Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-04-04
THE BLACK SPOT.

There was much mrth in Hong Kong The
Ball at the club rooms in Victoria Town eclipsed
those which the governor and chief justice, and
the 18th in their white washed mess room, and
the admiral on board his gayly lighted dag ship,
had given during the past fortnight.
Beyond comparison-the belle of the ball
room was the beautiful Mrs. G-r, a fair
young wife, almost a bride, who had just come
out from England with her husband, Captain
C., the junior captain of the Rifles. All
the ensgns and middies, and half the lieuten-
ants, naval and military, to say nothing of the
parboied young gentlem N in mercantile houses,
were fairly raying about the angelic stranger.
The foolish boys devourcd her with their eyes,
and wrote sonnets to her eyebrows for aught |
know, and she never moved along the little
parade at band time without an overwhelming
escort, but no one ever said Geordie was not
worthy of the good luck he had found, and the
great prize he had drawn in the lottery matr-
monial-he, the "brst fellow" in the service.
On this night Mrs. G-- was in the highest
spirits, and waltzed and hrted, well to all ap-
pearance, and was the very centre of attrac-
iion-the target of all eyes. Gcordie, who knew
her too well to be easily jealous, was in very
good spirits, 100 SO were most people. Mrs.
c. went through dance after dance, as the
band played on with admired taste and spirit,
tie ivory memorandum book was as filed with
writing as a bank ledger.
When she entered the tea room on one oc-
casion, carly in the evening, the old comprado
Ching Lung, who presided over the walters, and
was Steward OF the club, started as he looked
| keenly at the beautiful "Faukwi" lady. She
! passed by him, repressng, good naturedlv, IA
smile at his outlandish dress and figure He
stared after her with seeming rudencss, or Gu
riosity, and then gave gruut and wheeled off
to his avocationS, Several officers noticed this,
but Ching was character, and no one asked
what he meant, or it he meant anything. 1t
was an hour or more before Mrs. c. left the
ball room again. This time she entered the
supper room leaning on her partners arm,
While the latter procured her some refresh
ments. the old Chinaman hovered near looked
sharply at the fair "barbarian," and then drew
back with muttered remark in his native
tongue Mrs. C. never notice him. Two
minutes after Ching Lung was seen in close
coniabulation with The doctor of the Rifle, a
, sensible, experienced surgeon, who had been in
Hong Kong three years, who had served on the
medical staff in the old war, and who was re-
garded as the chief professional authority on
the island DIR. Rogers was a man who knew
China we'll He seemed much disturbed as
r Ching took him by the appet Of his coat, and
whispered some comunicalion. The two men,
eyes ranged across the ball room, in the door
9 way of which they stood little apart and fixed
d on Mrs. C.. The eyes of several lounger,
followed theirs by common impulse. What
did they see? Surely no terrible sight but
young happy, high bred English women, radiant
with beauty, health, and gayety, and crowned
with flowers, sweeping through the ballroom
like its queen. What was there in this to max,
n old Ching purse up his expressive Chimes
It mouth, and DIR, Rogers lift his eyebrows, and
,, bite his lips, with brow that knit with spasm
" OF involuntary anxiety? Smoothing his ruie,
brow, the doctor stepped from his place, paSsc,
n Mrs c., and looked full and steadily ol
r her face. She looked surprised and little an
S noyed but presently she turned away smiling
3 She thought the doctor, no doubt, an odd, rud
old gentleman, Very much compressed wer
b.. the doctors lips, and very often did the frow
p of care return to the doctors brow, as h
threaded his way through the crowd, most {
whom had some slight or merry remark to be
:. stow on so popular character until he reaehe
o, the place where Captain C. was talking t
the Cuonefs wife and two other ladies seate,
on an ottoman. The doctor drew Geordi
!, aside; they were old friends and begged as
particular favor that he would take his vii