HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1874-09-04, Page 21
eeMte,
THE HURON gxposITOR.
4
WAN LEE, THE PACAN.
BY. BART HARTEr.
As I openedHop Sing's letter, there
fluttered to the ground a square strip of
yellow paper cevered with laieroglyphics
which at first glance I innocently took
to be the label, from a pack of Chinese
fire -crackers. Bat the same envelope
also contained a smaller strip of Hee
paper, with two Chinese charaetein
traced in Lain) ink, that I at once kneiv
to be Hop Sing's. visiting card. -Ph
whole, as afterwards literally translate
ran as follows:
"To the stranger the gates of thy house are neR
closed; the rice jar is on the left, and the I
sweetmeats on the right as yeti enter.
Two sayings of the Master:
• Hospitality il5 the virtue of the son aud tho
wisdom of the ancestor.
The Superior man is light hearted after the
• crop -gathering; he makes a festival.
When the stranger is in your melon .patch ob-
serve him not too closely ; inattention is of-
ten the highest form Of civility.
Happinees, Peace and ProsperitY.
Eo r arso."'
Admirable, certainly, as was this
morality and proverbial wiedom, ann an
though this laet axiom wa$ very char-
acteristic of my friend Hop Singwho
was that most sombre of all humorists . a
Chinese philosopher, I must coulees th a' ti
even after a very free translation, I was
at a loss to make any immediateappli-
oation of the :message Luckily I dis-
covered a third euelosure .in the shape
of a little not in Euglish and Hop
Sing's own commercial hand. It ran
thus:.
- t 1
" The pleasure of your company is requested
at No.— Sacramento St. on Friday evening at 13
o'clock. A cup of tea at 9—sharp.
Hoz, Slim." 1
This explained all. It meant a visit
to Hop Sing's warehouse, the °pelting
and exhibition of some rare Chinese
novelties and curios, a chat in the bank
office, a eup of tea of a peffectiori un-
known beyond these sacrecl precincts,
cigars, and a visit to the Chinese Theatre
or Temple. This was, in fact, the fav-
orite programme of Hop Sing when he
exercised nis -functions of hospitality an
the chief factor or Superintendent of the
Ning Foo COnapamy S
At 8 o'clock on Fridav evenirig I en-
tered the warehouse of Hop Sing. There
•was that deliciously commingled anys-
terious foreign odor that 1: had so 'often
noticed; there was the ,old array of Nn -
SA
ate
couth lookingeobjects, the long ''pr ' s-
sion of jars and crockery, the same : - n-
gular blending of the grotesque ann',%, he
Mathematically neat and exact, the
endless suggestions of frivolity and !1fra-
gility, the same want of harmony inicon
ors that were each, in themselves,
beautiful and rare. Kites in the shape
e of enormous dragons and gigantic b.ut-
terflys ; kites so - ingeniously arranged .
as to utter at intervals, 'when facing the
wind, the cry of a hawk; kites so large
as to be beyond, any bo 's power of re-
straint—so large that you understood
why kite -flying m Ohini was an amuse-
ment for adults; god of -China and
bronze SO gratuitously ugly as to be be .
• yond any naman interest or sympathy
from their very impossibility ; jars ef
sweetineats covered_ all . over with moral
n sentiments from. Confucius ; hats that
looked like baskets, and • baskets that
' looked like hats; silks so light that I
hesitate to recordthe incredible number'
of square yards : that you might pass
through the ring on your little finger—
these and a great many other indme
• cribable Objects were all familiar with me.
I pushed my way through, the diinly-
lighted warehouse until 1 teethed the
back oflice or parlor, where 1 found Hop
Sing waiting. to receive me.
Before I describe him I want the aver-
age reader to discharge from his mind
any idea of a Chinaman that he may
have gathered frou the nantomine. He
did not wear beantifully scalloped draw-
ers fringed with little bells—I never met
a Chinaman who did; he did not hab-
itually carry his forefinger extended be-
fore him at right -angles with. his body,
nor did I ever hear him utter the mys-
terious sentence " Ching a ring a ring
chaw," nor dance under' any pravocetion.
He was, on the whole, a rather grave,
decorous, handsome gentleman. His
complexion, which extended all over his
head, except where his long pig -tail
grew, was like a very nice piece of glaz-
ed brown paper -muslin. His eyes were
black and bright, and his eye -lids set at
an angle of 15°, his nose. straight and
delicately formed,' his month sniall, mid
his teeth white and clean. He wore a -
dark blue silk blouse; and in the streets
on cold days; a short jacket of astrakhan
. fur. He wore also a pair of drawers of
blue brocade gathered tightly over his
calves and ankles, offering a general sors
of suggestion that he had forgotten hie
trousers that morning, bat, that so gen-
tlemanly were hie manners,. his frieads
had forborne to mention the fact to him.
His manner was urbane, altbough quite -
• serious. He spoke French auZI, English
fluently. In brief, I doubt if you could
have fonacl the equal of this.Pagan shop-
keeper among the 0 haistian traders of
San Francisco. .
. There were a fevi, others- present ::. a
.
