Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-10-09

next three weeks to keep Wan Lee
closely confined to the printing office
and the purely mechanical part Of
the business. Here he developed
surprising quickness and adaptability,
winning even the favor and good
Of the printers and foreman, who at
first looked upon his introduction
into the secrets Of their trade as
fraught with the gravcst political
significance He learned to set type
readily and neatly, his wonderful skill
i'll manipulation aiding him in the
mere mechanical act, and his ignor-
ance of the language confining him
simply to the mechanical effort-con-
firming the printers axiom that the
printer who considers or follows the
ideas Of his copy makes q poor COM
positor. He would set up deliberate
ly long diatribes against himself,
composed by his fellow printers, and
hung on his hook AS copy, and even
such short sentences as IVAN Lee is
is the Devils own imp" EVAN Lee
is Mongolian rascal" and bring the
proof to me with happiness bcaming
from every tooth, and satisfaction
shining in his hucklebcrry eyes.
1t was not long, however, before
he learned to rctaliatc on his mis-
chicvous prosecutors. l remember
one instance in which his rcprisal
came very near involving me i'll
serious misunderstanding. Our fore
mans name was Webster, and Wan
Lee presently learned to know and
recognize tho individual and com
bined letters of his name. Il WAS
during political campaign, and the
eloquent and fiery Col. Starbottle, OF
Siskyou, had delivered an effective
speech, which was reported especially
for the Northern Star. In a very
sublime pcroration Col. Starbottle
had said: "In the lansu .gc of the
god-likc Webster l repeat" and here
followed the quotation, which ! have
forgotten. Now it chanced that Wan
Lee, looking over the galley after it
had been revised, saw the name of
his chief prosecutor, and, of course,
imagined the quotation his. After
the form was locked up Wan Lee
took advantage of Wcbs;er's absence
to remove the quotation and substi-
tutc thin piece of lead, of the same
size as the type, engraved with Chi
nesc characters, making sentence
which, l had reason to believe, was
All Utter and abjcct confession of the
incapacity and offcnsivencss of the
Webster family generally, and ex-
cecding eulogistic of Wan Lee HIM
self personally.
The next mornings paper con-
taincd Col. Starbottlc speech in full,
in which it appeared that the "god-
like" Webster had on one occasion
uttered his thoughts in excellent but
perfectly enigmatical Chinese, The
rage of Col. Starbottlc knew no
bounds. have \ vivid recollection
Of that admirable man walking into
my Office and demanding q retraction
Of the statement.
"But, my dear sir" asked, ";re
you willing to deny, over your own
signature, that Webster ever uttered
such a sentence? Dare you deny
that, with Mr.. Wcbster's we'll known
attainmcnts, q knowledge Of Chinese
might not have been among the num-
Der? Are you willing to submit q
translation suitable ~ the capacity
Of our readers, and deny upon your
honor as q gentlcm IN, that the late
Mr.. Webster ever uttered such scn-
timcnt? If you are, sir, l am willing
to publish your denial"
The Colonel was not, and left,
highly Indignant.
Webster, the foreman, took it more
coolly. Happily he was unaware
that for two days after Cinnamon
from the laundrics, from the gulchcs,
from the kitchens, locke / in the front
office door, with faces bcaming with
sardonic delight; that three hundred
extra copies of the Star were ordered
for the washhouscs OH the river. He
only knew that during the day Wan
Lee. occasionally went off into con-
vulsivc spasms, and that he WAS
obliged to kick him into conscious
ness again. a week after the occur
renee | called Wan Lee into my
office.
"Wan," l said, gravcly,. 81 should
like you to give me, for my own per.
sonal satisfaction, 4 translation OF
that Chinese sentence which my gift
ed countryman, the late god-like
Webster, uttered upon = public occa-
sion" Wan Lee looked at me in-
tently, and then the slightest possible
twinkle crcpt into his black eyes.
Then he replied, with equal gravity;
"MiShtel Webstcr-hc say: China
boy makce me belly much foolcc:
China boy makec me heap sick"
Which have reason to think was
true. = Bret Udrte. IL Scrib"cr's
4 1E..II1..