then, in confiding to -you. I have an ambition to accomplish an -immortal book about the Americans, and the -conversation I heard through the window was -so interesting to me that I thought I would -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>take some of it down for my book before I -intruded myself. With your kind permission -I will translate for your correction.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be delighted—honored,” said Miss -Evebrook, her cheeks glowing and her laugh -rippling, “if you will promise me, that you -will also translate for our friend, Mrs. Carman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, yes, poor Mrs. Carman! My heart -is so sad for her,” murmured the little Chinese -woman.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>V</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -When the mother of Will Carman -returned from Portland, the first -person upon whom she called was -Mrs. Spring Fragrance. Having lived in -China while her late husband was in the -customs service there, Mrs. Carman’s prejudices -did not extend to the Chinese, and ever -since the Spring Fragrances had become the -occupants of the villa beside the Carmans, -there had been social good feeling between -the American and Chinese families. Indeed, -Mrs. Carman was wont to declare that amongst -all her acquaintances there was not one more -congenial and interesting than little Mrs. -Spring Fragrance. So after she had sipped -a cup of delicious tea, tasted some piquant -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>candied limes, and told Mrs. Spring Fragrance -all about her visit to the Oregon city and the -Chinese people she had met there, she reverted -to a personal trouble confided to Mrs. Spring -Fragrance some months before and dwelt -upon it for more than half an hour. Then -she checked herself and gazed at Mrs. Spring -Fragrance in surprise. Hitherto she had -found the little Chinese woman sympathetic -and consoling. Chinese ideas of filial duty -chimed in with her own. But today Mrs. -Spring Fragrance seemed strangely uninterested -and unresponsive.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps,” gently suggested the American -woman, who was nothing if not sensitive, -“you have some trouble yourself. If so, -my dear, tell me all about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, no!” answered Mrs. Spring Fragrance -brightly. “I have no troubles to tell; but -all the while I am thinking about the book -I am writing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A book!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, a book about Americans, an immortal -book.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My dear Mrs. Spring Fragrance!” exclaimed -her visitor in amazement.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The American woman writes books about -the Chinese. Why not a Chinese woman -write books about the Americans?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>“I see what you mean. Why, yes, of course. -What an original idea!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I think that is what it is. My book -I shall take from the words of others.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean, my dear?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I listen to what is said, I apprehend, I -write it down. Let me illustrate by the -‘Inferior Woman’ subject. The Inferior Woman -is most interesting to me because you -have told me that your son is in much love -with her. My husband advised me to learn -about the Inferior Woman from the Superior -Woman. I go to see the Superior Woman. -I sit on the veranda of the Superior Woman’s -house. I listen to her converse with her -mother about the Inferior Woman. With -the speed of flames I write down all I hear. -When I enter the house the Superior Woman -advises me that what I write is correct. May -I read to you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be pleased to hear what you have -written; but I do not think you were wise in -your choice of subject,” returned Mrs. Carman -somewhat primly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am sorry I am not wise. Perhaps I -had better not read?” said Mrs. Spring -Fragrance with humility.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, yes, do, please.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was eagerness in Mrs. Carman’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>voice. What could Ethel Evebrook have to -say about that girl!</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Mrs. Spring Fragrance had finished -reading, she looked up into the face of her -American friend—a face in which there was -nothing now but tenderness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mrs. Mary Carman,” said she, “you are -so good as to admire my husband because he -is what the Americans call ‘a man who has -made himself.’ Why then do you not admire -the Inferior Woman who is a woman who has -made herself?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I do,” said Mrs. Carman slowly.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>VI</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It was an evening that invited to reverie. -The far stretches of the sea were gray with -mist, and the city itself, lying around -the sweep of the Bay, seemed dusky and -distant. From her cottage window Alice -Winthrop looked silently at the open world -around her. It seemed a long time since she -had heard Will Carman’s whistle. She wondered -if he were still angry with her. She -was sorry that he had left her in anger, and yet -not sorry. If she had not made him believe -that she was proud and selfish, the parting -would have been much harder; and perhaps -<span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span>had he known the truth and realized that it -was for his sake, and not for her own, that -she was sending him away from her, he might -have refused to leave her at all. His was -such an imperious nature. And then they -would have married—right away. Alice -caught her breath a little, and then she sighed. -But they would not have been happy. No, -that could not have been possible if his mother -did not like her. When a gulf of prejudice -lies between the wife and mother of a man, -that man’s life is not what it should be. And -even supposing she and Will could have lost -themselves in each other, and been able to -imagine themselves perfectly satisfied with -life together, would it have been right? The -question of right and wrong was a very real -one to Alice Winthrop. She put herself in -the place of the mother of her lover—a lonely -elderly woman, a widow with an only son, -upon whom she had expended all her love and -care ever since, in her early youth, she had -been bereaved of his father. What anguish -of heart would be hers if that son deserted -her for one whom she, his mother, deemed -unworthy! Prejudices are prejudices. They -are like diseases.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The poor, pale, elderly woman, who cherished -bitter and resentful feelings towards the girl -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>whom her son loved, was more an object of -pity than condemnation to the girl herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She lifted her eyes to the undulating line -of hills beyond the water. From behind them -came a silver light. “Yes,” said she aloud to -herself—and, though she knew it not, there -was an infinite pathos in such philosophy -from one so young—“if life cannot be bright -and beautiful for me, at least it can be peaceful -and contented.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The light behind the hills died away; darkness -crept over the sea. Alice withdrew from -the window and went and knelt before the open -fire in her sitting-room. Her cottage companion, -the young woman who rented the place -with her, had not yet returned from town.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Alice did not turn on the light. She was -seeing pictures in the fire, and in every picture -was the same face and form—the face and -form of a fine, handsome young man with -love and hope in his eyes. No, not always -love and hope. In the last picture of all -there was an expression which she wished she -could forget. And yet she would remember—ever—always—and -with it, these words: -“Is it nothing to you—nothing—to tell a man -that you love him, and then to bid him go?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yes, but when she had told him she loved -him she had not dreamed that her love for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>him and his for her would estrange him from -one who, before ever she had come to this -world, had pillowed his head on her breast.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suddenly this girl, so practical, so humorous, -so clever in every-day life, covered her face -with her hands and sobbed like a child. Two -roads of life had lain before her and she had -chosen the hardest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The warning bell of an automobile passing -the cross-roads checked her tears. That reminded -her that Nellie Blake would soon be -home. She turned on the light and went to -the bedroom and bathed her eyes. Nellie -must have forgotten her key. There she was -knocking.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The chill sea air was sweet with the scent -of roses as Mary Carman stood upon the -threshold of the little cottage, and beheld -in the illumination from within the young -girl whom she had called “the Inferior -Woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have come, Miss Winthrop,” said she, -“to beg of you to return home with me. Will, -reckless boy, met with a slight accident while -out shooting, so could not come for you himself. -He has told me that he loves you, and -if you love him, I want to arrange for the -prettiest wedding of the season. Come, dear!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>“I am so glad,” said Mrs. Spring Fragrance, -“that Will Carman’s bird is in his nest and -his felicity is assured.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about the Superior Woman?” asked -Mr. Spring Fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, the Superior Woman! Radiantly beautiful, -and gifted with the divine right of learning! -I love well the Inferior Woman; but, -O Great Man, when we have a daughter, may -Heaven ordain that she walk in the groove -of the Superior Woman.”</p> - -<h3 id='p47' class='c011'>THE WISDOM OF THE NEW</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_o-header.png' width='34' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Old Li Wang, the peddler, who had -lived in the land beyond the sea, was -wont to declare: “For every cent that -a man makes here, he can make one hundred -there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, why,” would ask Sankwei, “do -you now have to move from door to door to -fill your bowl with rice?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the old man would sigh and answer:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because where one learns how to make -gold, one also learns how to lose it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How to lose it!” echoed Wou Sankwei. -“Tell me all about it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span>So the old man would tell stories about the -winning and the losing, and the stories of -the losing were even more fascinating than -the stories of the winning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, that was life,” he would conclude. -“Life, life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At such times the boy would gaze across -the water with wistful eyes. The land beyond -the sea was calling to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The place was a sleepy little south coast -town where the years slipped by monotonously. -The boy was the only son of the man -who had been the town magistrate.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had his father lived, Wou Sankwei would -have been sent to complete his schooling in -another province. As it was he did nothing -but sleep, dream, and occasionally get into -mischief. What else was there to do? His -mother and sister waited upon him hand and -foot. Was he not the son of the house? The -family income was small, scarcely sufficient -for their needs; but there was no way by which -he could add to it, unless, indeed, he disgraced -the name of Wou by becoming a common -fisherman. The great green waves lifted white -arms of foam to him, and the fishes gleaming -and lurking in the waters seemed to beseech -him to draw them from the deep; but his -mother shook her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>“Should you become a fisherman,” said -she, “your family would lose face. Remember -that your father was a magistrate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When he was about nineteen there returned -to the town one who had been absent for many -years. Ching Kee, like old Li Wang, had -also lived in the land beyond the sea; but -unlike old Li Wang he had accumulated a -small fortune.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“’Tis a hard life over there,” said he, “but -’tis worth while. At least one can be a man, -and can work at what work comes his way -without losing face.” Then he laughed at -Wou Sankwei’s flabby muscles, at his soft, -dark eyes, and plump, white hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you lived in America,” said he, “you -would learn to be ashamed of such beauty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereupon Wou Sankwei made up his -mind that he would go to America, the land -beyond the sea. Better any life than that of -a woman man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He talked long and earnestly with his -mother. “Give me your blessing,” said he. -“I will work and save money. What I send -home will bring you many a comfort, and -when I come back to China, it may be that -I shall be able to complete my studies and -obtain a degree. If not, my knowledge of -the foreign language which I shall acquire, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>will enable me to take a position which will -not disgrace the name of Wou.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His mother listened and thought. She was -ambitious for her son whom she loved beyond -all things on earth. Moreover, had not Sik -Ping, a Canton merchant, who had visited -the little town two moons ago, declared to -Hum Wah, who traded in palm leaves, that -the signs of the times were that the son of a -cobbler, returned from America with the -foreign language, could easier command a -position of consequence than the son of a -school-teacher unacquainted with any tongue -but that of his motherland?</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well,” she acquiesced; “but before -you go I must find you a wife. Only your -son, my son, can comfort me for your loss.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -Wou Sankwei stood behind his -desk, busily entering figures in a -long yellow <a id='corr50.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='book'>book.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_50.21'><ins class='correction' title='book'>book.</ins></a></span> Now and then -he would thrust the hair pencil with which he -worked behind his ears and manipulate with -deft fingers a Chinese counting machine. -Wou Sankwei was the junior partner and -bookkeeper of the firm of Leung Tang Wou -& Co. of San Francisco. He had been in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>America seven years and had made good use -of his time. Self-improvement had been his -object and ambition, even more than the -acquirement of a fortune, and who, looking at -his fine, intelligent face and listening to his careful -English, could say that he had failed?</p> - -<p class='c001'>One of his partners called his name. Some -ladies wished to speak to him. Wou Sankwei -hastened to the front of the store. One of -his callers, a motherly looking woman, was the -friend who had taken him under her wing -shortly after his arrival in America. She had -come to invite him to spend the evening with -her and her niece, the young girl who accompanied -her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After his callers had left, Sankwei returned -to his desk and worked steadily until the hour -for his evening meal, which he took in the -Chinese restaurant across the street from the -bazaar. He hurried through with this, as -before going to his friend’s house, he had a -somewhat important letter to write and mail. -His mother had died a year before, and the -uncle, to whom he was writing, had taken his -wife and son into his home until such time as -his nephew could send for them. Now the -time had come.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wou Sankwei’s memory of the woman who -was his wife was very faint. How could it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span>be otherwise? She had come to him but -three weeks before the sailing of the vessel -which had brought him to America, and until -then he had not seen her face. But she was -his wife and the mother of his son. Ever -since he had worked in America he had sent -money for her support, and she had proved a -good daughter to his mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>As he sat down to write he decided that he -would welcome her with a big dinner to his -countrymen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” he replied to Mrs. Dean, later on -in the evening, “I have sent for my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am so glad,” said the lady. “Mr. -Wou”—turning to her niece—“has not -seen his wife for seven years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deary me!” exclaimed the young girl. -“What a lot of letters you must have -written!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have not written her one,” returned the -young man somewhat stiffly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Charlton looked up in surprise. “Why—” -she began.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mr. Wou used to be such a studious boy -when I first knew him,” interrupted Mrs. -Dean, laying her hand affectionately upon -the young man’s shoulder. “Now, it is all -business. But you won’t forget the concert -on Saturday evening.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>“No, I will not forget,” answered Wou -Sankwei.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He has never written to his wife,” explained -Mrs. Dean when she and her niece were alone, -“because his wife can neither read nor write.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, isn’t that sad!” murmured Adah -Charlton, her own winsome face becoming -pensive.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They don’t seem to think so. It is the Chinese -custom to educate only the boys. At least -it has been so in the past. Sankwei himself -is unusually bright. Poor boy! He began -life here as a laundryman, and you may be -sure that it must have been hard on him, for, -as the son of a petty Chinese Government -official, he had not been accustomed to manual -labor. But Chinese character is wonderful; -and now after seven years in this country, he -enjoys a reputation as a business man amongst -his countrymen, and is as up to date as any -young American.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, Auntie, isn’t it dreadful to think that -a man should live away from his wife for -so many years without any communication -between them whatsoever except through -others.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is dreadful to our minds, but not to -theirs. Everything with them is a matter -of duty. Sankwei married his wife as a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>matter of duty. He sends for her as a matter -of duty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wonder if it is all duty on her side,” -mused the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dean smiled. “You are too romantic, -Adah,” said she. “I hope, however, that -when she does come, they will be happy -together. I think almost as much of Sankwei -as I do of my own boy.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_p-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Pau Lin, the wife of Wou Sankwei, sat -in a corner of the deck of the big -steamer, awaiting the coming of her -husband. Beside her, leaning his little queued -head against her shoulder, stood her six-year-old -son. He had been ailing throughout -the voyage, and his small face was pinched -with pain. His mother, who had been nursing -him every night since the ship had left -port, appeared very worn and tired. This, -despite the fact that with a feminine desire -to make herself fair to see in the eyes of her -husband, she had arrayed herself in a heavily -embroidered purple costume, whitened her -forehead and cheeks with powder, and tinted -her lips with carmine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He came at last, looking over and beyond -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>her; There were two others of her countrywomen -awaiting the men who had sent for -them, and each had a child, so that for a -moment he seemed somewhat bewildered. -Only when the ship’s officer pointed out and -named her, did he know her as his. Then he -came forward, spoke a few words of formal -welcome, and, lifting the child in his arms, -began questioning her as to its health.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She answered in low monosyllables. At his -greeting she had raised her patient eyes to his -face—the face of the husband whom she had -not seen for seven long years—then the eager -look of expectancy which had crossed her own -faded away, her eyelids drooped, and her countenance -assumed an almost sullen expression.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, poor Sankwei!” exclaimed Mrs. Dean, -who with Adah Charlton stood some little -distance apart from the family group.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor wife!” murmured the young girl. -She moved forward and would have taken in -her own white hands the ringed ones of the -Chinese woman, but the young man gently -restrained her. “She cannot understand you,” -said he. As the young girl fell back, he explained -to his wife the presence of the stranger -women. They were there to bid her welcome; -they were kind and good and wished -to be her friends as well as his.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>Pau Lin looked away. Adah Charlton’s -bright face, and the tone in her husband’s -voice when he spoke to the young girl, aroused -a suspicion in her mind—a suspicion natural -to one who had come from a land where friendship -between a man and woman is almost -unknown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor little thing! How shy she is!” exclaimed -Mrs. Dean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei was glad that neither she nor the -young girl understood the meaning of the -averted face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus began Wou Sankwei’s life in America -as a family man. He soon became accustomed -to the change, which was not such a great -one after all. Pau Lin was more of an accessory -than a part of his life. She interfered -not at all with his studies, his business, or his -friends, and when not engaged in housework -or sewing, spent most of her time in the society -of one or the other of the merchants’ wives -who lived in the flats and apartments around -her own. She kept up the Chinese custom -of taking her meals after her husband or at a -separate table, and observed faithfully the -rule laid down for her by her late mother-in-law: -to keep a quiet tongue in the presence of -her man. Sankwei, on his part, was always -kind and indulgent. He bought her silk -<span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span>dresses, hair ornaments, fans, and sweetmeats. -He ordered her favorite dishes from the -Chinese restaurant. When she wished to go -out with her women friends, he hired a carriage, -and shortly after her advent erected -behind her sleeping room a chapel for the -ancestral tablet and gorgeous goddess which -she had brought over seas with her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Upon the child both parents lavished affection. -He was a quaint, serious little fellow, -small for his age and requiring much care. -Although naturally much attached to his -mother, he became also very fond of his -father who, more like an elder brother than -a parent, delighted in playing all kinds of games -with him, and whom he followed about like a -little dog. Adah Charlton took a great fancy -to him and sketched him in many different -poses for a book on Chinese children which -she was illustrating.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He will be strong enough to go to school -next year,” said Sankwei to her one day. -“Later on I intend to put him through an -American college.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What does your wife think of a Western -training for him?” inquired the young girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have not consulted her about the matter,” -he answered. “A woman does not -understand such things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>“A woman, Mr. Wou,” declared Adah, -“understands such things as well as and -sometimes better than a man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“An, American woman, maybe,” amended -Sankwei; “but not a Chinese.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>From the first Pau Lin had shown no disposition -to become Americanized, and Sankwei -himself had not urged it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do appreciate the advantages of becoming -westernized,” said he to Mrs. Dean whose -influence and interest in his studies in America -had helped him to become what he was, “but -it is not as if she had come here as I came, in -her learning days. The time for learning -with her is over.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening, upon returning from his store, -he found the little Yen sobbing pitifully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!” he teased, “A man—and weeping.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boy tried to hide his face, and as he -did so, the father noticed that his little hand -was red and swollen. He strode into the -kitchen where Pau Lin was preparing the -evening meal.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The little child who is not strong—is -there anything he could do to merit the -infliction of pain?” he questioned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Lin faced her husband. “Yes, I think -so,” said she.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>“What?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I forbade him to speak the language of -the white women, and he disobeyed me. He -had words in that tongue with the white boy -from the next street.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei was astounded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are living in the white man’s country,” -said he. “The child will have to learn the -white man’s language.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not my child,” answered Pau Lin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei turned away from her. “Come, -little one,” said he to his son, “we will take -supper tonight at the restaurant, and afterwards -Yen shall see a show.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Lin laid down the dish of vegetables -which she was straining and took from a -hook as small wrap which she adjusted around -the boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now go with thy father,” said she sternly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the boy clung to her—to the hand -which had punished him. “I will sup with -you,” he cried, “I will sup with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go,” repeated his mother, pushing him -from her. And as the two passed over the -threshold, she called to the father: “Keep -the wrap around the child. The night air is -chill.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Late that night, while father and son were -peacefully sleeping, the wife and mother arose, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>and lifting gently the unconscious boy, bore -him into the next room where she sat down -with him in a rocker. Waking, he clasped his -arms around her neck. Backwards and forwards -she rocked him, passionately caressing -the wounded hand and crooning and crying -until he fell asleep again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The first chastisement that the son of Wou -Sankwei had received from his mother, was -because he had striven to follow in the footsteps -of his father and use the language of -the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You did perfectly right,” said old Sien -Tau the following morning, as she leaned -over her balcony to speak to the wife of Wou -Sankwei. “Had I again a son to rear, I -should see to it that he followed not after the -white people.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sien Tau’s son had married a white woman, -and his children passed their grandame on -the street without recognition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In this country, she is most happy who has -no child,” said Lae Choo, resting her elbow -upon the shoulder of Sien Tau. “A Toy, the -young daughter of Lew Wing, is as bold and -free in her ways as are the white women, and -her name is on all the men’s tongues. What -prudent man of our race would take her as -wife?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>“One needs not to be born here to be made -a fool of,” joined in Pau Lin, appearing at -another balcony door. “Think of Hum Wah. -From sunrise till midnight he worked for -fourteen years, then a white man came along -and persuaded from him every dollar, promising -to return doublefold within the moon. -Many moons have risen and waned, and Hum -Wah still waits on this side of the sea for the -white man and his money. Meanwhile, his -father and mother, who looked long for his -coming, have passed beyond returning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The new religion—what trouble it -brings!” exclaimed Lae Choo. “My man -received word yestereve that the good old -mother of Chee Ping—he who was baptized -a Christian at the last baptizing in the Mission -around the corner—had her head secretly -severed from her body by the steadfast people -of the village, as soon as the news reached -there. ’Twas the first violent death in the -records of the place. This happened to -the mother of one of the boys attending the -Mission corner of my street.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt, the poor old mother, having -lost face, minded not so much the losing of -her head,” sighed Pau Lin. She gazed below -her curiously. The American Chinatown held -a strange fascination for the girl from the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span>seacoast village. Streaming along the street -was a motley throng made up of all nationalities. -The sing-song voices of girls whom -respectable merchants’ wives shudder to name, -were calling to one another from high balconies -up shadowy alleys. A fat barber was -laughing hilariously at a drunken white man -who had fallen into a gutter; a withered old -fellow, carrying a bird in a cage, stood at the -corner entreating passersby to have a good -fortune told; some children were burning -punk on the curbstone. There went by a -stalwart Chief of the Six Companies engaged -in earnest confab with a yellow-robed priest -from the joss house. A Chinese dressed in -the latest American style and a very blonde -woman, laughing immoderately, were entering -a Chinese restaurant together. Above all -the hubbub of voices was heard the clang of -electric cars and the jarring of heavy wheels -over cobblestones.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Lin raised her head and looked her -thoughts at the old woman, Sien Tau.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” nodded the dame, “’tis a mad place -in which to bring up a child.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Lin went back into the house, gave -little Yen his noonday meal, and dressed him -with care. His father was to take him out -that afternoon. She questioned the boy, as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>she braided his queue, concerning the white -women whom he visited with his father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was evening when they returned—Wou -Sankwei and his boy. The little fellow ran -up to her in high glee. “See, mother,” said -he, pulling off his cap, “I am like father -now. I wear no queue.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother looked down upon him—at -the little round head from which the queue, -which had been her pride, no longer dangled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” she cried. “I am ashamed of you; -I am ashamed!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boy stared at her, hurt and disappointed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind, son,” comforted his father. -“It is all right.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Lin placed the bowls of seaweed and -chickens’ liver before them and went back to -the kitchen where her own meal was waiting. -But she did not eat. She was saying within -herself: “It is for the white woman he has -done this; it is for the white woman!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Later, as she laid the queue of her son within -the trunk wherein lay that of his father, long -since cast aside, she discovered a picture of -Mrs. Dean, taken when the American woman -had first become the teacher and benefactress -of the youthful laundryman. She ran over -with it to her husband. “Here,” said she; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>“it is a picture of one of your white friends.” -Sankwei took it from her almost reverently, -“That woman,” he explained, “has been to -me as a mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And the young woman—the one with -eyes the color of blue china—is she also as -a mother?” inquired Pau Lin gently.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But for all her gentleness, Wou Sankwei -flushed angrily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never speak of her,” he cried. “Never -speak of her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!” laughed -Pau Lin. It was a soft and not unmelodious -laugh, but to Wou Sankwei it sounded almost -sacrilegious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nevertheless, he soon calmed down. Pau -Lin was his wife, and to be kind to her was -not only his duty but his nature. So when -his little boy climbed into his lap and besought -his father to pipe him a tune, he reached for -his flute and called to Pau Lin to put aside -work for that night. He would play her -some Chinese music. And Pau Lin, whose -heart and mind, undiverted by change, had -been concentrated upon Wou Sankwei ever -since the day she had become his wife, -smothered, for the time being, the bitterness -in her heart, and succumbed to the magic of -her husband’s playing—a magic which transported -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>her in thought to the old Chinese -days, the old Chinese days whose impression -and influence ever remain with the exiled -sons and daughters of China.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -That a man should take to himself two -wives, or even three, if he thought -proper, seemed natural and right in -the eyes of Wou Pau Lin. She herself had -come from a home where there were two -broods of children and where her mother and -her father’s other wife had eaten their meals -together as sisters. In that home there had -not always been peace; but each woman, -at least, had the satisfaction of knowing that -her man did not regard or treat the other -woman as her superior. To each had fallen -the common lot—to bear children to the -man, and the man was master of all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But, oh! the humiliation and shame of -bearing children to a man who looked up to -another woman—and a woman of another -race—as a being above the common uses of -women. There is a jealousy of the mind more -poignant than any mere animal jealousy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Wou Sankwei’s second child was two -weeks old, Adah Charlton and her aunt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>called to see the little one, and the young girl -chatted brightly with the father and played -merrily with Yen, who was growing strong -and merry. The American women could not, -of course, converse with the Chinese; but -Adah placed beside her a bunch of beautiful -flowers, pressed her hand, and looked down -upon her with radiant eyes. Secure in the -difference of race, in the love of many friends, -and in the happiness of her chosen work, no -suspicion whatever crossed her mind that the -woman whose husband was her aunt’s protégé -tasted everything bitter because of her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the visitors had gone, Pau Lin, who -had been watching her husband’s face while -the young artist was in the room, said to him:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She can be happy who takes all and gives -nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Takes all and gives nothing,” echoed her -husband. “What do you mean?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She has taken all your heart,” answered -Pau Lin, “but she has not given you a son. -It is I who have had that task.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are my wife,” answered Wou Sankwei. -“And she—oh! how can you speak of her -so? She, who is as a pure water-flower—a -lily!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He went out of the room, carrying with him -a little painting of their boy, which Adah -<span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>Charlton had given to him as she bade him -goodbye and which he had intended showing -with pride to the mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was on the day that the baby died that -Pau Lin first saw the little picture. It had -fallen out of her husband’s coat pocket when -he lifted the tiny form in his arms and declared -it lifeless. Even in that first moment of loss -Pau Lin, stooping to pick up the portrait, -had shrunk back in horror, crying: “She -would cast a spell! She would cast a spell!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She set her heel upon the face of the picture -and destroyed it beyond restoration.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You know not what you say and do,” -sternly rebuked Sankwei. He would have -added more, but the mystery of the dead -child’s look forbade him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The loss of a son is as the loss of a limb,” -said he to his childless partner, as under the -red glare of the lanterns they sat discussing -the sad event.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you are not without consolation,” -returned Leung Tsao. “Your firstborn grows -in strength and beauty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True,” assented Wou Sankwei, his heavy -thoughts becoming lighter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Pau Lin, in her curtained balcony -overhead, drew closer her child and passionately -cried:</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>“Sooner would I, O heart of my heart, that -the light of thine eyes were also quenched, -than that thou shouldst be contaminated -with the wisdom of the new.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>V</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The Chinese women friends of Wou -Pau Lin gossiped among themselves, -and their gossip reached the ears of -the American woman friend of Pau Lin’s -husband. Since the days of her widowhood -Mrs. Dean had devoted herself earnestly and -whole-heartedly to the betterment of the -condition and the uplifting of the young -workingmen of Chinese race who came to -America. Their appeal and need, as she had -told her niece, was for closer acquaintance -with the knowledge of the Western people, -and <em>that</em> she had undertaken to give them, -as far as she was able. The rewards and -satisfactions of her work had been rich in -some cases. Witness Wou Sankwei.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the gossip had reached and much perturbed -her. What was it that they said Wou -Sankwei’s wife had declared—that her little -son should not go to an American school nor -learn the American learning. Such bigotry -and narrow-mindedness! How sad to think -<span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span>of! Here was a man who had benefited and -profited by living in America, anxious to have -his son receive the benefits of a Western education—and -here was this man’s wife opposing -him with her ignorance and hampering -him with her unreasonable jealousy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yes, she had heard that too. That Wou -Sankwei’s wife was jealous—jealous—and -her husband the most moral of men, the -kindest and the most generous.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of what is she jealous?” she questioned -Adah Charlton. “Other Chinese men’s wives, -I have known, have had cause to be jealous, -for it is true some of them are dreadfully -immoral and openly support two or more -wives. But not Wou Sankwei. And this -little Pau Lin. She has everything that a -Chinese woman could wish for.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A sudden flash of intuition came to the -girl, rendering her for a moment speechless. -When she did find words, she said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everything that a Chinese woman could -wish for, you say. Auntie, I do not believe -there is any real difference between the feelings -of a Chinese wife and an American wife. -Sankwei is treating Pau Lin as he would treat -her were he living in China. Yet it cannot -be the same to her as if she were in their own -country, where he would not come in contact -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>with American women. A woman is a woman -with intuitions and perceptions, whether -Chinese or American, whether educated or -uneducated, and Sankwei’s wife must have -noticed, even on the day of her arrival, her -husband’s manner towards us, and contrasted -it with his manner towards her. I did not -realize this before you told me that she was -jealous. I only wish I had. Now, for all -her ignorance, I can see that the poor little -thing became more of an American in that -one half hour on the steamer than Wou -Sankwei, for all your pride in him, has become -in seven years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dean rested her head on her hand. -She was evidently much perplexed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you say may be, Adah,” she replied -after a while; “but even so, it is Sankwei -whom I have known so long, who has my -sympathies. He has much to put up with. -They have drifted seven years of life apart. -There is no bond of interest or sympathy -between them, save the boy. Yet never the -slightest hint of trouble has come to me from -his own lips. Before the coming of Pau Lin, -he would confide in me every little thing that -worried him, as if he were my own son. Now -he maintains absolute silence as to his private -affairs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>“Chinese principles,” observed Adah, resuming -her work. “Yes, I admit Sankwei -has some puzzles to solve. Naturally, when -he tries to live two lives—that of a Chinese -and that of an American.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is compelled to that,” retorted Mrs. -Dean. “Is it not what we teach these Chinese -boys—to become Americans? And yet, they -are Chinese, and must, in a sense, remain -so.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah did not answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dean sighed. “Poor, dear children, -both of them,” mused she. “I feel very low-spirited -over the matter. I suppose you -wouldn’t care to come down town with me. -I should like to have another chat with Mrs. -Wing Sing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be glad of the change,” replied -Adah, laying down her brushes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Rows of lanterns suspended from many -balconies shed a mellow, moonshiny radiance. -On the walls and doors were splashes of red -paper inscribed with hieroglyphics. In the -narrow streets, booths decorated with flowers, -and banners and screens painted with immense -figures of josses diverted the eye; -while bands of musicians in gaudy silks, -shrilled and banged, piped and fluted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Everybody seemed to be out of doors—men, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>women, and children—and nearly all -were in holiday attire. A couple of priests, -in vivid scarlet and yellow robes, were kotowing -before an altar covered with a rich cloth, -embroidered in white and silver. Some -Chinese students from the University of California -stood looking on with comprehending, -half-scornful interest; three girls lavishly -dressed in colored silks, with their black hair -plastered back from their faces and heavily -bejewelled behind, chirped and chattered in -a gilded balcony above them like birds in a -cage. Little children, their hands full of -half-moon-shaped cakes, were pattering about, -with eyes, for all the hour, as bright as stars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chinatown was celebrating the Harvest -Moon Festival, and Adah Charlton was glad -that she had an opportunity to see something -of the celebration before she returned East. -Mrs. Dean, familiar with the Chinese people -and the mazes of Chinatown, led her around -fearlessly, pointing out this and that object -of interest and explaining to her its meaning. -Seeing that it was a gala night, she had -abandoned her idea of calling upon the Chinese -friend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just as they turned a corner leading up to -the street where Wou Sankwei’s place of -business and residence was situated, a pair -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>of little hands grasped Mrs. Dean’s skirt and -a delighted little voice piped: “See me! -See me!” It was little Yen, resplendent in -mauve-colored pantaloons and embroidered -vest and cap. Behind him was a tall man -whom both women recognized.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How do you happen to have Yen with -you?” Adah asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“His father handed him over to me as a -sort of guide, counsellor, and friend. The -little fellow is very amusing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See over here,” interrupted Yen. He -hopped over the alley to where the priests -stood by the altar. The grown people followed -him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is that man chanting?” asked Adah. -One of the priests had mounted a table, and -with arms outstretched towards the moon -sailing high in the heavens, seemed to be -making some sort of an invocation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her friend listened for some moments before -replying:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is a sort of apotheosis of the moon. I -have heard it on a like occasion in Hankow, -and the Chinese <em>bonze</em> who officiated gave -me a translation. I almost know it by heart. -May I repeat it to you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dean and Yen were examining the -screen with the big josses.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>“Yes, I should like to hear it,” said Adah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then fix your eyes upon Diana.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear and lovely moon, as I watch thee -pursuing thy solitary course o’er the silent -heavens, heart-easing thoughts steal o’er me -and calm my passionate soul. Thou art so -sweet, so serious, so serene, that thou causest -me to forget the stormy emotions which crash -like jarring discords across the harmony of -life, and bringest to my memory a voice -scarce ever heard amidst the warring of the -world—love’s low voice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thou art so peaceful and so pure that it -seemeth as if naught false or ignoble could -dwell beneath thy gentle radiance, and that -earnestness—even the earnestness of genius—must -glow within the bosom of him on -whose head thy beams fall like blessings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The magic of thy sympathy disburtheneth -me of many sorrows, and thoughts, which, -like the songs of the sweetest sylvan singer, -are too dear and sacred for the careless ears -of day, gush forth with unconscious eloquence -when thou art the only listener.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear and lovely moon, there are some who -say that those who dwell in the sunlit fields -of reason should fear to wander through the -moonlit valleys of imagination; but I, who -have ever been a pilgrim and a stranger in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span>realm of the wise, offer to thee the homage of -a heart which appreciates that thou graciously -shinest—even on the fool.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is that really Chinese?” queried Adah.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No doubt about it—in the main. Of -course, I cannot swear to it word for word.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I should think that there would be some -reference to the fruits of the earth—the -harvest. I always understood that the -Chinese religion was so practical.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Confucianism is. But the Chinese mind -requires two religions. Even the most commonplace -Chinese has yearnings for something -above everyday life. Therefore, he combines -with his Confucianism, Buddhism—or, in this -country, Christianity.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Thank you for the information. It has -given me a key to the mind of a certain -Chinese in whom Auntie and I are interested.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And who is this particular Chinese in -whom you are interested.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The father of the little boy who is with -us tonight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wou Sankwei! Why, here he comes with -Lee Tong Hay. Are you acquainted with -Lee Tong Hay?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, but I believe Aunt is. Plays and -sings in vaudeville, doesn’t he?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he can turn himself into a German, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>a Scotchman, an Irishman, or an American, -with the greatest ease, and is as natural in -each character as he is as a Chinaman. Hello, -Lee Tong Hay.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hello, Mr. Stimson.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>While her friend was talking to the lively -young Chinese who had answered his greeting, -Adah went over to where Wou Sankwei -stood speaking to Mrs. Dean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yen begins school next week,” said her -aunt, drawing her arm within her own. It -was time to go home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah made no reply. She was settling -her mind to do something quite out of the -ordinary. Her aunt often called her romantic -and impractical. Perhaps she was.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>VI</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Auntie went out of town this morning,” -said Adah Charlton. “I, -’phoned for you to come up, Sankwei -because I wished to have a personal and -private talk with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Any trouble, Miss Adah,” inquired the -young merchant. “Anything I can do for -you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Dean often called upon him to transact -little business matters for her or to consult -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>with him on various phases of her social -and family life.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know what I would do without -Sankwei’s head to manage for me,” she often -said to her niece.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” replied the girl, “you do too much -for us. You always have, ever since I’ve -known you. It’s a shame for us to have -allowed you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What are you talking about, Miss Adah? -Since I came to America your aunt has made -this house like a home to me, and, of course, -I take an interest in it and like to do anything -for it that a man can. I am always happy -when I come here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I know you are, poor old boy,” said -Adah to herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Aloud she said: “I have something to say -to you which I would like you to hear. Will -you listen, Sankwei?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course I will,” he answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well then,” went on Adah, “I asked you -to come here today because I have heard that -there is trouble at your house and that your -wife is jealous of you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Would you please not talk about that, -Miss Adah. It is a matter which you cannot -understand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You promised to listen and heed. I do -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>understand, even though I cannot speak to -your wife nor find out what she feels and -thinks. I know you, Sankwei, and I can see -just how the trouble has arisen. As soon as -I heard that your wife was jealous I knew why -she was jealous.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?” he queried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because,” she answered unflinchingly, “you -are thinking far too much of other women.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Too much of other women?” echoed -Sankwei dazedly. “I did not know that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, you didn’t. That is why I am telling -you. But you are, Sankwei. And you are -becoming too Americanized. My aunt encourages -you to become so, and she is a good -woman, with the best and highest of motives; -but we are all liable to make mistakes, and it -is a mistake to try and make a Chinese man -into an American—if he has a wife who is -to remain as she always has been. It would -be different if you were not married and were -a man free to advance. But you are not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What am I to do then, Miss Adah? You -say that I think too much of other women besides -her, and that I am too much Americanized. -What can I do about it now that it is so?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“First of all you must think of your wife. -She has done for you what no American -woman would do—came to you to be your -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>wife, love you and serve you without even -knowing you—took you on trust altogether. -You must remember that for many years -she was chained in a little cottage to care for -your ailing and aged mother—a hard task -indeed for a young girl. You must remember -that you are the only man in the world to her, -and that you have always been the only one -that she has ever cared for. Think of her -during all the years you are here, living a -lonely hard-working life—a baby and an -old woman her only companions. For this, -she had left all her own relations. No -American woman would have sacrificed herself -so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And, now, what has she? Only you and -her housework. The white woman reads, -plays, paints, attends concerts, entertainments, -lectures, absorbs herself in the work she likes, -and in the course of her life thinks of and -cares for a great many people. She has much -to make her happy besides her husband. The -Chinese woman has him only.