Judge of the Federal -Court, an editor.; a
high gov-ernment official, and a promin-
ent ta.erehant. After we had drunk our
tea, and tasted a few sweetmeats from a
mysterious jar, that looked as` if it might
contain a preserved mouse &Meng its
other nondescript treasures, Hop Sine
arose amd, gravely beckoning nis to fol-
low him; began to descend to the bane.-
ment. When we got there, we were
amazed at finning it brilliantly lighted,
and. that a number of chairs were arrang-
ed in a half circle 011 the asphalt pave-.
ment. Anlien he had courteously seated
us he said : ,.
them with it here. . He began by set -
tine to flight, with the a d of his fan, the
lisual number of butterfl ies Mede before
oue eyedeif little bits of 1issue paper, and
kept tnem in the air du ing the remain -
dee of the performance. I have a vivid
tecolleetian of the.Jwlgc trying to catch
One that had lit on his knee, and of its
evading him with -the ijertinacity of a:
li ing .rjrisect. And. even at tais time
Wang, still Playing his fan, was taking
ch ekens out of hats, eking oranges
disappear, palling endless yards of silk
fr in his sleeve, apparently fiLing the
. iv ole nada of the base eat with goods
that appeared mysteriously from the
ground, from his own leeves, from no
where l., 'elle swallowed knifes to the
ruin of his digestion for years to come,
le alien:mated. every li b of his body,
he'reclined in the air, . ppanent y upon
nothing. But his cr wiling erforrn-.
a ce; initich I have ney r ye e een' re -
pe ted,eias the most mad, utisterious
and astntincling. It is y a m Ogy , for
this long introduction, my pi I excuse
for 'writing this asticl , the ge1tesis of
th s veradions history.
be .heige4,.reitedtheeiesfogro
r asuin.), of
fe t square, and theru ii
vie Ilt forward and again
di 1. so Itrairely ; there es
thb cemented pavement clow
or felt. He then asked for ti
a I land kerphien and,as 1 chai
imarest him, I offere(l m ne. E1
:
.an I spread it open apon Itlie fl
this he spread a large minare,
over this again a large shawl,
eri ' gthe space he hid clearea.
took a position at one of th
the
this rectangle, and begaa
chant, reeking his bed
tithe with the somewhat
Ve sat still alid wait
h nt We. could hear the
city cloeks, and the oeca lona .
att in the street "overhead. I
1 te watchfulness, and expe G,t
iiirn mysterious half light on
fel log in h .grewsome way upl)
s 1 pen 'bulk of a Chineee del
ba kgronad; a faint sraell'of o
ingling , with spice, an th
uncertainty of what we a ere r
.a g for, sent an uncomfort
down our backs, and malde 1
ckch other with a_ forced land
sinile. . , This feeling Was 1
A h n. Hop Sing slowly rose,
out a word, pointed with his
the entre of the shawl. '
There was .something be ;ath the
s a 1. Surely -nand somethin' tiiat was
not ,there before. At first a i ek sug-
gestion `in relief, a faint 011. e e but
gro -Mg more end more di t net and
visi le every moment. The c i iut still
c0iitinuecl, the perspiration bete n to roll
frothe singer's face, gradually the hid-
den. object took upon itself a s i me and
bulk that raised the shawl' in 4- centre.
•sonid five or six inches. It was ow un -
Mist kably the outline on a si all but
..pert et 'human figure, with :atended
'antis and legs. One or two of .a turned
pale, there was a feelipg of gen ral un-
easiness; until the editor br ke the
silen e by a gibe that, poor as it i as, was
recei ed with spontaneous enthusiasm.
Then the chant suddenly ceased. ' Wang
arose and, with a quick, dexterous move.,
inens stripped both shawl rand sil e away,
and discovered, , -sleeping peq.cefully
upon ray handkernhief, a tinyj hinese -
baby
The tapplause and uproar w ich fol.
lo -wed this revelation ought to h e satis-
fied Wang, even i his audien was a
stiallione ; it was oud enough await -
year cild, looking li e a Cupid. c out of
en the baby—a pre ty little boy out a
sande wood.Ele was whisk away
4
alines as neysteri usly as lie a ieared.
'When Hop Sing r turned iny i I 'dicer -
No
chief o me withalbow, 1 asL-el if the
er of the bab ''
erturbable H Sing,
at Spanish rm of
o comnion • Cali-
!
c a new ibab
s , encum-
ce. of a Imut 15
vited u all to
xamt e t. We
as n th ng but
to be seen
e loan of
c 1 to be
took it
Over
o s lk, and
ly cov- .
e then
pints ot
a i on tonous
to ni fro in
ugu 110 s air.
d. b ve the
stri n of -the
tle of a
abso-
t on, the
ti e cellar
the mis-
1 in the
smoke
djreadfnl
1,y wait-
• 1thrill
look at
rinatural
ijihtened
, with -
ger to
or
juggle . was the fat
Sane ! ' said the im.
taking, refuge in t
non -co . mittaliem
ferule.
"Bt t does he ha
ery pe,formatice !" 1 asked._ " I)
Who ows ?"- " But what will
of this one ?" " Whatever yott.
gentler ien," repliedop Sing,
courte us inclinatior , • "" it was no
—you re its pelleti H
ers." I
There were two c mracterietic p
ities on any Calif°. nian assemb
1856 ; it was quick to take I a, hi
generous to. the poi tof predig
ite response to an charitable
No matter hew sor "(Loa anaribia
individual, he coul not reeist t
fection, of !syMpat i y. . I daub e
points lof ray hand ercbief into
droppen a coin int • it, and,1 wit
Word, 'passed it to t e Judge.; lIn quiet-
ly add d a twenty . oiler gold pien , and
passedit to the ne t ; when it A: as re-
turued to me it coil. mined °veal., h : mired
dollars I knotte the money e 1 the
handke -chief, and gave it • -tal Hop
Sing. 1
" Ifoi the baby, f .am its godfat .ers.”
'tut what nem. ," said the 'Judge.
There as a ratline r fire of :`,' Er' bus,"
Plutus, ' " Term tta,"
" Anteus," &c., ctre IF111414 .th'01'C1U-eS"
‘ • WAy riot keep is own i nam 9" hp
li
tion NV as referred to our host, ' I
said gaietly-en` Wan Lee." •A d he
did.
And thus was:Wan Lee, on thr night
of Friday, the nth of March, 151, born
into this, veracious chronicle.
or ev- 1
haps ;
ecome
cboose,
ith a
here,
ge in
a and
1 ty in
peah
is the
e in -
1 the
bag,
out a
The last form of the No-ther Star
for the .16th -of It leg, 1865, th only
daily p per publishen in Klamath oun-
ye--hati just gone tie press, and. alr 3 A.
