The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-11-29

for putting silly notions into your
heads"
"But 1 have somewhere read of
Oriental jugglers producing full grown,
matured tree of dwarf size in a few min
utes," said my wife, whose prediction
in favor of All Kin was greater than
my own, chiefly because he attended
her Bible class in the Sunday-school,
and led her to believe that he was
in a fair way of being converted to Chris
tianity.
$50 have l." / replied, "but they |
must have been far more expert than |
our poor simpleton of an All Kin. How |
ever"
was interrupted by the entrance into |
our little garden-where the foregoing
conversation had taken place-of the
very object of our remarks himself.
He was, without doubt, the most inane,
ultra-addled, super-stupid specimen of
even John Chinaman l ever saw. He
might have been almost any age from
twenty-five to sixty, so utterly express
sionless was his fat, vapid, sheepish phys
iognomy, the skin of which looked like
nothing so much as imperfect mahogany
veneering that had been exposed to the
weather for an indefinite period, whose
little Sits of eyes were not without sort
of canine affectionateness when they en-
countercd me or mine. His develop
ment of forehead and chin-or rather
the lack of twas after the manner of
the princely Aztec descendants that were
once exhibited through the country;
his yellow protuberant tusk like teeth
were constantly exposed; and one won
dered that even the weight of his atten-
uated pig-tail did not preponderate over
his cerebral incapacity to PROSTATE him
altogether on his back.
The children were not long in making
this cheerful specimen of Celestial civil
ization acquainted with the nature of
the conversation that he had inter-
rupted, and the doubts we had expressed
in respect to the promised Christmas
tree. He contented himself with making
low salaam, with which he always
greeted us, especially my wife, and simply
said:
| "Waitee till Kistmass comee, andsee
what l do. / know what it means, for
the good lady makee me lovee the Melli-
can mans joss. Inever forget kindness,
not me. was big lick magic man in
China. make grow light here in this
garden splendid tree, SO high 7" (meas-
1ring off about a yard with his
hands), can Kistmassee morning
Waitee and see."
With that All Kin went into the
house for basket of soiled linen, and
we saw little of him until the Christmas
morning following, when our garden
contained a number of neighbors and
their children, attracted thither by the
wonderful promises of All Kin, which
Tommy and Bella had noised through
the entire nesghborhood.
) 1t was lovely weather, as warm and
balmy as day in June in New England
The sunshine caressed the sward with &
! loving hand, the birds were melodious il
the cedars, the gold fish flashed ruddily
: in the little fountain l had improvisee
| near the gate, and the children were dis
r porting upon the steps of the cottage
= piazza with new toys and jimcracks, il
which, however, Tommy, Bella, ant
: Jenny were constrained to take bacl
7 seat, inasmuch as / had only been abl
4 to afford an extra dinner for the family
0 and their parents and nurses near a
t hand, among whom / noticed, with al
e uncomfortable feeling, both Mr.. an
Mrs. Cameron, who appeared to loo
g down upon me with ostentatious commi:
e Grafton at my poverty.
i / bore it as well as could, and my wife
s knowing the humiliation that oppresse
e me, moved famiarily among those VIII
IS had constituted themselves our guest
It and made such show of appearance 8
d her ease that she overdid it little.
a took care, however, to make ever
one understand that Iplaced no relianc
; in the Chinaman's promise-as, indeed
d / did not-and would not consider my
e self responsible for whatever disappoin
% ment might occur. They were welcon
to sit in my garden as long as the
rs wished, but l had not invited them, an
,r should not exert myself to afford thel
!" entertainment.
n All Kin made his appearance at tie
o'clock, accompanied by another Chin
/ man bearing basket containing appa
le emily nothing but fresh new cart
They were both dressed in clean b,
'e coarse cotton clothes, and All Kin-wE
e. looked more emaciated than / had eve
t. seen him since he had newly arisen fro
if his sick bed-carried over his arm lars
lie mantle of faded yellow silk
re He selected spot ofgreen sward upc
e. which he directed the basket carrier
ir empty the earth, after which he di
missed him, and throwing himself upc
er his knees, proceeded to press and p;
ly the soil into smoothly rounded lit
n mound, about the size of an inverte
s. washbowl.
O. He then took from somewhere in Il
Us folds of the silk mantle little rou1
purple seed or bean, which he held I
III for us all to examine, between his for
)" finger and thumb. This he deposited
small hole in the center of the hea
P Covering it up, he made number
on cabalistic signs over the surface of tt
ce mound, while he muttered to himse
in low, sing-song, unintelligible tones,
to the same time waving his hand slow
and mechanically over his head.
no He then produced a little vial, co
lis tanning sparkling purplish iqui
re which he proceeded to sprinkle over t
nd spot at which the bean had been plante
Ii accompanying the motion with sort
spasmodic depression of the tone
nd which he had been chanting.
He then hastily covered the emit
mound with the mantle, and turning
ut the spectators who had observed hi
with varying emotions, though, for +
use part, I had made no effort to conceal I
m contempt for the whole affair, as so mu
Ter hocus-pocus, beneath the notice of
ny ordinary intelligence-and opened up
| them with long winded harangue,
he rapidly spoken that few of us COT
to- gather its meaning, if, indeed, it h
re- any, which very much doubt.
gh But while he was speaking my W
nd called our attention to the silken clio
zen under the center of which somethi
his was evidently forming into conf
IS IL Id 49, Ill Al
to ular folds on every side.
VS. l now made no effort to conceal
uf- interest, and every one looked on W
re- breathless suspense and curiosity.
ing Suddenly All Kin seized hold of |
of mantle, whisked it off, and there in /
ned center of the mound, was as perfec
ity fir tree in miniature as the mind col
" a conceive of.
his Its tiny branches were thickly hi
the with little nuggets of virgin gold, VIII
Fac- sparkled in the sunshine, and a little