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And her boy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, her boy,” repeated Adah Charlton, -smiling in spite of herself, but lapsing into -seriousness the moment after. “There’s another -reason for you to drop the American -for a time and go back to being a Chinese. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>For sake of your darling little boy, you and -your wife should live together kindly and -cheerfully. That is much more important -for his welfare than that he should go to the -American school and become Americanized.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is my ambition to put him through both -American and Chinese schools.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But what he needs most of all is a loving -mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She loves him all right.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then why do you not love her as you -should? If I were married I would not think -my husband loved me very much if he preferred -spending his evenings in the society of -other women than in mine, and was so much -more polite and deferential to other women -than he was to me. Can’t you understand -now why your wife is jealous?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wou Sankwei stood up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Goodbye,” said Adah Charlton, giving -him her hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Goodbye,” said Wou Sankwei.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Had he been a white man, there is no doubt -that Adah Charlton’s little lecture would have -had a contrary effect from what she meant -it to have. At least, the lectured would have -been somewhat cynical as to her sincerity. -But Wou Sankwei was not a white man. He -was a Chinese, and did not see any reason for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span>insincerity in a matter as important as that -which Adah Charlton had brought before -him. He felt himself exiled from Paradise, -yet it did not occur to him to question, as a -white man would have done, whether the -angel with the flaming sword had authority -for her action. Neither did he lay the blame -for things gone wrong upon any woman. He -simply made up his mind to make the best of -what was.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>VII</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It had been a peaceful week in the Wou -household—the week before little Yen -was to enter the American school. So -peaceful indeed that Wou Sankwei had begun -to think that his wife was reconciled to his -wishes with regard to the boy. He whistled -softly as he whittled away at a little ship he -was making for him. Adah Charlton’s suggestions -had set coursing a train of thought -which had curved around Pau Lin so closely -that he had decided that, should she offer any -further opposition to the boy’s attending the -American school, he would not insist upon it. -After all, though the American language -might be useful during this century, the wheel -of the world would turn again, and then it -might not be necessary at all. Who could -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>tell? He came very near to expressing himself -thus to Pau Lin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And now it was the evening before the morning -that little Yen was to march away to the -American school. He had been excited all -day over the prospect, and to calm him, his -father finally told him to read aloud a little -story from the Chinese book which he had -given him on his first birthday in America -and which he had taught him to read. Obediently -the little fellow drew his stool to his -mother’s side and read in his childish sing-song -the story of an irreverent lad who came -to great grief because he followed after the -funeral of his grandfather and regaled himself -on the crisply roasted chickens and loose-skinned -oranges which were left on the grave -for the feasting of the spirit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wou Sankwei laughed heartily over the -story. It reminded him of some of his own -boyish escapades. But Pau Lin stroked -silently the head of the little reader, and -seemed lost in reverie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A whiff of fresh salt air blew in from the -Bay. The mother shivered, and Wou Sankwei, -looking up from the fastening of the boat’s -rigging, bade Yen close the door. As the -little fellow came back to his mother’s side, -he stumbled over her knee.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>“Oh, poor mother!” he exclaimed with -quaint apology. “’Twas the stupid feet, not -Yen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So,” she replied, curling her arm around -his neck, “’tis always the feet. They are to -the spirit as the cocoon to the butterfly. -Listen, and I will sing you the song of the -Happy Butterfly.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She began singing the old Chinese ditty in -a fresh birdlike voice. Wou Sankwei, listening, -was glad to hear her. He liked having -everyone around him cheerful and happy. That -had been the charm of the Dean household.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ship was finished before the little family -retired. Yen examined it, critically at first, -then exultingly. Finally, he carried it away -and placed it carefully in the closet where -he kept his kites, balls, tops, and other -treasures. “We will set sail with it tomorrow -after school,” said he to his father, hugging -gratefully that father’s arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei rubbed the little round head. The -boy and he were great chums.</p> - -<p class='c013'>What was that sound which caused Sankwei -to start from his sleep? It was just on the -border land of night and day, an unusual -time for Pau Lin to be up. Yet, he could -hear her voice in Yen’s room. He raised -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>himself on his elbow and listened. She was -softly singing a nursery song about some little -squirrels and a huntsman. Sankwei wondered at -her singing in that way at such an hour. From -where he lay he could just perceive the child’s -cot and the silent child figure lying motionless -in the dim light. How very motionless! In -a moment Sankwei was beside it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The empty cup with its dark dregs told -the tale.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The thing he loved the best in all the world—the -darling son who had crept into his -heart with his joyousness and beauty—had -been taken from him—by her who had given.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei reeled against the wall. The kneeling -figure by the cot arose. The face of her -was solemn and tender.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is saved,” smiled she, “from the Wisdom -of the New.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>In grief too bitter for words the father -bowed his head upon his hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why! Why!” queried Pau Lin, gazing upon -him bewilderedly. “The child is happy. The -butterfly mourns not o’er the shed cocoon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sankwei put up his shutters and wrote this -note to Adah Charlton:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>I have lost my boy through an accident. I am -returning to China with my wife whose health -requires a change.</p> - -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span> - <h3 id='p85' class='c011'>“ITS WAVERING IMAGE”</h3> -</div> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_p-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Pan was a half white, half Chinese girl. -Her mother was dead, and Pan lived -with her father who kept an Oriental -Bazaar on Dupont Street. All her life had -Pan lived in Chinatown, and if she were different -in any sense from those around her, -she gave little thought to it. It was only -after the coming of Mark Carson that the -mystery of her nature began to trouble her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They met at the time of the boycott of the -Sam Yups by the See Yups. After the heat -and dust and unsavoriness of the highways -and byways of Chinatown, the young reporter -who had been sent to find a story, had stepped -across the threshold of a cool, deep room, -fragrant with the odor of dried lilies and -sandalwood, and found Pan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She did not speak to him, nor he to her. -His business was with the spectacled merchant, -who, with a pointed brush, was making up -accounts in brown paper books and rolling -balls in an abacus box. As to Pan, she always -turned from whites. With her father’s people -she was natural and at home; but in the -presence of her mother’s she felt strange -<span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>and constrained, shrinking from their curious -scrutiny as she would from the sharp edge of -a sword.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Mark Carson returned to the office, -he asked some questions concerning the girl -who had puzzled him. What was she? -Chinese or white? The city editor answered -him, adding: “She is an unusually bright girl, -and could tell more stories about the Chinese -than any other person in this city—if she -would.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mark Carson had a determined chin, clever -eyes, and a tone to his voice which easily won -for him the confidence of the unwary. In the -reporter’s room he was spoken of as “a man -who would sell his soul for a story.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>After Pan’s first shyness had worn off, he -found her bewilderingly frank and free with -him; but he had all the instincts of a gentleman -save one, and made no ordinary mistake -about her. He was Pan’s first white friend. -She was born a Bohemian, exempt from the -conventional restrictions imposed upon either -the white or Chinese woman; and the Oriental -who was her father mingled with his affection -for his child so great a respect for and trust -in the daughter of the dead white woman, -that everything she did or said was right to -him. And Pan herself! A white woman -<span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span>might pass over an insult; a Chinese woman -fail to see one. But Pan! He would be a -brave man indeed who offered one to childish -little Pan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All this Mark Carson’s clear eyes perceived, -and with delicate tact and subtlety he taught -the young girl that, all unconscious until his -coming, she had lived her life alone. So well -did she learn this lesson that it seemed at -times as if her white self must entirely dominate -and trample under foot her Chinese.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, in full trust and confidence, -she led him about Chinatown, initiating him -into the simple mystery and history of many -things, for which she, being of her father’s race, -had a tender regard and pride. For her sake -he was received as a brother by the yellow-robed -priest in the joss house, the Astrologer -of Prospect Place, and other conservative -Chinese. The Water Lily Club opened its -doors to him when she knocked, and the Sublimely -Pure Brothers’ organization admitted -him as one of its honorary members, thereby -enabling him not only to see but to take part -in a ceremony in which no American had ever -before participated. With her by his side, -he was welcomed wherever he went. Even -the little Chinese women in the midst of their -babies, received him with gentle smiles, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>the children solemnly munched his candies -and repeated nursery rhymes for his edification.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He enjoyed it all, and so did Pan. They -were both young and light-hearted. And -when the afternoon was spent, there was -always that high room open to the stars, with -its China bowls full of flowers and its big -colored lanterns, shedding a mellow light.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sometimes there was music. A Chinese -band played three evenings a week in the -gilded restaurant beneath them, and the louder -the gongs sounded and the fiddlers fiddled, -the more delighted was Pan. Just below the -restaurant was her father’s bazaar. Occasionally -Mun You would stroll upstairs and -inquire of the young couple if there was anything -needed to complete their felicity, and -Pan would answer: “Thou only.” Pan was -very proud of her Chinese father. “I would -rather have a Chinese for a father than a -white man,” she often told Mark Carson. -The last time she had said that he had asked -whom she would prefer for a husband, a white -man or a Chinese. And Pan, for the first -time since he had known her, had no answer -for him.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span> - <h4 class='c012'>II</h4> -</div> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It was a cool, quiet evening, after a hot -day. A new moon was in the sky.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How beautiful above! How unbeautiful -below!” exclaimed Mark Carson involuntarily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He and Pan had been gazing down from their -open retreat into the lantern-lighted, motley-thronged -street beneath them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps it isn’t very beautiful,” replied -Pan, “but it is here I live. It is my home.” -Her voice quivered a little.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He leaned towards her suddenly and grasped -her hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pan,” he cried, “you do not belong here. -You are white—white.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No! no!” protested Pan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are,” he asserted. “You have no -right to be here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was born here,” she answered, “and the -Chinese people look upon me as their own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But they do not understand you,” he -went on. “Your real self is alien to them. -What interest have they in the books you -read—the thoughts you think?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They have an interest in me,” answered -faithful Pan. “Oh, do not speak in that way -any more.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>“But I must,” the young man persisted. -“Pan, don’t you see that you have got to -decide what you will be—Chinese or white? -You cannot be both.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hush! Hush!” bade Pan. “I do not -love you when you talk to me like that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little Chinese boy brought tea and saffron -cakes. He was a picturesque little fellow -with a quaint manner of speech. Mark Carson -jested merrily with him, while Pan holding -a tea-bowl between her two small hands -laughed and sipped.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they were alone again, the silver -stream and the crescent moon became the -objects of their study. It was a very beautiful -evening.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a while Mark Carson, his hand on -Pan’s shoulder, sang:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“And forever, and forever,</div> - <div class='line'>As long as the river flows,</div> - <div class='line'>As long as the heart has passions,</div> - <div class='line'>As long as life has woes,</div> - <div class='line'>The moon and its broken reflection,</div> - <div class='line'>And its shadows shall appear,</div> - <div class='line'>As the symbol of love in heaven,</div> - <div class='line'>And its wavering image here.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>Listening to that irresistible voice singing -her heart away, the girl broke down and wept. -She was so young and so happy.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>“Look up at me,” bade Mark Carson. -“Oh, Pan! Pan! Those tears prove that you -are white.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pan lifted her wet face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kiss me, Pan,” said he. It was the first -time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Next morning Mark Carson began work on -the special-feature article which he had been -promising his paper for some weeks.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_c-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Cursed be his ancestors,” bayed Man -You.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He cast a paper at his daughter’s -feet and left the room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Startled by her father’s unwonted passion, -Pan picked up the paper, and in the clear -passionless light of the afternoon read that -which forever after was blotted upon her -memory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Betrayed! Betrayed! Betrayed to be a -betrayer!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It burnt red hot; agony unrelieved by -words, unassuaged by tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So till evening fell. Then she stumbled up -the dark stairs which led to the high room -open to the stars and tried to think it out. -Someone had hurt her. Who was it? She -<span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span>raised her eyes. There shone: “Its Wavering -Image.” It helped her to lucidity. He -had done it. Was it unconsciously dealt—that -cruel blow? Ah, well did he know that -the sword which pierced her through others, -would carry with it to her own heart, the pain -of all those others. None knew better than -he that she, whom he had called “a white -girl, a white woman,” would rather that her -own naked body and soul had been exposed, -than that things, sacred and secret to those -who loved her, should be cruelly unveiled and -ruthlessly spread before the ridiculing and -uncomprehending foreigner. And knowing all -this so well, so well, he had carelessly sung -her heart away, and with her kiss upon his -lips, had smilingly turned and stabbed her. -She, who was of the race that remembers.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mark Carson, back in the city -after an absence of two months, -thought of Pan. He would see her -that very evening. Dear little Pan, pretty -Pan, clever Pan, amusing Pan; Pan, who was -always so frankly glad to have him come to -her; so eager to hear all that he was doing; -so appreciative, so inspiring, so loving. She -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>would have forgotten that article by now. -Why should a white woman care about such -things? Her true self was above it all. Had -he not taught her <em>that</em> during the weeks in -which they had seen so much of one another? -True, his last lesson had been a little harsh, -and as yet he knew not how she had taken -it; but even if its roughness had hurt and -irritated, there was a healing balm, a wizard’s -oil which none knew so well as he how to -apply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But for all these soothing reflections, there -was an undercurrent of feeling which caused -his steps to falter on his way to Pan. He -turned into Portsmouth Square and took a -seat on one of the benches facing the fountain -erected in memory of Robert Louis Stevenson. -Why had Pan failed to answer the note he -had written telling her of the assignment -which would keep him out of town for a couple -of months and giving her his address? Would -Robert Louis Stevenson have known why? -Yes—and so did Mark Carson. But though -Robert Louis Stevenson would have boldly -answered himself the question, Mark Carson -thrust it aside, arose, and pressed up the -hill.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I knew they would not blame you, Pan!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>“And there was no word of you, dear. I -was careful about that, not only for your -sake, but for mine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is mere superstition anyway. These -things have got to be exposed and done away -with.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Still silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mark Carson felt strangely chilled. Pan -was not herself tonight. She did not even -look herself. He had been accustomed to -seeing her in American dress. Tonight she -wore the Chinese costume. But for her clear-cut -features she might have been a Chinese -girl. He shivered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pan,” he asked, “why do you wear that -dress?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Within her sleeves Pan’s small hands -struggled together; but her face and voice -were calm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because I am a Chinese woman,” she -answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are not,” cried Mark Carson, fiercely. -“You cannot say that now, Pan. You are -a white woman—white. Did your kiss not -promise me that?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A white woman!” echoed Pan her voice -rising high and clear to the stars above them. -“I would not be a white woman for all the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>world. <em>You</em> are a white man. And <em>what</em> is -a promise to a white man!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>When she was lying low, the element of -Fire having raged so fiercely within her that -it had almost shriveled up the childish frame, -there came to the house of Man You a little -toddler who could scarcely speak. Climbing -upon Pan’s couch, she pressed her head upon -the sick girl’s bosom. The feel of that little -head brought tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lo!” said the mother of the toddler. -“Thou wilt bear a child thyself some day, -and all the bitterness of this will pass away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Pan, being a Chinese woman, was -comforted.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 id='p95' class='c005'>THE GIFT OF LITTLE ME</h2> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The schoolroom was decorated with -banners and flags wrought in various -colors. Chinese lanterns swung overhead. -A big, green, porcelain frog with yellow -eyes squatted in the centre of the teacher’s -desk. Tropical and native plants: azaleas, -hyacinths, palms, and Chinese lilies, filled -the air with their fragrance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the day before the Chinese New -Year of 18— and Miss McLeod’s little scholars, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span>in the decoration of their schoolroom, had -expressed their love of quaint conceits and -their appreciation of the beautiful. They -were all in holiday attire. There was Han -Wenti in sky-hued raiment and loose, flowing -sleeves, upon each of which was embroidered -a yellow dragon. Han Wenti’s father was -the Chief of his clan in America. There was -San Kee, the son of the Americanized merchant, -stiff and slim in American store clothes. -Little Choy, on the girls’ side, proudly wore -a checked louisine Mother Hubbard gown, -while Fei and Sie looked like humming-birds -in their native costume of bright-colored silks -flowered with gold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Miss McLeod’s eyes wandered over the -heap of gifts piled on three chairs before her -desk, and over the heads of the young givers, -to where on a back seat a little fellow in blue -cotton tunic and pantaloons sat swinging a -pair of white-soled shoes in a “don’t care for -anybody” fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Little Me was looked upon almost as a -criminal by his schoolfellows. He was the -only scholar in all the school who failed to -offer at the shrine of the Teacher, and the -fact that he was the son of a man who dined -on no richer dish than rice and soy gravy did -not palliate his offense. There were other -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>scholars who knew not the taste of mushrooms, -bamboo shoots, and sucking pigs, yet -who were unceasing in their offerings of paper -mats, wild flowers, pebbles, strange insects, -and other gifts possessing at least a sentimental -value. The truth of the matter, however, -was that Little Me was neither unappreciative -nor unloving. He was simply afflicted with -pride. If he could not give in the princely -fashion of Hom Hing and Lee Chu, the sons -of the richest merchants in Chinatown, he -would not give at all.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yet if Miss McLeod, in her Scotch heart, -allowed herself a favorite amongst her scholars, -it was Little Me. Many a time had she incurred -the displeasure of the parents of Hom -Hing and Lee Chu by rejecting the oft-times -valuable presents of their chubby, complacent-faced -sons. She had seen Little Me’s eyes -cloud and his small hands draw up in his -sleeves when the pattering footsteps of the -braided darlings of the rich led them, with -their offerings, to her desk.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Attention, children!” said Miss McLeod; -and she made a little speech in which she -thanked her scholars for their tokens of appreciation -and affection, but impressed upon them -that she prized as much a wooden image of -his own carving from a boy who had nothing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>more to offer, as she did an ivory or jade figure -from one whose father could afford to wear -gold buttons; that a lichi from the orphan -Amoy was as refreshing to her as a basket of -oranges from the only daughter of the owner -of many fruit ranches. The greatest of all -gifts was beyond price. They must remember -the story she had told them at Christmas -time of the giving of a darling and only Son -to a loved people. All the money in the world -could not have paid for that dear little boy. -He was a free gift.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Little Me stopped swinging his feet in their -white-soled shoes. With solemn eyes and -puckered brow he meditated over this speech.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The first day of the new year was kept with -much rejoicing. There were gay times under -the lanterns, quaint ceremonies, and fine -feasting. The flutist came out with his flute, -the banjo man with his banjo, and the fiddler -with his fiddle. No child but had a piece of -gold or silver given to him or her, and sweetmeats, -loose-skinned oranges, and watermelon -seeds were scattered around galore. Strains -of music enlivened the dark alleys, and -“flowers” or fireworks delighted both old and -young. The Literary and Benevolent Societies -brought forth those of their number whose -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>imaginations and experiences gave them the -power to portray the achievements of heroes, -the despair of lovers, the blessings which fall -to the lot of the filial son, and the terrible fate -of the undutiful, and while the sun went down -and long after it had set, groups of fascinated -youths sat listening to tales of magic and -enchantment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the midst of it all Little Me wandered -around in his white-soled shoes, and thought -of that other story—the story of the Babe.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the second day of the Chinese New Year, -Miss McLeod, her twine bag full to overflowing -with little red parcels of joy, stopped -before the door of the Chee house. As there -was no response to her knock, she lifted the -latch and entered a darkened room. By a -couch in the furthest corner of the room a -woman knelt, moaning and tearful. It was -Chee A Tae, Little Me’s mother. Little Me’s -proper name was Chee Ping. Miss McLeod -touched her shoulder sympathetically. The -woman shuddered and the low moans became -heartrending cries and sobs. Did the teacher -know that her baby was stolen? Some evil -spirit had witched him away. Her husband, -with some friends, was searching for the child; -but she felt sure they would find him—never. -She had burnt incense to “Mother” and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>besought the aid of the goddess of children; -but her prayers would not avail, because her -husband had neglected that month to send -his parents cash for ginseng and broth. He -had tried his luck with the Gambling Cash -Tiger and failed. Had he been fortunate, -his parents would have received twice their -usual portion, but as it was, he had lost. And -now the baby, the younger brother of Little -Me, was lost too.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did it happen?” inquired Miss -McLeod.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We were alone—the babe and I,” replied -the mother. “My man was visiting and -Little Me was playing in the alley. I stepped -over with a bowl of boiled rice and a pot of -tea for old Sien Tau. We have not much for -our own mouths, but it is well to begin the -New Year by being kind to those who may -not see another. The babe was sleeping when -I last beheld him. When I returned, whether -he was asleep, awake, in the land of the living -or in the spirit world, was withheld from me. -A wolf—a tiger heart—alone knew.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This was truly a case needing sympathy. -Miss McLeod did her best, and after a while -Chee A Tae sat up and listened with some -hope for her husband’s footsteps. He came -at last, a tired, gaunt-looking man, wearing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>in the face of the holiday, the blue cotton -blouse and pantaloons of a working Chinaman, -and a very dilapidated American slouch hat, -around which he had wound his queue. He -was followed into the room by several of his -countrymen who cast suspicious glances at -the white woman present; but, upon recognition -came forward, each in turn, and saluted -her in American fashion. There were several -points of difference between Miss McLeod -and the other white teachers of Chinatown -which had won for her the special favor of -her pupil’s parents. One was that though it -was plain to all that she loved her work and -taught the children committed to her charge -with the utmost patience and care, she was -not a child-cuddling and caressing woman. -Another, that she had taken pains to learn the -Chinese language before attempting to teach -her own. Thirdly, she lived in Chinatown, and -made herself at home amongst its denizens.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chee A Tae was bitterly disappointed at -seeing her husband without the babe. She -arose from her couch, and pulling open the -door, which the men had closed behind them, -pointed them out again, crying: “Go, find -my son! Go, find my son!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chee Ping the First turned upon her -resentfully. “Woman,” he cried, “that he is -<span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span>lost is your fault. I have searched with my eyes, -ears, tongue, and limbs; but one might as well -look for a pin at the bottom of the ocean.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother began to weep pitifully. “’Tis -the Gambling Cash Tiger,” she sobbed. -“’Twas he who caused you to forget your -parents and ill fortune has followed therefor. -A-ya, A-ya, A-ya. My heart is as heavy as -the blackest heavens!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What nonsense!” exclaimed Miss McLeod, -thinking it time to interfere. “The child -cannot be far away. Let us all hunt and see -who will find him first.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A crowd of men, women, and children had -gathered outside the door, most of them in -gay holiday attire. At these words of the -teacher there was an assenting babel of -voices, followed by a darting into passages, -up stairways, and behind doors. Lanterns -were lit for the exploration of underground -cellars, stores, closets, stairways, balconies. -Not a hole in the vicinity of the Chee dwelling -but was penetrated by keen eyes. Rich and -poor alike joined in the search, a yellow-robed -priest from the joss house and one of the -Chiefs of the Six Companies being conspicuously -interested.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother, following in the footsteps of -Miss McLeod, kept up a plaintive wailing. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>“A-Ya, my young bud, my jade jewel, my -peach bloom. Little hands, veined like young -leaves; voice like the breath of a zephyr. -Alas, the fates are against me! You are lost -to your poor mother who is without resource -and bound with fetters. Death would be -sweet indeed; but that boon is denied.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The day wore on and evening gradually -stole upon them, followed by night. The -wind blew in gusts, but the moon had risen -and was shining bright so that there was a -kind of moonlight even in the dark alleys. -The main portion of Chinatown had been -thoroughly scoured, and most attention was -now being given to the hills which crept up -to Powell Street. It was in a top story of a -half-way hill tenement that Miss McLeod’s -room was located; a cozy little place, for all -its apparently comfortless environment. When -the wind began to blow bleak from the Bay, -her thoughts drifted longingly to her easy -chair and cheery grate fire; but only for a -moment. Until the baby was found she -could know no rest. The distress of these -Chinese people was hers; their troubles also. -Had she not adopted them as her own when -kinfolk had failed her? Their grateful appreciation -of the smallest service; their undemonstrative -but faithful affection had been as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>balm to a heart wounded by the indifference -and bruised by the ingratitude of those to -whom she had devoted her youth, her strength, -and her abilities.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suddenly a cry was heard. Wang Hom -Hing, a merchant Chinaman, who had taken -command of the search party detailed to -explore the upper part of Chinatown, appeared -at the door of a rickety tenement—the one -in which Miss McLeod had built her nest—and -waved, under the lanterns, a Chinese -flag, signal that the child was found.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pell-mell the Chinese rushed towards their -country’s emblem. With the exception of Miss -McLeod, not a single white person, not even a -policeman, had been impressed into the search.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Leading the rushing crowd was Chee Ping -the First; in the midst panted A Tae and her -white woman friend, and in the wake of -all calmly and quietly pattered Little Me. -Though usually the chief object of his parents’ -attention, this day, or rather night, he seemed -altogether forgotten.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Up several flights of stairs streamed the -searchers, while from every door on the landings, -men, women, and children peered out, -inquiring what it all meant. Hemmed in by -numbers, the teacher found herself at last -blocked outside her own room.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>Someone was talking loudly and excitedly. -It was Wang Hom Hing, the father of her -pupil of that name, and the uncle of another -pupil, Lee Chu. What was he saying? The -teacher strained her ears to catch his words. -Gracious Heavens! He was declaring that -she had stolen the child; that it lay in her -room, hidden under the coverlets of her bed—positive -evidence that she who, under the -guise of friendship, had ingratiated herself -into their hearts and homes, was in reality -a secret enemy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Trust her no more—this McLeod, Jean,” -he cried. “Though her smile is as sweet as -honey, her heart is like a razor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was an ominous silence after this -speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wang Hom Hing was a pompous man whose -conceit had been inflated by the flattery of -wily white people, who, unlike the undiplomatic -Scotch woman, did discriminate between -the gifts of the rich and poor. Nevertheless, -as President of the Water Lily Club and -Secretary of the Society of Celestial Reason, -he was a man of influence in Chinatown, and -this was painfully impressed upon the teacher -when Chee A Tae cast upon her a shuddering -glance and fell swooning into the arms of a -stout countrywoman behind her.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>Now, the blood of Scottish chieftains -throbbed in Miss McLeod’s veins; and it was -this brave blood which, when all the ships in -which she had stored her early hopes and -dreams had one by one been lost, had borne -up her soul above the stormy flood, and helped -her to launch another ship in a sea both wild -and strange. That ship had weathered many -a gale. Should she, after steering it safely -into port, allow it to founder—in harbor? -Never! That ship was the safe-deposit bank -for all her womanly affection and energy. It -carried her Chinese work—the work in which -she had found consolation, peace, and happiness. -Hom Hing should not wreck it -without some effort on her part to save.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The intrepid woman, nerved by these -thoughts, pushed through the human wall -before her and reached the speaker’s side. -Sleeping in the midst of the tumult lay the -babe, its little hand under its cheek. So -pretty a picture that even in her stress and -excitement she paused for a moment to wonder -and admire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she faced the big Chinaman in his -gorgeous holiday robes, her small, slight form -drawn to its fullest height, her light blue eyes -ablaze.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wang Hom Hing,” she cried. “You -<span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span>know you are trying to make my friends -believe what you do not believe yourself! -I know no more than its mother does about -how the dear baby came here.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Chinese merchant shrugged his shoulders -insolently, and addressing the people again, -asked them to judge for themselves. The -child had been stolen. The teacher had pretended -to aid in a search, yet it had been he -and not she who had led the way to her room -where it had been found.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Low mutterings were heard throughout the -place; but after they had subsided, the white -woman, looking around for a friendly face, -was surprised and cheered to find many. Her -spirits rose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How was I to know the child lay in my -room?” she indignantly inquired. “I left the -place in the early morning. It has been -brought there since by someone unknown to -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wang Hom Hing laughed scornfully as he -moved away, his revenge, as he thought, -complete.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The father of the babe raised his son in his -arms and passed him on to the mother who -stood with arms outstretched. Clutching the -child convulsively, she gazed with horror-struck -eyes at the teacher.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>“Friends,” cried the white woman, raising -her voice in a last effort, “will you allow that -man to turn from me your hearts? Have you -not known me long enough to believe that -though I cannot explain to you how the baby -came to be in my room, yet I am innocent of -having brought it there. A Tae”—addressing -the mother—“can you believe that I -would harm one hair of your baby’s head?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A Tae hesitated, her eyes full of tears. She -had loved the teacher, but Wang Hom Hing -had sown a poisonous seed in her superstitious -mind. Miss McLeod noted her hesitation with -a sinking of the heart that was almost despair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Up hobbled a very old and very tiny -woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“McLeod, Jean,” she cried, “your gracious -and noble qualities of mind and soul merit a -happier New Year’s Day than this. Wang -Hom Hing’s words cannot deceive old Sien -Tau.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah! The Scotch woman grasped gratefully -the old Chinese woman’s hand. She could not -speak for the tickle in her throat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then spake A Tae: “Teacher, forgive me,” -besought she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the teacher smiled her answer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A number of men and women came forward, -looked into the teacher’s face, thanked her for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>past kindnesses, and expressed their confidence -in her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“McLeod, Jean,” declared an old man, -“you are a hundred women good.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Which was the highest compliment that -Jean McLeod had ever received.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are wrong, mother!” said she, turning -with a beaming face to old Sien Tau. “This -is the happiest day I have known.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Explained the father of the babe: “The -gods, seeing my unworthiness, took from me -to give to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Little Me, straggling to the teacher’s -side, piped in the language she herself had -taught him:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have one brother. I love him all over. -You say baby boy best gift, so I give him to -you when my father and mother not see. -Little Me give better than Lee Chu and Hom -Hing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was some time before the tumult occasioned -by Little Me’s boastful but sweet confession -subsided. It had been heard by all, -but was understood wholly by none save the -teacher.</p> - -<p class='c013'>That when no watchful eye was there to see, -the baby had been carried in Little Me’s -sturdy arms from under the home roof to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>teacher’s tenement room, was made plain to -everyone by the child himself. But it devolved -upon Miss McLeod, in order to save her little -scholar from obviously justifiable paternal -wrath, to explain his reason for the kidnapping, -and this she did so clearly and eloquently that -the father, raising his first born to his knee, -declared in English: “I proud of him. He -Number One scholar,” while the mother fondly -smiled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Little Me looked at the baby in his mother’s -lap, and then at the teacher. His eyes filled -with tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You not like what I give you well enough -to keep him,” he sobbed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, yes,” consoled Miss McLeod. “I -like him so well that I put him away in my -heart where I keep the baby of my story. -Don’t you remember? That was what the -Father of the story gave the baby for. To -be kept in the people’s hearts after he had -gone back to Him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, yes,” responded the child, his face -brightening. “You keep my brother in your -heart and I keep him in the house with me and -my father and mother. That best of all!”</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span> - <h3 id='p111' class='c011'>THE STORY OF ONE WHITE WOMAN <br /> WHO MARRIED A CHINESE</h3> -</div> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -Why did I marry Liu Kanghi, a -Chinese? Well, in the first place, -because I loved him; in the second -place, because I was weary of working, -struggling and fighting with the world; in -the third place, because my child needed a -home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>My first husband was an American fifteen -years older than myself. For a few months -I was very happy with him. I had been a -working girl—a stenographer. A home of -my own filled my heart with joy. It was a -pleasure to me to wait upon James, cook him -nice little dinners and suppers, read to him -little pieces from the papers and magazines, -and sing and play to him my little songs and -melodies. And for a few months he seemed -to be perfectly contented. I suppose I was -a novelty to him, he having lived a bachelor -existence until he was thirty-four. But it -was not long before he left off smiling at my -little jokes, grew restive and cross when I -teased him, and when I tried to get him to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span>listen to a story in which I was interested and -longed to communicate, he would bid me not -bother him. I was quick to see the change -and realize that there was a gulf of differences -between us. Nevertheless, I loved and was -proud of him. He was considered a very -bright and well-informed man, and although -his parents had been uneducated working -people he had himself been through the -public schools. He was also an omnivorous -reader of socialistic and new-thought literature. -Woman suffrage was one of his particular -hobbies. Whenever I had a magazine -around he would pick it up and read aloud -to me the columns of advice to women who -were ambitious to become comrades to men -and walk shoulder to shoulder with their -brothers. Once I ventured to remark that -much as I admired a column of men keeping -step together, yet men and women thus -ranked would, to my mind, make a very -unbeautiful and disorderly spectacle. He -frowned and answered that I did not understand -him, and was too frivolous. He would -often draw my attention to newspaper reports -concerning women of marked business ability -and enterprise. Once I told him that I did -not admire clever business women, as I had -usually found them, and so had other girls of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>my acquaintance, not nearly so kind-hearted, -generous, and helpful as the humble drudges of -the world—the ordinary working women. -His answer to this was that I was jealous and -childish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But, in spite of his unkind remarks and -evident contempt for me, I wished to please -him. He was my husband and I loved him. -Many an afternoon, when through with my -domestic duties, did I spend in trying to -acquire a knowledge of labor politics, socialism, -woman suffrage, and baseball, the things -in which he was most interested.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was hard work, but I persevered until -one day. It was about six months after our -marriage. My husband came home a little -earlier than usual, and found me engaged in -trying to work out problems in subtraction -and addition. He laughed sneeringly. “Give -it up, Minnie,” said he. “You weren’t built -for anything but taking care of kids. Gee! -But there’s a woman at our place who has a -head for figures that makes her worth over a -hundred dollars a month. <em>Her</em> husband would -have a chance to develop himself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This speech wounded me. I knew it was James’ -ambition to write a book on social reform.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next day, unknown to my husband, I -called upon the wife of the man who had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>employed me as stenographer before I was -married, and inquired of her whether she -thought I could get back my old position.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, my dear,” she exclaimed, “your husband -is receiving a good salary! Why should -you work?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I told her that my husband had in mind -the writing of a book on social reform, and I -wished to help him in his ambition by earning -some money towards its publication.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Social reform!” she echoed. “What sort of -social reformer is he who would allow his wife -to work when he is well able to support her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She bade me go home and think no more of -an office position. I was disappointed. I -said: “Oh! I wish I could earn some money -for James. If I were earning money, perhaps -he would not think me so stupid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stupid, my dear girl! You are one of -the brightest little women I know,” kindly -comforted Mrs. Rogers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But I knew differently and went on to tell -her of my inability to figure with my husband -how much he had made on certain sales, of -my lack of interest in politics, labor questions, -woman suffrage, and world reformation. <a id='corr114.26'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='“Oh!'>“Oh!”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_114.26'><ins class='correction' title='“Oh!'>“Oh!”</ins></a></span> -I cried, “I am a narrow-minded woman. All -I care for is for my husband to love me and -be kind to me, for life to be pleasant and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>easy, and to be able to help a wee bit the poor -and sick around me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Rogers looked very serious as she -told me that there were differences of opinion -as to what was meant by “narrow-mindedness,” -and that the majority of men had no -wish to drag their wives into all their business -perplexities, and found more comfort in a -woman who was unlike rather than like -themselves. Only that morning her husband -had said to her: “I hate a woman who tries -to get into every kink of a man’s mind, and -who must be forever at his elbow meddling -with all his affairs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I went home comforted. Perhaps after a -while James would feel and see as did Mr. -Rogers. Vain hope!</p> - -<p class='c001'>My child was six weeks old when I entered -business life again as stenographer for Rutherford -& Rutherford. My salary was fifty -dollars a month—more than I had ever -earned before, and James was well pleased, -for he had feared that it would be difficult -for me to obtain a paying place after having -been out of practise for so long. This fifty -dollars paid for all our living expenses, with -the exception of rent, so that James would be -able to put by his balance against the time -when his book would be ready for publication.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>He began writing his book, and Miss Moran -the young woman bookkeeper at his place -collaborated with him. They gave three evenings -a week to the work, sometimes four. -She came one evening when the baby was -sick and James had gone for the doctor. She -looked at the child with the curious eyes of -one who neither loved nor understood children. -“There is no necessity for its being -sick,” said she. “There must be an error -somewhere.” I made no answer, so she went -on: “Sin, sorrow, and sickness all mean the -same thing. We have no disease that we -do not deserve, no trouble which we do not -bring upon ourselves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I did not argue with her. I knew that I -could not; but as I looked at her standing -there in the prime of her life and strength, -broad-shouldered, masculine-featured, and, as -it seemed to me, heartless, I disliked her more -than I had ever disliked anyone before. My -own father had died after suffering for many -years from a terrible malady, contracted while -doing his duty as a physician and surgeon. -And my little innocent child! What had sin -to do with its measles?</p> - -<p class='c001'>When James came in she discussed with -him the baseball game which had been played -that afternoon, and also a woman suffrage -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>meeting which she had attended the evening -before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After she had gone he seemed to be quite -exhilarated. “That’s a great woman!” he -remarked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not think so!” I answered him. -“One who would take from the sorrowful and -suffering their hope of a happier existence -hereafter, and add to their trials on earth by -branding them as objects of aversion and contempt, -is not only not a great woman but, to -my mind, no woman at all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He picked up a paper and walked into -another room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you think now?” I cried after him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What would be the use of my explaining -to you?” he returned. “You wouldn’t -understand.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>How my heart yearned over my child those -days! I would sit before the typewriter -and in fancy hear her crying for her mother. -Poor, sick little one, watched over by a strange -woman, deprived of her proper nourishment. -While I took dictation from my employer I -thought only of her. The result, of course, -was, that I lost my place. My husband -showed his displeasure at this in various ways, -and as the weeks went by and I was unsuccessful -in obtaining another position, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span>became colder and more indifferent. He was -neither a drinking nor an abusive man; but -he could say such cruel and cutting things -that I would a hundred times rather have been -beaten and ill-used than compelled, as I was, -to hear them. He even made me feel it a -disgrace to be a woman and a mother. Once -he said to me: “If you had had ambition of -the right sort you would have perfected -yourself in your stenography so that you -could have taken cases in court. There’s a -little fortune in that business.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was acquainted with a woman stenographer -who reported divorce cases and who -had described to me the work, so I answered: -“I would rather die of hunger, my baby in -my arms, then report divorce proceedings -under the eyes of men in a court house.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Other women, as good as you, have done -and are doing it,” he retorted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Other women, perhaps better than I, -have done and are doing it,” I replied, “but all -women are not alike. I am not that kind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s so,” said he. “Well, they are the -kind who are up to date. You are behind -the times.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>One evening I left James and Miss Moran -engaged with their work and went across the -street to see a sick friend. When I returned -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>I let myself into the house very softly for -fear of awakening the baby whom I had left -sleeping. As I stood in the hall I heard my -husband’s voice in the sitting-room. This -is what he was saying:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am a lonely man. There is no -companionship between me and my wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense!” answered Miss Moran, as I -thought a little impatiently. “Look over this -paragraph, please, and tell me if you do not -think it would be well to have it follow after -the one ending with the words ‘ultimate -concord,’ in place of that beginning with -‘These great principles.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot settle my mind upon the work -tonight,” said James in a sort of thick, tired -voice. “I want to talk to you—to win -your sympathy—your love.