I was puttingaside my proof and
uanusc preparatory to going I ome,
vhen 1 kliscovered a. letter lying i nder
ogle sheets of paper which 1 musj have
verlooked. The envelope wad co4 icier-
bly soiled, it had no post mark, i ut I
ad no lifficulty in eecognizin th land
f my 1rieiid Hop nine. 1 open d. it
urrie.dlly,
and read as follows .
" MY DEAR. SIR : I do not now
hether the bearer will suit you, but
nless t re office, of. devil' in your ews-
aper is a purely technical one, I hink
e has all the qualities recluirene is
ery quick, actiere I and intelligent un--
erstande English 'better than, he s eaks
,
and. makes op for any - defect It his
abits bf observation and imitte ion.
ou haale onlyto show him how te do a
hing once, and he will repeatit, Naeth-
er it is an 'offence or a virtue. i But you
certain]. know him already'. • • you are
one of his god fathers, for is he not
Wan Leu, the reputed son of Wangt1 the
onjuret, to whose performauces 'had
e honoo to introduce you? But, per,
ape, you have forgotten it.
"1 shall send. him with a, gan of
()lies td Stockton, thence by enpr s to
ur town. In you can use him t ere,
u Will! do Me a favor, and prob bly
ve his life; which is at present in •eat
ril froto. the hands of the yon ger
1
-t
:A
,1
"1 ha.ve invited yon to witness a pet- N
formance which I can, at least, promiee s
you no other foreigners but yourselves o
have ever seen. Wang, the court jug- a
gler, arrived. here yesterday morning. h
He has never given a performauce out- o
side of the palace before. I haveasked h
him to entertain my friends this. even-
ing. He requires no theatre, stage ad, w
cessories or any confederate,—nothing u
more than you see here. Will you be n
pleaeed to examu
examine the ground your- h
selves, gentlemen." v
Of course we examined the premisee. d
It was the ordinary basement or celler it
of the San Francisco Store -house, cement- h
ed to keep out the damp, We .poked 1
our sticks into the pavement and rap- t
ped on the walls to satiny </tunable host,
• but far no other purpose. We were
quite content to be the victims of any
. deception. For myself, I knew 1 was
• ready to be deluded to any extent, and 0,
if I had. been offered. an explanatien of th
what followed, I should have probably n
declined. it.
,
Although I am satisfied that Wang's co
general performance was the first of that , yo
kind ever given on ,American sail, it has- yo
I
probably since become so fan:tiller to. sa
many of my readers that I shall not here pe
• embers of your Christian and highly
c*vilized race who att nd the enlighten
-
e schools in San Fra cisco. -
"He has acquired ome singular hab-
it and customs from his experience of
ang s profession, hich he followed
f r 80Me years, until • e became too large
t go in a hat, or be produced from his
ther's sleeve. Th. money you left
ith me has been ex ended on his edu-
c tion;.he has gone through the Tri-
li lassies, but, I think, without
uch b netit. He ki oars but little of •
rifuci s, and. abso utely nothing of
enciu . Owing to t e negligence ef his
fa ther, 1 e associated, perhaps, too much
• "tli &i eritan'ehildr n.
I 81 ould have ans erecl your letter
b fore, ly poet). but I thought that Wan
ee hii self would be better messenger
f r this. Yours resp ctfully,
"Hop SING." -
Andhis was the 1 ng -delayed answer
to my I tter to Hop Sing, But where
was "t e bearer ?" ow was the *letter
delivere I ? . I summo ed hastily the fore-
man, pr nters and off' e -boy, but without
eliciting anything ; n one had seen the
letter d livered, nor knew anything of
the bear r. A. few d ys later I had a
• visit fro 1 my laundry man, Ah Ri.
" Yoi .wantee deb il ? All lightee ;
me -tette] ee him:"
He re tithed in a fe moments with a
bright -1 oking Chine e boy, -about ten
years ol. , with whose appearance I was'
sOgreat y itnitreseecl t at I engaged Min
on the spot. . Whei the business was
conduct • d, 1 asked hi - name.
" Wa i Lee," said ti e boy. -
" Wh t! Are you the boy sent out
by Hop ning? What the devil ,do you:
mean b not coming 11 re before, and how
did you eliyer that le ter ?" --
Wan ee looked a me and laughed.
"Me pi chee in top si e window."
I did not understm d. • He 'looked for
a momei t perpleted, a id thenesnatching
the lett r but of my h nd, ran down the
stairs. fter a moni at's pause, to my
• great as onishoaent, th letter came flying.
in the indow, circle twice around the
room, a d then drop ed gently like a
bird up n my table. .Before I.had got
over ray surprise Alfa Lee reappeared,
smiled, ooked at the etter and then at
me, said "So, John," 1 ad then remained
gravely ilent. I sad( nothing further,
but it A as 1111ClerStOOd:tilibt this was his
first offt ial act.
His n xt performan , I grieve to say,
was not ttended withl qualeaccess. One
of our egulan paper carriers fell sick,
and, at pinch, Wan ee was ordered to
fill his •lace. To pa vent mistakes he
wag sho n over the oute the previous
evening, and supplied at about daylight
-with th usual numb r of subscribers'
copies. e returned inter an hour, in
good spiiits and withot t the papers. He
had deli ered them all he said.
