Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-12-18

True enough, It was Just as Jack had said.
1nere. IN private box, with smiling face and
Iseng IN person, surrounded by half Inca
UNREASONABLE Mongolians Her FIRST Impulse
Mas 70 shes aloud &c into violent
thoughts she decided to brazen It out. Leave
IL 10 me, JACK, she said with as much assurance
as ass sh &c could command. wen so through the
nrst act as well as we can, and then see what
the Ambassador thinks OF it."
It was anxious work for Meenie, that even
ings performance, but she pulled through with
IL us somehow: She had no eyes for the audience,
simply and solely to the Ambassadors box.
Every body In the theater noticed the touching
pa.Ilotlsm which made the popular actress pay
tative OF her own beloved sovereign than to the
helr apparent OF the British throne. you
know these Chinese" said the Marchioness of
attached to the paternal rule Of their anliabIe
EmperOrs. They still retain that pleasing
feudal devotion which has unfortunately d,ei
out In Europe through the foolish influence of
misguided agrartan ag1tatorS." At any rate.
Meente hadly took her eyes OF the Ambassa,
doris face. But that impassive Oriental sat
through the five acts without a sign or move
ment. Once he ate an ice O la NdDottaine- and
once he addressed a few remarks to an attache.
but from beginning TO end he watched the per.
formance with a uniformly smiling face un
moved to tears by the great basunado scene.
and utterly imperviOuS even to the touching
incidents or the love making In the third act.
When the curtain fell at last, Meen,e was
feyered. excited, trembling from head to foot,
but not hopeless. Calls Of 'Mee- Nee Shang'
rtSounded loudly from the whole house and
even Dukes stood up enthusiastically to toin in
ticed an ominous fact. The Ambassador was
still In his place, beamtng as before, but the
interpreter had quilted his seat and was NOV
nv En az Inc arcson OF Iae managers room
maze or swoon and managed to reel off the
stage somehow with her burden Of bouquets
she rushed eagerly to Jacks room, and as she
reached the doer she saw that her worst fears
were realized. A Celestial In pigtail and tunjc
was standing at the door. engaged in low con.
versat1on with the manager.
Meenie entered with Swimming brain and
sank into chair. The Interpreter shut the
Qoar softly. poured out glass OF sherry from
Jack,s decanter on the table, and held it gently
breath, in the purest and most idiOmatic HI
berntan, "make yourself perfectly aisy. me
dear, but don't spake too loud, If you phase, for
fear ye should ruin us botht."
There was something very familiar to Meenie
In the voice, which made her start suddenly.
She looked up In amazement "What ~ she
cried. regardless OF his warning, sit isn't you,
"Indade an It u.s. me darlin'." Pat answered
In low tone; but kape 1t dark, If ye don't
want us all to be found out togither.'
Not your long lost brother" said Jack, In
hesitation. you're not going to perform BOX
you?"
o, The precise thing, me boy" Pat replied, un-
abashed. Her brother that was in trouble for
me last Faynian business, and ran away to
Calcutta. There got passage to China and
took up at first with the Jesuit missionaries
But, marrying nate little Chinese girl, |
thought might as well turn Mandarin SO |
passed their examinations, and was appointed
Interpreter to the embassy. An now I'm In
London I'm In deadly fear that Nike Flaherty.
who's one OF the chief detectives at Scotland
Yard, will find me out and recognize me. the
same as they recognized the poor crlcketer fel-
low at Leicester"
A few minutes sufflced to clear up the busi-
nees pat's e.,.scs .Hnt themselves as readily
as Meenie's to the Chinese disguise; ana "a, 100
C!SVeIly 1ntlmated to the Ambassador that an
audl.ional interpreter Ia the national costume
Wouiu prove more ornamental and effective
IMAM recognized European like DR.. Mccartney
Accordingly, he had assumed the style ana title
OF the Mandarin HWen Thsang and had sue
eess1nl,y passed himself off In London as
with Meenies theatrical ability. he had learned
10 speak certain broken English Without the
slightest Irish accent: and it was only In mo-
m mems OF emotion, like the present, that he
pufst out into his native dialect. He had recog-
nlzeo Meenle On the stage, partly by her voice
ana manner, but still more by some fragments
or Irish nursery rhymes. which they had both
learned as children. and which Meenie had
boldly fnterpolated into the text OF the Fan
tais1eS de Canton" SO he had devoted all his
energies e 10 keeping up the hoax and deludIng
"And how did you manage to do it," asked
Jack. ->N"
Sure l toud him" Pat answered quietly.
that though ye were all Cinnamon, We were
acllng the play In English to suit your audi
tint to belaveit."
But suppose he says anything about 1t TO
anybody?" ~ ~
"Divil word can he spake to anybody. ex-
cept through me, Make yourselves aisy about
II; tne ambassador thinks It's all as right as
tinpence. The things magnificent sliccesS.
Yen jest coin money, and ncbodyll ever tiud
ye out, Sure there's nobody in London UNDER
stands Chinese except US at the embassy. and
III make 1t ali straight for We there"
Meen1e rushed Into his arms and then into
Jacks Pat" said she with emotion. ..al.
low me 10 present you my future husband"
TITS proud am to make his acouatntance.n
Pat answered promptly; land II he could lend
me a TN pound note for day or two, it I'D BE-
Three days later. Meenie became Mrs. Jack
foDertS; and 1t was privately whispered In
Ghlnese play had married the popular actress
Mee-Nee-Shang. at least, it was known thai a
member OF the embassy had been present at a
private meeting in Roman Catholic chanel in
fnSDury, where priest was seen to enter and
JACK ana Meenie 10 emerge shortly afterWard.
London was In state Of rage and despair. But
Jack c0olly snapped his fingers at the met rono-
lis. Tor he had made small fortune over his
seasons entertainment, and had accepted an
otfer to undertake the management of a thea
ter at Chicago, where he Is now doing remarka-
bly, well. or course, too, his hoax was most
wicked and unprincipled adventure, which ir
has given the present writer deep moral pain to
be compelled to chronicle. But. then, II people
,ciH make such fools Of themselves, what is
Well-meaning but weak. minded theatrical pur-
Veyor to do?-Begrdcia.