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I heard a chair pushed back. I knew Miss -Moran had arisen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good night!” I heard her say. “Much -as I would like to see this work accomplished, -I shall come no more!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, my God! You cannot throw the -thing up at this late date.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can and I will. Let me pass, sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If there were no millstone around my -neck, you would not say, <a id='corr119.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sir,'>sir,’</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_119.28'><ins class='correction' title='sir,'>sir,’</ins></a></span> -in that tone of <a id='corr119.29'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='voice.’”'>voice.”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_119.29'><ins class='correction' title='voice.’”'>voice.”</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>The next I heard was a heavy fall. Miss -Moran had knocked my big husband down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I pushed open the door. Miss Moran, -cool and collected, was pulling on her gloves. -James was struggling to his feet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Mrs. Carson!” exclaimed the former. -“Your husband fell over the stool. Wasn’t -it stupid of him!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>James, of course, got his divorce six months -after I deserted him. He did not ask for -the child, and I was allowed to keep it.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -I was on my way to the waterfront, the -baby in my arms. I was walking quickly, -for my state of mind was such that I could -have borne twice my burden and not have -felt it. Just as I turned down a hill which -led to the docks, someone touched my arm -and I heard a voice say:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pardon me, lady; but you have dropped -your baby’s shoe!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, yes!” I answered, taking the shoe -mechanically from an outstretched hand, and -pushing on.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I could hear the waves lapping against the -pier when the voice again fell upon my ear.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>“If you go any further, lady, you will fall -into the water!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>My answer was a step forward.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A strong hand was laid upon my arm and I -was swung around against my will.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor little baby,” went on the voice, which -was unusually soft for a man’s. “Let me -hold him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I surrendered my child to the voice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Better come over where it is light and you -can see where to walk!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I allowed myself to be led into the light.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus I met Liu Kanghi, the Chinese who -afterwards became my husband. I followed -him, obeyed him, trusted him from the very -first. It never occurred to me to ask myself -what manner of man was succoring me. I -only knew that he was a man, and that I was -being cared for as no one had ever cared for -me since my father died. And my grim determination -to leave a world which had been -cruel to me, passed away—and in its -place I experienced a strange calmness and -content.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am going to take you to the house of a -friend of mine,” he said as he preceded me up -the hill, the baby in his arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will not mind living with Chinese -people?” he added.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span>An electric light under which we were passing -flashed across his face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I did not recoil—not even at first. It may -have been because he was wearing American -clothes, wore his hair cut, and, even to my -American eyes, appeared a good-looking -young man—and it may have been because -of my troubles; but whatever it was I answered -him, and I meant it: “I would much -rather live with Chinese than Americans.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He did not ask me why, and I did not tell -him until long afterwards the story of my -unhappy marriage, my desertion of the man -who had made it impossible for me to remain -under his roof; the shame of the divorce, the -averted faces of those who had been my -friends; the cruelty of the world; the awful -struggle for an existence for myself and child; -sickness followed by despair.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Chinese family with which he placed -me were kind, simple folk. The father had -been living in America for more than twenty -years. The family consisted of his wife, a -grown daughter, and several small sons and -daughters, all of whom had been born in -America. They made me very welcome and -adored the baby. Liu Jusong, the father, was -a working jeweler; but, because of an accident -by which he had lost the use of one hand, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>was partially incapacitated for work. Therefore, -their family depended for maintenance -chiefly upon their kinsman, Liu Kanghi, the -Chinese who had brought me to them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We love much our cousin,” said one of the -little girls to me one day. “He teaches us so -many games and brings us toys and sweets.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>As soon as I recovered from the attack of -nervous prostration which laid me low for -over a month after being received into the -Liu home, my mind began to form plans for -my own and my child’s maintenance. One -morning I put on my hat and jacket and told -Mrs. Liu I would go down town and make -an application for work as a stenographer at -the different typewriting offices. She pleaded -with me to wait a week longer—until, as -she said, “your limbs are more fortified with -strength”; but I assured her that I felt myself -well able to begin to do for myself, and -that I was anxious to repay some little part -of the expense I had been to them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For all we have done for you,” she answered, -“our cousin has paid us doublefold.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No money can recompense your kindness -to myself and child,” I replied; “but if it is -your cousin to whom I am indebted for board -and lodging, all the greater is my anxiety to -repay what I owe.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>When I returned to the house that evening, -tired out with my quest for work, I found -Liu Kanghi tossing ball with little Fong in -the front porch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mrs. Liu bustled out to meet me and began -scolding in motherly fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, why you go down town before you -strong enough? See! You look all sick again!” -said she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She turned to Liu Kanghi and said something -in Chinese. He threw the ball back -to the boy and came toward me, his face -grave and concerned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Please be so good as to take my cousin’s -advice,” he urged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am well enough to work now,” I replied, -“and I cannot sink deeper into your debt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You need not,” said he. “I know a way -by which you can quickly pay me off and earn -a good living without wearing yourself out and -leaving the baby all day. My cousin tells -me that you can create most beautiful flowers -on silk, velvet, and linen. Why not then -you do some of that work for my store? I will -buy all you can make.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!” I exclaimed, “I should be only too -glad to do such work! But do you really -think I can earn a living in that way?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You certainly can,” was his reply. “I -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>am requiring an embroiderer, and if you will -do the work for me I will try to pay you what -it is worth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So I gladly gave up my quest for office -work. I lived in the Liu Jusong house and -worked for Liu Kanghi. The days, weeks, -and months passed peacefully and happily. -Artistic needlework had always been my -favorite occupation, and when it became a -source both of remuneration and pleasure, I -began to feel that life was worth living, after -all. I watched with complacency my child -grow amongst the little Chinese children. My -life’s experience had taught me that the -virtues do not all belong to the whites. I was -interested in all that concerned the Liu household, -became acquainted with all their friends, -and lost altogether the prejudice against the -foreigner in which I had been reared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I had been living thus more than a year -when, one afternoon as I was walking home -from Liu Kanghi’s store on Kearney Street, -a parcel of silks and floss under my arm, and -my little girl trudging by my side, I came -face to face with James Carson.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, now,” said he, planting himself in -front of me, “you are looking pretty well. -How are you making out?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I caught up my child and pushed past him -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>without a word. When I reached the Liu -house I was trembling in every limb, so great -was my dislike and fear of the man who had -been my husband.</p> - -<p class='c001'>About a week later a letter came to the -house addressed to me. It read:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<div class='c010'>204 <span class='sc'>Buchanan Street</span></div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='sc'>Dear Minnie</span>,—If you are willing to forget the -past and make up, I am, too. I was surprised to -see you the other day, prettier than ever—and -much more of a woman. Let me know your mind -at an early date.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c017'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your affectionate husband,</div> - <div class='line in21'><span class='sc'>James</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>I ignored this letter, but a heavy fear -oppressed me. Liu Kanghi, who called the -evening of the day I received it, remarked as -he arose to greet me that I was looking -troubled, and hoped that it was not the -embroidery flowers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the shadow from my big hat,” I -answered lightly. I was dressed for going -down town with Mrs. Liu who was preparing -her eldest daughter’s trousseau.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some day,” said Liu Kanghi earnestly, -“I hope that you will tell to me all that is in -your heart and mind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I found comfort in his kind face.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span>“If you will wait until I return, I will tell -you all tonight,” I answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Strange as it may seem, although I had -known Liu Kanghi now for more than a -year, I had had little talk alone with him, -and all he knew about me was what he -had learned from Mrs. Liu; namely, that I -was a divorced woman who, when saved -from self-destruction, was homeless and -starving.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night, however, after hearing my -story, he asked me to be his wife. He said: -“I love you and would protect you from all -trouble. Your child shall be as my own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I replied: “I appreciate your love and -kindness, but I cannot answer you just yet. -Be my friend for a little while longer.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you have for me the love feeling?” -he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know,” I answered truthfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Another letter came. It was written in -a different spirit from the first and contained -a threat about the child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There seemed but one course open to me. -That was to leave my Chinese friends. I did. -With much sorrow and regret I bade them -goodbye, and took lodgings in a part of the -city far removed from the outskirts of Chinatown -where my home had been with the Lius. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>My little girl pined for her Chinese playmates, -and I myself felt strange and lonely; but I -knew that if I wished to keep my child I could -no longer remain with my friends.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I still continued working for Liu Kanghi, and -carried my embroidery to his store in the -evening after the little one had been put to -sleep. He usually escorted me back; but -never asked to be allowed, and I never invited -him, to visit me, or even enter the house. I -was a young woman, and alone, and what I -had suffered from scandal since I had left -James Carson had made me wise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a cold, wet evening in November -when he accosted me once again. I had run -over to a delicatessen store at the corner of -the block where I lived. As I stepped out, -his burly figure loomed up in the gloom before -me. I started back with a little cry, but he -grasped my arm and held it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Walk beside me quietly if you do not wish -to attract attention,” said he, “and by God, -if you do, I will take the kid tonight!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You dare not!” I answered. “You have -no right to her whatever. She is my child -and I have supported her for the last two -years alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alone! What will the judges say when I -tell them about the Chinaman?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>“What will the judges say!” I echoed. -“What can they say? Is there any disgrace -in working for a Chinese merchant and -receiving pay for my labor?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And walking in the evening with him, and -living for over a year in a house for which he -paid the rent. Ha! ha! ha! Ha! ha! -ha!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His laugh was low and sneering. He had -evidently been making enquiries concerning -the Liu family, and also watching me for some -time. How a woman can loathe and hate -the man she has once loved!</p> - -<p class='c001'>We were nearing my lodgings. Perhaps -the child had awakened and was crying for -me. I would not, however, have entered the -house, had he not stopped at the door and -pushed it open.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lead the way upstairs!” said he. “I -want to see the kid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You shall not,” I cried. In my desperation -I wrenched myself from his grasp and -faced him, blocking the stairs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you use violence,” I declared, “the -lodgers will come to my assistance. They -know me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He released my arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bah!” said he. “I’ve no use for the kid. -It is you I’m after getting reconciled to. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>Don’t you know, Minnie, that once your -husband, always your husband? Since I saw -you the other day on the street, I have been -more in love with you than ever before. -Suppose we forget all and begin over again!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Though the tone of his voice had softened, -my fear of him grew greater. I would have -fled up the stairs had he not again laid his -hand on my arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Answer me, girl,” said he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And in spite of my fear, I shook off his hand -and answered him: “No husband of mine -are you, either legally or morally. And I -have no feeling whatever for you other than -contempt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! So you have sunk!”—his expression -was evil—“The oily little Chink has won -you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I was no longer afraid of him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Won me!” I cried, unheeding who heard -me. “Yes, honorably and like a man. And -what are you that dare sneer at one like him. -For all your six feet of grossness, your small -soul cannot measure up to his great one. -You were unwilling to protect and care for -the woman who was your wife or the little -child you caused to come into this world; but -he succored and saved the stranger woman, -treated her as a woman, with reverence and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span>respect; gave her child a home, and made -them both independent, not only of others -but of himself. Now, hearing you insult him -behind his back, I know, what I did not know -before—that I love him, and all I have to -say to you is, Go!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And James Carson went. I heard of him -again but once. That was when the papers -reported his death of apoplexy while exercising -at a public gymnasium.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Loving Liu Kanghi, I became his wife, and -though it is true that there are many Americans -who look down upon me for so becoming, -I have never regretted it. No, not even when -men cast upon me the glances they cast upon -sporting women. I accept the lot of the -American wife of an humble Chinaman in -America. The happiness of the man who -loves me is more to me than the approval or -disapproval of those who in my dark days -left me to die like a dog. My Chinese husband -has his faults. He is hot-tempered -and, at times, arbitrary; but he is always a -man, and has never sought to take away from -me the privilege of being but a woman. I can -lean upon and trust in him. I feel him behind -me, protecting and caring for me, and that, -to an ordinary woman like myself, means -more than anything else.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>Only when the son of Liu Kanghi lays his -little head upon my bosom do I question -whether I have done wisely. For my boy, -the son of the Chinese man, is possessed of a -childish wisdom which brings the tears to -my eyes; and as he stands between his -father and myself, like yet unlike us both, so -will he stand in after years between his -father’s and his mother’s people. And if there -is no kindliness nor understanding between -them, what will my boy’s fate be?</p> - -<h3 id='p132' class='c011'>HER CHINESE HUSBAND</h3> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c000'> - <div>SEQUEL TO THE STORY OF THE WHITE WOMAN</div> - <div>WHO MARRIED A CHINESE</div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_n-header.png' width='41' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Now that Liu Kanghi is no longer with -me, I feel that it will ease my heart -to record some memories of him—if -I can. The task, though calling to me, is -not an easy one, so throng to my mind the -invincible proofs of his love for me, the -things he has said and done. My memories -of him are so vivid and pertinacious, my -thoughts of him so tender.</p> - -<p class='c001'>To my Chinese husband I could go with all -my little troubles and perplexities; to him I -could talk as women love to do at times of -the past and the future, the mysteries of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>religion, of life and death. He was not -above discussing such things with me. With -him I was never strange or embarrassed. My -Chinese husband was simple in his tastes. -He liked to hear a good story, and though -unlearned in a sense, could discriminate between -the good and bad in literature. This -came of his Chinese education. He told me -one day that he thought the stories in the -Bible were more like Chinese than American -stories, and added: “If you had not told me -what you have about it, I should say that it -was composed by the Chinese.” Music had -a soothing though not a deep influence over -him. It could not sway his mind, but he -enjoyed it just as he did a beautiful picture. -Because I was interested in fancy work, so -also was he. I can see his face, looking so -grave and concerned, because one day by -accident I spilt some ink on a piece of embroidery -I was working. If he came home in -the evenings and found me tired and out of -sorts, he would cook the dinner himself, and -go about it in such a way that I felt that he -rather enjoyed showing off his skill as a cook. -The next evening, if he found everything -ready, he would humorously declare himself -much disappointed that I was so exceedingly -well.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>At such times a gray memory of James -Carson would arise. How his cold anger -and contempt, as exhibited on like occasions, -had shrivelled me up in the long ago. And -then—I would fall to musing on the difference -between the two men as lovers and -husbands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>James Carson had been much more of an -ardent lover than ever had been Liu Kanghi. -Indeed it was his passion, real or feigned, -which had carried me off my feet. When -wooing he had constantly reproached me -with being cold, unfeeling, a marble statue, -and so forth; and I, poor, ignorant little girl, -would wonder how it was I appeared so when -I felt so differently. For I had given James -Carson my first love. Upon him my life -had been concentrated as it has never been -concentrated upon any other. Yet—!</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was nothing feigned about my Chinese -husband. Simple and sincere as he was before -marriage, so was he afterwards. As my -union with James Carson had meant misery, -bitterness, and narrowness, so my union with -Liu Kanghi meant, on the whole, happiness, -health, and development. Yet the former, -according to American ideas, had been an -educated broad-minded man; the other, just -an ordinary Chinaman.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span>But the ordinary Chinaman that I would -show to you was the sort of man that children, -birds, animals, and some women love. Every -morning he would go to the window and call -to his pigeons, and they would flock around -him, hearing and responding to his whistling -and cooing. The rooms we lived in had been -his rooms ever since he had come to America. -They were above his store, and large and -cool. The furniture had been brought from -China, but there was nothing of tinsel about -it. Dark wood, almost black, carved and -antique, some of the pieces set with mother-of-pearl. -On one side of the inner room stood -a case of books and an ancestral tablet. I -have seen Liu Kanghi touch the tablet with -reverence, but the faith of his fathers was -not strong enough to cause him to bow before -it. The elegant simplicity of these rooms had -surprised me much when I was first taken to -them. I looked at him then, standing for a -moment by the window, a solitary pigeon -peeking in at him, perhaps wondering who had -come to divert from her her friend’s attention. -So had he lived since he had come to this -country—quietly and undisturbed—from -twenty years of age to twenty-five. I felt -myself an intruder. A feeling of pity for the -boy—for such he seemed in his enthusiasm—arose -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>in my breast. Why had I come to -confuse his calm? Was it ordained, as he -declared?</p> - -<p class='c001'>My little girl loved him better than she -loved me. He took great pleasure in playing -with her, curling her hair over his fingers, -tying her sash, and all the simple tasks from -which so many men turn aside.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once the baby got hold of a set rat trap, -and was holding it in such a way that the -slightest move would have released the spring -and plunged the cruel steel into her tender -arms. Kanghi’s eyes and mine beheld her -thus at the same moment. I stood transfixed -with horror. Kanghi quietly went up to the -child and took from her the trap. Then he -asked me to release his hand. I almost -fainted when I saw it. “It was the only -way,” said he. We had to send for the doctor, -and even as it was, came very near having a -case of blood poisoning.</p> - -<p class='c001'>I have heard people say that he was a keen -business man, this Liu Kanghi, and I imagine -that he was. I did not, however, discuss his -business with him. All I was interested in -were the pretty things and the women who -would come in and jest with him. He could -jest too. Of course, the women did not know -that I was his wife. Once a woman in rich -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>clothes gave him her card and asked him to -call upon her. After she had left he passed the -card to me. I tore it up. He took those -things as a matter of course, and was not -affected by them. “They are a part of -Chinatown life,” he explained.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was a member of the Reform Club, a -Chinese social club, and the Chinese Board -of Trade. He liked to discuss business affairs -and Chinese and American politics with his -countrymen, and occasionally enjoyed an evening -away from me. But I never needed to -worry over him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had his littlenesses as well as his bignesses, -had Liu Kanghi. For instance, he -thought he knew better about what was good -for my health and other things, purely personal, -than I did myself, and if my ideas -opposed or did not tally with his, he would -very vigorously denounce what he called -“the foolishness of women.” If he admired -a certain dress, he would have me wear it -on every occasion possible, and did not seem -to be able to understand that it was not -always suitable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wear the dress with the silver lines,” he -said to me one day somewhat authoritatively. -I was attired for going out, but not as he wished -to see me. I answered that the dress with the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>silver lines was unsuitable for a long and dusty -ride on an open car.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Never mind,” said he, “whether it is -unsuitable or not. I wish you to wear it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right,” I said. “I will wear it, but -I will stay at home.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I stayed at home, and so did he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At another time, he reproved me for certain -opinions I had expressed in the presence of -some of his countrymen. “You should not -talk like that,” said he. “They will think -you are a bad woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>My white blood rose at that, and I answered -him in a way which grieves me to remember. -For Kanghi had never meant to insult or hurt -me. Imperious by nature, he often spoke -before he thought—and he was so boyishly -anxious for me to appear in the best light -possible before his own people.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were other things too: a sort of -childish jealousy and suspicion which it was -difficult to allay. But a woman can forgive -much to a man, the sincerity and strength of -whose love makes her own, though true, seem -slight and mean.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yes, life with Liu Kanghi was not without -its trials and tribulations. There was the -continual uncertainty about his own life here -in America, the constant irritation caused by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>the assumption of the white men that a white -woman does not love her Chinese husband, -and their actions accordingly; also sneers -and offensive remarks. There was also on -Liu Kanghi’s side an acute consciousness that, -though belonging to him as his wife, yet in a -sense I was not his, but of the dominant -race, which claimed, even while it professed -to despise me. This consciousness betrayed -itself in words and ways which filled me with -a passion of pain and humiliation. “Kanghi,” -I would sharply say, for I had to cloak my -tenderness, “do not talk to me like that. -You <em>are</em> my superior.... I would not love -you if you were not.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But in spite of all I could do or say, it was -there between us: that strange, invisible—what? -Was it the barrier of race—that -consciousness?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sometimes he would talk about returning -to China. The thought filled me with horror. -I had heard rumors of secondary wives. One -afternoon the cousin of Liu Kanghi, with -whom I had lived, came to see me, and showed -me a letter which she had received from a -little Chinese girl who had been born and -brought up in America until the age of ten. -The last paragraph in the letter read: “Emma -and I are very sad and wish we were back in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>America.” Kanghi’s cousin explained that the -father of the little girls, having no sons, had -taken to himself another wife, and the new wife -lived with the little girls and their mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That was before my little boy was born. -That evening I told Kanghi that he need -never expect me to go to China with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You see,” I began, “I look upon you as -belonging to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He would not let me say more. After a -while he said: “It is true that in China a -man may and occasionally does take a secondary wife, -but that custom is custom, not only -because sons are denied to the first wife, but -because the first wife is selected by parents -and guardians before a man is hardly a man. -If a Chinese marries for love, his life is a filled-up -cup, and he wants no secondary wife. No, -not even for sake of a son. Take, for example, -me, your great husband.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>I sometimes commented upon his boyish -ways and appearance, which was the reason -why, when he was in high spirits, he would -call himself my “great husband.” He was -not boyish always. I have seen him, when -shouldering the troubles of kinfolk, the quarrels -of his clan, and other responsibilities, acting -and looking like a man of twice his years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But for all the strange marriage customs of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span>my husband’s people I considered them far -more moral in their lives than the majority -of Americans. I expressed myself thus to -Liu Kanghi, and he replied: “The American -people think higher. If only more of them -lived up to what they thought, the Chinese -would not be so confused in trying to follow -their leadership.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>If ever a man rejoiced over the birth of his -child, it was Liu Kanghi. The boy was born -with a veil over his face. “A prophet!” -cried the old mulatto Jewess who nursed me. -“A prophet has come into the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She told this to his father when he came to -look upon him, and he replied: “He is my -son; that is all I care about.” But he was -so glad, and there was feasting and rejoicing -with his Chinese friends for over two weeks. -He came in one evening and found me weeping -over my poor little boy. I shall never -forget the expression on his face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, shame!” he murmured, drawing my -head down to his shoulder. “What is there -to weep about? The child is beautiful! The -feeling heart, the understanding mind is his. -And we will bring him up to be proud that he -is of Chinese blood; he will fear none and, -after him, the name of half-breed will no -longer be one of contempt.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>Kanghi as a youth had attended a school -in Hong Kong, and while there had made the -acquaintance of several half Chinese half -English lads. “They were the brightest of -all,” he told me, “but they lowered themselves -in the eyes of the Chinese by being ashamed -of their Chinese blood and ignoring it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His theory, therefore, was that if his own -son was brought up to be proud instead of -ashamed of his Chinese half, the boy would -become a great man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Perhaps he was right, but he could not see -as could I, an American woman, the conflict -before our boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After the little Kanghi had passed his first -month, and we had found a reliable woman -to look after him, his father began to take -me around with him much more than formerly, -and life became very enjoyable. We dined -often at a Chinese restaurant kept by a friend -of his, and afterwards attended theatres, concerts, -and other places of entertainment. -We frequently met Americans with whom he -had become acquainted through business, and -he would introduce them with great pride in -me shining in his eyes. The little jealousies -and suspicions of the first year seemed no -longer to irritate him, and though I had still -cause to shrink from the gaze of strangers, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>I know that my Chinese husband was for -several years a very happy man.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Now, I have come to the end. He left -home one morning, followed to the gate by -the little girl and boy (we had moved to a -cottage in the suburbs).</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bring me a red ball,” pleaded the little -girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And me too,” cried the boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All right, chickens,” he responded, waving -his hand to them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He was brought home at night, shot through -the head. There are some Chinese, just as -there are some Americans, who are opposed -to all progress, and who hate with a bitter -hatred all who would enlighten or be enlightened.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But that I have not the heart to dwell upon. -I can only remember that when they brought -my Chinese husband home there were two -red balls in his pocket. Such was Liu Kanghi—a -man.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span> - <h3 id='p144' class='c011'>THE AMERICANIZING OF PAU TSU</h3> -</div> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -When Wan Hom Hing came to Seattle -to start a branch of the merchant -business which his firm carried on -so successfully in the different ports of China, -he brought with him his nephew, Wan Lin Fo, -then eighteen years of age. Wan Lin Fo was -a well-educated Chinese youth, with bright -eyes and keen ears. In a few years’ time he -knew as much about the business as did any -of the senior partners. Moreover, he learned -to speak and write the American language -with such fluency that he was never at a loss -for an answer, when the white man, as was -sometimes the case, sought to pose him. -“All work and no play,” however, is as much -against the principles of a Chinese youth as -it is against those of a young American, and -now and again Lin Fo would while away an -evening at the Chinese Literary Club, above -the Chinese restaurant, discussing with some -chosen companions the works and merits of -Chinese sages—and some other things. New -Year’s Day, or rather, Week, would also see -him, business forgotten, arrayed in national -costume of finest silk, and color “the blue of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span>the sky after rain,” visiting with his friends, -both Chinese and American, and scattering -silver and gold coin amongst the youngsters -of the families visited.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was on the occasion of one of these New -Year’s visits that Wan Lin Fo first made -known to the family of his firm’s silent American -partner, Thomas Raymond, that he was -betrothed. It came about in this wise: One -of the young ladies of the house, who was -fair and frank of face and friendly and cheery -in manner, observing as she handed him a cup -of tea that Lin Fo’s eyes wore a rather wistful -expression, questioned him as to the wherefore:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Miss Adah,” replied Lin Fo, “may I tell -you something?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Certainly, Mr. Wan,” replied the girl. -“You know how I enjoy hearing your tales.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But this is no tale. Miss Adah, you have -inspired in me a love—”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond started. Wan Lin Fo spake -slowly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For the little girl in China to whom I am -betrothed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Mr. Wan! That is good news. But -what have I to do with it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This, Miss Adah! Every time I come to -this house, I see you, so good and so beautiful, -dispensing tea and happiness to all around, and -I think, could I have in my home and ever by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>my side one who is also both good and beautiful, -what a felicitious life mine would be!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must not flatter me, Mr. Wan!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All that I say is founded on my heart. -But I will speak not of you. I will speak of -Pau Tsu.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pau Tsu?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes. That is the name of my future -wife. It means a pearl.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How pretty! Tell me all about her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was betrothed to Pau Tsu before leaving -China. My parents adopted her to be my -wife. As I remember, she had shining eyes -and the good-luck color was on her cheek. -Her mouth was like a red vine leaf, and her -eyebrows most exquisitely arched. As slender -as a willow was her form, and when she spoke, -her voice lilted from note to note in the sweetest -melody.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond softly clapped her hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! You were even then in love with her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” replied Lin Fo thoughtfully. “I was -too young to be in love—sixteen years of age. -Pau Tsu was thirteen. But, as I have confessed, -you have caused me to remember and -love her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond was not a self-conscious -girl, but for the life of her she could think of -no reply to Lin <a id='corr146.29'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='Wo’s'>Fo’s</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_146.29'><ins class='correction' title='Wo’s'>Fo’s</ins></a></span> speech.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am twenty-two years old now,” he continued. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>“Pau Tsu is eighteen. Tomorrow -I will write to my parents and persuade them -to send her to me at the time of the spring -festival. My elder brother was married last -year, and his wife is now under my parents’ -roof, so that Pau Tsu, who has been the -daughter of the house for so many years, can -now be spared to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a sweet little thing she must be,” -commented Adah Raymond.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You will say that when you see her,” -proudly responded Lin Fo. “My parents -say she is always happy. There is not a bird -or flower or dewdrop in which she does not -find some glad meaning.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be so glad to know her. Can she -speak English?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin Fo’s face fell.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” he replied, “but,”—brightening—“when -she comes I will have her learn to -speak like you—and be like you.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_p-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Pau Tsu came with the spring, and Wan -Lin Fo was one of the happiest and -proudest of bridegrooms. The tiny bride -was really very pretty—even to American -eyes. In her peach and plum colored robes, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>her little arms and hands sparkling with -jewels, and her shiny black head decorated -with wonderful combs and pins, she appeared -a bit of Eastern coloring amidst the Western -lights and shades.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin Fo had not been forgotten, and her -eyes under their downcast lids discovered -him at once, as he stood awaiting her amongst -a group of young Chinese merchants on the -deck of the vessel.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The apartments he had prepared for her -were furnished in American style, and her -birdlike little figure in Oriental dress seemed -rather out of place at first. It was not long, -however, before she brought forth from the -great box, which she had brought over seas, -screens and fans, vases, panels, Chinese matting, -artificial flowers and birds, and a number -of exquisite carvings and pieces of antique -porcelain. With these she transformed the -American flat into an Oriental bower, even -setting up in her sleeping-room a little chapel, -enshrined in which was an image of the -Goddess of Mercy, two ancestral tablets, and -other emblems of her faith in the Gods of -her fathers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Misses Raymond called upon her soon -after arrival, and she smiled and looked -pleased. She shyly presented each girl with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>a Chinese cup and saucer, also a couple of -antique vases, covered with whimsical pictures, -which Lin Fo tried his best to explain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girls were delighted with the gifts, -and having fallen, as they expressed themselves, -in love with the little bride, invited -her through her husband to attend a launch -party, which they intended giving the following -Wednesday on Lake Washington.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin Fo accepted the invitation in behalf -of himself and wife. He was quite at home -with the Americans and, being a young man, -enjoyed their rather effusive appreciation of -him as an educated Chinaman. Moreover, -he was of the opinion that the society of the -American young ladies would benefit Pau -Tsu in helping her to acquire the ways and -language of the land in which he hoped to -make a fortune.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wan Lin Fo was a true son of the Middle -Kingdom and secretly pitied all those who -were born far away from its influences; but -there was much about the Americans that he -admired. He also entertained sentiments of -respect for a motto which hung in his room -which bore the legend: “When in Rome, do -as the Romans do.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is best for men is also best for -women in this country,” he told Pau Tsu -<span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span>when she wept over his suggestion that she -should take some lessons in English from a -white woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It may be best for a man who goes out in -the street,” she sobbed, “to learn the new -language, but of what importance is it to a -woman who lives only within the house and -her husband’s heart?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was seldom, however, that she protested -against the wishes of Lin Fo. As her mother-in-law -had said, she was a docile, happy little -creature. Moreover, she loved her husband.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But as the days and weeks went by the -girl bride whose life hitherto had been spent -in the quiet retirement of a Chinese home -in the performance of filial duties, in embroidery -work and lute playing, in sipping tea -and chatting with gentle girl companions, -felt very much bewildered by the novelty and -stir of the new world into which she had been -suddenly thrown. She could not understand, -for all Lin Fo’s explanations, why it was -required of her to learn the strangers’ language -and adopt their ways. Her husband’s -tongue was the same as her own. So also her -little maid’s. It puzzled her to be always -seeing this and hearing that—sights and -sounds which as yet had no meaning for her. -Why also was it necessary to receive visitors -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>nearly every evening?—visitors who could -neither understand nor make themselves understood -by her, for all their curious smiles and -stares, which she bore like a second Vashti—or -rather, Esther. And why, oh! why should -she be constrained to eat her food with clumsy, -murderous looking American implements instead -of with her own elegant and easily -manipulated ivory chopsticks?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond, who at Lin Fo’s request -was a frequent visitor to the house, could not -fail to observe that Pau Tsu’s small face grew -daily smaller and thinner, and that the smile -with which she invariably greeted her, though -sweet, was tinged with melancholy. Her -woman’s instinct told her that something -was wrong, but what it was the light within -her failed to discover. She would reach over -to Pau Tsu and take within her own firm, -white hand the small, trembling fingers, pressing -them lovingly and sympathetically; and the -little Chinese woman would look up into the -beautiful face bent above hers and think to herself: -“No wonder he wishes me to be like her!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>If Lin Fo happened to come in before Adah -Raymond left he would engage the visitor in -bright and animated conversation. They had -so much of common interest to discuss, as is -always the way with young people who have -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>lived any length of time in a growing city of -the West. But to Pau Tsu, pouring tea and -dispensing sweetmeats, it was all Greek, or -rather, all American.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look, my pearl, what I have brought -you,” said Lin Fo one afternoon as he entered -his wife’s apartments, followed by a messenger-boy, -who deposited in the middle of the room -a large cardboard box.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With murmurs of wonder Pau Tsu drew -near, and the messenger-boy having withdrawn -Lin Fo cut the string, and drew forth -a beautiful lace evening dress and dark blue -walking costume, both made in American -style.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment there was silence in the room. -Lin Fo looked at his wife in surprise. Her -face was pale and her little body was trembling, -while her hands were drawn up into her sleeves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Pau Tsu!” he exclaimed, “I thought -to make you glad.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At these <a id='corr152.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='word'>words</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_152.21'><ins class='correction' title='word'>words</ins></a></span> the girl bent over the dress -of filmy lace, and gathering the flounce in her -hand smoothed it over her knee; then lifting -a smiling face to her husband, replied: “Oh, -you are too good, too kind to your unworthy -Pau Tsu. My speech is slow, because I am -overcome with happiness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then with exclamations of delight and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>admiration she lifted the dresses out of the -box and laid them carefully over the couch.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish you to dress like an American -woman when we go out or receive,” said her -husband. “It is the proper thing in America -to do as the Americans do. You will notice, -light of my eyes, that it is only on New Year -and our national holidays that I wear the -costume of our country and attach a queue. -The wife should follow the husband in all -things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A ripple of laughter escaped Pau Tsu’s lips.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I wear that dress,” said she, touching -the walking costume, “I will look like your -friend, Miss Raymond.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She struck her hands together gleefully, -but when her husband had gone to his business -she bowed upon the floor and wept pitifully.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_d-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -During the rainy season Pau Tsu -was attacked with a very bad cough. -A daughter of Southern China, the -chill, moist climate of the Puget Sound winter -was very hard on her delicate lungs. Lin Fo -worried much over the state of her health, -and meeting Adah Raymond on the street -one afternoon told her of his anxiety. The -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>kind-hearted girl immediately returned with -him to the house. Pau Tsu was lying on her -couch, feverish and breathing hard. The -American girl felt her hands and head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She must have a doctor,” said she, mentioning -the name of her family’s physician.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Tsu shuddered. She understood a -little English by this time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No! No! Not a man, <em>not</em> a man!” she -cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond looked up at Lin Fo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I understand,” said she. “There are several -women doctors in this town. Let us -send for one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Lin Fo’s face was set.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No!” he declared. “We are in America. -Pau Tsu shall be attended to by your physician.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond was about to protest against -this dictum when the sick wife, who had also -heard it, touched her hand and whispered: -“I not mind now. Man all right.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So the other girl closed her lips, feeling that -if the wife would not dispute her husband’s -will it was not her place to do so; but her -heart ached with compassion as she bared -Pau Tsu’s chest for the stethoscope.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was like preparing a lamb for slaughter,” -she told her sister afterwards. “Pau Tsu -<span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span>was motionless, her eyes closed and her lips -sealed, while the doctor remained; but after -he had left and we two were alone she shuddered -and moaned like one bereft of reason. -I honestly believe that the examination was -worse than death to that little Chinese woman. -The modesty of generations of maternal ancestors -was crucified as I rolled down the neck -of her silk tunic.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a week after the doctor’s visit, and -Pau Tsu, whose cough had yielded to treatment, -though she was still far from well, was -playing on her lute, and whisperingly singing -this little song, said to have been written on a -fan which was presented to an ancient Chinese -emperor by one of his wives:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Of fresh new silk,</div> - <div class='line'>All snowy white,</div> - <div class='line'>And round as a harvest moon,</div> - <div class='line'>A pledge of purity and love,</div> - <div class='line'>A small but welcome boon.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>While summer lasts,</div> - <div class='line'>When borne in hand,</div> - <div class='line'>Or folded on thy breast,</div> - <div class='line'>’Twill gently soothe thy burning brow,</div> - <div class='line'>And charm thee to thy rest.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>But, oh, when Autumn winds blow chill,</div> - <div class='line'>And days are bleak and cold,</div> - <div class='line'>No longer sought, no longer loved,</div> - <div class='line'>’Twill lie in dust and mould.</div> - </div> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'><span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>This silken fan then deign accept,</div> - <div class='line'>Sad emblem of my lot,</div> - <div class='line'>Caressed and cherished for an hour,</div> - <div class='line'>Then speedily forgot.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“Why so melancholy, my pearl?” asked -Lin Fo, entering from the street.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When a bird is about to die, its notes are -sad,” returned Pau Tsu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But thou art not for death—thou art -for life,” declared Lin Fo, drawing her towards -him and gazing into a face which day by day -seemed to grow finer and more transparent.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -A Chinese messenger-boy ran up the -street, entered the store of Wan Hom -Hing & Co. and asked for the junior -partner. When Lin Fo came forward he -handed him a dainty, flowered missive, neatly -folded and addressed. The receiver opened it -and read:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'><span class='sc'>Dear and Honored Husband</span>,—Your unworthy -Pau Tsu lacks the courage to face the -ordeal before her. She has, therefore, left you and -prays you to obtain a divorce, as is the custom in -America, so that you may be happy with the -Beautiful One, who is so much your Pau Tsu’s -superior. This, she acknowledges, for she sees -with your eyes, in which, like a star, the Beautiful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>One shineth. Else, why should you have your -Pau Tsu follow in her footsteps? She has tried -to obey your will and to be as an American woman; -but now she is very weary, and the terror of what -is before her has overcome.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-r c017'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>Your stupid thorn,</div> - <div class='line in12'><span class='sc'>Pau Tsu</span></div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Mechanically Lin Fo folded the letter and -thrust it within his breast pocket. A customer -inquired of him the price of a lacquered -tray. “I wish you good morning,” he replied, -reaching for his hat. The customer -and clerks gaped after him as he left the -store.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Out in the street, as fate would have it, he -met Adah Raymond. He would have turned -aside had she not spoken to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whatever is the matter with you, Mr. -Wan?” she inquired. “You don’t look yourself -at all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The density of my difficulties you cannot -understand,” he replied, striding past her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Adah Raymond was persistent. She -had worried lately over Pau Tsu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Something is wrong with your wife,” she -declared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin Fo wheeled around.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you know where she is?” he asked -with quick suspicion.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>“Why, no!” exclaimed the girl in surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, she has left me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond stood incredulous for a -moment, then with indignant eyes she turned -upon the deserted husband.