Unfort mately for n ran Lee, at about
8 o'cloc indignant subscribers be-
gan to , rrive at the office. They had
received their copies; •ut how? In the
fee m of -harn -p reseed can non. balls, de-
livered- by a single shot a,acl a mere totir
de force through the lass �f bed -room
windows. They had eceived them full
in the fa e, like:a base ball, if they. hap-
pened to be up and s irring ; they had
received hem in quart r sheets, tackeil
in at sep rate windows they had found
them in t e chimney, limed against the
• door, sho through at ic windows, de-
liveredi long slips th ough convenient
keyholes, stuffed int6 ventilators, .and
occupyin -the same ca with the morn-
ing's mil . One subsc iber, who waited
for Some ime at the o 'ce door, to, have
a persona interview wi h Wan, Lee (then
comforta ly 'locked in my lied -room),
told me, ith tears of age in his eyes,
that he ladbeen aw kened at 5 o'-
clock by most hideo is yelling- below
hie wind ws ; that on rising, in great
agitation, he was startl d by the sudden
appearanc of the Nor hem Star, rolled
hard and bent in the f rm. of a boomer-
ang or Ea t Indian clu , that sailed into e
the wind • w, describe( a number of ,
fiendish ireles in the room, knocked
over the heist- slapped the ba,by's face,
P
" took" lun (the subscriber) "in the
jaw," and then returned out of the win-
dow, and lropped helplssly in the area.
During ti e rest of th day wads and
'strips of oiled paper, urporting to be
copies of t e Anorthern 8 ar of that morn-
ing's issue w .re brough indignantlyto.
the office. n admir le editorial on
"The Res urces of Hu •noldt County,".
which 1 rad construct. in the evening
before, a d which, I - Inid reason to
believe, m ght have ch, nged the whole
balance of &declaring t e ensuing year,
and left S n Francisco bankrupt at her
wharves, as in this • ay lost to the
public.
.It was c
three wee
confinedt
purely me
Here lie d
and acla,pt, winnin
and good ill of the pr
man, who at first look&
cluction ino the secrete(
fraueht wi h the -grayest
• canee. H • learned to .
and neatl his wonder
nipulation iding him
chemical a -t, and his
language •onfiaing him.
mechanical effort—ennfi
-ter's axial that the .pr
eiders or olloWs th€ . ic
makes e, nor composi
set up delil erately loeg c
himself, coinposecl by his
11
11.
eemen advise, le for the next
-ts to keep I an Lee closely
. the printin -office and the
hanical part if the business.
veloped a stir rising quickness
even the favor
nters ,and ,fore -
upon his intro -
1 their trade as
political signifi-
et type reanily
ul skill in ma-
• the mere me-
mbrance of the
_
simply to the
ming the pein-
nter who con-
eas of his copy
or. He would
iatribes against
fello w -pr
copy, and even
"Wan Lee is
Wan Lee is a
nine the proof
ing from every
hining in his
and hang o
such short
the dean's
1 his hook as
sentences as,
oivn imp '"
Mongolian -meal," aad
to me with appiness bcai
tooth, and satisfaction
huekleberr eyes. -
It was 1 et long, hoWever, before he
learned' to retaliate, on - ns mischievous
persecutors 1 remember -one instance
in tnhich his reprisal came very near in-
voluing me 'n a serious mi understanding.
'Oar forem ins name we Webster, and
Wan Lee Mesently Marne 1 to know and
e individual and combined
is name. It was during a
• recognize ti
letters of 1
political can pmen, and t e eloquent and
fiery Cal. S arbatle, of Siekyou, had de-
livered an e ective speech which was re
ported espe jelly for the •nnorthern Stan
In a very s blime perora ion Col. Star -
bottle had s id : "In the 1 nguage of the
god -like W bster, 1 repel t,"—end here
followed tbc quotation, wi ich I 11 a ye for-
gotten. No 7, it chanced hat Wan Lce,
_looking over the galley aft r it had been
revised, saw the name of his chief per-
secutor, ani , of course, imagineel. the
quotation hi-. After the f run was locked •
up, Wa,n Le took .advan age of Web-
ster's absene to remove he geotation,
and substit ting a thin pi ce of lead, of
the same siz of Um type, ngraved with
Oninese cha acters, maki g a sentence.
which, I ha( reason to b lieYe, Was an
utter and ab'ect confessio
pacity and offensiveness of the W
family generally, and exceedingly
gistic of Wan Lee blinself personal
The next inornii g's paper con
Col.' Starbottle's sp ech m full, in
it -appeared that the "god -like" In
had on one occasion littered his thoaghts
• in excellent but_perf ctly enigmatical Chi-
nese. -The rage of lJo1. Starbottle knew
no bounds. I hav a vivid recol ee on
of that admirable min walking ii to My
office and demandin a retraction f the
staterneat.
• "Bat, my dear si ," I asked, "ate You
wilting to deny, ove your own. signature,
that Webster ever uttered such 4 Ben-
. tence ? Dare you deny that, wi li Mr.
Webster's well-kn wn attainme tal a
knowledge- of Chin se might, not have
been among the nu iber ? Are yoi 1 -Will-
ing to sabrnit a tr nslation suita le to
the capacity of ou readers, -and. deny,
upon you honor as a gentleman, th t ,the
late Mr. Webster ever tittered- iich a
sentiment? If you are, sir, I am illing
to publish your denial."
The Colonel ,was .not, and left,
indignant.
Webster, the foreman, took it More
coollet. Happily, he was unawar that
for two days after, Chinamen fro the
laundrieS, front die gulches, fro it the
kitchens, looked in the front office door
with face beaming with sardonic del ght ;
that three hundred extra copies of the
Star were ordered for -the wash-hou ee on
the river, lie only knew that ( tieing
th.c day Wan Lee occasionally we t off
into convulsive spaemsn and that h Was
obliged to kick him into conscio eness
again. A week after the ocean- nce I
called Wan Lee into my office. , ;
" Wan," I said, gravely, I s ould
like you to give me,for my own pe on.al
satisfaction, a translation of that 0 nese
sentence which my gifted countr
the late god -like Webster, uttered hpon
a public occaeion." Wan 'Lee log od at
me intently, and thenthe slightes pos-
sible twinkle crept into his black eyes.
