Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-04
THE ROMANCE OF HI SING AND All SAN.
BIT PRENTICE MULFoRD.

All Sam loved Miss Hi Sing. All Sam was by
profession q cook in California miners board
ing mouse and trading post combined at little
ing m1nutely the culinary teachingsO OF hts en-
ployer, having no conception Of cooking, save
ss mere mechanical operati0r-dead to the
Iernicaous mental and physical eject which his
addressed dishes might have on the minds and
stomachs Of those he served-Ah Sam, while
dreaming Of Hi Sing, fried tough beef still
tougher IN hot lard, poisoned f0ur with salara-
tus, and boiled potatoes to the last extreme Of
soddeness, all OF which culinary eutrages pro-
moted Indigestion among those who ate; and
or temper-from whence Swett's Camp became
noted for its frequent sanguinary sraoods, Its
battles by midnight in street and bar-room, with
burying ground. of which the snh abitants truth
fully boosted that not an inmate had died q
natural death.
Her face was broad, her nose q at, her eirth ex.
tenzye, her gait wadde, her attire q b. sack
reaching from neck to knee, blue tfowsers,
brass rings on wrist and ankle, and wooden
shoes, whose Gathering heels betrayed their
owners presence, even as the shaken tail OF the
angry fattlesnake doth his UNPLEASANT prox-
unity. She had no education, no manners, no
accomplishments. no beauty, no grace, no
religion, no morality; and for this and more All
Sam loved her, Hi Sing was virtually sElave.
having several years previously, with many
other far and fragile sisters, beer imported to
California by Ching Loo; and not until meeting
All Sam did she learn that it was her right and
privilege, In this land Of occasional laws and
universal liberty, to set up for herself become
her own mistress, and marry and nnnsrry
whenever opportunity offered. But Ching Loo
had noticed, with a suspicious eye, the growing
intimacy between All Sam and Hi Sing; and
arguing therefr0m results Improbable to him
self, he c0ntrived one night to have the damsel
packed of to another town, which happened at
that time to be Ey place Of residence; aud it lie
temporarily crossed that of All Sam and hi
Sing.
Al Sam following up his love, and discover
ing in me an old friend, WHO had endured and
survived a whole winter of his cookery az
Swetts bar, told me MS troubles; and 1, resoiy-
ing to pay evil with good, communities ted the
distressed Mongolian'S story to ny chosen and
particular companion, lean and cadaveroUs
attorney. with whom fees had ceased to be
angels visits, and who was then oscillating and
towering between two plans-one, to run for the
Central America, and found . new republic
Attorney Spoke, on hearing All Sans case,
offered to find the maid, rescue her from her
forever, in considerstion Of tSirty American ca
dollars; to which terms the Monaghan asserting
Spoke and myself, buckling on our arms and
army, Proceeded to beat up the flthy purlieus
of Chinatown; and about midnight we found
the passive Hi Sing hidden away in q hen
coop, whittier she had been conveyed by
the confederates Of Ching Loo. We bore iii
understanding our language or our pur-
pose-to Spoke's Office, and then, it being peees-
sary to secure the services of q magistrate in
uniting the couple, departed to seek the justice
OF the peace, who was still, awake-fOr justice
rarely slept in camp at that hour but was CON-
monty engaged at the Bella Union, playing
pokeri whilst Spoke sought after the groom An
sam, whom he found in a Chinese den, stupidity
drunk from smoking opium, having taken such
means to wear the edge off his suspense whilst
we were rescuing his affianced Not only was
clared in imperfect English that he had con-
cluded not to marry that nj ght; to which obser-
walton Attorney Spoke, becoming profane,
lerked hi1 from the cot whereon he lay, and,
graspiDg him about the neck with a strangulat-
ing hold, bore him into the street and toward
bis office, intimating loudly that this business
had been proceeded with too far to be receded
summated that nightwith or without the consent
Df the principals. All Sam resigned himself to
matrimony. The Office was reached, the door
opened, and out In the darkness -bolted the
bride, for she knew not what these prepare
fions meant, or whether she had fallen among
friends or enemies. After q lively chase,
We cornered and caught her; and having
together, we placed them in position, and the
J ustice commented the ceremony by asking Iii
Sing If she took that man for her lawful welded
husband, which interrog atory being Chaldaic to
her, she replied only by an unmeaning and un-
speculative stare. Spoke, who seemed destined
to be the soul and handspring of this whole az
by bringing into play his stock Of Chinese Eng
lisb, and translating to her the language of JUS
tice thus: '.You like um he, pretty good?" Upon
Whish her face frightened, and she nodded as
sent. Then, turning to the groom, he called in
tone fierce and threatening, "You like um
sne?" and All Sam-who was now only a passive
object IN the hands of Spoke, forced and gall
'anlzed into matrimony-dared not do other
wiee than give in his adhesion, upon which the
Justice pronounced them man and wife; where
q Two sirEtnians present with victims (all
q Arkansas Traveller" and the audispce-
which was now large, every bar room in James
own having emptied itself to witness our Chi
hese weddng-inspiredbyo one common inn pulse.
arose and marched seven times about the cou-
pie.
All Sam was now informed that he was mar
,ied American fashion, and that he was free to
lepArt with bis welded fncumbrance. But All
sam, whose intoxicatiOn had broken out in full
acquiescense with these proceedings, now in
sisted on making q midnight tour of all the
leathly whisky vended by them, to which the
,rowd-who never objected TO driving this sort
II nails In their own cOffi and the
Iesult was An Sam spending his money very
srn bills, the Bella Union saloon was still in fu,
blast; and while the justice Of the peace was
winning Spoke's thirty hard-earned dollars in
,ne corner, and the two Virgi mans still kept the
Arkansas traveller going on their violns in
another, Stephen Scott latter wards elected to
C0Hress) was weeping profusely over the bar,
sadness by General Wyatt. ex-member Of the
tate senate, Scott replied that he could never
hear played the air Of Home, Sweet Home.
without shedding tears.
All Sam departed with his bride in the morn
ne, and never were q mans prospects brighter
'or happy honeymoon until the succeeding
night: when he Was waylaid by band Of dis.
yuised white men in the temporary service and
pay Of old Ching Loo; and he and Hi Sing were
forced 80 far apart that they never ga " each
other again. All Sam returned to the attorney,
apparently deeming that some help might be
obtained In that quarter: but Spoke intimat,d
that he could no longer assist him, since it was
every mans special and particular mission to
keep his own wife after being married; althou yh
be added, for All Sans comfort, that this was
not always such an easy matter for the Ameri-
cans themselves, especially in California.
Upon this All Sam apparently determined to
remain satisfied with mis- brief and turbulent
career In matrimony; and betaking himself
again to Swett's Bar, cooked in such Q villain.
ous fashion and desperate vigor-fnding there
BY balm for an aching heart-that in a single
fwelvemonth Elk stalwart miners gave up their
ghosts through indigestion; and the little grave
ard on the red hill thereby lost forever It's dis
finctive character of affording q final resting
place only to those who had died violent deaths
observation-disclosures
Hints.
Those who are familiar with the requisites of
the successful culture Of flowers, know that for
most kinds the great event OF success depends
On Q rich e0il Ornamental beds cut in turf
null hnv- fAA I.A.s -