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You deserve it!” she cried, “I have seen -it for some time: your cruel, arbitrary treatment -of the dearest, sweetest little soul in -the world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I beg your pardon, Miss Adah,” returned -Lin Fo, “but I do not understand. Pau Tsu -is heart of my heart. How then could I be -cruel to her?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you stupid!” exclaimed the girl. -“You’re a Chinaman, but you’re almost as -stupid as an American. Your cruelty consisted -in forcing Pau Tsu to be—what nature -never intended her to be—an American -woman; to adapt and adopt in a few months’ -time all our ways and customs. I saw it -long ago, but as Pau Tsu was too sweet and -meek to see any faults in her man I had not -the heart to open her eyes—or yours. Is it -not true that she has left you for this reason?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” murmured Lin Fo. He was completely -crushed. “And some other things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What other things?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She—is—afraid—of—the—doctor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is!”—fiercely—“Shame upon you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span>Lin Fo began to walk on, but the girl kept -by his side and continued:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You wanted your wife to be an American -woman while you remained a Chinaman. -For all your clever adaptation of our American -ways you are a thorough Chinaman. Do -you think an American would dare treat his -wife as you have treated yours?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wan Lin Fo made no response. He was -wondering how he could ever have wished his -gentle Pau Tsu to be like this angry woman. -Now his Pau Tsu was gone. His anguish -for the moment made him oblivious to the -presence of his companion and the words she -was saying. His silence softened the American -girl. After all, men, even Chinamen, were -nothing but big, clumsy boys, and she didn’t -believe in kicking a man after he was down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But, cheer up, you’re sure to find her,” -said she, suddenly changing her tone. “Probably -her maid has friends in Chinatown who -have taken them in.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I find her,” said Lin Fo fervently, “I -will not care if she never speaks an American -word, and I will take her for a trip to China, -so that our son may be born in the country -that Heaven loves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You cannot make too much amends for -all she has suffered. As to Americanizing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>Pau Tsu—that will come in time. I am -quite sure that were I transferred to your -country and commanded to turn myself into -a Chinese woman in the space of two or three -months I would prove a sorry disappointment -to whomever built their hopes upon me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Many hours elapsed before any trace could -be found of the missing one. All the known -friends and acquaintances of little Pau Tsu -were called upon and questioned; but if they -had knowledge of the young wife’s hiding -place they refused to divulge it. Though Lin -Fo’s face was grave with an unexpressed fear, -their sympathies were certainly not with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The seekers were about giving up the search -in despair when a little boy, dangling in his -hands a string of blue beads, arrested the -attention of the young husband. He knew -the necklace to be a gift from Pau Tsu to the -maid, A-Toy. He had bought it himself. -Stopping and questioning the little fellow he -learned to his great joy that his wife and her -maid were at the boy’s home, under the care -of his grandmother, who was a woman learned -in herb lore.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Adah Raymond smiled in sympathy with -her companion’s evident great relief.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Everything will now be all right,” said -she, following Lin Fo as he proceeded to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>house pointed out by the lad. Arrived there, -she suggested that the husband enter first -and alone. She would wait a few moments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Miss Adah,” said Lin Fo, “ten thousand -times I beg your pardon, but perhaps you -will come to see my wife some other time—not -today?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He hesitated, embarrassed and humiliated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In one silent moment Adah Raymond -grasped the meaning of all the morning’s -trouble—of all Pau Tsu’s sadness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lord, what fools we mortals be!” she -soliloquized as she walked home alone. “I -ought to have known. What else could Pau -Tsu have thought?—coming from a land -where women have no men friends save their -husbands. How she must have suffered under -her smiles! Poor, brave little soul!”</p> - -<h3 id='p161' class='c011'>IN THE LAND OF THE FREE</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_s-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -See, Little One—the hills in the morning -sun. There is thy home for years -to come. It is very beautiful and thou -wilt be very happy there.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Little One looked up into his mother’s -face in perfect faith. He was engaged in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>pleasant occupation of sucking a sweetmeat; -but that did not prevent him from gurgling -responsively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, my olive bud; there is where thy -father is making a fortune for thee. Thy -father! Oh, wilt thou not be glad to behold -his dear face. ’Twas for thee I left him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Little One ducked his chin sympathetically -against his mother’s knee. She lifted -him on to her lap. He was two years old, a -round, dimple-cheeked boy with bright brown -eyes and a sturdy little frame.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! Ah! Ah! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!” puffed -he, mocking a tugboat steaming by.</p> - -<p class='c001'>San Francisco’s waterfront was lined with -ships and steamers, while other craft, large -and small, including a couple of white transports -from the Philippines, lay at anchor here -and there off shore. It was some time before -the <cite>Eastern Queen</cite> could get docked, and even -after that was accomplished, a lone Chinaman -who had been waiting on the wharf for an -hour was detained that much longer by men -with the initials U. S. C. on their caps, before -he could board the steamer and welcome his -wife and child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is thy son,” announced the happy -Lae Choo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing lifted the child, felt of his little -<span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>body and limbs, gazed into his face with proud -and joyous eyes; then turned inquiringly to -a customs officer at his elbow.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That’s a fine boy you have there,” said -the man. “Where was he born?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In China,” answered Hom Hing, swinging -the Little One on his right shoulder, preparatory -to leading his wife off the steamer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ever been to America before?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not he,” answered the father with a -happy laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The customs officer beckoned to another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This little fellow,” said he, “is visiting -America for the first time.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The other customs officer stroked his chin -reflectively.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good day,” said Hom Hing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait!” commanded one of the officers. -“You cannot go just yet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What more now?” asked Hom Hing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I’m afraid,” said the first customs officer, -“that we cannot allow the boy to go ashore. -There is nothing in the papers that you have -shown us—your wife’s papers and your own—having -any bearing upon the child.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There was no child when the papers were -made out,” returned Hom Hing. He spoke -calmly; but there was apprehension in his -eyes and in his tightening grip on his son.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span>“What is it? What is it?” quavered Lae -Choo, who understood a little English.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The second customs officer regarded her -pityingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t like this part of the business,” he -muttered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The first officer turned to Hom Hing and -in an official tone of voice, said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Seeing that the boy has no certificate -entitling him to admission to this country -you will have to leave him with us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Leave my boy!” exclaimed Hom Hing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes; he will be well taken care of, and just -as soon as we can hear from Washington he -will be handed over to you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But,” protested Hom Hing, “he is my -son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We have no proof,” answered the man with -a shrug of his shoulders; “and even if so we -cannot let him pass without orders from the -Government.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is my son,” reiterated Hom Hing, -slowly and solemnly. “I am a Chinese merchant -and have been in business in San Francisco -for many years. When my wife told -to me one morning that she dreamed of a -green tree with spreading branches and one -beautiful red flower growing thereon, I answered -her that I wished my son to be born in our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>country, and for her to prepare to go to -China. My wife complied with my wish. -After my son was born my mother fell sick and -my wife nursed and cared for her; then my -father, too, fell sick, and my wife also nursed -and cared for him. For twenty moons my -wife care for and nurse the old people, and -when they die they bless her and my son, -and I send for her to return to me. I had no -fear of trouble. I was a Chinese merchant -and my son was my son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very good, Hom Hing,” replied the first -officer. “Nevertheless, we take your son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, you not take him; he my son too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was Lae Choo. Snatching the child -from his father’s arms she held and covered -him with her own.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The officers conferred together for a few -moments; then one drew Hom Hing aside -and spoke in his ear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Resignedly Hom Hing bowed his head, then -approached his wife. “’Tis the law,” said he, -speaking in Chinese, “and ’twill be but for a -little while—until tomorrow’s sun arises.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You, too,” reproached Lae Choo in a -voice eloquent with pain. But accustomed to -obedience she yielded the boy to her husband, -who in turn delivered him to the first officer. -The Little One protested lustily against the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>transfer; but his mother covered her face -with her sleeve and his father silently led her -away. Thus was the law of the land complied -with.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_d-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Day was breaking. Lae Choo, who -had been awake all night, dressed -herself, then awoke her husband.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“’Tis the morn,” she cried. “Go, bring our -son.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The man rubbed his eyes and arose upon -his elbow so that he could see out of the window. -A pale star was visible in the sky. -The petals of a lily in a bowl on the window-sill -were unfurled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“’Tis not yet time,” said he, laying his -head down again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not yet time. Ah, all the time that I -lived before yesterday is not so much as the -time that has been since my little one was -taken from me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother threw herself down beside the -bed and covered her face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing turned on the light, and touching -his wife’s bowed head with a sympathetic -hand inquired if she had slept.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Slept!” she echoed, weepingly. “Ah, -how could I close my eyes with my arms empty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>of the little body that has filled them every -night for more than twenty moons! You -do not know—man—what it is to miss the -feel of the little fingers and the little toes and -the soft round limbs of your little one. Even -in the darkness his darling eyes used to shine -up to mine, and often have I fallen into slumber -with his pretty babble at my ear. And now, -I see him not; I touch him not; I hear him -not. My baby, my little fat one!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now! Now! Now!” consoled Hom Hing, -patting his wife’s shoulder reassuringly; “there -is no need to grieve so; he will soon gladden -you again. There cannot be any law that -would keep a child from its mother!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lae Choo dried her tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are right, my husband,” she meekly -murmured. She arose and stepped about -the apartment, setting things to rights. The -box of presents she had brought for her California -friends had been opened the evening -before; and silks, embroideries, carved ivories, -ornamental lacquer-ware, brasses, camphorwood -boxes, fans, and chinaware were scattered -around in confused heaps. In the midst of -unpacking the thought of her child in the -hands of strangers had overpowered her, and -she had left everything to crawl into bed -and weep.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>Having arranged her gifts in order she -stepped out on to the deep balcony.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The star had faded from view and there were -bright streaks in the western sky. Lae Choo -looked down the street and around. Beneath -the flat occupied by her and her husband were -quarters for a number of bachelor Chinamen, -and she could hear them from where she stood, -taking their early morning breakfast. Below -their dining-room was her husband’s grocery -store. Across the way was a large restaurant. -Last night it had been resplendent with gay -colored lanterns and the sound of music. The -rejoicings over “the completion of the moon,” -by Quong Sum’s firstborn, had been long and -loud, and had caused her to tie a handkerchief -over her ears. She, a bereaved mother, had -it not in her heart to rejoice with other parents. -This morning the place was more in accord -with her mood. It was still and quiet. The -revellers had dispersed or were asleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A roly-poly woman in black sateen, with -long pendant earrings in her ears, looked up -from the street below and waved her a smiling -greeting. It was her old neighbor, Kuie Hoe, -the wife of the gold embosser, Mark Sing. -With her was a little boy in yellow jacket and -lavender pantaloons. Lae Choo remembered -him as a baby. She used to like to play with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>him in those days when she had no child of her -own. What a long time ago that seemed! -She caught her breath in a sigh, and laughed -instead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why are you so merry?” called her husband -from within.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because my Little One is coming home,” -answered Lae Choo. “I am a happy mother—a -happy mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She pattered into the room with a smile -on her face.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The noon hour had arrived. The rice was -steaming in the bowls and a fragrant dish -of chicken and bamboo shoots was awaiting -Hom Hing. Not for one moment had Lae -Choo paused to rest during the morning hours; -her activity had been ceaseless. Every now -and again, however, she had raised her eyes -to the gilded clock on the curiously carved -mantelpiece. Once, she had exclaimed:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why so long, oh! why so long?” Then -apostrophizing herself: “Lae Choo, be happy. -The Little One is coming! The Little One is -coming!” Several times she burst into tears -and several times she laughed aloud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing entered the room; his arms hung -down by his side.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Little One!” shrieked Lae Choo.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span>“They bid me call tomorrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With a moan the mother sank to the floor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The noon hour passed. The dinner remained -on the table.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The winter rains were over: the spring -had come to California, flushing the -hills with green and causing an ever-changing -pageant of flowers to pass over them. -But there was no spring in Lae Choo’s heart, -for the Little One remained away from her -arms. He was being kept in a mission. -White women were caring for him, and though -for one full moon he had pined for his mother -and refused to be comforted he was now -apparently happy and contented. Five moons -or five months had gone by since the day he -had passed with Lae Choo through the Golden -Gate; but the great Government at Washington -still delayed sending the answer which -would return him to his parents.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Hom Hing was disconsolately rolling up -and down the balls in his abacus box when a -keen-faced young man stepped into his store.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What news?” asked the Chinese merchant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This!” The young man brought forth -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>a typewritten letter. Hom Hing read the -words:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Re Chinese child, alleged to be the son of -Hom Hing, Chinese merchant, doing business -at 425 Clay street, San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Same will have attention as soon as possible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing returned the letter, and without -a word continued his manipulation of the -counting machine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have you anything to say?” asked the -young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nothing. They have sent the same letter -fifteen times before. Have you not yourself -showed it to me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“True!” The young man eyed the Chinese -merchant furtively. He had a proposition -to make and he was pondering whether or -not the time was opportune.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How is your wife?” he inquired solicitously—and -diplomatically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing shook his head mournfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr171.22'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='She'>“She</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_171.22'><ins class='correction' title='She'>“She</ins></a></span> seems less every day,” he replied. -“Her food she takes only when I bid her and -her tears fall continually. She finds no pleasure -in dress or flowers and cares not to see her -friends. Her eyes stare all night. I think -before another moon she will pass into the -land of spirits.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>“No!” exclaimed the young man, genuinely -startled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If the boy not come home I lose my wife -sure,” continued Hom Hing with bitter sadness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s not right,” cried the young man -indignantly. Then he made his proposition.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Chinese father’s eyes brightened exceedingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will I like you to go to Washington and -make them give you the paper to restore my -son?” cried he. “How can you ask when -you know my heart’s desire?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr172.12'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='“Then,'>“Then,”</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_172.12'><ins class='correction' title='“Then,'>“Then,”</ins></a></span> said the young fellow, “I will start -next week. I am anxious to see this thing -through if only for the sake of your wife’s -peace of mind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will call her. To hear what you think -to do will make her glad,” said Hom Hing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He called a message to Lae Choo upstairs -through a tube in the wall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In a few moments she appeared, listless, -wan, and hollow-eyed; but when her husband -told her the young lawyer’s suggestion -she became as one electrified; her form -straightened, her eyes glistened; the color -flushed to her cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh,” she cried, turning to James Clancy, -“You are a hundred man good!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>The young man felt somewhat embarrassed; -his eyes shifted a little under the intense gaze -of the Chinese mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, we must get your boy for you,” he -responded. “Of course”—turning to Hom -Hing—“it will cost a little money. You -can’t get fellows to hurry the Government for -you without gold in your pocket.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing stared blankly for a moment. -Then: “How much do you want, Mr. Clancy?” -he asked quietly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, I will need at least five hundred to -start with.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing cleared his throat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think I told to you the time I last paid -you for writing letters for me and seeing the -Custom boss here that nearly all I had was -gone!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, well then we won’t talk about it, -old fellow. It won’t harm the boy to stay -where he is, and your wife may get over it all -right.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What that you say?” quavered Lae -Choo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>James Clancy looked out of the window.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He says,” explained Hom Hing in English, -“that to get our boy we have to have much -money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>“Money! Oh, yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lae Choo nodded her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have not got the money to give -him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment Lae Choo gazed wonderingly -from one face to the other; then, comprehension -dawning upon her, with swift anger, -pointing to the lawyer, she cried: “You not -one hundred man good; you just common -white man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, ma’am,” returned James Clancy, -bowing and smiling ironically.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing pushed his wife behind him and -addressed the lawyer again: “I might try,” -said he, “to raise something; but five hundred—it -is not possible.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about four?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I tell you I have next to nothing left and -my friends are not rich.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lawyer moved <a id='corr174.21'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='lesiurely'>leisurely</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_174.21'><ins class='correction' title='lesiurely'>leisurely</ins></a></span> toward the door, -pausing on its threshold to light a cigarette.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Stop, white man; white man, stop!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lae Choo, panting and terrified, had started -forward and now stood beside him, clutching -his sleeve excitedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You say you can go to get paper to bring -my Little One to me if Hom Hing give you -five hundred dollars?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>The lawyer nodded carelessly; his eyes -were intent upon the cigarette which would -not take the fire from the match.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then you go get paper. If Hom Hing -not can give you five hundred dollars—I -give you perhaps what more that much.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She slipped a heavy gold bracelet from her -wrist and held it out to the man. Mechanically -he took it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I go get more!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She scurried away, disappearing behind -the door through which she had come.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, look here, I can’t accept this,” said -James Clancy, walking back to Hom Hing -and laying down the bracelet before him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It’s all right,” said Hom Hing, seriously, -“pure China gold. My wife’s parent give it -to her when we married.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But I can’t take it anyway,” protested -the young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is all same as money. And you want -money to go to Washington,” replied Hom -Hing in a matter of fact manner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See, my jade earrings—my gold buttons—my -hairpins—my comb of pearl and -my rings—one, two, three, four, five rings; -very good—very good—all same much -money. I give them all to you. You take -and bring me paper for my Little One.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>Lae Choo piled up her jewels before the -lawyer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hom Hing laid a restraining hand upon -her shoulder. “Not all, my wife,” he said -in Chinese. He selected a ring—his gift to -Lae Choo when she dreamed of the tree with -the red flower. The rest of the jewels he -pushed toward the white man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take them and sell them,” said he. “They -will pay your fare to Washington and bring -you back with the paper.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For one moment James Clancy hesitated. -He was not a sentimental man; but something -within him arose against accepting such -payment for his services.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are good, good,” pleadingly asserted -Lae Choo, seeing his hesitation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereupon he seized the jewels, thrust -them into his coat pocket, and walked rapidly -away from the store.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_l-header.png' width='26' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Lae Choo followed after the missionary -woman through the mission nursery -school. Her heart was beating so -high with happiness that she could scarcely -breathe. The paper had come at last—the -precious paper which gave Hom Hing and his -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>wife the right to the possession of their own -child. It was ten months now since he had -been taken from them—ten months since -the sun had ceased to shine for Lae Choo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The room was filled with children—most -of them wee tots, but none so wee as her own. -The mission woman talked as she walked. -She told Lae Choo that little Kim, as he had -been named by the school, was the pet of the -place, and that his little tricks and ways -amused and delighted every one. He had -been rather difficult to manage at first and -had cried much for his mother; “but children -so soon forget, and after a month he seemed -quite at home and played around as bright -and happy as a bird.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” responded Lae Choo. “Oh, yes, yes!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But she did not hear what was said to her. -She was walking in a maze of anticipatory joy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wait here, please,” said the mission -woman, placing Lae Choo in a chair. “The -very youngest ones are having their breakfast.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She withdrew for a moment—it seemed -like an hour to the mother—then she reappeared -leading by the hand a little boy -dressed in blue cotton overalls and white-soled -shoes. The little boy’s face was round -and dimpled and his eyes were very bright.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span>“Little One, ah, my Little One!” cried -Lae Choo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She fell on her knees and stretched her -hungry arms toward her son.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the Little One shrunk from her and -tried to hide himself in the folds of the white -woman’s skirt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go’way, go’way!” he bade his mother.</p> - -<h3 id='p178' class='c011'>THE CHINESE LILY</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Mermei lived in an upstairs room of -a Chinatown dwelling-house. There -were other little Chinese women living -on the same floor, but Mermei never went -amongst them. She was not as they were. -She was a cripple. A fall had twisted her -legs so that she moved around with difficulty -and scarred her face so terribly that none -save Lin John cared to look upon it. Lin -John, her brother, was a laundryman, working -for another of his countrymen. Lin John -and Mermei had come to San Francisco with -their parents when they were small children. -Their mother had died the day she entered -the foreign city, and the father the week -following, both having contracted a fever on -the steamer. Mermei and Lin John were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>then taken in charge by their father’s brother, -and although he was a poor man he did his -best for them until called away by death.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Long before her Uncle died Mermei had -met with the accident that had made her not -as other girls; but that had only strengthened -her brother’s affection, and old Lin Wan died -happy in the knowledge that Lin John would -ever put Mermei before himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Mermei lived in her little upstairs room, -cared for by Lin John, and scarcely an evening -passed that he did not call to see her. One -evening, however, Lin John failed to appear, -and Mermei began to feel very sad and lonely. -Mermei could embroider all day in contented -silence if she knew that in the evening someone -would come to whom she could communicate -all the thoughts that filled a small black -head that knew nothing of life save what it -saw from an upstairs window. Mermei’s window -looked down upon the street, and she -would sit for hours, pressed close against it, -watching those who passed below and all that -took place. That day she had seen many -things which she had put into her mental -portfolio for Lin John’s edification when evening -should come. Two yellow-robed priests -had passed below on their way to the joss -house in the next street; a little bird with -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>a white breast had fluttered against the window -pane; a man carrying an image of a -Gambling Cash Tiger had entered the house -across the street; and six young girls of about -her own age, dressed gaily as if to attend a -wedding, had also passed over the same -threshold.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But when nine o’clock came and no Lin -John, the girl began to cry softly. She did -not often shed tears, but for some reason unknown -to Mermei herself, the sight of those -joyous girls caused sad reflections. In the -midst of her weeping a timid knock was heard. -It was not Lin John. He always gave a -loud rap, then entered without waiting to be -bidden. Mermei hobbled to the door, pulled -it open, and there, in the dim light of the hall -without, beheld a young girl—the most -beautiful young girl that Mermei had ever -seen—and she stood there extending to Mermei -a blossom from a Chinese lily plant. -Mermei understood the meaning of the offered -flower, and accepting it, beckoned for her -visitor to follow her into her room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>What a delightful hour that was to Mermei! -She forgot that she was scarred and crippled, -and she and the young girl chattered out their -little hearts to one another. “Lin John is -dear, but one can’t talk to a man, even if he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>is a brother, as one can to one the same as -oneself,” said Mermei to Sin Far—her new -friend, and Sin Far, the meaning of whose -name was Pure Flower, or Chinese Lily, -answered:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, indeed. The woman must be the -friend of the woman, and the man the friend -of the man. Is it not so in the country that -Heaven loves?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What beneficent spirit moved you to -come to my door?” asked Mermei.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know not,” replied Sin Far, “save that -I was lonely. We have but lately moved -here, my sister, my sister’s husband, and myself. -My sister is a bride, and there is much -to say between her and her husband. Therefore, -in the evening, when the day’s duties -are done, I am alone. Several times, hearing -that you were sick, I ventured to your door; -but failed to knock, because always when I -drew near, I heard the voice of him whom they -call your brother. Tonight, as I returned -from an errand for my sister, I heard only the -sound of weeping—so I hastened to my room -and plucked the lily for you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next evening when Lin John explained -how he had been obliged to work the evening -before Mermei answered brightly that that -was all right. She loved him just as much as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>ever and was just as glad to see him as ever; -but if work prevented him from calling he -was not to worry. She had found a friend -who would cheer her loneliness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin John was surprised, but glad to hear -such news, and it came to pass that when he -beheld Sin Far, her sweet and gentle face, -her pretty drooped eyelids and arched eyebrows, -he began to think of apple and -peach and plum trees showering their -dainty blossoms in the country that Heaven -loves.</p> - -<p class='c013'>It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. -Lin John, working in his laundry, paid little -attention to the street uproar and the clang -of the engines rushing by. He had no thought -of what it meant to him and would have continued -at his work undisturbed had not a -boy put his head into the door and shouted:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lin John, the house in which your sister -lives is on fire!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tall building was in flames when Lin -John reached it. The uprising tongues licked -his face as he sprung up the ladder no other -man dared ascend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will not go. It is best for me to die,” -and Mermei resisted her friend with all her -puny strength.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span>“The ladder will not bear the weight of -both of us. You are his sister,” calmly replied -Sin Far.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But he loves you best. You and he can -be happy together. I am not fit to live.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May Lin John decide, Mermei?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, Lin John may decide.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin John reached the casement. For one -awful second he wavered. Then his eyes -sought the eyes of his sister’s friend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, Mermei,” he called.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Where is Sin Far?” asked Mermei when -she became conscious.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sin Far is in the land of happy spirits.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I am still in this sad, dark world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Speak not so, little one. Your brother -loves you and will protect you from the darkness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you loved Sin Far better—and she -loved you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lin John bowed his head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Alas!” wept Mermei. “That I should -live to make others sad!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nay,” said Lin John, “Sin Far is happy. -And I—I did my duty with her approval, -aye, at her bidding. How then, little sister, -can I be sad?”</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span> - <h3 id='p184' class='c011'>THE SMUGGLING OF TIE CO</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Amongst the daring men who engage -in contrabanding Chinese from Canada -into the United States Jack Fabian -ranks as the boldest in deed, the cleverest -in scheming, and the most successful in outwitting -Government officers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Uncommonly strong in person, tall and well -built, with fine features and a pair of keen, -steady blue eyes, gifted with a sort of rough -eloquence and of much personal fascination, -it is no wonder that we fellows regard him as -our chief and are bound to follow where he -leads. With Fabian at our head we engage -in the wildest adventures and find such places -of concealment for our human goods as none -but those who take part in a desperate -business would dare to dream of.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Jack, however, is not in search of glory—money -is his object. One day when a romantic -friend remarked that it was very kind of -him to help the poor Chinamen over the border, -a cynical smile curled his moustache.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kind!” he echoed. “Well, I haven’t yet -had time to become sentimental over the -matter. It is merely a matter of dollars and -cents, though, of course, to a man of my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>strict principles, there is a certain pleasure to -be derived from getting ahead of the Government. -A poor devil does now and then -like to take a little out of those millionaire -concerns.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was last summer and Fabian was somewhat -down on his luck. A few months previously, -to the surprise of us all, he had made a -blunder, which resulted in his capture by -American officers, and he and his companion, -together with five uncustomed Chinamen, -had been lodged in a county jail to await trial.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But loafing behind bars did not agree with -Fabian’s energetic nature, so one dark night, -by means of a saw which had been given to -him by a very innocent-looking visitor the -day before, he made good his escape, and -after a long, hungry, detective-hunted tramp -through woods and bushes, found himself -safe in Canada.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He had had a three months’ sojourn in -prison, and during that time some changes -had taken place in smuggling circles. Some -ingenious lawyers had devised a scheme by -which any young Chinaman on payment of a -couple of hundred dollars could procure a -father which father would swear the young -Chinaman was born in America—thus proving -him to be an American citizen with the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>right to breathe United States air. And the -Chinese themselves, assisted by some white -men, were manufacturing certificates establishing -their right to cross the border, and in -that way were crossing over in large batches.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That sort of trick naturally spoiled our -fellows’ business, but we all know that -“Yankee sharper” games can hold good only -for a short while; so we bided our time and -waited in patience.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Not so Fabian. He became very restless -and wandered around with glowering looks. -He was sitting one day in a laundry, the proprietor -of which had sent out many a boy -through our chief’s instrumentality. Indeed, -Fabian is said to have “rushed over” to -“Uncle Sam” himself some five hundred -Celestials, and if Fabian had not been an -exceedingly generous fellow he might now -be a gentleman of leisure instead of an -unimmortalized Rob Roy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Well, Fabian was sitting in the laundry of -Chen Ting Lung & Co., telling a nice-looking -young Chinaman that he was so broke that -he’d be willing to take over even one man at -a time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young Chinaman looked thoughtfully -into Fabian’s face. “Would you take me?” -he inquired.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>“Take you!” echoed Fabian. “Why, you -are one of the ‘bosses’ here. You don’t -mean to say that you are hankering after a -place where it would take you years to get -as high up in the ‘washee, washee’ business -as you are now?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, I want go,” replied Tie Co. “I want -go to New York and I will pay you fifty -dollars and all expense if you take me, and -not say you take me to my partners.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s no accounting for a Chinaman,” -muttered Fabian; but he gladly agreed to the -proposal and a night was fixed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the name of the firm you are -going to?” inquired the white man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chinamen who intend being smuggled -always make arrangements with some Chinese -firm in the States to receive them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tie Co hesitated, then mumbled something -which sounded like “Quong Wo Yuen” or -“Long Lo Toon,” Fabian was not sure which, -but did not repeat the question, not being -sufficiently interested.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He left the laundry, nodding goodbye to -Tie Co as he passed outside the window, and -the Chinaman nodded back, a faint smile -on his small, delicate face lingering until -Fabian’s receding form was lost to view.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a pleasant night on which the two -<span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span>men set out. Fabian had a rig waiting at -the corner of the street; Tie Co, dressed in -citizen’s clothes, stepped into it unobserved, -and the smuggler and would-be-smuggled were -soon out of the city. They had a merry drive, -for Fabian’s liking for Tie Co was very real; -he had known him for several years, and the -lad’s quick intelligence interested him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The second day they left their horse at a -farmhouse, where Fabian would call for it -on his return trip, crossed a river in a row-boat -before the sun was up, and plunged into -a wood in which they would remain till -evening. It was raining, but through mud -and wind and rain they trudged slowly and -heavily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tie Co paused now and then to take breath. -Once Fabian remarked:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are not a very strong lad, Tie Co. It’s -a pity you have to work as you do for your -living,” and Tie Co had answered:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Work velly good! No work, Tie Co die.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian looked at the lad protectingly, wondering -in a careless way why this Chinaman -seemed to him so different from the others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Wouldn’t you like to be back in China?” -he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” said Tie Co decidedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>“I not know why,” answered Tie Co.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian laughed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Haven’t you got a nice little wife at -home?” he continued. “I hear you people -marry very young.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, I no wife,” asserted his companion with -a choky little laugh. “I never have no wife.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nonsense,” joked Fabian. “Why, Tie -Co, think how nice it would be to have a -little woman cook your rice and to love you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I not have wife,” repeated Tie Co seriously. -“I not like woman, I like man.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You confirmed old bachelor!” ejaculated -Fabian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I like you,” said Tie Co, his boyish voice -sounding clear and sweet in the wet woods. -“I like you so much that I want go to New -York, so you make fifty dollars. I no flend -in New York.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What!” exclaimed Fabian.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I solly I tell you, Tie Co velly solly,” -and the Chinese boy shuffled on with bowed -head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look here, Tie Co,” said Fabian; “I -won’t have you do this for my sake. You -have been very foolish, and I don’t care for -your fifty dollars. I do not need it half as -much as you do. Good God! how ashamed -you make me feel—I who have blown in my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>thousands in idle pleasures cannot take the -little you have slaved for. We are in New -York State now. When we get out of this -wood we will have to walk over a bridge which -crosses a river. On the other side, not far -from where we cross, there is a railway station. -Instead of buying you a ticket for the city of -New York I shall take train with you for -Toronto.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tie Co did not answer—he seemed to be -thinking deeply. Suddenly he pointed to -where some fallen trees lay.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Two men run away behind there,” cried -he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian looked round them anxiously; his -keen eyes seemed to pierce the gloom in his -endeavor to catch a glimpse of any person; -but no man was visible, and, save the dismal -sighing of the wind among the trees, all was -quiet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s no one,” he said somewhat gruffly—he -was rather startled, for they were a mile -over the border and he knew that the Government -officers were on a sharp lookout for him, -and felt, despite his strength, if any trick or -surprise were attempted it would go hard -with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If they catch you with me it be too bad,” -sententiously remarked Tie Co. It seemed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>as if his words were in answer to Fabian’s -thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But they will not catch us; so cheer up -your heart, my boy,” replied the latter, more -heartily than he felt.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If they come, and I not with you, they -not take you and it be all lite.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” assented Fabian, wondering what -his companion was thinking about.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They emerged from the woods in the dusk -of the evening and were soon on the bridge -crossing the river. When they were near the -centre Tie Co stopped and looked into Fabian’s -face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Man come for you, I not here, man no -hurt you.” And with the words he whirled -like a flash over the rail.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In another flash Fabian was after him. But -though a first-class swimmer, the white man’s -efforts were of no avail, and Tie Co was borne -away from him by the swift current.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Cold and dripping wet, Fabian dragged himself -up the bank and found himself a prisoner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So your Chinaman threw himself into the -river. What was that for?” asked one of -the Government officers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think he was out of his head,” replied -Fabian. And he fully believed what he -uttered.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>“We tracked you right through the woods,” -said another of the captors. “We thought -once the boy caught sight of us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian remained silent.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Tie Co’s body was picked up the next day. -Tie Co’s body, and yet not Tie Co, for Tie -Co was a youth, and the body found with -Tie Co’s face and dressed in Tie Co’s clothes -was the body of a girl—a woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nobody in the laundry of Chen Ting Lung -& Co.—no Chinaman in Canada or New -York—could explain the mystery. Tie Co -had come out to Canada with a number of -other youths. Though not very strong he -had always been a good worker and “very -smart.” He had been quiet and reserved -among his own countrymen; had refused to -smoke tobacco or opium, and had been a -regular attendant at Sunday schools and a -great favorite with Mission ladies.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian was released in less than a week. -“No evidence against him,” said the Commissioner, -who was not aware that the prisoner -was the man who had broken out of jail but a -month before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fabian is now very busy; there are lots of -boys taking his helping hand over the border, -but none of them are like Tie Co; and sometimes, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span>between whiles, Fabian finds himself -pondering long and earnestly over the mystery -of Tie Co’s life—and death.</p> - -<h3 id='p193' class='c011'>THE GOD OF RESTORATION</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_h-header.png' width='33' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -He that hath wine hath many friends,” -muttered Koan-lo the Second, as he -glanced backwards into the store out -of which he was stepping. It was a Chinese -general store, well stocked with all manner -of quaint wares, and about a dozen Chinamen -were sitting around; whilst in an adjoining -room could be seen the recumbent forms -of several smokers who were discussing business -and indulging in the fascinating pipe -during the intervals of conversation.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Noticeable amongst the smokers was Koan-lo -the First, a tall, middle-aged Chinaman, -wearing a black cap with a red button. -Koan-lo the First was cousin to Koan-lo the -Second, but whereas Koan-lo the Second was -young and penniless, Koan-lo the First was -one of the wealthiest Chinese merchants in -San Francisco and a mighty man amongst -the people of his name in that city, who -regarded him as a father.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Koan-lo the Second had been instructed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>by Koan-lo the First to meet Sie, the latter’s -bride, who was arriving that day by steamer -from China. Koan-lo the First was too busy -a man to go down himself to the docks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Koan-lo the Second and Sie met—though -not for the first time. Five years -before in a suburb of Canton City they had -said to one another: “I love you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Koan-lo the Second was an orphan and had -been educated and cared for from youth upwards -by Koan-lo the First.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie was the daughter of a slave, which will -explain why she and Koan-lo the Second had -had the opportunity to know one another -before the latter left with his cousin for -America. In China the daughters of slaves -are allowed far more liberty than girls belonging -to a higher class of society.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Koan-lo, ah Koan-lo,” cooed Sie softly -and happily as she recognized her lover.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sie, my sweetest heart,” returned Koan-lo -the Second, his voice both glad and sad.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He saw that a mistake had been made—that -Sie believed that the man who was to -be her husband was himself—Koan-lo the -Second.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And all the love that was in him awoke, -and he became dizzy thinking of what might -yet be.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>Could he explain that the Koan-lo who had -purchased Sie for his bride, and to whom she -of right belonged, was his cousin and not -himself? Could he deliver to the Koan-lo -who had many friends and stores of precious -valuables the only friend, the only treasure -he had ever possessed? And was it likely -that Sie would be happy eating the rice of -Koan-lo the First when she loved him, Koan-lo -the Second?</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie’s little fingers crept into his. She leaned -against him. “I am tired. Shall we soon -rest?” said she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, very soon, my Sie,” he murmured, -putting his arm around her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was too glad when my father told -me that you had sent for me,” she whispered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I said: ‘How good of Koan-lo to remember -me all these years.’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And did you not remember me, my jess’-mine -flower?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why need you ask? You know the days -and nights have been filled with you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Having remembered me, why should you -have dreamt that I might have forgotten -you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is a difference. You are a man; I -am a woman.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>“You have been mine now for over two -weeks,” said Koan-lo the Second. “Do you -still love me, Sie?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look into mine eyes and see,” she -answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And are you happy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Happy! Yes, and this is the happiest day -of all, because today my father obtains his -freedom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How is that, Sie?