Then he replied, with equal gravit
- " Mishtel Webstel, he- say: thine
boy makee me belly much foolee. Ihnut
boy makee me heap sick," WI icb. I
have reason -to think was true.
.But I fean el am giving.but one id.e,
and not the best, of Wan Lee's c i me-
ter. As he imparted it to me, hi had
been a hard life. He had known s rce-
• ly any childhood- -he had no re llec-
tion of a father on rnoth,er. The co jurer
Wang - had brought him up. • II had.
spent the first seven years of his .1 e in
appearing from baskets, in droj ing
out of hats, in climbing ladders, i4 put-
ting his little limbs out of joint Mos -
taring. He had lived in an atinos nere
of trickery and deception.; he had learn-
ed to look upon mankind as dupes of
their senses; in fine, if he had thonght
at all; he would have been a skeptic,; if
he had been a little older, he wouldlta.ve.
been a cynic; if_he had been older still,
he would have been a philosopher. As
it was, he was a little imp ! A good-
-natured imp it was, tooati imp whose
moral nature had never been awakened
an imp up for a hell ay, and willinn ta
try virtue as a divers n. I don't kao
that he had any spirit al nature; he kv
very superstituous ; ie carried about
with him a hideous lit le porcelain god,
which he was in the la bit of alternately -
reviling and propitiating. He was to
intelligent for the c almoner Chinese
vioes of stealing or kratuitous lying
Whatever discipline be -practiced .was
taught by his intellect.
I am inclined to thin that his feelings
were not altogether onirn.nressiblee al-
though; it was almost impnesible to ex-
tract an expression ftom him, 'and I
conscientiously believe . he became !at-
tached to those NOho *ere good to him.
What he might have become under more
favorable conditions then the bondsman
of an over-worked„ under -paid, literary
man, I don't ; I.. only know that ,the
scant, irregular, impulsive kindnesses
that I showed. him were gratefully re-
ceived. , He was very loyal and patient
—two qualities rare in the averege
American. servant. He was like Mal-
volio, " Sad and civil," with me ; only
once, and then under great provocation,
do I remember of his exhibiting any im-
patience. It was ply habit, after leav-
ing the office at night, to take him with.
me to my rooms, as ti e bearei. of any
supplemental or happy fter-thought in
the editorial way, that might occur to
me before the paper went to press. One
night I had beee. Seri bling away past
the usual hour of disini sing- Wan Lee
and had beeorne quite oblivious of his
presence in 6, chair near my door, when
,suddenly I become asyare of , a. voice
saying,' in plaintive ac euts, something
that sounded like "0h'Lee."
. I aced around sternle
"What did you say ? '
bster
L,. -
taitied
which
ebster
ig,hly
" Me say, Ohy Lee.'
" ?" I said, imp. tiently.
" You :Abe, 'How d , John ? ' "
y
''You sabe,, So long, John ?' "
"Yes."
" Well, Chy Lee' a ee same 1n
I understood hinn quite plainly. It
appeared. that " Chy Le was a form Of
"good -night," and that Wan Lee was .1
anxious to go holm. B t an inetinct ,of
mischief, which. I fear I assessed in com-
mon with him, impelled me to act as if
oblivious of the hint. IJ muttered some-
thing about not understanding. bite,
and again ,bent over my work. In I a
few minutes I heard his wooden shoes
pattering pathetically over the floor. I
looked up. He was standing near the
door.
"You no sabe, Chy:ee ?' "
"No," I said, sternly.
" sabe michee big foolee 1—a11ee
same !"
And with
-this audecit upon his lips,
he fled. The next morra g, hewever, he
was as meek and patient e before, and I
did not recall his offense. As a probable -
peace -offering, he black (1_ all my boots,
a duty never required 0 him, includieg
a pair of buff deer -skin slippers and an
immense pair of horsem n s jack -boons,
on which he indulged his remorse for two •
hours. have spoken of his henesty as being
a quality of his intellect 'rather than his
principle, but I recall about this time
two exceptions to the rule. I was anx-
ious to get eome fresh eggs, as a change
to the heavy diet of a milting town, and
.knowing that Wan Lee's countrymen
were great poultry raisers, I applied to
• him. He furnished me with them regu-
larly every morning, but eefused to take
any pay, saying that the man did not sell
them—a remarkable instance of self-ab-
negation, as eggs were then worth half a
dollar apiece. One morning, my neigh-
bor, Forster, dropped in upon me at
breakfast, and took occasion, to bewail
his own ill fortune, as his bens had lately
'stopped laying, or wandered off in the -
bush. Wan Lee, who. was present dur-
ing our colloquy, preserved his character -
of the iuca- istic sad, taciturnity. Whin my neighbor
had. gone, he turned
chuckle: " Flostann
hens—allee same 1"
was more serious an
a season of great i
mails, and. Wan Lee
plore the delay in th
tees and newspapers.
office one day, I was
table covered with le
from the post -office,
not one addressed t
to me with a slight
hens—Win Lee's
His othel. offence
stinbitious. It was
regularitiels in the
had heard me de -
delivery on my let -
On arriving at my
anaa,zed tof find my
ters, evidently just
but unfottunately
me. I turned to
Wan Lee, who was s trveying them with
a calm satisfaction, ,aid demanded an ex-
planation. To my iorror he ppinted to
an empty mail bag in the corner, and
said :"Postman he ay, 'no lettee, John
"—no lettee, John.' tostman plentee !
Postman no good. 1 e catchee lettee het
night—allee same 1" Luckily it was
still early; the .mals had not 'been dis-
tributed I had a hi need inter iew with
the Postmaster, and Wan Lee' e bold at-
tempt at robbing he Uniten States
Mail was finally co doned: by the pur-
chase of a new mail bag, and tlae whole
affair thus kept a se ret.
If my liking for uiy Itttle Ingan page
hacl not been suffici nt, my duty to Hop
Sing vas enough to ctuselne to take Wan
Lee with me when I returned to San
Francisco, after my't
with the Northern 8
he contemplatet1 the
ure. I attributecl h
ous dread of crow
when he had to go a
an errand, he always
of the outskirts—to
discipline of the 0 iinese and English
school to which pr posed to ent him,
to his fondness for e free, va, rant life
of the mines, to shee willfulnee ! • That
it might have been superstit ous pre-
monition did not oc our to me t ntil long
after.
Nevertheless it rea y seemed as if the
opportunity I had 1 ng looted for and
confidently expected ad. come the op-
portunity of placin Wan Le under
gently restraining in uences, of subject-
ing him to a life al d experie ce that
would draw out of im what ood my
superficial care and ill regulated • nidness
could not reach. We, Lee wa • placed
at the school of a 0 inese _Miss ouary—
an intelligent and ind-hearte clergy-
man, who had show great. int rest in
the boy, and who, b ter than a 1, had a
wonderful faith in im. A 'ho e was
found for him in the f mily of a widow,
who had a bright and "nterestingl daugh-
ter about two years ounger thin Wan
Lee. It was this br ght, cheer, inno-
cent and artless child that touched and
reached a depth in th boy's nature that
hitherto had been insuspectec —that
awakened a motel su ceptibilit which
had lain for years ins usible alik to tne
teachingseof society or the ethics of the
theologian..
These few brief mon
promise that we never
have been happy ones
worshiped his little frie
of the same superstit on, but
any of the caprice, that ne bestowe
his porcelain pagan god It was
light to walk behind he to school,
ing her books ---a servi e always f
with danger to biin fro' the little
of his Caucasian Christ an brother
made her the most m rvelous to
would cut Out of carrot and twat s the
most astonishing rosen and tulips, he
made life -like chickens o t of melon eeds,
henonstructed fans and ites, and was sin-
gularly proficient in the making of dolls'
paper dresses. On th other han , she
played and sang to hi a taught lint a. -
thousand little prettin .sses and efine-
ments only known to irls, gave *in a
yellow ribbon for his pig tail, as bestsuit-
ing his complexion, reac. tie him, s owed
him wherein he was origi lan and val able,
took him to Sunday chool witlt her,
against the precedents o the school and,
small -woman-like, trim' lied. I wish I
could add here, that she effected hie con-
version, and made him g ve up his porce-
lain god, but I am telli ig a true story,
and this little. girl was • uite content to
fill him with her own Oh istnin goodness,
without letting him kno v that hel was
changed. So they got loug very! well
together—this little Oh istian girl with
her shining, cross hang Oa around her
e -
plump, white, little neck ar
little pagan, with his- h deous porcelain
god hidden away in his louse.
There were two days f that eve tful
year that will lone be re • embered San
Francisco—two days when a, mob o her
citizens set upon and kill d unarmed!, de-
fenceless foreigners, bee use they Were
foreigners and of anoth r race, religion
and color, and worked. or what u ages
they could get. There a ere some p blic
men so timid, that, se'ing thin they
thongh that the end of the • wort
come; there were some eminent s
men, whose names a n ashame
write here, who began to think tha
passage in the Constitu on which
antecs civil and religious iberty to e
citizen or foreigner NV:1S mistake.
there were also some mei who wer
so easily: frightened, and in twenty- our
-armed tha
their hand
vo years' eaperience
an I do not think
change with pleas-
e: feelings to a nerv-
ed' public 'streets—
roes town for me on
ma,de a lo g circuit
his (lislik for the
•
11
• ,
he, bright !with al
.aw fulfilled, mustl
Wan Lee. He
with emr.ething'l
without
upon
Ilis de -
carry -f
aughe
hands .
He
s, he
thades.
to e
the
uar-
t
But
not
SEPT. 4, 1874.
.".ranewalfin.
blennvith a delicately flavoured beverage
ol.liiik
whieh may save us many heavy doctors'
"y'p—awoCekiiteehiti iBsSoleiaribiVieligene
simpI
Eutch
and thus prevent the necessity for tak-
ed-3Azuts t:asde84
Co., Homeopathic Chemists, L011d012."
VIANUFACTURE OF COCOA.—" We will
now give an account of the process adopt-
ed, by Messrs. James Epps & (Jo., man.
ufacturers of dietetic articles, at then.
works in the "Euston oad, London".
CaimeseITI' he efiflorustiehaopl 1( )4.1 no( au enificee s of consump.
tion are so insidious that thousands re-
main unconscious of its preseuce until it
has brought them to the verge of the
grave. The immediate use of " Bryan's
Pulmonic Wafers " npon the first appeal'.
an_ce of the‘cough, pain or soreness of the
throat or chest, would generally preclude
a fatal result; therefore, when you take
a cold use "Bryaun Puliname Wafees,"
ing them in more dangerous cemplanats.
To be obtained of all Druggiste and coun-
try dealers. Price -25 cents per box.
SOME33ODY SAYs "There te something
peculiarly attractive in a borne His in-
telligent eye and ear, his lefty carriage,
hil-finne- and eraccf !none», his vast
strength, his obedient temper, zuul his
indispensable use, all endear him to us.