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Koan-lo, you know. Does not my -father receive today the balance of the price -you pay for me, and is not that, added to -what you sent in advance, sufficient to purchase -my father’s freedom? My dear, good -father—he has worked so hard all these -years. He has ever been so kind to me. How -glad am I to think that through me the God -of Restoration has decreed that he shall no -longer be a slave. Yes, I am the happiest -woman in the world today.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie kissed her husband’s hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He drew it away and hid with it his face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, dear husband!” cried Sie. “You are -very sick.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, not sick,” replied the miserable Koan-lo—“but, -Sie, I must tell you that I am a -very poor man, and we have got to leave this -pretty house in the country and go to some -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>city where I will have to work hard and you -will scarcely have enough to eat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Kind, generous Koan-lo,” answered Sie, -“you have ruined yourself for my sake; you -paid too high a price for me. Ah, unhappy -Sie, who has pulled Koan-lo into the dust! -Now let me be your servant, for gladly would -I starve for your sake. I care for Koan-lo, -not riches.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And she fell on her knees before the young -man, who raised her gently, saying:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sie, I am unworthy of such devotion, and -your words drive a thousand spears into my -heart. Hear my confession. I am your husband, -but I am not the man who bought you. -My cousin, Koan-lo the First, sent for you to -come from China. It was he who bargained -for you, and paid half the price your father -asked whilst you were in Canton, and agreed -to pay the balance upon sight of your face. -Alas! the balance will never be paid, for as I -have stolen you from my cousin, he is not -bound to keep to the agreement, and your -father is still a slave.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie stood motionless, overwhelmed by the -sudden and terrible news. She looked at her -husband bewilderedly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is it true, Koan-lo? Must my father -remain a slave?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>“Yes, it is true,” replied her husband. -“But we have still one another, and you say -you care not for poverty. So forgive me and -forget your father. I forgot all for love of -you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He attempted to draw her to him, but with -a pitiful cry she turned and fled.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Koan-lo the first sat smoking and meditating.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Many moons had gone by since Koan-lo -the Second had betrayed the trust of Koan-lo -the First, and Koan-lo the First was wondering -what Koan-lo the Second was doing, and -how he was living. “He had little money -and was unused to working hard, and with a -woman to support what will the dog do?” -thought the old man. He felt injured and -bitter, but towards the evening, after long -smoking, his heart became softened, and he -said to his pipe: “Well, well, he had a loving -feeling for her, and the young I suppose must -mate with the young. I think I could overlook -his ungratefulness were he to come and -seek forgiveness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Great and honored sir, the dishonored Sie -kneels before you and begs you to put your -foot on her head.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>These words were uttered by a young -<span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span>Chinese girl of rare beauty who had entered -the room suddenly and prostrated herself before -Koan-lo the First. He looked up angrily.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I see the false woman who made her -father a liar!” he cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tears fell from the downcast eyes of Sie, -the kneeler.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good sir,” said she, “ere I had become a -woman or your cousin a man, we loved one -another, and when we met after a long separation, -we both forgot our duty. But the -God of Restoration worked with my heart. -I repented and now am come to you to give -myself up to be your slave, to work for you -until the flesh drops from my bones, if such -be your desire, only asking that you will send -to my father the balance of my purchase -price, for he is too old and feeble to be a slave. -Sir, you are known to be a more than just -man. Oh, grant my request! ’Tis for my -father’s sake I plead. For many years he -nourished me, with trouble and care; and my -heart almost breaks when I think of him. -Punish me for my misdeeds, dress me in rags, -and feed me on the meanest food! Only let -me serve you and make myself of use to you, -so that I may be worth my father’s freedom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what of my cousin? Are you now -false to him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>“No, not false to Koan-lo, my husband—only -true to my father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you wish me, whom you have injured, -to free your father?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie’s head dropped lower as she replied:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I wish to be your slave. I wish to pay -with the labor of my hands the debt I owe -you and the debt I owe my father. For this -I have left my husband.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Koan-lo the First arose, lifted Sie’s chin -with his hand, and contemplated with earnest -eyes her face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your heart is not all bad,” he observed. -“Sit down and listen. I will not buy you for -my slave, for in this country it is against the -law to buy a woman for a slave; but I will -hire you for five years to be my servant, and -for that time you will do my bidding, and -after that you will be free. Rest in peace -concerning your father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May the sun ever shine on you, most -gracious master!” cried Sie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Koan-lo the First pointed out to her -a hallway leading to a little room, which room -he said she could have for her own private -use while she remained with him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie thanked him and was leaving his presence -when the door was burst open and Koan-lo -the Second, looking haggard and wild, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>entered. He rushed up to Sie and clutched -her by the shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are mine!” he shouted. “I will -kill you before you become another man’s!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cousin,” said Koan-lo the First, “I wish -not to have the woman to be my wife, but I -claim her as my servant. She has already -received her wages—her father’s freedom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Koan-lo the Second gazed bewilderedly into -the faces of his wife and cousin. Then he -threw up his hands and cried:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Koan-lo, my cousin, I have been evil. -Always have I envied you and carried bitter -thoughts of you in my heart. Even your -kindness to me in the past has provoked my -ill-will, and when I have seen you surrounded -by friends, I have said scornfully: ‘He that -hath wine hath many friends,’ although I well -knew the people loved you for your good heart. -And Sie I have deceived. I took her to myself, -knowing that she thought I was what -I was not. I caused her to believe she was -mine by all rights.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So I am yours,” broke in Sie tremblingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So she shall be yours—when you are -worthy of such a pearl and can guard and -keep it,” said Koan-lo the First. Then waving -his cousin away from Sie, he continued:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This is your punishment; the God of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>Restoration demands it. For five years you -shall not see the face of Sie, your wife. Meanwhile, -study, think, be honest, and work.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Your husband comes for you today. Does -the thought make you glad?” questioned -Koan-lo the First.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Sie smiled and blushed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be sorry to leave you,” she replied.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But more glad than sad,” said the old -man. “Sie, your husband is now a fine -fellow. He has changed wonderfully during -his years of probation.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then I shall neither know nor love him,” -said Sie mischievously. “Why, here he—”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My sweet one!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My husband!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My children, take my blessing; be good -and be happy. I go to my pipe, to dream of -bliss if not to find it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With these words Koan-lo the First retired.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is he not almost as a god?” said Sie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” answered her husband, drawing -her on to his knee. “He has been better to -me than I have deserved. And you—ah, -Sie, how can you care for me when you know -what a bad fellow I have been?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said Sie contentedly, “it is always -our best friends who know how bad we are.”</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span> - <h3 id='p203' class='c011'>THE THREE SOULS OF AH SO NAN</h3> -</div> - -<h4 class='c018'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The sun was conquering the morning -fog, dappling with gold the gray -waters of San Francisco’s bay, and -throwing an emerald radiance over the islands -around.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Close to the long line of wharves lay motionless -brigs and schooners, while farther off in -the harbor were ships of many nations riding -at anchor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A fishing fleet was steering in from the open -sea, scudding before the wind like a flock of -seabirds. All night long had the fishers toiled -in the deep. Now they were returning with -the results of their labor.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A young Chinese girl, watching the fleet -from the beach of Fisherman’s Cove, shivered -in the morning air. Over her blue cotton -blouse she wore no wrap; on her head, no -covering. All her interest was centred in -one lone boat which lagged behind the rest, -being heavier freighted. The fisherman was -of her own race. When his boat was beached -he sprang to her side.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span>“O’Yam, what brings you here?” he questioned -low, for the curious eyes of his fellow -fishermen were on her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your mother is dying,” she answered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man spake a few words in English -to a Greek whose boat lay alongside his. The -Greek answered in the same tongue. Then -Fou Wang threw down his nets and, with the -girl following, walked quickly along the waterfront, -past the wharves, the warehouses, and -the grogshops, up a zigzag hill and into the -heart of Chinatown. Neither spoke until -they reached their destination, a dingy three-storied -building.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man began to ascend the stairs, -the girl to follow. Fou Wang looked back -and shook his head. The girl paused on the -lowest step.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“May I not come?” she pleaded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Today is for sorrow,” returned Fou Wang. -“I would, for a time, forget all that belongs -to the joy of life.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl threw her sleeve over her head and -backed out of the open door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the matter?” inquired a kind -voice, and a woman laid her hand upon her -shoulder.</p> - -<p class='c001'>O’Yam’s bosom heaved.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Liuchi,” she cried, “the mother of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>Fou Wang is dying, and you know what that -means to me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The woman eyed her compassionately.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your father, I know,” said she, as she -unlocked a door and led her companion into -a room opening on to the street, “has long -wished for an excuse to set at naught your -betrothal to Fou Wang; but I am sure the -lad to whom you are both sun and moon will -never give him one.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She offered O’Yam some tea, but the girl -pushed it aside. “You know not Fou Wang,” -she replied, sadly yet proudly. “He will -follow his conscience, though he lose the sun, -the moon, and the whole world.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A young woman thrust her head through -the door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The mother of Fou Wang is dead,” cried -she.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“She was a good woman—a kind and -loving mother,” said Liuchi, as she gazed down -upon the still features of her friend.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young daughter of Ah So Nan burst -into fresh weeping. Her pretty face was -much swollen. Ah So Nan had been well loved -by her children, and the falling tears were -not merely waters of ceremony.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At the foot of the couch upon which the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>dead was laid, stood Fou Wang, his face -stern and immovable, his eye solemn, yet -luminous with a steadfast fire. Over his head -was thrown a white cloth. From morn till -eve had he stood thus, contemplating the -serene countenance of his mother and vowing -that nothing should be left undone which -could be done to prove his filial affection and -desire to comfort her spirit in the land to -which it had flown. “Three years, O mother, -will I give to thee and grief. Three years will -I minister to thy three souls,” he vowed -within himself, remembering how sacred to -the dead woman were the customs and observances -of her own country. They were -also sacred to him. Living in America, in -the midst of Americans and Americanized -Chinese, the family of Fou Wang, with the -exception of one, had clung tenaciously to the -beliefs of their forefathers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All the living must die, and dying, return -to the ground. The limbs and the flesh -moulder away below, and hidden away, become -the earth of the fields; but the spirit -issues forth and is displayed on high in a -condition of glorious brightness,” quoted a -yellow-robed priest, swinging an incense burner -before a small candle-lighted altar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was midnight when the mourning friends -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>of the family of Fou Wang left the chief -mourner alone with his dead mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His sister, Fin Fan, and the girl who was his -betrothed wife brushed his garments as they -passed him by. The latter timidly touched -his hand—an involuntary act of sympathy—but -if he were conscious of that sympathy, he -paid no heed to it, and his gaze never wavered -from the face of the dead.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -My girl, Moy Ding Fong is ready if -Fou Wang is not, and you must -marry this year. I have sworn -you shall.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Kien Lung walked out of the room with a -determined step. He was an Americanized -Chinese and had little regard for what he -derided as “the antiquated customs of China,” -save when it was to his interest to follow them. -He was also a widower desirous of marrying -again, but undesirous of having two women -of like years, one his wife, the other his -daughter, under the same roof-tree.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Left alone, O’Yam’s thoughts became sorrowful, -almost despairing. Six moons had -gone by since Ah So Nan had passed away, -yet the son of Ah So Nan had not once, during -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>that time, spoken one word to his betrothed -wife. Occasionally she had passed him on -the street; but always he had gone by with -uplifted countenance, and in his eyes the -beauty of piety and peace. At least, so it -seemed to the girl, and the thought of marriage -with him had seemed almost sacrilegious. -But now it had come to this. If Fou Wang -adhered to his resolve to mourn three years -for his mother, what would become of her? -She thought of old Moy Ding Fong and -shuddered. It was bitter, bitter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was a rapping at the door. A young -girl lifted the latch and stepped in. It was -Fin Fan, the sister of her betrothed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have brought my embroidery work,” -said she, “I thought we could have a little -talk before sundown when I must away to -prepare the evening meal.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>O’Yam, who was glad to see her visitor, -brewed some fresh tea and settled down for -an exchange of confidences.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am not going to abide by it,” said Fin -Fan at last. “Hom Hing is obliged to return -to China two weeks hence, and with or without -Fou Wang’s consent I go with the man to -whom my mother betrothed me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Without Fou Wang’s consent!” echoed -O’Yam.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span>“Yes,” returned Fin Fan, snapping off a -thread. “Without my honorable brother’s -consent.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And your mother gone but six moons!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>O’Yam’s face wore a shocked expression.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Does the fallen leaf grieve because the green -one remains on the tree?” queried Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must love Hom Hing well,” murmured -O’Yam—“more than Fou Wang loves -me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nay,” returned her companion, “Fou -Wang’s love for you is as big as mine for Hom -Hing. It is my brother’s conscience alone -that stands between him and you. You -know that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He loves not me,” sighed O’Yam.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If he does not love you,” returned Fin -Fan, “why, when we heard that you were -unwell, did he sleeplessly pace his room night -after night until the news came that you were -restored to health? Why does he treasure a -broken fan you have cast aside?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, well!” smiled O’Yam.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan laughed softly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fou Wang is not as other men,” said she. -“His conscience is an inheritance from his -great-great-grandfather.” Her face became -pensive as she added: “It is sad to go across -the sea without an elder brother’s blessing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>She repeated this to Liuchi and Mai Gwi -Far, the widow, whom she met on her way -home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why should you,” inquired the latter, -“when there is a way by which to obtain it?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did Ah So Nan leave no garments behind -her—such garments as would well fit her -three souls—and is it not always easy to -delude the serious and the wise?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_o-header.png' width='34' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -O’Yam climbed the stairs to the joss -house. The desire for solitude brought -her there; but when she had closed -the door upon herself, she found that she was -not alone. Fou Wang was there. Before -the images of the Three Wise Ones he stood, -silent, motionless.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He is communing with his mother’s spirit,” -thought O’Yam. She beheld him through a -mist of tears. Love filled her whole being. -She dared not move, because she was afraid -he would turn and see her, and then, of -course, he would go away. She would stay -near him for a few moments and then retire.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The dim light of the place, the quietness in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>the midst of noise, the fragrance of some -burning incense, soothed and calmed her. -It was as if all the sorrow and despair that had -overwhelmed her when her father had told -her to prepare for her wedding with Moy -Ding Fong had passed away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a few moments she stepped back -softly towards the door. But she was too late. -Fou Wang turned and beheld her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She fluttered like a bird until she saw that, -surprised by her presence, he had forgotten -death and thought only of life—of life and -love. A glad, eager light shone in his eyes. -He made a swift step towards her. Then—he -covered his face with his hands.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fou Wang!” cried O’Yam, love at last -overcoming superstition, “must I become the -wife of Moy Ding Fong?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, ah no!” he moaned.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then,” said the girl in desperation, “take -me to yourself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fou Wang’s hands fell to his side. For a -moment he looked into that pleading face—and -wavered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little bird flew in through an open window, -and perching itself upon an altar, began -twittering.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fou Wang started back, the expression on -his face changing.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>“A warning from the dead,” he muttered, -“a warning from the dead!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>An iron hand gripped O’Yam’s heart. Life -itself seemed to have closed upon her.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It was afternoon before evening, and the fog -was rolling in from the sea. Quietness -reigned in the plot of ground sacred to -San Francisco’s Chinese dead when Fou Wang -deposited a bundle at the foot of his mother’s -grave and prepared for the ceremony of -ministering to her three souls.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fragrance from a wall of fir trees near -by stole to his nostrils as he cleared the weeds -and withered leaves from his parent’s resting -place. As he placed the bowls of rice and -chicken and the vase of incense where he was -accustomed to place it, he became dimly -conscious of a presence or presences behind -the fir wall.</p> - -<p class='c001'>He sighed deeply. No doubt the shade of -his parent was restless, because—</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fou Wang,” spake a voice, low but distinct.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man fell upon his knees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honored Mother!” he cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fou Wang,” repeated the voice, “though my -name is on thy lips, O’Yam’s is in thy heart.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>Conscience-stricken, Fou Wang yet retained -spirit enough to gasp:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Have I not been a dutiful son? Have I -not sacrificed all for thee, O Mother! Why, -then, dost thou reproach me?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not reproach thee,” chanted three -voices, and Fou Wang, lifting his head, saw -three figures emerge from behind the fir wall. -“I do not reproach thee. Thou hast been a -most dutiful son, and thy offerings at my -grave and in the temple have been fully appreciated. -Far from reproaching thee, I am here -to say to thee that the dead have regard for -the living who faithfully mourn and minister -to them, and to bid thee sacrifice no more until -thou hast satisfied thine own heart by taking -to wife the daughter of Kien Lung and given -to thy sister and thy sister’s husband an elder -brother’s blessing. Thy departed mother requires -not the sacrifice of a broken heart. -The fallen leaf grieves not because the green -leaf still clings to the bough.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Saying this, the three figures flapped the -loose sleeves of the well-known garments of -Ah So Nan and faded from his vision.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment Fou Wang gazed after them -as if spellbound. Then he arose and rushed -towards the fir wall, behind which they seemed -to have vanished.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>“Mother, honored parent! Come back and -tell me of the new birth!” he cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But there was no response.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fou Wang returned to the grave and lighted -the incense. But he did not wait to see its -smoke ascend. Instead he hastened to the -house of Kien Lung and said to the girl who -met him at the door:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No more shall my longing for thee take -the fragrance from the flowers and the light -from the sun and moon.”</p> - -<h3 id='p214' class='c011'>THE PRIZE CHINA BABY</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The baby was the one gleam of sunshine -in Fin Fan’s life, and how she -loved it no words can tell. When it -was first born, she used to lie with her face -turned to its little soft, breathing mouth -and think there was nothing quite so lovely -in the world as the wee pink face before her, -while the touch of its tiny toes and fingers -would send wonderful thrills through her -whole body. Those were delightful days, but, -oh, how quickly they sped. A week after the -birth of the little Jessamine Flower, Fin Fan -was busy winding tobacco leaves in the dark -room behind her husband’s factory. Winding -<span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span>tobacco leaves had been Fin Fan’s occupation -ever since she had become Chung Kee’s wife, -and hard and dreary work it was. Now, -however, she did not mind it quite so much, -for in a bunk which was built on one side of -the room was a most precious bundle, and -every now and then she would go over to -that bunk and crow and coo to the baby -therein.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But though Fin Fan prized her child so -highly, Jessamine Flower’s father would rather -she had not been born, and considered the -babe a nuisance because she took up so much -of her mother’s time. He would rather that -Fin Fan spent the hours in winding tobacco -leaves than in nursing baby. However, Fin -Fan managed to do both, and by dint of getting -up very early in the morning and retiring -very late at night, made as much money for -her husband after baby was born as she ever -did before. And it was well for her that that -was so, as the baby would otherwise have been -taken from her and given to some other more -fortunate woman. Not that Fin Fan considered -herself unfortunate. Oh, no! She -had been a hard-working little slave all her -life, and after her mistress sold her to be wife to -Chung Kee, she never dreamt of complaining, -because, though a wife, she was still a slave.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>When Jessamine flower was about six -months old one of the ladies of the Mission, -in making her round of Chinatown, ran in to -see Fin Fan and her baby.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What a beautiful child!” exclaimed the -lady. “And, oh, how cunning,” she continued, -noting the amulets on the little -ankles and wrists, the tiny, quilted vest and -gay little trousers in which Fin Fan had -arrayed her treasure.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan sat still and shyly smiled, rubbing -her chin slowly against the baby’s round cheek. -Fin Fan was scarcely more than a child herself -in years.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, I want to ask you, dear little mother,” -said the lady, “if you will not send your little -one to the Chinese baby show which we are -going to have on Christmas Eve in the Presbyterian -Mission schoolroom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan’s eyes brightened.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What you think? That my baby get a -prize?” she asked hesitatingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think so, indeed,” answered the lady, -feeling the tiny, perfectly shaped limbs and -peeping into the brightest of black eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>From that day until Christmas Eve, Fin -Fan thought of nothing but the baby show. -She would be there with her baby, and if it -won a prize, why, perhaps its father might -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>be got to regard it with more favor, so that -he would not frown so blackly and mutter -under his breath at the slightest cry or -coo.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the morning of Christmas Eve, Chung -Kee brought into Fin Fan’s room a great -bundle of tobacco which he declared had to -be rolled by the evening, and when it was time -to start for the show, the work was not nearly -finished. However, Fin Fan dressed her baby, -rolled it in a shawl, and with it in her arms, -stealthily left the place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a bright scene that greeted her upon -arrival at the Mission house. The little competitors, -in the enclosure that had been -arranged for them, presented a peculiarly -gorgeous appearance. All had been carefully -prepared for the beauty test and looked as -pretty as possible, though in some cases bejewelled -head dresses and voluminous silken -garments almost hid the competitors. Some -small figures quite blazed in gold and tinsel, -and then there were solemn cherubs almost -free from clothing. The majority were -plump and well-formed children, and there -wasn’t a cross or crying baby in the forty-five. -Fin Fan’s baby made the forty-sixth, -and it was immediately surrounded by a -group of admiring ladies.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>How Fin Fan’s eyes danced. Her baby -would get a prize, and she would never more -need to fear that her husband would give it -away. That terrible dread had haunted her -ever since its birth. “But surely,” thought -the little mother, “if it gets a prize he will be -so proud that he will let me keep it forever.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Fin Fan’s baby did get a prize—a -shining gold bit—and Fin Fan, delighted -and excited, started for home. She was so -happy and proud.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Chung Kee was very angry. Fin Fan was -not in her room, and the work he had given -her to do that morning was lying on the table -undone. He said some hard words in a soft -voice, which was his way sometimes, and then -told the old woman who helped the men in -the factory to be ready to carry a baby to -the herb doctor’s wife that night. “Tell -her,” said he, “that my cousin, the doctor, -says that she long has desired a child, and so -I send her one as a Christmas present, according -to American custom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then came a loud knocking at the door. -Chung Kee slowly unbarred it, and two men -entered, bearing a stretcher upon which a -covered form lay.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>“Why be you come to my store?” asked -Chung Kee in broken English.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The men put down their burden, and one -pulled down the covering from that which -lay on the stretcher and revealed an unconscious -woman and a dead baby.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It was on Jackson Street. The woman -was trying to run with the baby in her arms, -and just as she reached the crossing a butcher’s -cart came around the corner. Some Chinese -who knows you advised me to bring them -here. Your wife and child, eh?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Chung Kee stared speechlessly at the still -faces—an awful horror in his eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A curious crowd began to fill the place. A -doctor was in the midst of it and elbowed his -way to where Fin Fan was beginning to regain -consciousness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Move back all of you; we want some air -here!” he shouted authoritatively, and Fin -Fan, roused by the loud voice, feebly raised -her head, and looking straight into her husband’s -eyes, said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Chung Kee’s baby got first prize. Chung -Kee let Fin Fan keep baby always.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>That was all. Fin Fan’s eyes closed. Her -head fell back beside the prize baby’s—hers -forever.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span> - <h3 id='p220' class='c011'>LIN JOHN</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It was New Year’s Eve. Lin John mused -over the brightly burning fire. Through -the beams of the roof the stars shone, far -away in the deep night sky they shone down -upon him, and he felt their beauty, though he -had no words for it. The long braid which -was wound around his head lazily uncoiled -and fell down his back; his smooth young face -was placid and content. Lin John was at -peace with the world. Within one of his -blouse sleeves lay a small bag of gold, the -accumulated earnings of three years, and that -gold was to release his only sister from a -humiliating and secret bondage. A sense of -duty done led him to dream of the To-Come. -What a fortunate fellow he was to have been -able to obtain profitable work, and within three -years to have saved four hundred dollars! -In the next three years, he might be able to -establish a little business and send his sister -to their parents in China to live like an honest -woman. The sharp edges of his life were -forgotten in the drowsy warmth and the world -faded into dreamland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The latch was softly lifted; with stealthy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>step a woman approached the boy and knelt -beside him. By the flickering gleam of the -dying fire she found that for which she -searched, and hiding it in her breast swiftly -and noiselessly withdrew.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Lin John arose. His spirits were light—and -so were his sleeves. He reached for his -bowl of rice, then set it down, and suddenly -his chopsticks clattered on the floor. With -hands thrust into his blouse he felt for what -was not there. Thus, with bewildered eyes -for a few moments. Then he uttered a low -cry and his face became old and gray.</p> - -<p class='c013'>A large apartment, richly carpeted; furniture -of dark and valuable wood artistically -carved; ceiling decorated with beautiful -Chinese ornaments and gold incense burners; -walls hung from top to bottom with long -bamboo panels covered with silk, on which -were printed Chinese characters; tropical -plants, on stands; heavy curtains draped over -windows. This, in the heart of Chinatown. -And in the midst of these surroundings a girl -dressed in a robe of dark blue silk worn over -a full skirt richly embroidered. The sleeves -fell over hands glittering with rings, and shoes -of light silk were on her feet. Her hair was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>ornamented with flowers made of jewels; -she wore three or four pairs of bracelets; her -jewel earrings were over an inch long.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl was fair to see in that her face was -smooth and oval, eyes long and dark, mouth -small and round, hair of jetty hue, and figure -petite and graceful.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Hanging over a chair by her side was a -sealskin sacque, such as is worn by fashionable -American women. The girl eyed it -admiringly and every few moments stroked -the soft fur with caressing fingers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pau Sang,” she called.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A curtain was pushed aside and a heavy, -broad-faced Chinese woman in blouse and -trousers of black sateen stood revealed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look,” said the beauty. “I have a cloak -like the American ladies. Is it not fine?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Sang nodded. “I wonder at Moy -Loy,” said she. “He is not in favor with -the Gambling Cash Tiger and is losing -money.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Moy Loy gave it not to me. I bought it -myself.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But from whom did you obtain the -money?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If I let out a secret, will you lock it -up?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Sang smiled grimly, and her companion, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>sidling closer to her, said: “I took the money -from my brother—it was my money; for -years he had been working to make it for me, -and last week he told me that he had saved -four hundred dollars to pay to Moy Loy, so -that I might be free. Now, what do I want -to be free for? To be poor? To have no -one to buy me good dinners and pretty things—to -be gay no more? Lin John meant well, -but he knows little. As to me, I wanted a -sealskin sacque like the fine American ladies. -So two moons gone by I stole away to the -country and found him asleep. I did not -awaken him—and for the first day of the -New Year I had this cloak. See?”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Heaven frowns on me,” said Lin John -sadly, speaking to Moy Loy. “I made the -money with which to redeem my sister and -I have lost it. I grieve, and I would have you -say to her that for her sake, I will engage -myself laboriously and conform to virtue till -three more New Years have grown old, and -that though I merit blame for my carelessness, -yet I am faithful unto her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And with his spade over his shoulder he -shuffled away from a house, from an upper -window of which a woman looked down and -under her breath called “Fool!”</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span> - <h3 id='p224' class='c011'>TIAN SHAN’S KINDRED SPIRIT</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_h-header.png' width='33' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Had Tian Shan been an American -and China to him a forbidden country, -his daring exploits and thrilling adventures -would have furnished inspiration for -many a newspaper and magazine article, -novel, and short story. As a hero, he would -certainly have far outshone Dewey, Peary, or -Cook. Being, however, a Chinese, and the -forbidden country America, he was simply -recorded by the American press as “a wily -Oriental, who, ‘by ways that are dark and -tricks that are vain,’ is eluding the vigilance -of our brave customs officers.” As to his -experiences, the only one who took any particular -interest in them was Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan was Tian Shan’s kindred spirit. -She was the daughter of a Canadian Chinese -storekeeper and the object of much concern -to both Protestant Mission ladies and good -Catholic sisters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I like learn talk and dress like you,” -she would respond to attempts to bring her -into the folds, “but I not want think like you. -Too much discuss.” And when it was urged -upon her that her father was a convert—the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_225'>225</span>Mission ladies declaring, to the Protestant -faith, and the nuns, to the Catholic—she -would calmly answer: “That so? Well, I not -my father. Beside I think my father just -say he Catholic (or Protestant) for sake of -be amiable to you. He good-natured man -and want to please you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>This independent and original stand led -Fin Fan to live, as it were, in an atmosphere -of outlawry even amongst her own countrywomen, -for all proper Chinese females in -Canada and America, unless their husbands -are men of influence in their own country, -conform upon request to the religion of the -women of the white race.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Fin Fan sat on her father’s doorstep amusing -herself with a ball of yarn and a kitten. -She was a pretty girl, with the delicate features, -long slanting eyes, and pouting mouth of the -women of Soo Chow, to which province her -dead mother had belonged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan came along.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will you come for a walk around the mountain?” -asked he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t know,” answered Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do!” he urged.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The walk around the mountain is enjoyable -at all seasons, but particularly so in the fall -<span class='pageno' id='Page_226'>226</span>of the year when the leaves on the trees are -turning all colors, making the mount itself -look like one big posy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The air was fresh, sweet, and piny. As -Tian Shan and Fin Fan walked, they chatted -gaily—not so much of Tian Shan or Fin -Fan as of the brilliant landscape, the sun -shining through a grove of black-trunked -trees with golden leaves, the squirrels that -whisked past them, the birds twittering and -soliloquizing over their vanishing homes, and -many other objects of nature. Tian Shan’s -roving life had made him quite a woodsman, -and Fin Fan—well, Fin Fan was his kindred -spirit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A large oak, looking like a smouldering -pyre, invited them to a seat under its boughs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After happily munching half a dozen acorns, -Fin Fan requested to be told all about Tian -Shan’s last adventure. Every time he crossed -the border, he was obliged to devise some new -scheme by which to accomplish his object, -and as he usually succeeded, there was always -a new story to tell whenever he returned to -Canada.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This time he had run across the river a mile -above the Lachine Rapids in an Indian war -canoe, and landed in a cove surrounded by -reefs, where pursuit was impossible. It had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_227'>227</span>been a perilous undertaking, for he had had -to make his way right through the swift -current of the St. Lawrence, the turbulent -rapids so near that it seemed as if indeed he -must yield life to the raging cataract. But -with indomitable courage he had forged -ahead, the canoe, with every plunge of his -paddles, rising on the swells and cutting -through the whitecaps, until at last he -reached the shore for which he had risked -so much.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan was thoughtful for a few moments -after listening to his narration.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why,” she queried at last, “when you -can make so much more money in the States -than in Canada, do you come so often to this -side and endanger your life as you do when -returning?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan was puzzled himself. He was -not accustomed to analyzing the motives for -his actions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Seeing that he remained silent, Fin Fan -went on:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think,” said she, “that it is very foolish -of you to keep running backwards and forwards -from one country to another, wasting -your time and accomplishing nothing.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan dug up some soft, black earth -with the heels of his boots.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_228'>228</span>“Perhaps it is,” he observed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>That night Tian Shan’s relish for his supper -was less keen than usual, and when he laid -his head upon his pillow, instead of sleeping, -he could only think of Fin Fan. Fin Fan! -Fin Fan! Her face was before him, her voice -in his ears. The clock ticked Fin Fan; the -cat purred it; a little mouse <a id='corr228.8'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='sqeaked'>squeaked</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_228.8'><ins class='correction' title='sqeaked'>squeaked</ins></a></span> it; a -night-bird sang it. He tossed about, striving -to think what ailed him. With the first -glimmer of morning came knowledge of his -condition. He loved Fin Fan, even as the -American man loves the girl he would make -his wife.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now Tian Shan, unlike most Chinese, had -never saved money and, therefore, had no -home to offer Fin Fan. He knew, also, that -her father had his eye upon a young merchant -in Montreal, who would make a very desirable -son-in-law.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In the early light of the morning Tian Shan -arose and wrote a letter. In this letter, which -was written with a pointed brush on long -yellow sheets of paper, he told Fin Fan that, -as she thought it was foolish, he was going to -relinquish the pleasure of running backwards -and forwards across the border, for some time -at least. He was possessed of a desire to -save money so that he could have a wife and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_229'>229</span>a home. In a year, perhaps, he would see -her again.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Lee Ping could hardly believe that his -daughter was seriously opposed to becoming -the wife of such a good-looking, prosperous -young merchant as Wong Ling. He tried to -bring her to reason, but instead of yielding -her will to the parental, she declared that she -would take a place as a domestic to some -Canadian lady with whom she had become -acquainted at the Mission sooner than wed the -man her father had chosen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Is not Wong Ling a proper man?” inquired -the amazed parent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whether he is proper or improper makes -no difference to me,” returned Fin Fan. “I -will not marry him, and the law in this country -is so that you cannot compel me to wed against -my will.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lee Ping’s good-natured face became almost -pitiful as he regarded his daughter. Only a -hen who has hatched a duckling and sees it -take to the water for the first time could have -worn such an expression.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan’s heart softened. She was as fond -of her father as he of her. Sidling up to him, -she began stroking his sleeve in a coaxing -fashion.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_230'>230</span>“For a little while longer I wish only to -stay with you,” said she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lee Ping shook his head, but gave in.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You must persuade her yourself,” said he -to Wong Ling that evening. “We are in a -country where the sacred laws and customs -of China are as naught.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Wong Ling pressed his own suit. He -was not a bad-looking fellow, and knew well -also how to honey his speech. Moreover, he -believed in paving his way with offerings of -flowers, trinkets, sweetmeats.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan looked, listened, and accepted. -Every gift that could be kept was carefully -put by in a trunk which she hoped some day -to take to New York. “They will help to -furnish Tian Shan’s home,” said she.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Twelve moons had gone by since Tian Shan -had begun to think of saving and once again -he was writing to Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have made and I have saved,” wrote -he. “Shall I come for you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And by return mail came an answer which -was not “No.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course, Fin Fan’s heart beat high with -happiness when Tian Shan walked into her -father’s store; but to gratify some indescribable -feminine instinct she simply nodded -<span class='pageno' id='Page_231'>231</span>coolly in his direction, and continued what -might be called a flirtation with Wong Ling, -who had that morning presented her with the -first Chinese lily of the season and a box of -the best preserved ginger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan sat himself down on a box of -dried mushrooms and glowered at his would-be -rival, who, unconscious of the fact that he -was making a third when there was needed -but a two, chattered on like a running stream. -Thoughtlessly and kittenishly Fin Fan tossed -a word, first to this one, and next to that; and -whilst loving with all her heart one man, -showed much more favor to the other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Finally Tian Shan arose from the mushrooms -and marched over to the counter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“These yours?” he inquired of Wong Ling, -indicating the lily and the box of ginger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Miss Fin Fan has done me the honor of -accepting them,” blandly replied Wong Ling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very good,” commented Tian Shan. He -picked up the gifts and hurled them into the -street.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A scene of wild disorder followed. In the -midst of it the father of Fin Fan, who had -been downtown, appeared at the door.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, father, father, they are killing one -<span class='pageno' id='Page_232'>232</span>another! Separate them, oh, separate them!” -pleaded Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But her father’s interference was not needed. -Wong Ling swerved to one side, and falling, -struck the iron foot of the stove. Tian Shan, -seeing his rival unconscious, rushed out of -the store.</p> - -<p class='c013'>The moon hung in the sky like a great -yellow pearl and the night was beautiful and -serene. But Fin Fan, miserable and unhappy, -could not rest.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All your fault! All your fault!” declared -the voice of conscience.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fin Fan,” spake a voice near to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Could it be? Yes, it surely was Tian -Shan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She could not refrain from a little -scream.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sh! Sh!” bade Tian Shan. “Is he -dead?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” replied Fin Fan, “he is very sick, -but he will recover.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I might have been a murderer,” mused -Tian Shan. “As it is I am liable to arrest -and imprisonment for years.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am the cause of all the trouble,” wept -Fin Fan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan patted her shoulder in an attempt -<span class='pageno' id='Page_233'>233</span>at consolation, but a sudden footfall caused -her to start away from him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are hunting you!” she cried. “Go! -Go!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Tian Shan, casting upon her one long -farewell look, strode with rapid steps away.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Poor Fin Fan! She had indeed lost every -one, and added to that shame, was the secret -sorrow and remorse of her own heart. All the -hopes and the dreams which had filled the -year that was gone were now as naught, and -he, around whom they had been woven, was, -because of her, a fugitive from justice, even -in Canada.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day she picked up an American newspaper -which a customer had left on the counter, -and, more as a habit than for any other reason, -began spelling out the paragraphs.</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>A Chinese, who has been unlawfully breathing -United States air for several years, was captured -last night crossing the border, a feat which he is -said to have successfully accomplished more than a -dozen times during the last few years. His name -is Tian Shan, and there is no doubt whatever that -he will be deported to China as soon as the necessary -papers can be made out.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Fin Fan lifted her head. Fresh air and light -had come into her soul. Her eyes sparkled. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_234'>234</span>In the closet behind her hung a suit of her -father’s clothes. Fin Fan was a tall and well-developed -young woman.</p> - -<p class='c013'>“You are to have company,” said the guard, -pausing in front of Tian Shan’s cage. “A -boy without certificate was caught this morning -by two of our men this side of Rouse’s -Point. He has been unable to give an account -of himself, so we are putting him in here with -you. You will probably take the trip to China -together.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tian Shan continued reading a Chinese -paper which he had been allowed to retain. -He was not at all interested in the companion -thrust upon him. He would have preferred -to be left alone. The face of the absent one -is so much easier conjured in silence and -solitude. It was a foregone conclusion with -Tian Shan that he would never again behold -Fin Fan, and with true Chinese philosophy -he had begun to reject realities and accept -dreams as the stuff upon which to live. Life -itself was hard, bitter, and disappointing. -Only dreams are joyous and smiling.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One star after another had appeared until -the heavens were patterned with twinkling -lights. Through his prison bars Tian Shan -gazed solemnly upon the firmament.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_235'>235</span>Some one touched his elbow. It was his -fellow-prisoner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So far the boy had not intruded himself, -having curled himself up in a corner of the -cell and slept soundly apparently, ever since -his advent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you want?” asked Tian Shan -not unkindly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To go to China with you and to be your -wife,” was the softly surprising reply.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fin Fan!” exclaimed Tian Shan. “Fin -Fan!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boy pulled off his cap.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aye,” said he. “’Tis Fin Fan!”