We have to laok at his. fine preportions,
and take in tne inspiration or his energy
and power" but it is only when the horse
is properVeared for—when he is free
from (lineage or unsoundeese of any kind
that he will exhibit these. points of at-
traction, and without whieh he is but of
little value. A. package of " Darleyn
Condition Powders - and Arabian Heave
Reniedy," should_ be in posseseien of
every man who owns a hon -.e, to be -used
- CHRONIC Srennins.
in case of entergeiley. Don't fail to get it.
porn& a Remarkable Oase.—Gagetown,
-N: B.,,nfuly 22, 1868—Mr. James Fel-
lows, Chemist—Dear Sir : Allow me to
bear testimony in favor of your Com-
pound Syrup of B ypophosphites. I have
used it myself for Tuberculosis with
marked benefit, and have given it to a
great number of my patieuts, with the
same results as I experienced from. its
use.
The most marked: was a case which
was under my care in March last. Tine
was a patient who had been under treat-
ment nine months With no beneficial re-
sults: When I first -saw him he was so
feeble that he could. not sit up long
enough to have his heart and lungs exam- e
Med. He had a severe Cough, Dysp-
ncea, Palpitation of the Heart, Impaired.
Digestion, and consequent general emaci-
ation. -I put him under treatment, pre-
scribed your -Compourid Syrup of Hypo -
phosphites, and after using four" bottles
he r AS able to attend to his farm, and is
no* perfectly well. In March he was
given up by four physicians respectively;
in May he assisted M plowing 18 acres of
land, and. had run up in flesh from 136
to 14$ pounds weight.
send you thisfor the parpose of your
making what use you please of it, and
.wish you all success in your labor for the
benefit of suffering humanity.
Strongly recommending the use of your
Compound Syrup of Hypophosphites to
all who suffer in any way from disease or
weakness of the Lungs, Branchial Tubes
or general debility. Believe me, your
obedient servant,
J. W..Scorr, M. D.
FOWLE'S PILE AND RUMOR CURE.—
.
This justly celebrated remedy has more
evidence of real _merit than any other
preparation for piles in exestnece ; the
best evidence in its favor is it it never
fails to earn" winch. assertion thousands
who have been cured will vouch and
confirm. , It also cnres scrofula, salt
rheum and. diseases of the skin,
—
TT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE
that a remedy intended for popular nse should
be not onlv thoroughly reliable and scientific, but
incapable -of produciuf; dangerons results. The
treatment of old lingering complaints is necessar-
ily protracted, and if deleterious drugs are taken
into the systernfor a long time, they may accumu-
late and do more harm than good. Dr. Wheeler's
Compound Elixir of Phosphates and Cali saya, con-
taining elements of the Unties, repairs diseased
bone, muscle, and nerves, and renews conatitn-
tit:mai vigor in the same manner as our daily food,
with no more liability of injury. It may be taken
in all forms of debility in the young or aged 'with
pentive certainty of permanent benefit.
Fowle's Pile and Rumor Cure.
..- FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL tsE.
Warranted the only sure and perfect cure for all
ldnde of Piles, Scrofula, Tetter, or Ring -
Wenn, Salt Rheum, and an diseases of
the Slat' .
Ons Bottle warranted to cure all caaea of Piles.
From one to three bottles in all cases of .Iluznors.
This remedy has been used in some of the
worst forms of Scrofula, Salt Itheima and Diseases
of the skin -with entire succees, Many eases have
been cured by an outward application only. Hun-
dreds of letters and certificates are now in the
noprietor s possession, -which can be seen on ap-
N. B.—The medicine is entirely vegetable in its
omposition.
In all cases of failure, dealers are requested to
-efund the money. Buy of none who do not \m-
erit it, as all dealers receive back their inolleY
from the proprietor.
PRICE, $1 PER BOTTLE SIX BOTTLES, $5.
PER1tY DAVIS & SON,
ept. 4, 1.514. General Agents, Montreal.
hours we had things so ar the
timid men could, wring
safety, and the eminent s atesmen i Wee
their doubts without hurt ng anybod or
anything. Aud in the in -dst of this got
a note from Hop Sing, ask ng me to dame
to him immediately.
I found his wareho-u e closed land
strongly guarded by the police against
any possible attack of th rioters. Hop
Sing admitted me throng a a barred filrat-
ing with his usual. impel turbable c
but, as it seemed to me, a ith more than
his usual seriousness. -n-thout a
he took -my hand and led me to the iear
of the room, and thence d mei stairs into
the basement. It was di ly lighted, but
there was something on t] e floor covered
by a shawl. As I approa hed, he deew
the shawl away with a at dden gee -tarn,
and. revealed Wan Lee, th pagan, lying
there dead
Dead, my reverend. f iends, de -ad
Stoned to death in the treets of San
Francisco, in the year of rrace, eighteen
hundred and sixty-nine, by a mob of
half-grown boys and Oh istian school
children !
1 As I put my hand revel- ntly upon his
breast, I felt something crumbling be-
eath his blouse. I loolmd enquiringly
t Hop Sing. He put his hand between
the folds of silk and drew out something
with the first bitter smile had ever seen
on the face of that pagan milkman.
It was Wan Lee's porce um god, crush-
ed by a stone from the hands of those
Christian iconoclasts !
1
SPECIAL NO ICES
BREAKFAST. --EPPS'S COCOA. —GRATE. -
UL AiD COMFORTING. y a thorough
knowledge of the natural laws 'which
govern the operations of ligestion and
nutrition, and. by a careful application of
tb.e„.fine properties of well- elected 'mama,
Ir. Epps has provided ou -breakfast 'Le -
Avoid Quacks,
A aIOTIM of early indiscretion, eausing nervous
-•4-• debility, premature decay, &-c., having tried in
vain every advertised remedy, has discovered a
simple means of self-eare, which be will send free
to his fellow -sufferers. Address, J. H. REEVES,
78 Nassau Street, New York.
• Harkness/ Hair Bahm.
The best preparation in use for restoring, preserv-
ing, and beautifying the hair, and render-
ing- it soft and glossy:
• - This invaluable Preparn.tion we would present to
the public, knowing ib to possess all the virtue we
claim for it, Being perfectly free from all injuri-
ous ingredients, and composed sololy of nutd-
men-Ls, we eau confidently commend it as a safe
and sure iemedy for the "Falling of the Hair " res-
toiing grey hair to its original color, imparting a
healthy tone and vigor to its roots, and causing it
-to grow luxuriantly. As a Cosmetic alone, even
where the hair is strong and healthy, it is invalu-
able, as it imparts a rich glossiness and silken ap-
pearance, which iao ono who loves beautycan fail
to admire. Preitrzilc.:111 by co.,
Pharmaceutical Cheniists London.
PRICE, 50 OEM'S.
For sale by 8. 11.0l3ERTS and R. LUITSDEN,
Seaforth, and by Druggi;ts generally.
345-26
Th e Great _Female Itemedy.
aoe MOSES' PERIODICAL PILLS.
THIS invaluable medicine is unfailing in the
cure °tall those painful and dangerous diseases
to which aie female constitution is subject. It
moderates all excess and removes all obstructions,
and a speedy cure may be relied on.
To married ladies, it ie pe cnliarly suited. It will
in a short time, bring on the monthly period with
regularity.
Thee Pills should not be taken by Females
dnring the first three months of Pregnacy, as they
are sure to bring on Miscarnisge, but at any other
time they are safe.
In all cases of Nervous and Spinal Affeetionas
pains in the baek and limbs, fatigue on tlight ex-
ertion, palpitation of the heart, hysterics, and
whites, these pills will effect a cure when all other
means have failed ; and although powerful
remedy, do not contain iron, calomel, antimony, or
anything hurtful to the'i,ntjt,rtjon.
Pull liretion in th. pqmplilet aronm1
efteh
i ; .a
which shonld be rarvflifly preserved.
Job
package,
New York, Sole Proprietor. $1.00an
12cents for postage, ch e.ta toNorthopt LyInall)
d
Toronto, Ont., general agents for the Dominion,
will insure a bottle, containing over 50 pills by
return mail.
I' Sold'in Seaforth by E. Hickson & Co., and
R. Lunaden. 127
Sun.
THE D.00114
It Is the gonetehip 11
_ That sails the stern
-But her ceeurse doth
land,
nine daager -can thet
Though the tempest I
waves flow,
The ship is stout an
And safely to the pod
Let the voyage be sl
4' Come, tell a story 01
A comrade inks the]
" With this gallant bt
in ease,
• The sea/mew flies ni
"Then fin the glasses
The well -pleased me
•" And rlitell what
that is bound,
To no port tili the h
" There floats a s,1iip
cine,
That has drifted a b
For a fearful crime, til
A fated man it be0
" tpon the deck, main
The ever -falling spit
Is borne by the blast,
• Till the ship is an ie
" And.* the cabin, pa
Between two spectre
Sits a fated. MSP,
-Gain the troubled 1
one plays for tii
And one redeems fan'
And the dice they tell
the shell ;
- But neither yet shall
And ever there the tl
• For the fated man to
Until the last of earth.
He sits in agony.
"Long Years ago siao
Far into the frozen
And I heard a hail, a
From the !drifting shi
"Upon the deck, and (
The ever -falling spra.
Was borne by the Want
Like aniiceberg huge.
"'Oh, tell me does th
Ana wheuwill titnet
Them mauy. a year 14
fear,
While his soul is lest
—From Northern Balla
CfAl
An Oswego paperde
-saying that f the red I
the heavens and flung
about like a funeral pa
Esq.., the governor, got
doused them out with -a,
—A German in New
how much saner- kraut.
winter use, implied," I'S
more as ten ha,rrek,
—.A_ country boy. hat,
ors heaving up anchors,
if it was sea -sickness
do it.
young man was
tria.1 innPenusylvania fan
glyge.nerine. He dsertel
inp.
—Recited sorrow --Al
enoughtoCZTata-stional3ehYofsi'l
The coroner's fee was $3
—" Kissing your sten
trifling young man, " is
with a fork; it takes it
enough."
—Onettf our youna gi
• inatim in grammar, thel
asked why- the noun
.singitlar, blushingly amen
it is very singular they',
ried." She went 1111 to t
Prince Edward!
A correspondent of 11
mercial, who has been an
tour in Prince Edward
a series of descriptive let
Let me say good bye to
Prince Edward's Island,
more hospitable net of pe
er my lot to be east ammi
recorntamail to our -eitizei)
a pleasant trip next enin
cannot do better than to
have' described, taking,
-possible. It is an inexp
paratively. The living'
country picturesque and
representative men of th
it very bright, able se
Yankee improved upon.
upt' in everything, and
wants and: interests of
country. Speculation
or destroyed their both
selfish influences of persi
was particularly strunk.
teous demeanor towardt
debate and social Interco
ent forin of the Dorainto
quite liberal and wet
the people are Eatistied
it. Canada is fast engin
prosperity under its
mercially and 'financially
prosperous, Were I li -
should not want annej
'United. States. A good
Reciprocity, made to al
both peoplee, its detai
.practical, competent me
altered and amended an
gressed, and the neeo
changes 'should ,oceur,!
opinion, be far better t,
With these relations let
open, and. it \Aill. better
interests of both count
adieu brethren, as I tin
will make good neigh
friends. For one. I_ hop
practical commercial 116
tawnot c(oia.
iTtries in full opt
t
WRY HEIL Pave Dina
Pottsville, Penn., ifinen
sponsible for the foliose
Plitenixville maid, quit
anxious about her matt
recently concocted a
young fellow as to her,
the •way she tried it:
Bible contained a faithn
births, marriages and (In
us/se the maiden took t
and selecting the birth
aged. by dint of scratch*
change the date of her I
11 years later than wha,
mately been recorded, Ti
placed on the sitting Tool
spicuous manner. That
along the lover. He sece
er the Bible pages and
the birth zecord, her