</p> - -<h3 id='p235' class='c011'>THE SING SONG WOMAN</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Ah Oi, the Chinese actress, threw herself -down on the floor of her room -and, propping her chin on her hands, -gazed up at the narrow strip of blue sky which -could be seen through her window. She -seemed to have lost her usually merry spirits. -For the first time since she had left her home -her thoughts were seriously with the past, -and she longed with a great longing for the -Chinese Sea, the boats, and the wet, blowing -sands. She had been a fisherman’s daughter, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_236'>236</span>and many a spring had she watched the -gathering of the fishing fleet to which her -father’s boat belonged. Well could she remember -clapping her hands as the vessels -steered out to sea for the season’s work, her -father’s amongst them, looking as bright as -paint could make it, and flying a neat little -flag at its stern; and well could she also -remember how her mother had taught her to -pray to “Our Lady of Pootoo,” the goddess of -sailors. One does not need to be a Christian -to be religious, and Ah Oi’s parents had carefully -instructed their daughter according to -their light, and it was not their fault if their -daughter was a despised actress in an American -Chinatown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The sound of footsteps outside her door -seemed to chase away Ah Oi’s melancholy -mood, and when a girl crossed her threshold, -she was gazing amusedly into the street below—a -populous thoroughfare of Chinatown.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The newcomer presented a strange appearance. -She was crying so hard that red paint, -white powder, and carmine lip salve were all -besmeared over a naturally pretty face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Oi began to laugh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, Mag-gee,” said she, “how odd you -look with little red rivers running over your -face! What is the matter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_237'>237</span>“What is the matter?” echoed Mag-gee, -who was a half-white girl. “The matter is -that I wish that I were dead! I am to be -married tonight to a Chinaman whom I have -never seen, and whom I can’t bear. It isn’t -natural that I should. I always took to other -men, and never could put up with a Chinaman. -I was born in America, and I’m not -Chinese in looks nor in any other way. See! -My eyes are blue, and there is gold in my hair; -and I love potatoes and beef, and every time -I eat rice it makes me sick, and so does chopped -up food. He came down about a week ago -and made arrangements with father, and now -everything is fixed and I’m going away forever -to live in China. I shall be a Chinese -woman next year—I commenced to be one -today, when father made me put the paint -and powder on my face, and dress in Chinese -clothes. Oh! I never want anyone to feel as I -do. To think of having to marry a Chinaman! -How I hate the Chinese! And the worst of -it is, loving somebody else all the while.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl burst into passionate sobs. The -actress, who was evidently accustomed to -hearing her compatriots reviled by the white -and half-white denizens of Chinatown, laughed—a -light, rippling laugh. Her eyes glinted -mischievously.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_238'>238</span>“Since you do not like the Chinese men,” -said she, “why do you give yourself to one? -And if you care so much for somebody else, -why do you not fly to that somebody?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Bold words for a Chinese woman to utter! -But Ah Oi was not as other Chinese women, -who all their lives have been sheltered by a -husband or father’s care.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The half-white girl stared at her companion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What do you mean?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“This,” said Ah Oi. The fair head and -dark head drew near together; and two -women passing the door heard whispers and -suppressed laughter.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah Oi is up to some trick,” said one.</p> - -<h4 class='c018'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The Sing Song Woman! The Sing -Song Woman!” It was a wild cry -of anger and surprise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The ceremony of unveiling the bride had -just been performed, and Hwuy Yen, the -father of Mag-gee, and his friends, were in a -state of great excitement, for the unveiled, -brilliantly clothed little figure standing in the -middle of the room was not the bride who was -to have been; but Ah Oi, the actress, the -Sing Song Woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_239'>239</span>Every voice but one was raised. The bridegroom, -a tall, handsome man, did not understand -what had happened, and could find no -words to express his surprise at the uproar. -But he was so newly wedded that it was not -until Hwuy Yen advanced to the bride and -shook his hand threateningly in her face, that -he felt himself a husband, and interfered by -placing himself before the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is all this?” he inquired. “What -has my wife done to merit such abuse?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your wife!” scornfully ejaculated Hwuy -Yen. “She is no wife of yours. You were to -have married my daughter, Mag-gee. This -is not my daughter; this is an impostor, an -actress, a Sing Song Woman. Where is my -daughter?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Oi laughed her peculiar, rippling, amused -laugh. She was in no wise abashed, and, -indeed, appeared to be enjoying the situation. -Her bright, defiant eyes met her questioner’s -boldly as she answered:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mag-gee has gone to eat beef and potatoes -with a white man. Oh, we had such a merry -time making this play!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See how worthless a thing she is,” said -Hwuy Yen to the young bridegroom.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The latter regarded Ah Oi compassionately. -He was a man, and perhaps a little tenderness -<span class='pageno' id='Page_240'>240</span>crept into his heart for the girl towards whom -so much bitterness was evinced. She was -beautiful. He drew near to her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Can you not justify yourself?” he asked -sadly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a moment Ah Oi gazed into his eyes—the -only eyes that had looked with true kindness -into hers for many a moon.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You justify me,” she replied with an -upward, pleading glance.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Ke Leang, the bridegroom, spoke. -He said: “The daughter of Hwuy Yen cared -not to become my bride and has sought her -happiness with another. Ah Oi, having a -kind heart, helped her to that happiness, and -tried to recompense me my loss by giving me -herself. She has been unwise and indiscreet; -but the good that is in her is more than the -evil, and now that she is my wife, none shall -say a word against her.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Oi pulled at his sleeve.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You give me credit for what I do not -deserve,” said she. “I had no kind feelings. -I thought only of mischief, and I am not your -wife. It is but a play like the play I shall act -tomorrow.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hush!” bade Ke Leang. “You shall act -no more. I will marry you again and take -you to China.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_241'>241</span>Then something in Ah Oi’s breast, which -for a long time had been hard as stone, became -soft and tender, and her eyes ran over with -tears.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, sir,” said she, “it takes a heart to -make a heart, and you have put one today -in the bosom of a Sing Song Woman.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_242'>242</span> - <h2 class='c005'><i>Tales of Chinese Children</i></h2> -</div> - -<h3 id='p242' class='c011'>THE SILVER LEAVES</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -There was a fringe of trees along an -open field. They were not very tall -trees, neither were they trees that -flowered or fruited; but to the eyes of Ah -Leen they were very beautiful. Their slender -branches were covered with leaves of a light -green showing a silvery under surface, and -when the wind moved or tossed them, silver -gleams flashed through the green in a most -enchanting way.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Leen stood on the other side of the road -admiring the trees with the silver leaves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little old woman carrying a basket full -of ducks’ eggs came happily hobbling along. -She paused by the side of Ah Leen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Happy love!” said she. “Your eyes are -as bright as jade jewels!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Leen drew a long breath. “See!” said -she, “the dancing leaves.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little old woman adjusted her blue -goggles and looked up at the trees. “If only,” -said she, “some of that silver was up my -<span class='pageno' id='Page_243'>243</span>sleeve, I would buy you a pink parasol and a -folding fan.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And if some of it were mine,” answered -Ah Leen, “I would give it to my baby brother.” -And she went on to tell the little old woman -that that eve there was to be a joyful time at -her father’s house, for her baby brother was -to have his head shaved for the first time, -and everybody was coming to see it done and -would give her baby brother gifts of gold -and silver. Her father and her mother, also, -and her big brother and her big sister, all -had gifts to give. She loved well her baby -brother. He was so very small and so very -lively, and his fingers and toes were so pink. -And to think that he had lived a whole moon, -and she had no offering to prove the big feeling -that swelled and throbbed in her little -heart for him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Leen sighed very wistfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then a brisk breeze blew over the trees, -and as it passed by, six of the silver leaves -floated to the ground.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! Oh!” cried little Ah Leen. She -pattered over to where they had fallen and -picked them up.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Returning to the old woman, she displayed -her treasures.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Three for you and three for me!” she cried.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_244'>244</span>The old woman accepted the offering smilingly, -and happily hobbled away. In every -house she entered, she showed her silver -leaves, and told how she had obtained them, -and every housewife that saw and heard her, -bought her eggs at a double price.</p> - -<p class='c001'>At sundown, the guests with their presents -began streaming into the house of Man You. -Amongst them was a little old woman. She -was not as well off as the other guests, but -because she was the oldest of all the company, -she was given the seat of honor. Ah Leen, -the youngest daughter of the house, sat on a -footstool at her feet. Ah Leen’s eyes were -very bright and her cheeks glowed. She was -wearing a pair of slippers with butterfly toes, -and up her little red sleeve, carefully folded -in a large leaf, were three small silver -leaves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Once when the mother of Ah Leen brought -a cup of tea to the little old woman, the little -old woman whispered in her ear, and the -mother of Ah Leen patted the head of her -little daughter and smiled kindly down upon -her.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the baby’s father shaved the head -of the baby, the Little Bright One. He did -this very carefully, leaving a small patch of -hair, the shape of a peach, in the centre of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_245'>245</span>the small head. That peach-shaped patch -would some day grow into a queue. Ah -Leen touched it lovingly with her little finger -after the ceremony was over. Never had the -Little Bright One seemed so dear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The gifts were distributed after all the -lanterns were lit. It was a pretty sight. -The mother of the Little Bright One held him -on her lap, whilst each guest, relative, or -friend, in turn, laid on a table by her side -his gift of silver and gold, enclosed in a bright -red envelope.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The elder sister had just passed Ah Leen -with her gift, when Ah Leen arose, and following -after her sister to the gift-laden table, -proudly deposited thereon three leaves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are silver—silver,” cried Ah -Leen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Nearly everybody smiled aloud; but Ah -Leen’s mother gently lifted the leaves and -murmured in Ah Leen’s ear, “They are the -sweetest gift of all.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>How happy felt Ah Leen! As to the old -woman who sold ducks’ eggs, she beamed all -over her little round face, and when she went -away, she left behind her a pink parasol and -a folding fan.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_246'>246</span> - <h3 id='p246' class='c011'>THE PEACOCK LANTERN</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -It was such a pretty lantern—the prettiest -of all the pretty lanterns that the lantern -men carried. Ah Wing longed to possess -it. Upon the transparent paper which covered -the fine network of bamboo which enclosed -the candle, was painted a picture of a benevolent -prince, riding on a peacock with spreading -tail. Never had Ah Wing seen such a gorgeous -lantern, or one so altogether admirable.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honorable father,” said he, “is not that -a lantern of illuminating beauty, and is not -thy string of cash too heavy for thine honorable -shoulders?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>His father laughed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come hither,” he bade the lantern man. -“Now,” said he to Ah Wing, “choose which -lantern pleaseth thee best. To me all are -the same.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Wing pointed to the peacock lantern, -and hopped about impatiently, whilst the -lantern man fumbled with the wires which -kept his lanterns together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, hasten! hasten!” cried Ah Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lantern man looked into his bright -little face.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_247'>247</span>“Honorable little one,” said he, “would not -one of the other lanterns please thee as well -as this one? For indeed, I would, if I could, -retain the peacock lantern. It is the one lantern -of all which delights my own little lad and -he is sick and cannot move from his bed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Wing’s face became red.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why then dost thou display the lantern?” -asked the father of Ah Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To draw attention to the others,” answered -the man. “I am very poor and it is -hard for me to provide my child with rice.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The father of Ah Wing looked at his little -son.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well?” said he.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Wing’s face was still red.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I want the peacock lantern,” he declared.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The father of Ah Wing brought forth his -string of cash and drew therefrom more than -double the price of the lantern.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Take this,” said he to the lantern man. -“’Twill fill thy little sick boy’s bowl with rice -for many a day to come.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lantern man returned humble thanks, -but while unfastening the peacock lantern -from the others, his face looked very sad.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah Wing shifted from one foot to another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The lantern man placed the lantern in his -hand. Ah Wing stood still holding it.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_248'>248</span>“Thou hast thy heart’s desire now,” said -his father. “Laugh and be merry.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But with the lantern man’s sad face before -him, Ah Wing could not laugh and be -merry.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you please, honorable father,” said he, -“may I go with the honorable lantern man to -see his little sick boy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” replied his father. “And I will go -too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Ah Wing stood beside the bed of the -little sick son of the lantern man, he said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I have come to see thee, because my -father has bought for my pleasure the lantern -which gives thee pleasure; but he has paid -therefor to thy father what will buy thee food -to make thee strong and well.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little sick boy turned a very pale and -very small face to Ah Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I care not,” said he, “for food to make -me strong and well—for strong and well I -shall never be; but I would that I had the -lantern for the sake of San Kee.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And who may San Kee be?” inquired Ah -Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“San Kee,” said the little sick boy, “is -an honorable hunchback. Every evening he -comes to see me and to take pleasure in my -peacock lantern. It is the only thing in the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_249'>249</span>world that gives poor San Kee pleasure. I -would for his sake that I might have kept -the peacock lantern.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“For his sake!” echoed Ah Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, for his sake,” answered the little -sick boy. “It is so good to see him happy. -It is that which makes me happy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tears came into Ah Wing’s eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honorable lantern man,” said he, turning -to the father of the little sick boy, “I wish -no more for the peacock lantern. Keep -it, I pray thee, for thy little sick boy. And -honorable father”—he took his father’s hand—“kindly -buy for me at the same price as the -peacock lantern one of the other beautiful -lanterns belonging to the honorable lantern -man.”</p> - -<h3 id='p249' class='c011'>CHILDREN OF PEACE</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -They were two young people with -heads hot enough and hearts true -enough to believe that the world was -well lost for love, and they were Chinese.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They sat beneath the shade of a cluster of -tall young pines forming a perfect bower of -greenness and coolness on the slope of Strawberry -hill. Their eyes were looking ocean-wards, -following a ship nearing the misty -<span class='pageno' id='Page_250'>250</span>horizon. Very serious were their faces and -voices. That ship, sailing from west to east, -carried from each a message to his and her kin—a -message which humbly but firmly set -forth that they were resolved to act upon their -belief and to establish a home in the new -country, where they would ever pray for -blessings upon the heads of those who could -not see as they could see, nor hear as they -could hear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My mother will weep when she reads,” -sighed the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pau Tsu,” the young man asked, “do -you repent?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” she replied, “but—”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She drew from her sleeve a letter written -on silk paper.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The young man ran his eye over the closely -penciled characters.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“’Tis very much in its tenor like what my -father wrote to me,” he commented.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not that.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Tsu indicated with the tip of her pink -forefinger a paragraph which read:</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'>Are you not ashamed to confess that you love a -youth who is not yet your husband? Such disgraceful -boldness will surely bring upon your head -the punishment you deserve. Before twelve moons -go by you will be an Autumn Fan.</p> - -</div> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_251'>251</span>The young man folded the missive and -returned it to the girl, whose face was averted -from his.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our parents,” said he, “knew not love in -its springing and growing, its bud and blossom. -Let us, therefore, respectfully read their angry -letters, but heed them not. Shall I not love -you dearer and more faithfully because you -became mine at my own request and not at -my father’s? And Pau Tsu, be not ashamed.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The girl lifted radiant eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Listen,” said she. “When you, during -vacation, went on that long journey to New -York, to beguile the time I wrote a play. My -heroine is very sad, for the one she loves is -far away and she is much tormented by enemies. -They would make her ashamed of her -love. But this is what she replies to one -cruel taunt:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“When Memory sees his face and hears his voice,</div> - <div class='line'>The Bird of Love within my heart sings sweetly,</div> - <div class='line'>So sweetly, and so clear and jubilant,</div> - <div class='line'>That my little Home Bird, Sorrow,</div> - <div class='line'>Hides its head under its wing,</div> - <div class='line'>And appeareth as if dead.</div> - <div class='line'>Shame! Ah, speak not that word to one who loves!</div> - <div class='line'>For loving, all my noblest, tenderest feelings are awakened,</div> - <div class='line'>And I become too great to be ashamed.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>“You do love me then, eh, Pau Tsu?” -queried the young man.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_252'>252</span>“If it is not love, what is it?” softly -answered the girl.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Happily chatting they descended the green -hill. Their holiday was over. A little later -Liu Venti was on the ferry-boat which leaves -every half hour for the Western shore, bound -for the Berkeley Hills opposite the Golden -Gate, and Pau Tsu was in her room at the -San Francisco Seminary, where her father’s -ambition to make her the equal in learning of -the son of Liu Jusong had placed her.</p> - -<h4 class='c018'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The last little scholar of Pau Tsu’s -free class for children was pattering -out of the front door when Liu Venti -softly entered the schoolroom. Pau Tsu was -leaning against her desk, looking rather weary. -She did not hear her husband’s footstep, and -when he approached her and placed his hand -upon her shoulder she gave a nervous -start.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are tired, dear one,” said he, leading -her towards the door where a seat was -placed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Teacher, the leaves of a flower you gave -me are withering, and mother says that is a -bad omen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_253'>253</span>The little scholar had turned back to tell -her this.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nay,” said Pau Tsu gently. “There are -no bad omens. It is time for the flower to -wither and die. It cannot live always.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor flower!” compassionated the child.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Not so poor!” smiled Pau Tsu. “The -flower has seed from which other flowers will -spring, more beautiful than itself!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, I will tell my mother!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little child ran off, her queue dangling -and flopping as she loped along. The teachers -watched her join a group of youngsters playing -on the curb in front of the quarters of the -Six Companies. One of the Chiefs in passing -had thrown a handful of firecrackers amongst -the children, and the result was a small bonfire -and great glee.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was seven years since Liu Venti and Pau -Tsu had begun their work in San Francisco’s -Chinatown; seven years of struggle and hardship, -working and waiting, living, learning, -fighting, failing, loving—and conquering. The -victory, to an onlooker, might have seemed -small; just a modest school for adult pupils -of their own race, a few white night pupils, -and a free school for children. But the latter -was in itself evidence that Liu Venti and Pau -Tsu had not only sailed safely through the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_254'>254</span>waters of poverty, but had reached a haven -from which they could enjoy the blessedness -of stretching out helping hands to others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>During the third year of their marriage twin -sons had been born to them, and the children, -long looked for and eagerly desired, were -welcomed with joy and pride. But mingled -with this joy and pride was much serious -thought. Must their beloved sons ever remain -exiles from the land of their ancestors? -For their little ones Liu Venti and Pau Tsu -were much more worldly than they had ever -been themselves, and they could not altogether -stifle a yearning to be able to bestow -upon them the brightest and best that the -world has to offer. Then, too, memories of -childhood came thronging with their children, -and filial affection reawakened. Both Liu -Venti and Pau Tsu had been only children; -both had been beloved and had received all -the advantages which wealth in their own -land could obtain; both had been the joy and -pride of their homes. They might, they -sometimes sadly mused, have been a little -less assured in their declarations to the old -folk; a little kinder, a little more considerate. -It was a higher light and a stronger motive than -had ever before influenced their lives which -had led them to break the ties which had bound -<span class='pageno' id='Page_255'>255</span>them; yet those from whom they had cut -away were ignorant of such forces; at least, -unable, by reason of education and environment, -to comprehend them. There were days -when everything seemed to taste bitter to -Pau Tsu because she could not see her father -and mother. And Liu’s blood would tingle -and his heart swell in his chest in the effort -to banish from his mind the shadows of those -who had cared for him before ever he had -seen Pau Tsu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I was a little fellow of just about that age -when my mother first taught me to kotow to -my father and run to greet him when he came -into the house,” said he, pointing to Little -Waking Eyes, who came straggling after them, -a kitten in his chubby arms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Liu Venti,” replied Pau Tsu, “you -are thinking of home—even as I. This -morning I thought I heard my mother’s voice, -calling to me as I have so often heard her -on sunny mornings in the Province of the -Happy River. She would flutter her fan at -me in a way that was peculiarly her own. -And my father! Oh, my dear father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Aye,” responded Liu Venti. “Our parents -loved us, and the love of parents is a good -thing. Here, we live in exile, and though we -are happy in each other, in our children, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_256'>256</span>in the friendships which the new light has -made possible for us, yet I would that our -sons could be brought up in our own country -and not in an American Chinatown.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He glanced comprehensively up the street -as he said this. A motley throng, made up, -not only of his own countrymen, but of all -nationalities, was scuffling along. Two little -children were eating rice out of a tin dish on -a near-by door-step. The singsong voices of -girls were calling to one another from high -balconies up a shadowy alley. A boy, balancing -a wooden tray of viands on his head, was -crossing the street. The fat barber was laughing -hilariously at a drunken white man who -had fallen into a gutter. A withered old -fellow, carrying a bird in a cage, stood at a -corner entreating passers-by to pause and have -a good fortune told. A vender of dried fish -and bunches of sausages held noisy possession -of the corner opposite.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Venti’s glance travelled back to the -children eating rice on the doorstep, then rested -on the head of his own young son.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And our fathers’ mansions,” said he, “are -empty of the voices of little ones.”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Let us go home,” said Pau Tsu suddenly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Venti started. Pau Tsu’s words echoed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_257'>257</span>the wish of his own heart. But he was not as -bold as she.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How dare we?” he asked. “Have not our -fathers sworn that they will never forgive us?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The light within me this evening,” replied -Pau Tsu, “reveals that our parents sorrow -because they have this sworn. Oh, Liu Venti, -ought we not to make our parents happy, even -if we have to do so against their will?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would that we could,” replied Liu Venti. -“But before we can approach them, there is -to be overcome your father’s hatred for my -father and my father’s hatred for thine.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A shadow crossed Pau Tsu’s face. But -not for long. It lifted as she softly said: -“Love is stronger than hate.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Little Waking Eyes clambered upon his -father’s knee.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Me too,” cried Little Sleeping Eyes, following -him. With chubby fists he pushed his -brother to one side and mounted his father -also.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pau Tsu looked across at her husband and -sons. “Oh, Liu Venti,” she said, “for the -sake of our children; for the sake of our -parents; for the sake of a broader field of -work for ourselves, we are called upon to -make a sacrifice!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Three months later, Liu Venti and Pau Tsu, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_258'>258</span>with mingled sorrow and hope in their hearts, -bade goodbye to their little sons and sent -them across the sea, offerings of love to parents -of whom both son and daughter remembered -nothing but love and kindness, yet from whom -that son and daughter were estranged by a -poisonous thing called Hate.</p> - -<h4 class='c018'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Two little boys were playing together -on a beach. One gazed across the -sea with wondering eyes. A thought -had come—a memory.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are father and mother?” he asked, -turning to his brother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The other little boy gazed bewilderedly -back at him and echoed:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where are father and mother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the two little fellows sat down in the -sand and began to talk to one another in a -queer little old-fashioned way of their own.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Grandfathers and grandmothers are very -good,” said Little Waking Eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very good,” repeated Little Sleeping Eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They give us lots of nice things.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Lots of nice things!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Balls and balloons and puff puffs and -kitties.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_259'>259</span>“Balls and balloons and puff puffs and -kitties.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The puppet show is very beautiful!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very beautiful!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And grandfathers fly kites and puff fire -flowers!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fly kites and puff fire flowers!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And grandmothers have cakes and sweeties.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cakes and sweeties!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But where are father and mother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Little Waking Eyes and Little Sleeping -Eyes again searched each other’s faces; but -neither could answer the other’s question. -Their little mouths drooped pathetically; they -propped their chubby little faces in their -hands and heaved queer little sighs.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There were father and mother one time—always, -always; father and mother and Sung -Sung. Then there was the big ship and -Sung Sung only, and the big water. After -the big water, grandfathers and grandmothers; -and Little Waking Eyes had gone to live with -one grandfather and grandmother, and Little -Sleeping Eyes had gone to live with another -grandfather and grandmother. And the old -Sung Sung had gone away and two new Sung -Sungs had come. And Little Waking Eyes -and Little Sleeping Eyes had been good -<span class='pageno' id='Page_260'>260</span>and had not cried at all. Had not father -and mother said that grandfathers and -grandmothers were just the same as fathers -and mothers?</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Just the same as fathers and mothers,” -repeated Little Waking Eyes to Little Sleeping -Eyes, and Little Sleeping Eyes nodded -his head and solemnly repeated: “Just the -same as fathers and mothers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then all of a sudden Little Waking Eyes -stood up, rubbed his fists into his eyes and -shouted: “I want my father and mother; I -want my father and mother!” And Little -Sleeping Eyes also stood up and echoed strong -and bold: “I want my father and mother; -I want my father and mother.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the day of rebellion of the sons of -Liu Venti and Pau Tsu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the two new Sung Sungs who had -been having their fortunes told by an itinerant -fortune-teller whom they had met some distance -down the beach, returned to where they -had left their young charges, and found them -not, they were greatly perturbed and rent -the air with their cries. Where could the -children have gone? The beach was a lonely -one, several miles from the seaport city where -lived the grandparents of the children. Behind -the beach, the bare land rose for a little way -<span class='pageno' id='Page_261'>261</span>back up the sides and across hills to meet a -forest dark and dense.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Said one Sung Sung to another, looking -towards this forest: “One might as well -search for a pin at the bottom of the ocean as -search for the children there. Besides, it is -haunted with evil spirits.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A-ya, A-ya, A-ya!” cried the other, “Oh, -what will my master and mistress say if I -return home without Little Sleeping Eyes, -who is the golden plum of their hearts?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And what will my master and mistress -do to me if I enter their presence without -Little Waking Eyes? I verily believe that the -sun shines for them only when he is around.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For over an hour the two distracted servants -walked up and down the beach, calling -the names of their little charges; but there -was no response.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>IV</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Thy grandson—the beloved of my -heart, is lost, is lost! Go forth, old -man, and find him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Jusong, who had just returned from the -Hall, where from morn till eve he adjusted the -scales of justice, stared speechlessly at the old -lady who had thus accosted him. The loss -of his grandson he scarcely realized; but that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_262'>262</span>his humble spouse had suddenly become his -superior officer, surprised him out of his -dignity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What meaneth thy manner?” he bewilderedly -inquired.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It meaneth,” returned the old lady, “that -I have borne all I can bear. Thy grandson -is lost through thy fault. Go, find him!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How my fault? Surely, thou art demented!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hadst thou not hated Li Wang, Little -Waking Eyes and Little Sleeping Eyes could -have played together in our own grounds or -within the compound of Li Wang. But this -is no time to discourse on spilt plums. Go, -follow Li Wang in the search for thy grandsons. -I hear that he has already left for the -place where the stupid thorns who had them -in charge, declare they disappeared.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old lady broke down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, my little Bright Eyes! Where art -thou wandering?” she wailed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Jusong regarded her sternly. “If my -enemy,” said he, “searcheth for my grandsons, -then will not I.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>With dignified step he passed out of the -room. But in the hall was a child’s plaything. -His glance fell upon it and his expression -softened. Following the servants despatched -<span class='pageno' id='Page_263'>263</span>by his wife, the old mandarin joined in the -search for Little Waking Eyes and Little -Sleeping Eyes.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Under the quiet stars they met—the two -old men who had quarrelled in student days -and who ever since had cultivated hate for -each other. The cause of their quarrel had -long been forgotten; but in the fertile soil of -minds irrigated with the belief that the superior -man hates well and long, the seed of hate had -germinated and flourished. Was it not because -of that hate that their children were -exiles from the homes of their fathers—those -children who had met in a foreign land, -and in spite of their fathers’ hatred, had -linked themselves in love.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They spread their fans before their faces, -each pretending not to see the other, while -their servants inquired: “What news of the -honorable little ones?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No news,” came the answer from each side.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old men pondered sternly. Finally -Liu Jusong said to his servants: “I will -search in the forest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“So also will I,” announced Li Wang.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Jusong lowered his fan. For the first -time in many years he allowed his eyes to rest -on the countenance of his quondam friend, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_264'>264</span>and that quondam friend returned his glance. -But the servant men shuddered.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the haunted forest,” they cried. “Oh, -honorable masters, venture not amongst evil -spirits!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Li Wang laughed them to scorn, as -also did Liu Jusong.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give me a lantern,” bade Li Wang. “I -will search alone since you are afraid.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He spake to his servants; but it was not -his servants who answered: “Nay, not alone. -Thy grandson is my grandson and mine is -thine!”</p> - -<p class='c013'>“Oh, grandfather,” cried Little Waking -Eyes, clasping his arms around Liu Jusong’s -neck, “where are father and mother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Little Sleeping Eyes murmured in Li -Wang’s ear, “I want my father and mother!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Jusong and Li Wang looked at each -other. “Let us send for our children,” said -they.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>V</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_h-header.png' width='33' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -How many moons, Liu Venti, since our -little ones went from us?” asked -Pau Tsu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She was very pale, and there was a yearning -expression in her eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_265'>265</span>“Nearly five,” returned Liu Venti, himself -stifling a sigh.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sometimes,” said Pau Tsu, “I feel I cannot -any longer bear their absence.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She drew from her bosom two little shoes, -one red, one blue.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Their first,” said she. “Oh, my sons, my -little sons!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>A messenger boy approached, handed Liu -Venti a message, and slipped away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Liu Venti read:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>May the bamboo ever wave. Son and daughter,</div> - <div class='line'>return to your parents and your children.</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c019'><span class='sc'>Liu Jusong,</span> -<span class='sc'>Li Wang.</span></p> - -<p class='c001'>“The answer to our prayer,” breathed Pau -Tsu. “Oh Liu Venti, love is indeed stronger -than hate!”</p> - -<h3 id='p265' class='c011'>THE BANISHMENT OF MING AND MAI</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='30' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Many years ago in the beautiful land -of China, there lived a rich and -benevolent man named Chan Ah Sin. -So kind of heart was he that he could not pass -through a market street without buying up -all the live fish, turtles, birds, and animals -<span class='pageno' id='Page_266'>266</span>that he saw, for the purpose of giving them -liberty and life. The animals and birds he -would set free in a cool green forest called the -Forest of the Freed, and the fish and turtles he -would release in a moon-loved pool called the -Pool of Happy Life. He also bought up and -set free all animals that were caged for show, -and even remembered the reptiles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Some centuries after this good man had -passed away, one of his descendants was -accused of having offended against the laws -of the land, and he and all of his kin were -condemned to be punished therefor. Amongst -his kin were two little seventh cousins named -Chan Ming and Chan Mai, who had lived -very happily all their lives with a kind uncle -as guardian and a good old nurse. The -punishment meted out to this little boy and -girl was banishment to a wild and lonely forest, -which forest could only be reached by travelling -up a dark and mysterious river in a small -boat. The journey was long and perilous, -but on the evening of the third day a black -shadow loomed before Ming and Mai. This -black shadow was the forest, the trees of which -grew so thickly together and so close to the -river’s edge that their roots interlaced under -the water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The rough sailors who had taken the children -<span class='pageno' id='Page_267'>267</span>from their home, beached the boat, and without -setting foot to land themselves, lifted the -children out, then quickly pushed away. Their -faces were deathly pale, for they were mortally -afraid of the forest, which was said to be -inhabited by innumerable wild animals, winged -and crawling things.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ming’s lip trembled. He realized that he -and his little sister were now entirely alone, -on the edge of a fearsome forest on the shore -of a mysterious river. It seemed to the little -fellow, as he thought of his dear Canton, so -full of bright and busy life, that he and Mai -had come, not to another province, but to -another world.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One great, big tear splashed down his cheek. -Mai, turning to weep on his sleeve, saw it, -checked her own tears, and slipping a little -hand into his, murmured in his ear:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Look up to the heavens, O brother. Behold, -the Silver Stream floweth above us here -as bright as it flowed above our own fair -home.” (The Chinese call the Milky Way -the Silver Stream.)</p> - -<p class='c001'>While thus they stood, hand in hand, a -moving thing resembling a knobby log of -wood was seen in the river. Strange to say, -the children felt no fear and watched it float -towards them with interest. Then a watery -<span class='pageno' id='Page_268'>268</span>voice was heard. “Most honorable youth and -maid,” it said, “go back to the woods and rest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a crocodile. Swimming beside it -were a silver and a gold fish, who leaped in the -water and echoed the crocodile’s words; and -following in the wake of the trio, was a big -green turtle mumbling: “To the woods, most -excellent, most gracious, and most honorable.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Obediently the children turned and began -to find their way among the trees. The woods -were not at all rough and thorny as they had -supposed they would be. They were warm -and fragrant with aromatic herbs and shrubs. -Moreover, the ground was covered with moss -and grass, and the bushes and young trees -bent themselves to allow them to pass through. -But they did not wander far. They were too -tired and sleepy. Choosing a comfortable -place in which to rest, they lay down side by -side and fell asleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When they awoke the sun was well up. -Mai was the first to open her eyes, and seeing -it shining through the trees, exclaimed: “How -beautiful is the ceiling of my room!” She -thought she was at home and had forgotten -the river journey. But the next moment Ming -raised his head and said: “The beauty you -see is the sun filtering through the trees and -the forest where—”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_269'>269</span>He paused, for he did not wish to alarm his -little sister, and he had nearly said: “Where -wild birds and beasts abound.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Mai in distress. -She also thought of the wild birds and beasts, -but like Ming, she also refrained from mentioning -them.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am impatiently hungry,” cried Ming. -He eyed enviously a bright little bird hopping -near. The bird had found a good, fat grasshopper -for its breakfast, but when it heard -Ming speak, it left the grasshopper and flew -quickly away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A moment later there was a great trampling -and rustling amongst the grasses and bushes. -The hearts of the children stood still. They -clasped hands. Under every bush and tree, -on the branches above them, in a pool near -by, and close beside them, almost touching -their knees, appeared a great company of -living things from the animal, fish, fowl, and -insect kingdoms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was true then—what the sailors had -told them—only worse; for whereas they -had expected to meet the denizens of the -forest, either singly or in couples, here they -were all massed together.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A tiger opened its mouth. Ming put his -sister behind him and said: “Please, honorable -<span class='pageno' id='Page_270'>270</span>animals, birds, and other kinds of living -things, would some of you kindly retire for -a few minutes. We expected to meet you, -but not so many at once, and are naturally -overwhelmed with the honor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, yes, please your excellencies,” quavered -Mai, “or else be so kind as to give us -space in which to retire ourselves, so that we -may walk into the river and trouble you no -more. Will we not, honorable brother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nay, sister,” answered Ming. “These -honorable beings have to be subdued and made -to acknowledge that man is master of this -forest. I am here to conquer them in fight, -and am willing to take them singly, in couples, -or even three at a time; but as I said before, -the honor of all at once is somewhat -overwhelming.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! ah!” exclaimed Mai, gazing awestruck -at her brother. His words made him -more terrible to her than any of the beasts -of the field. Just then the tiger, who had -politely waited for Ming and Mai to say -their say, made a strange purring sound, -loud, yet strangely soft; fierce, yet wonderfully -kind. It had a surprising effect upon -the children, seeming to soothe them and -drive away all fear. One of little Mai’s hands -dropped upon the head of a leopard crouching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_271'>271</span>near, whilst Ming gazed straight into the -tiger’s eyes and smiled as at an old friend. -The tiger smiled in return, and advancing -to Ming, laid himself down at his feet, the tip -of his nose resting on the boy’s little red shoes. -Then he rolled his body around three times. -Thus in turn did every other animal, bird, fish, -and insect present. It took quite a time and -Mai was glad that she stood behind her brother -and received the obeisances by proxy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>This surprising ceremony over, the tiger sat -back upon his haunches and, addressing Ming, -said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Most valorous and honorable descendant -of Chan Ah Sin the First: Your coming and -the coming of your exquisite sister will cause -the flowers to bloom fairer and the sun to -shine brighter for us. There is, therefore, no -necessity for a trial of your strength or skill -with any here. Believe me, Your Highness, -we were conquered many years ago—and not -in fight.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why! How?” cried Ming.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why! How?” echoed Mai.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the tiger said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Many years ago in the beautiful land of -China, there lived a rich and benevolent man -named Chan Ah Sin. So kind of heart was he -that he could not pass through a market street -<span class='pageno' id='Page_272'>272</span>without buying up all the live fish, turtles, -birds, and animals that he saw, for the purpose -of giving them liberty and life. These animals -and birds he would set free in a cool green -forest called the Forest of the Freed, and the -fish and turtles he would release in a moon-loved -pool called the Pool of Happy Life. -He also bought up and set free all animals -that were caged for show, and even remembered -the reptiles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tiger paused.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you,” observed Ming, “you, sir tiger, -and your forest companions, are the descendants -of the animals, fish, and turtles thus -saved by Chan Ah Sin the First.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We are, Your Excellency,” replied the tiger, -again prostrating himself. “The beneficent -influence of Chan Ah Sin the First, extending -throughout the centuries, has preserved -the lives of his young descendants, Chan Ming -and Chan Mai.”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II <br /> THE TIGER’S FAREWELL</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_m-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Many a moon rose and waned over the -Forest of the Freed and the Moon-loved -Pool of Happy Life, and Ming -and Mai lived happily and contentedly -amongst their strange companions. To be -<span class='pageno' id='Page_273'>273</span>sure, there were times when their hearts -would ache and their tears would flow for -their kind uncle and good old nurse, also for -their little playfellows in far-away Canton; -but those times were few and far between. -Full well the children knew how much brighter -and better was their fate than it might have -been.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day, when they were by the river, -amusing themselves with the crocodiles and -turtles, the water became suddenly disturbed, -and lashed and dashed the shore in a very -strange manner for a river naturally calm and -silent.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, what can be the matter?” cried -Ming.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“An honorable boat is coming,” shouted a -goldfish.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ming and Mai clasped hands and trembled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is the sailors,” said they to one another; -then stood and watched with terrified eyes a -large boat sail majestically up the broad stream.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile down from the forest had rushed -the tiger with his tigress and cubs, the leopard -with his leopardess and cubs, and all the other -animals with their young, and all the birds, -and all the insects, and all the living things -that lived in the Forest of the Freed and the -Moon-loved Pool. They surrounded Ming -<span class='pageno' id='Page_274'>274</span>and Mai, crouched at their feet, swarmed in -the trees above their heads, and crowded one -another on the beach and in the water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boat stopped in the middle of the -stream, in front of the strip of forest thus -lined with living things. There were two silk-robed -men on it and a number of sailors, also -an old woman carrying a gigantic parasol -and a fan whose breeze fluttered the leaves in -the Forest of the Freed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the boat stopped, the old woman -cried: “Behold, I see my precious nurslings -surrounded by wild beasts. A-ya, A-ya, -A-ya.” Her cries rent the air and Ming and -Mai, seeing that the old woman was Woo Ma, -their old nurse, clapped their little hands in -joy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come hither,” they cried. “Our dear -friends will welcome you. They are not wild -beasts. They are elegant and accomplished -superior beings.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then one of the men in silken robes commanded -the sailors to steer for the shore, and -the other silk-robed man came and leaned over -the side of the boat and said to the tiger and -leopard:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As I perceive, honorable beings, that you -are indeed the friends of my dear nephew and -niece, Chan Ming and Chan Mai, I humbly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_275'>275</span>ask your permission to allow me to disembark -on the shore of this river on the edge of your -forest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The tiger prostrated himself, so also did his -brother animals, and all shouted:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Welcome, O most illustrious, most benevolent, -and most excellent Chan Ah Sin the -Ninth.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Mai crept into the arms of her nurse and -Ming hung on to his uncle’s robe, and the -other silk-robed man explained how and why -they had come to the Forest of the Freed and -the Moon-loved Pool.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A fairy fish, a fairy duck, a fairy butterfly, -and a fairy bird, who had seen the children on -the river when the cruel sailors were taking -them from their home, had carried the news to -the peasants of the rice fields, the tea plantations, -the palm and bamboo groves. Whereupon -great indignation had prevailed, and the -people of the province, who loved well the -Chan family, arose in their might and demanded -that an investigation be made into -the charges against that Chan who was reputed -to have broken the law, and whose -relatives as well as himself had been condemned -to suffer therefor. So it came to pass -that the charges, which had been made by some -malicious enemy of high official rank, were -<span class='pageno' id='Page_276'>276</span>entirely disproved, and the edict of banishment -against the Chan family recalled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The first thought of the uncle of Ming and -Mai, upon being liberated from prison, was -for his little nephew and niece, and great -indeed was his alarm and grief upon learning -that the two tender scions of the house of -Chan had been banished to a lonely forest by -a haunted river, which forest and river were -said to be inhabited by wild and cruel beings. -Moreover, since the sailors who had taken -them there, and who were the only persons -who knew where the forest was situated, had -been drowned in a swift rushing rapid upon -their return journey, it seemed almost impossible -to trace the little ones, and Chan Ah -Sin the Ninth was about giving up in despair, -when the fairy bird, fish, and butterfly, who -had aroused the peasants, also aroused the -uncle by appearing to him and telling him -where the forest of banishment lay and how -to reach it.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes,” said Chan Ah Sin the Ninth, when -his friend ceased speaking, “but they did not -tell me that I should find my niece and nephew -so tenderly cared for. Heaven alone knows why -you have been so good to my beloved children.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He bowed low to the tiger, leopard, and all -the living things around him.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_277'>277</span>“Most excellent and honorable Chan Ah Sin -the Ninth,” replied the Tiger, prostrating himself, -“we have had the pleasure and privilege -of being good to these little ones, because -many years ago in the beautiful land of -China, your honorable ancestor, Chan Ah Sin -the First, was good and kind to our forefathers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then arising upon his hind legs, he turned -to Ming and Mai and tenderly touching them -with his paws, said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honorable little ones, your banishment is -over, and those who roam the Forest of the -Freed, and dwell in the depths of the Pool of -Happy Life, will behold no more the light of -your eyes. May heaven bless you and preserve -you to be as good and noble ancestors -to your descendants as your ancestor, Chan Ah -Sin the First, was to you.”</p> - -<h3 id='p277' class='c011'>THE STORY OF A LITTLE CHINESE <br /> SEABIRD</h3> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_a-header.png' width='35' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -A little Chinese seabird sat in the -grass which grew on a rocky island. -The little Chinese seabird was very -sad. Her wing was broken and all her brothers -and sisters had flown away, leaving her alone. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_278'>278</span>Why, oh why, had she broken her wing? Why, -oh why, were brothers and sisters so?</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little Chinese seabird looked over the -sea. How very beautiful its life and movement! -The sea was the only consolation the -little Chinese seabird had. It was always -lovely and loving to the little Chinese seabird. -No matter how often the white-fringed waves -spent themselves for her delight, there were -always more to follow. Changeably unchanged, -they never deserted her nor her -island home. Not so with her brothers and -sisters. When she could fly with them, circle -in the air, float upon the water, dive for little -fish, and be happy and gay—then indeed -she was one of them and they loved her. But -since she had broken her wing, it was different. -The little Chinese seabird shook her little -head mournfully.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But what was that which the waves were -bearing towards her island? The little Chinese -seabird gave a quick glance, then put her -little head under the wing that was not broken.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now, what the little Chinese seabird had -seen was a boat. Within the boat were three -boys—and these boys were coming to the -island to hunt for birds’ eggs. The little -Chinese seabird knew this, and her bright, wild -little eyes glistened like jewels, and she shivered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_279'>279</span>and shuddered as she spread herself as close to -the ground as she could.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boys beached the boat and were soon -scrambling over the island, gathering all the -eggs that they could find. Sometimes they -passed so near to the little Chinese seabird -that she thought she must surely be -trampled upon, and she set her little beak -tight and close so that she might make no -sound, should so painful an accident occur. -Once, however, when the tip of a boy’s queue -dangled against her head and tickled it, the -little Chinese seabird forgot entirely her prudent -resolve to suffer in silence, and recklessly -peeked at the dangling queue. Fortunately -for her, the mother who had braided the queue -of the boy had neglected to tie properly the -bright red cord at the end thereof. Therefore -when the little Chinese seabird pecked at the -braid, the effect of the peck was not to cause -pain to the boy and make him turn around, as -might otherwise have been the case, but to -pull out of his queue the bright red cord. -This, the little Chinese seabird held in her -beak for quite a long time. She enjoyed -glancing down at its bright red color, and was -afraid to let it fall in case the boys might hear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Meanwhile, the boys, having gathered all -the eggs they could find, plotted together -<span class='pageno' id='Page_280'>280</span>against the little Chinese seabird and against -her brothers and sisters, and the little seabird, -holding the red cord in her beak, listened -with interest. For many hours after -the boys had left the island, the little Chinese -seabird sat meditating over what she had -heard. So deeply did she meditate that she -forgot all about the pain of her broken wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Towards evening her brothers and sisters -came home and settled over the island like a -wide-spreading mantle of wings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For some time the little Chinese seabird -remained perfectly still and quiet. She kept -saying to herself, “Why should I care? Why -should I care?” But as she did care, she suddenly -let fall the bright red cord and opened -and closed her beak several times.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is all that noise?” inquired the eldest -seabird.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear brother,” returned the little Chinese -seabird, “I hope I have not disturbed you; -but is not this a very lovely night? See how -radiant the moon.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go to sleep! Go to sleep!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did you have an enjoyable flight today, -brother?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tiresome little bird, go to sleep, go to sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was the little Chinese seabird’s eldest -sister that last spoke.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_281'>281</span>“Oh, sister, is that you?” replied the little -Chinese seabird. “I could see you last of the -flock as you departed from our island, and I -did so admire the satin white of your under-wings -and tail.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mine is whiter,” chirped the youngest of -all the birds.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go to sleep, go to sleep!” snapped the -eldest brother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What did you have to eat today?” inquired -the second brother of the little Chinese -seabird.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I had a very tasty worm porridge, dear -brother,” replied the little Chinese seabird. -“I scooped it out of the ground beside me, because -you know I dared not move any distance -for fear of making worse my broken <a id='corr281.17'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='wing?'>wing.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_281.17'><ins class='correction' title='wing?'>wing.</ins></a></span>”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Your broken wing? Ah, yes, your broken -wing!” murmured the second brother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, yes, your broken wing!” faintly -echoed the others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then they all, except the very youngest -one, put their heads under their own wings, -for they all, except the very youngest one, -felt a little bit ashamed of themselves.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the little Chinese seabird did not wish -her brothers and sisters to feel ashamed of -themselves. It embarrassed her, so she lifted -up her little voice again, and said:</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_282'>282</span>“But I enjoyed the day exceedingly. The -sea was never so lovely nor the sky either. -When I was tired of watching the waves chase -each other, I could look up and watch the -clouds. They sailed over the blue sky so soft -and white.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There’s no fun in just watching things,” -said the youngest of all the birds: “we went -right up into the clouds and then deep down -into the waves. How we splashed and dived -and swam! When I fluttered my wings after -a bath in silver spray, it seemed as if a shower -of jewels dropped therefrom.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How lovely!” exclaimed the little Chinese -seabird. Then she remembered that if her -brothers and sisters were to have just as good -a time the next day, she must tell them a -story—a true one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So she did.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After she had finished speaking, there was a -great fluttering of wings, and all her brothers -and sisters rose in the air above her, ready for -flight.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To think,” they chattered to one another, -“that if we had remained an hour longer, -those wicked boys would have come with -lighted torches and caught us and dashed us -to death against stones.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, and dressed us and salted us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_283'>283</span>“And dressed us and salted us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And dried us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And dried us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And eaten us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And eaten us!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How rude!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How inconsiderate!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How altogether uncalled for!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Are you quite sure?” inquired the eldest -brother of the little Chinese seabird.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See,” she replied, “here is the red cord -from the queue of one of the boys. I picked -it out as his braid dangled against my head!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The brothers and sisters looked at one -another.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How near they must have come to her!” -exclaimed the eldest sister.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They might have trampled her to death -in a very unbecoming manner!” remarked the -second.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They will be sure to do it tonight when -they search with torchlight,” was the opinion -of the second brother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the eldest brother looked sharply down -upon the little Chinese seabird, and said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“If you had not told us what these rude -boys intended doing, you would not have had -to die alone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I prefer to die alone!” proudly replied -<span class='pageno' id='Page_284'>284</span>the little Chinese seabird. “It will be much -pleasanter to die in quiet than with wailing -screams in my ears.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hear her, oh, hear her!” exclaimed the -second sister.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the eldest sister, she with the satin-white -under-wings and spreading tail, descended to -the ground, and began pulling up some tough -grass. “Come,” she cried to the other birds, -“let us make a strong nest for our broken-winged -little sister—a nest in which we -can bear away to safety one who tonight has -saved our lives without thought of her own.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We will, with pleasure,” answered the -other <a id='corr284.15'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='birds.”'>birds.</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_284.15'><ins class='correction' title='birds.”'>birds.</ins></a></span></p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereupon they fluttered down and helped -to build the most wonderful nest that ever was -built, weaving in and out of it the bright red -cord, which the little Chinese seabird had -plucked out of the boy’s queue. This made -the nest strong enough to bear the weight of -the little Chinese seabird, and when it was -finished they dragged it beside her and tenderly -pushed her in. Then they clutched its -sides with their beaks, flapped their wings, -and in a moment were soaring together far -up in the sky, the little Chinese seabird with -the broken wing happy as she could be in the -midst of them.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_285'>285</span> - <h3 id='p285' class='c011'>WHAT ABOUT THE CAT?</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -What about the cat?” asked the little -princess of her eldest maid.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is sitting on the sunny side of -the garden wall, watching the butterflies. -It meowed for three of the prettiest to fall -into its mouth, and would you believe it, that -is just what happened. A green, a blue, a -pink shaded with gold, all went down pussy’s -red throat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The princess smiled. “What about the -cat?” she questioned her second maid.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is seated in your honorable father’s -chair of state, and your honorable father’s -first body-slave is scratching her back with -your father’s own back-scratcher, made of -the purest gold and ivory.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The princess laughed outright. She pattered -gracefully into another room. There she saw -the youngest daughter of her foster-mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What about the cat?” she asked for the -third time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The cat! Oh, she has gone to Shinku’s -duck farm. The ducks love her so that when -they see her, they swim to shore and embrace -her with their wings. Four of them combined -to make a raft and she got upon their backs -<span class='pageno' id='Page_286'>286</span>and went down-stream with them. They met -some of the ducklings on the way and she -patted them to death with her paws. How -the big ducks quacked!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That is a good story,” quoth the princess.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She went into the garden and, seeing one of -the gardeners, said: “What about the cat?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is frisking somewhere under the cherry -tree, but you would not know it if you saw -it,” replied the gardener.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?” asked the princess.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because, Your Highness, I gave it a -strong worm porridge for its dinner, and as -soon as it ate it, its white fur coat became a -glossy green, striped with black. It looks -like a giant caterpillar, and all the little caterpillars -are going to hold a festival tonight in -its honor.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Deary me! What a great cat!” exclaimed -the princess.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little further on she met one of the chamberlains -of the palace. “What about the -cat?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“It is dancing in the ballroom in a dress of -elegant cobwebs and a necklace of pearl rice. -For partner, she has the yellow dragon in -the hall, come to life, and they take such -pretty steps together that all who behold them -shriek in ecstasy. Three little mice hold up -<span class='pageno' id='Page_287'>287</span>her train as she dances, and another sits -perched on the tip of the dragon’s curled tail.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>At this the princess quivered like a willow -tree and was obliged to seek her apartments. -When there, she recovered herself, and placing -a blossom on her exquisite eyebrow, commanded -that all those of whom she had inquired -concerning the cat should be brought -before her. When they appeared she looked -at them very severely and said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You have all told me different stories -when I have asked you: ‘What about the -cat?’ Which of these stories is true?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>No one answered. All trembled and paled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are all untrue,” announced the -princess.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She lifted her arm and there crawled out of -her sleeve her white cat. It had been there -all the time.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then the courtly chamberlain advanced -towards her, kotowing three times. “Princess,” -said he, “would a story be a story if it -were true? Would you have been as well entertained -this morning if, instead of our stories, -we, your unworthy servants, had simply told -you that the cat was up your sleeve?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The princess lost her severity in hilarity. -“Thank you, my dear servants,” said she. -“I appreciate your desire to amuse me.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_288'>288</span>She looked at her cat, thought of all it had -done and been in the minds of her servants, -and laughed like a princess again and again.</p> - -<h3 id='p288' class='c011'>THE WILD MAN AND THE GENTLE <br /> BOY</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -Will you come with me?” said the -Wild Man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“With pleasure,” replied the Gentle -Boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Wild Man took the Gentle Boy by the -hand, and together they waded through rice -fields, climbed tea hills, plunged through -forests and at last came to a wide road, shaded -on either side by large evergreen trees, with -resting places made of bamboo sticks every -mile or so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My honorable father provided these resting -places for the poor carriers,” said the Gentle -Boy. “Here they can lay their burdens down, -eat betel nuts, and rest.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, ho,” laughed the Wild Man. “I don’t -think there will be many carriers resting today. -I cleared the road before I brought you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed!” replied the Gentle Boy. “May -I ask how?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ate them up.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” sighed the Gentle Boy. He felt the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_289'>289</span>silence and stillness around. The very leaves -had ceased to flutter, and only the soul of a -bird hovered near.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Wild Man had gigantic arms and legs -and a broad, hairy chest. His mouth was -exceeding large and his head was unshaved. -He wore a sack of coarse linen, open in front -with holes for arms. On his head was a rattan -cap, besmeared with the blood of a deer.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Gentle Boy was small and plump; his -skin was like silk and the tips of his little -fingers were pink. His queue was neatly -braided and interwoven with silks of many -colors. He wore a peach-colored blouse and -azure pantaloons, all richly embroidered, and -of the finest material. The buttons on his -tunic were of pure gold, and the sign of the -dragon was worked on his cap. He was of -the salt of the earth, a descendant of Confutze, -an aristocrat of aristocrats.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of what are you thinking?” asked the -Wild Man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About the carriers. Did they taste good?” -asked the Gentle Boy with mild curiosity.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes, but there is something that will taste -better, younger and tenderer, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He surveyed the Gentle Boy with glistening -eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Gentle Boy thought of his father’s -<span class='pageno' id='Page_290'>290</span>mansion, the frescoed ceilings, the chandeliers -hung with pearls, the great blue vases, the -dragon’s smiles, the galleries of glass through -which walked his mother and sisters; but most -of all, he thought of his noble ancestors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What would Your Excellency be pleased -to converse about?” he inquired after a few -minutes, during which the Wild Man had been -engaged in silent contemplation of the Gentle -Boy’s chubby cheeks.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“About good things to eat,” promptly replied -the Wild Man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Very well,” politely replied the Gentle -Boy. “There are a great many,” he dreamily -observed, staring into space.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tell me about some of the fine dishes in -your father’s kitchen. It is they who have -made you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Gentle Boy looked complacently up -and down himself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hope in all humility,” he said, “that I do -honor to my father’s cook’s dishes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Wild Man laughed so boisterously that -the trees rocked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There is iced seaweed jelly, for one thing,” -began the Gentle Boy, “and a ragout of water -lilies, pork and chicken dumplings with bamboo -shoots, bird’s-nest soup and boiled almonds, -ducks’ eggs one hundred years old, garnished -<span class='pageno' id='Page_291'>291</span>with strips of sucking pig and heavenly fish -fried in paradise oil, white balls of rice flour -stuffed with sweetmeats, honey and rose-leaves, -candied frogs and salted crabs, sugared seaweed -and pickled stars.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He paused.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Now, tell me,” said the Wild Man, “which -of all things would you like best to eat?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Gentle Boy’s eye wandered musingly -over the Wild Man’s gigantic proportions, his -hungry mouth, his fanglike teeth. He flipped -a ladybird insect off his silken cuff and smiled -at the Wild Man as he did so.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Best of all, honorable sir,” he slowly said, -“I would like to eat you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Wild Man sat transfixed, staring at -the Gentle Boy, his mouth half open, the -hair standing up on his head. And to this -day he sits there, on the high road to Cheang -Che, a piece of petrified stone.</p> - -<h3 id='p291' class='c011'>THE GARMENTS OF THE FAIRIES</h3> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -Why do we never see the fairies?” -asked Mermei.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because,” replied her mother, -“the fairies do not wish to be seen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But why, honorable mother, do they not -wish to be seen?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_292'>292</span>“Would my jade jewel wish to show herself -to strangers if she wore no tunic or shoes or -rosettes?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mermei glanced down at her blue silk tunic -embroidered in white and gold, at her scarlet -shoes beaded at the tips so as to resemble the -heads of kittens; and looking over to a mirror -hung on the side of the wall where the sun -shone, noted the purple rosettes in her hair -and the bright butterfly’s wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, no! honorable mother,” said she, -shaking her head with quite a shocked air.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, when you hear the reason why the -fairies do not appear to you except in your -dreams, you will know that they are doing just -as you would do were you in a fairy’s shoes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A story! A story!” cried Mermei, clapping -her hands and waving her fan, and Choy -and Fei and Wei and Sui, who were playing -battledore and shuttlecock on the green, -ran into the house and grouped themselves -around Mermei and the mother. They all loved -stories.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Many, many years ago,” began the mother -of Mermei, “when the sun was a warm-hearted -but mischievous boy, playing all kinds of -pranks with fruits and flowers and growing -things, and his sister, the moon, was too young -to be sad and serious, the fairies met together -<span class='pageno' id='Page_293'>293</span>by night. The sun, of course, was not present, -and the moon had withdrawn behind a cloud. -Stars alone shone in the quiet sky. By their -light the fairies looked upon each other, and -found themselves so fair and radiant in their -robes of varied hues, all wonderfully fashioned, -fringed and laced, some bright and brilliant, -others, delicate and gauzy, but each and all a -perfect dream of loveliness, that they danced -for very joy in themselves and the garments in -which they were arrayed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The dance being over, the queen of all -sighed a fragrant sigh of happiness upon the -air, and bowing to her lovely companions said:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘Sweet sisters, the mission of the fairies is -to gladden the hearts of the mortals. Let us, -therefore, this night, leave behind us on the -earth the exquisite garments whose hues and -fashions have given us so much pleasure. -And because we may not be seen uncovered, -let us from henceforth be invisible.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“‘We will! We will!’ cried the sister fairies. -They were all good and kind of heart, and much -as they loved their dainty robes, they loved -better to give happiness to others.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And that is why the fairies are invisible, -and why we have the flowers.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The flowers!” cried Mermei. “Why the -flowers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_294'>294</span>“And the fairies’ garments! Where can we -find them?” asked Fei with the starry eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“In the gardens, in the forests, and by -the streams,” answered the mother. “The -flowers, dear children, are the bright-hued -garments which the fairies left behind them -when they flew from earth, never to return -again, save invisible.”</p> - -<h3 id='p294' class='c011'>THE DREAMS THAT FAILED</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_p-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Ping Sik and Soon Yen sat by the roadside -under a spreading olive tree. They -were on their way to market to sell two -little pigs. With the money to be obtained -from the sale of the little pigs, they were to -buy caps and shoes with which to attend -school.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“When I get to be a man,” said Ping Sik, -“I will be so great and so glorious that the -Emperor will allow me to wear a three-eyed -peacock feather, and whenever I walk abroad, -all who meet me will bow to the ground.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I,” said Soon Yen, “will be a great -general. The reins of my steeds will be purple -and scarlet, and in my cap will wave a bright -blue plume.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall be such a great poet and scholar,” -continued Ping Sik, “that the greatest university -<span class='pageno' id='Page_295'>295</span>in the Middle Kingdom will present -me with a vase encrusted with pearls.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I shall be so valiant and trustworthy -that the Pearly Emperor will appoint me -commander-in-chief of his army, and his -enemies will tremble at the sound of my -name.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I shall wear a yellow jacket with the names -of three ancestors inscribed thereon in seven -colors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I shall wear silk robes spun by princesses, -and a cloak of throat skins of sables.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I shall live in a mansion of marble -and gold.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I in halls of jadestone.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And I will own silk and tea plantations -and tens of thousands of rice farms.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“All the bamboo country shall be mine, -and the rivers and sea shall be full of my -fishing boats, junks, and craft of all kinds.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“People will bow down before me and cry: -‘Oh, most excellent, most gracious, most -beautiful!’”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“None will dare offend so mighty a man as -I shall be!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“O ho! You good-for-nothing rascals!” -cried the father of Ping Sik. “What are you -doing loafing under a tree when you should be -speeding to market?”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_296'>296</span>“And the little pigs, where are they?” cried -the father of Soon Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The boys looked down at the baskets which -had held the little pigs. While they had been -dreaming of future glories, the young porkers -had managed to scramble out of the loosely -woven bamboo thatch of which the baskets -were made.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The fathers of Ping Sik and Soon Yen produced -canes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Without shoes and caps,” said they, “you -cannot attend school. Therefore, back to the -farm and feed pigs.”</p> - -<h3 id='p296' class='c011'>GLAD YEN</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_i-header.png' width='11' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_2'> -I’m so glad! so glad!” shouted little Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?” asked Wou. “Has any one -given you a gold box with jewels, or a -peacock feather fan, or a coat of many colors, -or a purse of gold? Has your father become -rich or been made a high mandarin?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wou sighed as he put these questions. He -had voiced his own longings.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,” answered Yen, giving a hop, skip, -and jump.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then, why are you glad?” repeated Wou.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why?” Yen’s bright face grew brighter. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_297'>297</span>“Oh, because I have such a beautiful blue -sky, such a rippling river, waterfalls that look -like lace and pearls and diamonds, and sun-beams -brighter and more radiant than the -finest jewels. Because I have chirping insects, -and flying beetles, and dear, wiggly worms—and -birds, oh, such lovely birds, all colors! -And some of them can sing. I have a sun and -a moon and stars. And flowers? Wouldn’t -any one be glad at the sight of flowers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Wou’s sad and melancholy face suddenly -lighted and overflowed with smiles.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why,” said he, “I have all these bright -and beautiful things. I have the beautiful -sky, and water, and birds, and flowers, too! -I have the sun, and the moon, and the stars, -just as you have! I never thought of that -before!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of course you have,” replied Yen. “You -have all that is mine, and I all that is yours, -yet neither can take from the other!”</p> - -<h3 id='p297' class='c011'>THE DECEPTIVE MAT</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -When Tsin Yen was about eight -years old, he and his little brother -were one fine day enjoying a game -of battledore and shuttlecock on the green -lawn, which their father had reserved as a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_298'>298</span>playground for their use. The lawn was a -part of a very elaborate garden laid out with -many rare flowers and ferns and exquisite -plants in costly porcelain jars. The whole -was enclosed behind high walls.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was a very warm day and the garden gate -had been left open, so that the breeze could -better blow within. A man stood outside -the gate, watching the boys. He carried a -small parcel under his arm.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Will not the jewel eyes of the honorable little -ones deign to turn my way?” he cried at last.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Tsin Yen and Tsin Yo looked over at him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is your wish, honorable sir?” asked -Tsin Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the man replied: “That I may be -allowed space in which to spread my mat on -your green. The road outside is dusty and -the insects are more lively than suits my -melancholy mood.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Spread your mat, good sir,” hastily answered -Tsin Yen, giving a quick glance at the -small parcel, and returning to his play.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The man began quietly to unroll his bundle, -Tsin Yen and Tsin Yo being too much interested -in their play to pay much attention to -him. But a few minutes passed, however, -before the stranger touched Tsin Yen’s sleeve, -and bade him stand aside.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_299'>299</span>“For what reason, honorable sir?” asked -Tsin Yen, much surprised.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Did not you consent to my spreading my -mat, most ingenuous son of an illustrious -father?” returned the man. He pointed to -his mat. Of cobweb texture and cobweb color, -it already covered almost the whole green -lawn, and there was a portion yet unrolled.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How could I know that so small a bundle -would make so large a mat?” exclaimed Tsin -Yen protestingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But you should have thought, my son,” -said the father of Tsin Yen, who now appeared -upon the scene. “If you had thought -before consenting to the spreading of the mat, -you would not, this fine afternoon, be obliged -to yield your playground to a stranger. However, -the word of a Tsin must be made good. -Stand aside, my sons.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Tsin Yen and Tsin Yo stood aside and -watched with indignant eyes the deceptive -mat unrolled over the whole space where they -were wont to play. When it was spread to its -full capacity, the man seated himself in the -middle, and remained thereon until the setting -of the sun.</p> - -<p class='c001'>And that is the reason why Tsin Yen, when he -became a man, always thought for three minutes -before allowing any word to escape his lips.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_300'>300</span> - <h3 id='p300' class='c011'>THE HEART’S DESIRE</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_s-header.png' width='24' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -She was dainty, slender, and of waxen -pallor. Her eyes were long and drooping, -her eyebrows finely arched. She -had the tiniest Golden Lily feet and the glossiest -black hair. Her name was Li Chung -O’Yam, and she lived in a sad, beautiful old -palace surrounded by a sad, beautiful old -garden, situated on a charming island in the -middle of a lake. This lake was spanned by -marble bridges, entwined with green creepers, -reaching to the mainland. No boats were ever -seen on its waters, but the pink lotus lily floated -thereon and swans of marvellous whiteness.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Li Chung O’Yam wore priceless silks and -radiant jewels. The rarest flowers bloomed -for her alone. Her food and drink were of -the finest flavors and served in the purest gold -and silver plates and goblets. The sweetest -music lulled her to sleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yet Li Chung O’Yam was not happy. In -the midst of the grandeur of her enchanted -palace, she sighed for she knew not what.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She is weary of being alone,” said one of -the attendants. And he who ruled all within -the palace save Li Chung O’Yam, said: “Bring -her a father!”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_301'>301</span>A portly old mandarin was brought to -O’Yam. She made humble obeisance, and her -august father inquired ceremoniously as to -the state of her health, but she sighed and was -still weary.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“We have made a mistake; it is a mother -she needs,” said they.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A comely matron, robed in rich silks and -waving a beautiful peacock feather fan, was -presented to O’Yam as her mother. The lady -delivered herself of much good advice and wise -instruction as to deportment and speech, but -O’Yam turned herself on her silken cushions -and wished to say goodbye to her mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then they led O’Yam into a courtyard -which was profusely illuminated with brilliant -lanterns and flaring torches. There were a -number of little boys of about her own age -dancing on stilts. One little fellow, dressed -all in scarlet and flourishing a small sword, -was pointed out to her as her brother. O’Yam -was amused for a few moments, but in a little -while she was tired of the noise and confusion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>In despair, they who lived but to please her -consulted amongst themselves. O’Yam, overhearing -them, said: “Trouble not your minds. -I will find my own heart’s ease.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she called for her carrier dove, and had -an attendant bind under its wing a note -<span class='pageno' id='Page_302'>302</span>which she had written. The dove went forth -and flew with the note to where a little girl -named Ku Yum, with a face as round as a -harvest moon, and a mouth like a red vine -leaf, was hugging a cat to keep her warm and -sucking her finger to prevent her from being -hungry. To this little girl the dove delivered -O’Yam’s message, then returned to its mistress.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Bring me my dolls and my cats, and attire -me in my brightest and best,” cried O’Yam.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When Ku Yum came slowly over one of -the marble bridges towards the palace wherein -dwelt Li Chung O’Yam, she wore a blue cotton -blouse, carried a peg doll in one hand and her -cat in another. O’Yam ran to greet her and -brought her into the castle hall. Ku Yum -looked at O’Yam, at her radiant apparel, at -her cats and her dolls.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah!” she exclaimed. “How beautifully -you are robed! In the same colors as I. And -behold, your dolls and your cats, are they not -much like mine?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Indeed they are,” replied O’Yam, lifting -carefully the peg doll and patting the rough -fur of Ku Yum’s cat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she called her people together and said -to them:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Behold, I have found my heart’s desire—a -little sister.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_303'>303</span>And forever after O’Yam and Ku Yum lived -happily together in a glad, beautiful old -palace, surrounded by a glad, beautiful old -garden, on a charming little island in the -middle of a lake.</p> - -<h3 id='p303' class='c011'>THE CANDY THAT IS NOT <br /> SWEET</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_g-header.png' width='33' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Grandfather Chan was dozing -in a big red chair. Beside him stood -the baby’s cradle, a thick basket held -in a stout framework of wood. Inside the -cradle lay the baby. He was very good and -quiet and fast asleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The cottage door was open. On the green -in front played Yen. Mother Chan, who was -taking a cup of afternoon tea with a neighbor, -had said to him when she bade him goodbye, -“Be a good little son and take good care of -the baby and your honorable grandfather.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen wore a scarlet silk skullcap, a gaily -embroidered vest, and purple trousers. He -had the roundest and smoothest of faces and -the brightest of eyes. Some pretty stones -which he had found heaped up in a corner of -the green were affording him great delight -and joy, and he was rubbing his fat little -<span class='pageno' id='Page_304'>304</span>hands over them, when there arose upon the -air the cry of Bo Shuie, the candy man. Yen -gave a hop and a jump. In a moment he was -at the corner of the street where stood the -candy man, a whole hive of little folks grouped -around him. Never was there such a fascinating -fellow as this candy man. What a splendid -big pole was that he had slung over his broad -shoulders, and, oh, the baskets of sweetmeats -which depended from it on either side!</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen gazed wistfully at the sugared almonds -and limes, the ginger and spice cakes, and the -barley sugar and cocoanut.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will take that, honorable candy man,” -said he, pointing to a twisted sugar stick of -many colors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Cash!” said the candy man holding out -his hand.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!” exclaimed Yen. He had thought -only of sugar and forgotten he had no -cash.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Give it to me, honorable peddler man,” -said Han Yu. “I have a cash.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The peddler man transferred from his basket -to the eager little hands of Han Yu the sugar -stick of many colors.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Quick as his chubby legs could carry him, -Yen ran back to the cottage. His grandfather -was still dozing.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_305'>305</span>“Grandfather, honorable grandfather,” cried -Yen. But his grandfather did not hear.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Upon a hook on the wall hung a long -string of cash. Mother Chan had hung it -there for her use when passing peddlers -called.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen had thought to ask his grandfather to -give him one of the copper coins which were -strung on the string, but as his grandfather -did not awaken at his call, he changed his -mind. You see, he had suddenly remembered -that the day before he had felt a pain, and -when he had cried, his mother had said: “No -more candy for Yen.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>For some moments Yen stood hesitating -and looking at the many copper coins on the -bright red string. It hung just low enough -to be reached, and Yen knew how to work the -cash over the knot at the end. His mother -had shown him how so that he could hand -them over to her for the peddlers.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ah, how pleasant, how good that smelt! -The candy man, who carried with his baskets -a tin saucepan and a little charcoal stove, had -set about making candy, and the smell of the -barley sugar was wafted from the corner to -Yen’s little nose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen hesitated no longer. Grabbing the end -of the string of cash, he pulled therefrom three -<span class='pageno' id='Page_306'>306</span>coins, and with a hop and a jump was out in -the street again.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I will take three sticks of twisted candy of -many colors,” said he to the candy man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>With his three sticks of candy Yen returned -to the green. He had just bitten a piece off -the brightest stick of all when his eyes fell on -a spinning top which his mother had given -him that morning. He crunched the candy, -but somehow or other it did not taste -sweet.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yen! Yen!” called his grandfather, awaking -from his sleep.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen ran across to him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honorable grandfather,” said he, “I have -some beautiful candy for you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He put the three sticks of candy upon his -grandfather’s knees.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Dear child!” exclaimed the old man, adjusting -his spectacles. “How did you come -to get the candy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen’s little face became very red. He knew -that he had done wrong, so instead of answering -his grandfather, he hopped three times.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“How did you get the candy?” again inquired -Grandfather Chan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“From the candy man,” said Yen, “from -the candy man. Eat it, eat it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now Grandfather Chan was a little deaf, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_307'>307</span>and taking for granted that Yen had explained -the candy all right, he nibbled a little at one -of the sticks, then put it down.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Eat some more, eat all, honorable grandfather,” -urged Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old man laughed and shook his -head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I cannot eat any more,” said he. “The -old man is not the little boy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But—but,” puffed Yen, becoming red in -the face again, “I want you to eat it, honorable -grandfather.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Grandfather Chan would not eat any -more candy, and Yen began to puff and blow -and talk very loud because he would not. -Indeed, by the time Mother Chan returned, -he was as red as a turkeycock and chattering -like a little magpie.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I do not know what is the matter with the -little boy,” said Grandfather Chan. “He is so -vexed because I cannot eat his candy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Mother Chan glanced at the string of cash -and then at her little son’s flushed face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know,” said she. “The candy is not -sweet to him, so he would have his honorable -grandfather eat it.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen stared at his mother. How did she -know! How could she know! But he was -glad that she knew, and at sundown he crept -<span class='pageno' id='Page_308'>308</span>softly to her side and said, “Honorable mother, -the string of cash is less than at morn, but the -candy, it was not sweet.”</p> - -<h3 id='p308' class='c011'>THE INFERIOR MAN</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_k-header.png' width='32' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Ku Yum, the little daughter of Wen -Hing, the schoolmaster, trotted into -the school behind her father and -crawled under his desk. From that safe -retreat, her bright eyes looked out in friendly -fashion upon the boys. Ku Yum was three -years old and was the only little girl who had -ever been in the schoolroom. Naturally, the -boys were very much interested in her, and -many were the covert glances bestowed upon -the chubby little figure in red under the schoolmaster’s -desk. Now and then a little lad, -after an unusually penetrating glance, would -throw his sleeve over or lift his slate up to his -face, and his form would quiver strangely. -Well for the little lad that the schoolmaster -wore glasses which somewhat clouded his -vision.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The wife of Wen Hing was not very well, -which was the reason why the teacher had -been bringing the little Ku Yum to school -with him for the last three weeks. Wen -<span class='pageno' id='Page_309'>309</span>Hing, being a kind husband, thought to help -his wife, who had two babies besides Ku Yum -to look after.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But for all his troubled mind, the schoolmaster’s -sense of duty to his scholars was as -keen as ever; also his sense of smell.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Suddenly he turned from the blackboard -upon which he had been chalking.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He who thinks only of good things to eat -is an inferior man,” and pushing back his -spectacles, declared in a voice which caused -his pupils to shake in their shoes:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some degenerate son of an honorable -parent is eating unfragrant sugar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unfragrant sugar! honorable sir!” exclaimed -Han Wenti.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unfragrant sugar!” echoed little Yen -Wing.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unfragrant sugar!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Unfragrant sugar!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The murmur passed around the room.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Silence!” commanded the teacher.</p> - -<p class='c001'>There was silence.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Go Ek Ju,” said the teacher, “why is thy -miserable head bowed?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because, O wise and just one, I am composing,” -answered Go Ek Ju.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Read thy composition.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A wild boar and a sucking pig were eating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_310'>310</span>acorns from the bed of a sunken stream,” -shrilly declaimed Go Ek Ju.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Enough! It can easily be perceived what -thy mind is on. Canst thou look at me behind -my back and declare that thou art not eating -unfragrant sugar?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“To thy illuminating back, honorable sir, I -declare that I am not eating unfragrant sugar.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The teacher’s brow became yet sterner.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You, Mark Sing! Art thou the unfragrant -sugar eater?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I know not the taste of that confection, -most learned sir.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The teacher sniffed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Some one,” he reasserted, “is eating unfragrant -sugar. Whoever the miserable culprit -is, let him speak now, and four strokes -from the rattan is all that he shall receive.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>He paused. The clock ticked sixty times; -but there was no response to his appeal. He -lifted his rattan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“As no guilty one,” said he, “is honorable -enough to acknowledge that he is dishonorably -eating unfragrant sugar, I shall punish -all for the offense, knowing that thereby the -offender will receive justice. Go Ek Ju, come -forward, and receive eight strokes from the -rattan.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Go Ek Ju went forward and received the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_311'>311</span>eight strokes. As he stood trembling with -pain before the schoolmaster’s desk, he felt a -small hand grasp his foot. His lip tightened. -Then he returned to his seat, sore, but undaunted, -and unconfessed. In like manner -also his schoolmates received the rattan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>When the fifteen aching but unrepentant -scholars were copying industriously, “He who -thinks only of good things to eat is an inferior -man,” and the schoolmaster, exhausted, had -flung himself back on his seat, a little figure -in red emerged from under the schoolmaster’s -desk and attempted to clamber on to his lap. -The schoolmaster held her back.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What! What!” he exclaimed. “What! -what!” He rubbed his head in puzzled -fashion. Then he lifted up the little red figure, -turning its face around to the schoolboys. -Such a chubby, happy little face as it was. -Dimpled cheeks and pearly teeth showing in -a gleeful smile. And the hands of the little -red figure grasped two sticky balls of red and -white peppermint candy—unfragrant sugar.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Behold!” said the teacher, with a twinkle -in his spectacles, “the inferior man!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Whereupon the boys forgot that they were -aching. You see, they loved the little Ku -Yum and believed that they had saved her -from eight strokes of the rattan.</p> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_312'>312</span> - <h3 id='p312' class='c011'>THE MERRY BLIND-MAN</h3> -</div> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The little finger on Ah Yen’s little left -hand was very sore. Ah Yen had -poked it into a hot honey tart. His -honorable mother had said: “Yen, you must -not touch that tart,” but just as soon as his -honorable mother had left the room, Yen forgot -what she had said, and thrust the littlest -finger of his little left hand right into the -softest, sweetest, and hottest part of the tart.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Now he sat beside the window, feeling very -sad and sore, for all the piece of oiled white -linen which his mother had carefully wrapped -around his little finger. It was a very happy-looking -day. The sky was a lovely blue, -trimmed with pretty, soft white clouds, and -on the purple lilac tree which stood in front -of his father’s cottage, two little yellow eyebrows -were chirping to each other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Yen, with his sore finger, did not feel -at all happy. You see, if his finger had not -been sore, he could have been spinning the -bright-colored top which his honorable uncle -had given him the day before.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Isn’t it a lovely day, little son?” called his -mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think it is a homely day,” answered Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_313'>313</span>“See those good little birds on the tree,” -said his mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t believe they are good,” replied the -little boy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Fie, for shame!” cried his mother; and -she went on with her work.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Just then an old blind-man carrying a guitar -came down the street. He stopped just under -the window by which Yen was seated, and -leaning against the wall began thrumming -away on his instrument. The tunes he played -were very lively and merry. Yen looked down -upon him and wondered why. The blind-man -was such a very old man, and not only blind -but lame, and so thin that Yen felt quite sure -that he never got more than half a bowl of -rice for his dinner. How was it then that he -played such merry tunes? So merry indeed -that, listening to them, Yen quite forgot to be -sour and sad. The old man went on playing -and Yen went on listening. After a while, -the little boy smiled, then he laughed. The -old man lifted his head. He could not see -with his sightless eyes, but he knew that there -was a little boy near to him whom he was -making happy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Honorable great-grandfather of all the -world,” said Yen. “Will you please tell me -why you, who are old, lame, and blind, make -<span class='pageno' id='Page_314'>314</span>such merry music that everybody who hears -becomes merry also?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The old man stopped thrumming and rubbed -his chin. Then he smiled around him and -answered: “Why, I think, little Jewel Eyes, -that the joyful music comes just because I -am old, lame, and blind.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yen looked down at his little finger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you hear what says the honorable great-grandfather -of the world?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The little finger straightened itself up. It -no longer felt sore, and Yen was no longer -sour and sad.</p> - -<h3 id='p314' class='c011'>MISUNDERSTOOD</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The baby was asleep. Ku Yum looked -curiously at her little brother as he -lay in placid slumber. His head was -to be shaved for the first time that afternoon, -and he was dressed for the occasion in three -padded silk vests, sky-blue trousers and an -embroidered cap, which was surmounted by a -little gold god and a sprig of evergreen for good -luck. This kept its place on his head, even -in sleep. On his arms and ankles were -hung many amulets and charms, and on the -whole he appeared a very resplendent baby. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_315'>315</span>To Ku Yum, he was simply gorgeous, and she -longed to get her little arms around him and -carry him to some place where she could -delight in him all by herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum’s mind had been in a state of -wonder concerning the boy, Ko Ku, ever since -he had been born. Why was he so very small -and so very noisy? What made his fingers -and toes so pink? Why did her mother always -smile and sing <a id='corr315.10'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='whever'>whenever</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_315.10'><ins class='correction' title='whever'>whenever</ins></a></span> she had the baby -in her arms? Why did her father, when he -came in from his vegetable garden, gaze so -long at Ko Ku? Why did grandmother make -so much fuss over him? And yet, why, oh -why, did they give him nothing nice to eat?</p> - -<p class='c001'>The baby was sleeping very soundly. His -little mouth was half open and a faint, droning -sound was issuing therefrom. He had just -completed his first moon and was a month -old. Poor baby! that never got any rice to -eat, nor nice sweet cakes. Ku Yum’s heart -swelled with compassion. In her hand was a -delicious half-moon cake. It was the time of -the harvest-moon festival and Ku Yum had -already eaten three. Surely, the baby would -like a taste. She hesitated. Would she dare, -when it lay upon that silken coverlet? Ku -Yum had a wholesome regard for her mother’s -bamboo slipper.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_316'>316</span>The window blind was torn on one side. A -vagrant wind lifted it, revealing an open window. -There was a way out of that window to -the vegetable garden. Beyond the vegetable -garden was a cool, green spot under a clump of -trees; also a beautiful puddle of muddy water.</p> - -<p class='c001'>An inspiration came to Ku Yum, born of -benevolence. She lifted the sleeping babe in -her arms, and with hushed, panting breaths, -bore him slowly and laboriously to where her -soul longed to be. He opened his eyes once -and gave a faint, disturbed cry, but lapsed -again into dreamland.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum laid him down on the grass, adjusted -his cap, smoothed down his garments, -ran her small fingers over his brows, or where -his brows ought to have been, tenderly -prodded his plump cheeks, and ruffled his -straight hair. Little sighs of delight escaped -her lips. The past and the future were as -naught to her. She revelled only in the present.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For a few minutes thus: then a baby’s -cries filled the air. Ku Yum sat up. She remembered -the cake. It had been left behind. -She found a large green leaf, and placing that -over the baby’s mouth in the hope of mellowing -its tones, cautiously wended her way back -between the squash and cabbages.</p> - -<p class='c001'>All was quiet and still. It was just before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_317'>317</span>sundown and it was very warm. Her mother -still slept her afternoon sleep. Hastily seizing -the confection, she returned to the babe, her -face beaming with benevolence and the desire -to do good. She pushed some morsels into -the child’s mouth. It closed its eyes, wrinkled -its nose and gurgled; but its mouth did not -seem to Ku Yum to work just as a proper -mouth should under such pleasant conditions.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Behold me! Behold me!” she cried, and -herself swallowed the remainder of the cake -in two mouthfuls. Ko Ku, however, did not -seem to be greatly edified by the example set -him. The crumbs remained, half on his tongue -and half on the creases of his cheek. He still -emitted explosive noises.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum sadly surveyed him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He doesn’t know how to eat. That’s why -they don’t give him anything,” she said to -herself, and having come to this logical conclusion, -she set herself to benefit him in other -ways than the one in which she had failed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She found some worms and ants, which she -arranged on leaves and stones, meanwhile keeping -up a running commentary on their charms.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“See! This very small brown one—how -many legs it has, and how fast it runs. This -one is so green that I think its father and -mother must have been blades of grass, don’t -<span class='pageno' id='Page_318'>318</span>you? And look at the wings on this worm. -That one has no wings, but its belly is pretty -pink. Feel how nice and slimy it is. Don’t -you just love slimy things that creep on their -bellies, and things that fly in the air, and things -with four legs? Oh, all kinds of things except -grown-up things with two legs.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>She inclined the baby’s head so that his eyes -would be on a level with her collection, but -he screamed the louder for the change.</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Oh, hush thee, baby, hush thee,</div> - <div class='line'>And never, never fear</div> - <div class='line'>The bogies of the dark land,</div> - <div class='line'>When the green bamboo is near,”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c015'>she chanted in imitation of her mother. But -the baby would not be soothed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She wrinkled her childish brow. Her little -mind was perplexed. She had tried her best to -amuse her brother, but her efforts seemed in vain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her eyes fell on the pool of muddy water. -They brightened. Of all things in the world -Ku Yum loved mud, real, good, clean mud. -What bliss to dip her feet into that tempting -pool, to feel the slow brown water oozing into -her little shoes! Ku Yum had done that -before and the memory thrilled her. But with -that memory came another—a memory of -poignant pain; the cause, a bamboo cane, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_319'>319</span>which bamboo cane had been sent from China -by her father’s uncle, for the express purpose -of helping Ku Yum to walk in the straight -and narrow path laid out for a proper little -Chinese girl living in Santa Barbara.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Still the baby cried. Ku Yum looked down -on him and the cloud on her brow lifted. Ko -Ku should have the exquisite pleasure of -dipping his feet into that soft velvety water. -There would be no bamboo cane for him. -He was loved too well. Ku Yum forgot herself. -Her thoughts were entirely for Ko Ku. -She half dragged, half carried him to the pool. -In a second his feet were immersed therein -and small wiggling things were wandering up -his tiny legs. He gave a little gasp and ceased -crying. Ku Yum smiled. Ah! Ko Ku was -happy at last! Then:</p> - -<p class='c001'>Before Ku Yum’s vision flashed a large, -cruel hand. Twice, thrice it appeared, after -which, for a space of time, Ku Yum could see -nothing but twinkling stars.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“My son! My son! the evil spirit in your sister -had almost lost you to me!” cried her mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That this should happen on the day of the -completion of the moon, when the guests from -San Francisco are arriving with the gold coins. -Verily, my son, your sister is possessed of a -devil,” declared her father.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_320'>320</span>And her grandmother, speaking low, said: -“’Tis fortunate the child is alive. But be not -too hard on Ku Yum. The demon of jealousy -can best be exorcised by kindness.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And the sister of Ko Ku wailed low in the -grass, for there were none to understand.</p> - -<div class='quote'> - -<p class='c001'><span class='sc'>Note.</span>—The ceremony of the “Completion of the Moon” -takes place when a Chinese boy child attains to a month old. -His head is then shaved for the first time amidst much rejoicing. -The foundation of the babe’s future fortune is laid on that day, -for every guest invited to the shaving is supposed to present the -baby with a gold piece, no matter how small.</p> - -</div> - -<h3 id='p320' class='c011'>THE LITTLE FAT ONE</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_l-header.png' width='26' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Lee Chu and Lee Yen sat on a stone -beneath the shade of a fig tree. The -way to school seemed a very long way -and the morning was warm, the road dusty.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The master’s new pair of goggles can see -right through our heads,” observed Lee Chu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And his new cane made Hom Wo’s fingers -blister yesterday,” said Lee Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>They looked sideways at one another and -sighed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The beach must be very cool today,” said -Lee Chu after a few moments.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, yes! It is not far from here.” Thus -Lee Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And there are many pebbles.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_321'>321</span>“Of all colors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Of all colors.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The two little boys turned and looked at -each other.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Our honorable parents need never know,” -mused one.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No!” murmured the other. “School is -so far from home. And there are five new -scholars to keep the schoolmaster busy.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Yes, the beach was cool and pleasant, and -the pebbles were many, and the finest in color -and shape that Lee Chu and Lee Yen had -ever seen. The tide washed up fresh ones -every second—green, red, yellow, black, and -brown; also white and transparent beauties. -The boys exclaimed with delight as they -gathered them. The last one spied was always -the brightest sparkler.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Here’s one like fire and all the colors in -the sun,” cried Lee Chu.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And this one—it is such a bright green. -There never was another one like it!” declared -Lee Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah! most beautiful!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh! most wonderful!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And so on until they had each made an iridescent -little pile. Then they sat down to rest -and eat their lunch—some rice cakes which -their mother had placed within their sleeves.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_322'>322</span>As they sat munching these, they became -reflective. The charm of the sea and sky was -on them though they knew it not.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think,” said Lee Chu, “that these are -the most beautiful pebbles that the sea has -ever given to us.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think so too,” assented Lee Yen.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I think,” again said Lee Chu, “that I will -give mine to the Little Fat One.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The Little Fat One shall also have mine,” -said Lee Yen. He ran his fingers through his -pebbles and sighed with rapture over their -glittering. Lee Chu also sighed as his eyes -dwelt on the shining heap that was his.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The Little Fat One ran to greet them on -his little fat legs when they returned home at -sundown, and they poured their treasures into -his little tunic.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why, where do these come from?” cried -Lee Amoy, the mother, when she tried to -lift the Little Fat One on to her lap and found -him too heavy to raise.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Lee Chu and Lee Yen looked away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You bad boys!” exclaimed the mother -angrily. “You have been on the beach instead -of at school. When your father comes in I -shall tell him to cane you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, no, not bad!” contradicted the Little -Fat One, scrambling after the stones which -<span class='pageno' id='Page_323'>323</span>were slipping from his tunic. His mother -picked up some of them, observing silently -that they were particularly fine.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“They are the most beautiful pebbles that -ever were seen,” said Lee Chu sorrowfully. -He felt sure that his mother would cast them -away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The sea will never give up as fine again,” -declared Lee Yen despairingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then why did you not each keep what -you found?” asked the mother.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because—” said Lee Chu, then looked at -the Little Fat One.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Because—” echoed Lee Yen, and also -looked at the Little Fat One.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The mother’s eyes softened.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well,” said she, “for this one time we will -forget the cane.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Good! Good!” cried the Little Fat One.</p> - -<h3 id='p323' class='c011'>A CHINESE BOY-GIRL</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The warmth was deep and all-pervading. -The dust lay on the leaves of -the palms and the other tropical plants -that tried to flourish in the Plaza. The persons -of mixed nationalities lounging on the -benches within and without the square appeared -<span class='pageno' id='Page_324'>324</span>to be even more listless and unambitious -than usual. The Italians who ran the -peanut and fruit stands at the corners were -doing no business to speak of. The Chinese -merchants’ stores in front of the Plaza looked -as quiet and respectable and drowsy as such -stores always do. Even the bowling alleys, -billiard halls, and saloons seemed under the -influence of the heat, and only a subdued -clinking of glasses and roll of balls could be -heard from behind the half-open doors. It -was almost as hot as an August day in New -York City, and that is unusually sultry for -Southern California.</p> - -<p class='c001'>A little Chinese girl, with bright eyes and -round cheeks, attired in blue cotton garments, -and wearing her long, shining hair in a braid -interwoven with silks of many colors, paused -beside a woman tourist who was making a -sketch of the old Spanish church. The tourist -and the little Chinese girl were the only persons -visible who did not seem to be affected -by the heat. They might have been friends; -but the lady, fearing for her sketch, bade the -child run off. Whereupon the little thing -shuffled across the Plaza, and in less than five -minutes was at the door of the Los Angeles -Chinatown school for children.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come in, little girl, and tell me what they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_325'>325</span>call you,” said the young American teacher, -who was new to the place.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ku Yum be my name,” was the unhesitating -reply; and said Ku Yum walked into -the room, seated herself complacently on an -empty bench in the first row, and informed -the teacher that she lived on Apablaza street, -that her parents were well, but her mother -was dead, and her father, whose name was -Ten Suie, had a wicked and tormenting spirit -in his foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The teacher gave her a slate and pencil, and -resumed the interrupted lesson by indicating -with her rule ten lichis (called “Chinese nuts” -by people in America) and counting them aloud.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, -eight, nine, ten,” the baby class repeated.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After having satisfied herself by dividing -the lichis unequally among the babies, that -they might understand the difference between -a singular and a plural number, Miss Mason -began a catechism on the features of the face. -Nose, eyes, lips, and cheeks were properly -named, but the class was mute when it came -to the forehead.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is this?” Miss Mason repeated, -posing her finger on the fore part of her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Me say, me say,” piped a shrill voice, and -the new pupil stepped to the front, and touching -<span class='pageno' id='Page_326'>326</span>the forehead of the nearest child with the tips -of her fingers, christened it “one,” named the -next in like fashion “two,” a third “three,” then -solemnly pronounced the fourth a “four head.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Thus Ku Yum made her début in school, -and thus began the trials and tribulations of -her teacher.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum was bright and learned easily, but -she seemed to be possessed with the very -spirit of mischief; to obey orders was to her -an impossibility, and though she entered the -school a voluntary pupil, one day at least out -of every week found her a truant.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is Ku Yum?” Miss Mason would -ask on some particularly alluring morning, -and a little girl with the air of one testifying -to having seen a murder committed, would -reply: “She is running around with the boys.” -Then the rest of the class would settle themselves -back in their seats like a jury that has -found a prisoner guilty of some heinous offense, -and, judging by the expression on their faces, -were repeating a silent prayer somewhat in the -strain of “O Lord, I thank thee that I am not -as Ku Yum is!” For the other pupils were demure -little maidens who, after once being gathered -into the fold, were very willing to remain.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But if ever the teacher broke her heart over -any one it was over Ku Yum. When she first -<span class='pageno' id='Page_327'>327</span>came, she took an almost unchildlike interest -in the rules and regulations, even at times -asking to have them repeated to her; but her -study of such rules seemed only for the purpose -of finding a means to break them, and -that means she never failed to discover and -put into effect.</p> - -<p class='c001'>After a disappearance of a day or so she -would reappear, bearing a gorgeous bunch of -flowers. These she would deposit on Miss -Mason’s desk with a little bow; and though -one would have thought that the sweetness -of the gift and the apparent sweetness of the -giver needed but a gracious acknowledgment, -something like the following conversation -would ensue:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Teacher, I plucked these flowers for you -from the Garden of Heaven.” (They were -stolen from some park.)</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Ku Yum, whatever shall I do with -you?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Maybe you better see my father.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are a naughty girl. You shall be -punished. Take those flowers away.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Teacher, the eyebrow over your little eye -is very pretty.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But the child was most exasperating when -visitors were present. As she was one of the -brightest scholars, Miss Mason naturally expected -<span class='pageno' id='Page_328'>328</span>her to reflect credit on the school at -the examinations. On one occasion she requested -her to say some verses which the -little Chinese girl could repeat as well as any -young American, and with more expression -than most. Great was the teacher’s chagrin -when Ku Yum hung her head and said only: -“Me ’shamed, me ’shamed!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Poor little thing,” murmured the bishop’s -wife. “She is too shy to recite in public.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Miss Mason, knowing that of all children -Ku Yum was the least troubled with -shyness, was exceedingly annoyed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum had been with Miss Mason about -a year when she became convinced that some -steps would have to be taken to discipline the -child, for after school hours she simply ran -wild on the streets of Chinatown, with boys -for companions. She felt that she had a duty -to perform towards the motherless little girl; -and as the father, when apprised of the fact -that his daughter was growing up in ignorance -of all home duties, and, worse than that, -shared the sports of boy children on the -street, only shrugged his shoulders and -drawled: “Too bad! Too bad!” she determined -to act.</p> - -<p class='c001'><a id='corr328.28'></a><span class='htmlonly'><ins class='correction' title='She'>She was</ins></span><span class='epubonly'><a href='#c_328.28'><ins class='correction' title='She'>She was</ins></a></span> interested in Ku Yum’s case the president -of the Society for the Prevention of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_329'>329</span>Cruelty to Children, the matron of the Rescue -Home, and the most influential ministers, and -the result, after a month’s work, that an -order went forth from the Superior Court of -the State decreeing that Ku Yum, the child -of Ten Suie, should be removed from the -custody of her father, and, under the auspices -of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty -to Children, be put into a home for Chinese -girls in San Francisco.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her object being accomplished, strange to -say, Miss Mason did not experience that -peaceful content which usually follows a benevolent -action. Instead, the question as to -whether, after all, it was right, under the circumstances, -to deprive a father of the society -of his child, and a child of the love and care of -a parent, disturbed her mind, morning, noon, -and night. What had previously seemed her -distinct duty no longer appeared so, and she -began to wish with all her heart that she had -not interfered in the matter.</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>II</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_k-header.png' width='32' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -Ku Yum had not been seen for weeks -and those who were deputed to bring -her into the sheltering home were unable -to find her. It was suspected that the -little thing purposely kept out of the way—no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_330'>330</span>difficult matter, all Chinatown being in -sympathy with her and arrayed against Miss -Mason. Where formerly the teacher had met -with smiles and pleased greetings, she now -beheld averted faces and downcast eyes, and -her school had within a week dwindled from -twenty-four scholars to four. Verily, though -acting with the best of intentions, she had -shown a lack of diplomacy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was about nine o’clock in the evening. -She had been visiting little Lae Choo, who was -lying low with typhoid fever. As she wended -her way home through Chinatown, she did -not feel at all easy in mind; indeed, as she -passed one of the most unsavory corners and -observed some men frown and mutter among -themselves as they recognized her, she lost her -dignity in a little run. As she stopped to take -breath, she felt her skirt pulled from behind -and heard a familiar little voice say:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Teacher, be you afraid?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, Ku Yum,” she exclaimed, “is that -you?” Then she added reprovingly: “Do -you think it is right for a little Chinese girl -to be out alone at this time of the night?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I be not alone,” replied the little creature, -and in the gloom Miss Mason, could distinguish -behind her two boyish figures.</p> - -<p class='c001'>She shook her head.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_331'>331</span>“Ku Yum, will you promise me that you -will try to be a good little girl?” she asked.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ku Yum answered solemnly:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ku Yum <em>never</em> be a good girl.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her heart hardened. After all, it was best -that the child should be placed where she -would be compelled to behave herself.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Come, see my father,” said Ku Yum -pleadingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Her voice was soft, and her expression was -so subdued that the teacher could hardly believe -that the moment before she had defiantly -stated that she would never be a good -girl. She paused irresolutely. Should she -make one more appeal to the parent to make -her a promise which would be a good excuse -for restraining the order of the Court? Ah, -if he only would, and she only could prevent -the carrying out of that order!</p> - -<p class='c001'>They found Ten Suie among his curiosities, -smoking a very long pipe with a very small, -ivory bowl. He calmly surveyed the teacher -through a pair of gold-rimmed goggles, and -under such scrutiny it was hard indeed for her -to broach the subject that was on her mind. -However, after admiring the little carved -animals, jars, vases, bronzes, dishes, pendants, -charms, and snuff-boxes displayed in his handsome -showcase, she took courage.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_332'>332</span>“Mr. Ten Suie,” she began, “I have come -to speak to you about Ku Yum.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ten Suie laid down his pipe and leaned over -the counter. Under his calm exterior some -strong excitement was working, for his eyes -glittered exceedingly.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Perhaps you speak too much about Ku -Yum alleady,” he said. “Ku Yum be my -child. I bling him up, as I please. Now, -teacher, I tell you something. One, two, -three, four, five, seven, eight, nine years go -by, I have five boy. One, two, three, four, -five, six, seven years go, I have four boy. One, -two, three, four, five, six years go by, I have -one boy. Every year for three year evil -spirit come, look at my boy, and take him. -Well, one, two, three, four, five, six years go -by, I see but one boy, he four year old. I say -to me: Ten Suie, evil spirit be jealous. I be -’flaid he want my one boy. I dless him like -one girl. Evil spirit think him one girl, and -go away; no want girl.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Ten Suie ceased speaking, and settled back -into his seat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>For some moments Miss Mason stood uncomprehending. -Then the full meaning of -Ten Suie’s words dawned upon her, and she -turned to Ku Yum, and taking the child’s -little hand in hers, said:</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_333'>333</span>“Goodbye, Ku Yum. Your father, by -passing you off as a girl, thought to keep an -evil spirit away from you; but just by that -means he brought another, and one which -nearly took you from him too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Goodbye, teacher,” said Ku Yum, smiling -wistfully. “I never be good girl, but perhaps -I be good boy.”</p> - -<h3 id='p333' class='c011'>PAT AND PAN</h3> - -<h4 class='c012'>I</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -They lay there, in the entrance to the -joss house, sound asleep in each other’s -arms. Her tiny face was hidden upon -his bosom and his white, upturned chin rested -upon her black, rosetted head.</p> - -<p class='c001'>It was that white chin which caused the -passing Mission woman to pause and look -again at the little pair. Yes, it was a white -boy and a little Chinese girl; he, about five, -she, not more than three years old.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Whose is that boy?” asked the Mission -woman of the peripatetic vender of Chinese -fruits and sweetmeats.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“That boy! Oh, him is boy of Lum Yook -that make the China gold ring and bracelet.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“But he is white.”</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_334'>334</span>“Yes, him white; but all same, China boy. -His mother, she not have any white flend, and -the wife of Lum Yook give her lice and tea, so -when she go to the land of spilit, she give her -boy to the wife of Lum Yook. Lady, you -want buy lichi?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>While Anna Harrison was extracting a dime -from her purse the black, rosetted head slowly -turned and a tiny fist began rubbing itself -into a tiny face.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, chickabiddy, have you had a nice -nap?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Tjo ho! tjo ho!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The black eyes gazed solemnly and disdainfully -at the stranger.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“She tell you to be good,” chuckled the old -man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh, you quaint little thing!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>The quaint little thing hearing herself thus -apostrophized, turned herself around upon the -bosom of the still sleeping boy and, reaching -her arms up to his neck, buried her face again, -under his chin. This, of course, awakened -him. He sat up and stared bewilderedly at -the Mission woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“What is the boy’s name?” she asked, noting -his gray eyes and rosy skin.</p> - -<p class='c001'>His reply, though audible, was wholly unintelligible -to the American woman.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_335'>335</span>“He talk only Chinese talk,” said the old -man.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Anna Harrison was amazed. A white boy -in America talking only Chinese talk! She -placed her bag of lichis beside him and was -amused to see the little girl instantly lean over -her companion and possess herself of it. The -boy made no attempt to take it from her, and -the little thing opened the bag and cautiously -peeped in. What she saw evoked a chirrup -of delight. Quickly she brought forth one of -the browny-red fruit nuts, crushed and pulled -off its soft shell. But to the surprise of the -Mission woman, instead of putting it into her -own mouth, she thrust the sweetish, dried -pulp into that of her companion. She repeated -this operation several times, then -cocking her little head on one side, asked:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ho ’m ho? Is it good or bad?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ho! ho!” answered the boy, removing several -pits from his mouth and shaking his head to -signify that he had had enough. Whereupon -the little girl tasted herself of the fruit.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pat! Pan! Pat! Pan!” called a woman’s -voice, and a sleek-headed, kindly-faced matron -in dark blue pantalettes and tunic, wearing -double hooped gold earrings, appeared around -the corner. Hearing her voice, the boy -jumped up with a merry laugh and ran out -<span class='pageno' id='Page_336'>336</span>into the street. The little girl more seriously -and slowly followed him.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Him mother!” informed the lichi man.</p> - -<p class='c009'>II</p> - -<div class='c001'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -When Anna Harrison, some months -later, opened her school for white -and Chinese children in Chinatown, -she determined that Pat, the adopted son of -Lum Yook, the Chinese jeweller, should learn -to speak his mother tongue. For a white boy -to grow up as a Chinese was unthinkable. -The second time she saw him, it was some -kind of a Chinese holiday, and he was in great -glee over a row of red Chinese candles and -punk which he was burning on the curb of -the street, in company with a number of -Chinese urchins. Pat’s candle was giving a -brighter and bigger flame than any of the -others, and he was jumping up and down with -his legs doubled under him from the knees -like an india-rubber ball, while Pan, from the -doorstep of her father’s store, applauded him -in vociferous, infantile Chinese.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Miss Harrison laid her hand upon the boy’s -shoulder and spoke to him. It had not been -very difficult for her to pick up a few Chinese -phrases. Would he not like to come to her -<span class='pageno' id='Page_337'>337</span>school and see some pretty pictures? Pat -shook his ruddy curls and looked at Pan. -Would Pan come too? Yes, Pan would. -Pan’s memory was good, and so were lichis -and shredded cocoanut candy.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Of course Pan was too young to go to school—a -mere baby; but if Pat could not be got -without Pan, why then Pan must come too. -Lum Yook and his wife, upon being interviewed, -were quite willing to have Pat learn -English. The foster-father could speak a little -of the language himself; but as he used it -only when in business or when speaking to -Americans, Pat had not benefited thereby. -However, he was more eager than otherwise -to have Pat learn “the speech of his ancestors,” -and promised that he would encourage the -little ones to practise “American” together -when at home.</p> - -<p class='c001'>So Pat and Pan went to the Mission school, -and for the first time in their lives suffered -themselves to be divided, for Pat had to sit -with the boys and tiny Pan had a little red -chair near Miss Harrison, beside which were -placed a number of baby toys. Pan was not -supposed to learn, only to play.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Pan did learn. In a year’s time, -although her talk was more broken and babyish, -she had a better English vocabulary than -<span class='pageno' id='Page_338'>338</span>had Pat. Moreover, she could sing hymns -and recite verses in a high, shrill voice; whereas -Pat, though he tried hard enough, poor little -fellow, was unable to memorize even a sentence. -Naturally, Pat did not like school as well as -did Pan, and it was only Miss Harrison’s persistent -ambition for him that kept him there.</p> - -<p class='c001'>One day, when Pan was five and Pat was -seven, the little girl, for the first time, came to -school alone.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Where is Pat?” asked the teacher.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Pat, he is sick today,” replied Pan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Sick!” echoed Miss Harrison. “Well, that -is too bad. Poor Pat! What is the matter -with him?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A big dog bite him.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>That afternoon, the teacher, on her way to -see the bitten Pat, beheld him up an alley -busily engaged in keeping five tops spinning -at one time, while several American boys stood -around, loudly admiring the Chinese feat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The next morning Pat received five strokes -from a cane which Miss Harrison kept within her -desk and used only on special occasions. These -strokes made Pat’s right hand tingle smartly; -but he received them with smiling grace.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Miss Harrison then turned to five year old -Pan, who had watched the caning with tearful -interest.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_339'>339</span>“Pan!” said the teacher, “you have been -just as naughty as Pat, and you must be -punished too.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I not stay away flom school!” protested -Pan.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No,”—severely—“you did not stay -away from school; but you told me a dog had -bitten Pat, and that was not true. Little -girls must not say what is not true. Teacher -does not like to slap Pan’s hands, but she must -do it, so that Pan will remember that she must -not say what is not true. Come here!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pan, hiding her face in her sleeve, sobbingly -arose.</p> - -<p class='c001'>The teacher leaned forward and pulling -down the uplifted arm, took the small hand -in her own and slapped it. She was about -to do this a second time when Pat bounded -from his seat, pushed Pan aside, and shaking -his little fist in the teacher’s face, dared her -in a voice hoarse with passion:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You hurt my Pan again! You hurt my -Pan again!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>They were not always lovers—those two. -It was aggravating to Pat, when the teacher -finding he did not know his verse, would turn -to Pan and say:</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Well, Pan, let us hear you.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Pan, who was the youngest child in -<span class='pageno' id='Page_340'>340</span>school and unusually small for her years, would -pharisaically clasp her tiny fingers and repeat -word for word the verse desired to be heard.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I hate you, Pan!” muttered Pat on one -such occasion.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Happily Pan did not hear him. She was -serenely singing:</p> - -<div class='lg-container-b c014'> - <div class='linegroup'> - <div class='group'> - <div class='line'>“Yesu love me, t’is I know,</div> - <div class='line'>For the Bible tell me so.”</div> - </div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c013'>But though a little seraph in the matter of -singing hymns and repeating verses, Pan, for -a small Chinese girl, was very mischievous. -Indeed, she was the originator of most of the -mischief which Pat carried out with such -spirit. Nevertheless, when Pat got into -trouble, Pan, though sympathetic, always had -a lecture for him. “Too bad, too bad! Why -not you be good like me?” admonished she -one day when he was suffering “consequences.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pat looked down upon her with wrathful eyes.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Why,” he asked, “is bad people always so -good?”</p> - -<h4 class='c012'>III</h4> - -<div class='c013'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_t-header.png' width='31' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_1'> -The child of the white woman, who -had been given a babe into the arms -of the wife of Lum Yook, was regarded -as their own by the Chinese jeweller and his -wife, and they bestowed upon him equal love -<span class='pageno' id='Page_341'>341</span>and care with the little daughter who came -two years after him. If Mrs. Lum Yook -showed any favoritism whatever, it was to -Pat. He was the first she had cradled to her -bosom; the first to gladden her heart with baby -smiles and wiles; the first to call her Ah Ma; -the first to love her. On his eighth birthday, -she said to her husband: “The son of the -white woman is the son of the white woman, -and there are many tongues wagging because -he lives under our roof. My heart is as heavy -as the blackest heavens.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Peace, my woman,” answered the easy-going -man. “Why should we trouble before -trouble comes?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>When trouble did come it was met calmly -and bravely. To the comfortably off American -and wife who were to have the boy and “raise -him as an American boy should be raised,” -they yielded him without protest. But deep -in their hearts was the sense of injustice and -outraged love. If it had not been for their -pity for the unfortunate white girl, their care -and affection for her helpless offspring, there -would have been no white boy for others to -“raise.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Pat and Pan? “I will not leave -my Pan! I will not leave my Pan!” shouted -Pat.</p> - -<p class='c001'><span class='pageno' id='Page_342'>342</span>“But you must!” sadly urged Lum Yook. -“You are a white boy and Pan is Chinese.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I am Chinese too! I am Chinese too!” -cried Pat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“He Chinese! He Chinese!” pleaded Pan. -Her little nose was swollen with crying; her -little eyes red-rimmed.</p> - -<p class='c001'>But Pat was driven away.</p> - -<p class='c013'>Pat, his schoolbooks under his arm, was -walking down the hill, whistling cheerily. His -roving glance down a side street was suddenly -arrested.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Gee!” he exclaimed. “If that isn’t Pan! -Pan, oh, Pan!” he shouted.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pan turned. There was a shrill cry of delight, -and Pan was clinging to Pat, crying: -“Nice Pat! Good Pat!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then she pushed him away from her and -scanned him from head to foot.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Nice coat! Nice boot! How many -dollars?” she queried.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pat laughed good-humoredly. “I don’t -know,” he answered. “Mother bought them.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Mother!” echoed Pan. She puckered her -brows for a moment.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“You are grown big, Pat,” was her next -remark.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And you have grown little, Pan,” retorted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_343'>343</span>Pat. It was a year since they had seen -one another and Pan was much smaller than -any of his girl schoolfellows.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Do you like to go to the big school?” -asked Pan, noticing the books.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I don’t like it very much. But, say, Pan, -I learn lots of things that you don’t know -anything about.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pan eyed him wistfully. finally she said: -“O Pat! A-Toy, she die.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“A-Toy! Who is A-Toy?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The meow, Pat; the big gray meow! Pat, -you have forgot to remember.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Pat looked across A-Toy’s head and far -away.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Chinatown is very nice now,” assured Pan. -“Hum Lock has two trays of brass beetles -in his store and Ah Ma has many flowers!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I would like to see the brass beetles,” -said Pat.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And father’s new glass case?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And Ah Ma’s flowers?”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Then come, Pat.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“I can’t, Pan!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Oh!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>Again Pat was walking home from school, -this time in company with some boys. Suddenly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_344'>344</span>a glad little voice sounded in his ear. -It was Pan’s.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Ah, Pat!” cried she joyfully. “I find -you! I find you!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Hear the China kid!” laughed one of the -boys.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Then Pat turned upon Pan. “Get away -from me,” he shouted. “Get away from me!”</p> - -<p class='c001'>And Pan did get away from him—just as -fast as her little legs could carry her. But -when she reached the foot of the hill, she -looked up and shook her little head sorrowfully. -“Poor Pat!” said she. “He Chinese -no more; he Chinese no more!”</p> - -<h3 id='p344' class='c011'>THE CROCODILE PAGODA</h3> - -<div class='c009'> - <img class='drop-capi' src='images/i_w-header.png' width='42' height='35' alt='' /> -</div><p class='drop-capi1_6'> -When the father of Chung and Choy -returned from the big city where -lived their uncle, he brought each of -his little girls a present of a pretty, painted -porcelain cup and saucer. Chung’s was of -the blue of the sky after rain, and on the blue -was painted a silver crane and a bird with a -golden breast. Choy’s cup was of a milky -pink transparency, upon which light bouquets -of flowers appeared to have been thrown; it -was so beautiful in sight, form, and color -<span class='pageno' id='Page_345'>345</span>that there seemed nothing in it to be improved -upon. Yet was Choy discontented and envied -her sister, Chung, the cup of the blue of the -sky after rain. Not that she vented her -feelings in any unseemly noise or word. That -was not Choy’s way. But for one long night -and one long day after the pretty cups had been -brought home, did Choy remain mute and -still, refusing to eat her meals, or to move -from the couch upon which she had thrown -herself at sight of her sister’s cup. Choy was -sulking.</p> - -<p class='c001'>On the evening of the long day, little Chung, -seated on her stool by her mother’s side, -asked her parent to tell her the story of the -picture on the vase which her father had -brought from the city for her mother. It was -a charming little piece of china of a deep -violet velvet color, fluted on top with gold -like the pipes of an organ, and in the centre -was a pagoda enamelled thereon in gold and -silver. Chung knew that there must be a -story about that pagoda, for she had overheard -her father tell her mother that it was -the famous Crocodile Pagoda.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“There are no crocodiles in the picture. -Why is it called a crocodile pagoda?” asked -Chung.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Listen, my Jes’mine flower,” replied the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_346'>346</span>mother. She raised her voice, for she wished -Choy, her Orchid Flower, also to hear the -story.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Once upon a time, there was a big family -of crocodiles that lived in a Rippling River by -a beach whose sands were of gold. The young -crocodiles had a merry life of it, and their -father and mother were very good and kind -to them. But one day, the young crocodiles -wanted to climb a hill back of the beach of -golden sand, and the parents, knowing that -their children would perish if allowed to have -their way, told them: ‘Nay, nay.’</p> - -<p class='c001'>“The young crocodiles thereupon scooped -a large hole in the sand and lay down therein. -For half a moon they lived there, without food -or drink, and when their parents cried to -them to come out and sport as before in -the Rippling River, they paid no attention -whatever, so sadly sulky their mood.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“One day there came along a number of -powerful beings, who, when they saw the -golden sands of the Rippling River, exclaimed: -‘How gloriously illuminating is this beach! -Let us build a pagoda thereon.’ They saw -the hole which the young crocodiles had made, -but they could not see the hole-makers at the -bottom thereof. So they set to work and -filled the hole, and on top thereof they built -<span class='pageno' id='Page_347'>347</span>a great pagoda. That is the pagoda of the -picture on the vase.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“And did the children crocodiles never get -out?” asked Chung in a sad little voice.</p> - -<p class='c001'>“No, daughter,” replied the mother. “After -the pagoda was on top of them they began -to feel very hungry and frightened. It -was so dark. They cried to their father and -mother to bring them food and find them a -way to the light; but the parent crocodiles, -upon seeing the pagoda arise, swam far away. -They knew that they never more should see -their children. And from that day till now, -the young crocodiles have remained in darkness -under the pagoda, shut off forever from -the light of the sun and the Rippling River.”</p> - -<p class='c001'>“Please, honorable mother,” spake a weak -little voice, “may I have some tea in my -pretty, pink porcelain cup?”</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c000' /> -</div> -<p class='c001'><a id='endnote'></a></p> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>Transcriber’s Note</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<p class='c001'>Several words appear with and without hyphenation, and are retained as -printed: passersby/passers-by, everyday/every-day, singsong/sing-song, -doorstep/door-step.</p> - -<p class='c001'>Errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and -are noted here. The references are to the page and line in the original.</p> - -<table class='table1' summary=''> -<colgroup> -<col width='12%' /> -<col width='69%' /> -<col width='18%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_3.11'></a><a href='#corr3.11'>3.11</a></td> - <td class='c007'>comforted Mrs. Spring Fragrance[,]</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_4.22'></a><a href='#corr4.22'>4.22</a></td> - <td class='c007'>said Mr[.] Spring Fragrance</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_36.6'></a><a href='#corr36.6'>36.6</a></td> - <td class='c007'>but schoolgirls in comparison.[”]</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_50.21'></a><a href='#corr50.21'>50.21</a></td> - <td class='c007'>in a long yellow book[.]</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_114.26'></a><a href='#corr114.26'>114.26</a></td> - <td class='c007'>“Oh![”] I cried,</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_119.28'></a><a href='#corr119.28'>119.28</a></td> - <td class='c007'>‘Let me pass, sir,[’]</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_119.29'></a><a href='#corr119.29'>119.29</a></td> - <td class='c007'>in that tone of voice.[’]”</td> - <td class='c020'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_146.29'></a><a href='#corr146.29'>146.29</a></td> - <td class='c007'>think of no reply to Lin [W/F]o’s speech.</td> - <td class='c020'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_152.21'></a><a href='#corr152.21'>152.21</a></td> - <td class='c007'>At these word[s] the girl bent</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_171.22'></a><a href='#corr171.22'>171.22</a></td> - <td class='c007'>[“]She seems less every day,”</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_172.12'></a><a href='#corr172.12'>172.12</a></td> - <td class='c007'>“Then,[”] said the young fellow,</td> - <td class='c020'>Added.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_174.21'></a><a href='#corr174.21'>174.21</a></td> - <td class='c007'>The lawyer moved le[si/is]urely</td> - <td class='c020'>Transposed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_228.8'></a><a href='#corr228.8'>228.8</a></td> - <td class='c007'>a little mouse sq[u]eaked it</td> - <td class='c020'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_281.17'></a><a href='#corr281.17'>281.17</a></td> - <td class='c007'>making worse my broken wing[?/.]</td> - <td class='c020'>Replaced.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_284.15'></a><a href='#corr284.15'>284.15</a></td> - <td class='c007'>answered the other birds.[”]</td> - <td class='c020'>Removed.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_315.10'></a><a href='#corr315.10'>315.10</a></td> - <td class='c007'>smile and sing whe[n]ever she had the baby</td> - <td class='c020'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c007'><a id='c_328.28'></a><a href='#corr328.28'>328.28</a></td> - <td class='c007'>She [was] interested</td> - <td class='c020'>Inserted.</td> - </tr> -</table> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mrs. Spring Fragrance, by Sui Sin Far - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MRS. 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