The Osceola times., 1880-04-17
A CHINESE BEAUTY.
The WIFE Of . Ghinsss EnbassaAsr - .
Puris Dnu.
Puh Cor. Nov Yonk wUd

The last ball of the Elysee marked an
epoch In Eastern civilization. The wife
Of the Chinese Embassadore appeared
there for the first time unveiled In any
European assembly. A little, quaint
woman, with her hair plastered down to
the sides of q whitewashed face was seen
blinking in the gas-light as bats are said
to blink in the sun. She tottered through
the room, on her small, mutilated feet,
wondering even more than she was
wondered at. Never before in Chinese
history bad the wife Of high official
been seen even by her own countrymen,
much less than by the foreigner. An
American may take credit for the con-
versasion of his Excellency TO common
sense.
When first the Chinese Embassadore
came his wife lived in the strictest seclu-
sion. He made great step even in
bringing her, but he could go no further
than that. Frenchmen said she had been
packed for the journey in trunk double
locked. But to all appearances the Min
lister never opened his boxes, for his
precious commodity Of q small-footed
lady did not come TO light. But at length
at the great fete of the republic, two
years ago, feminine curiosity proved too
strong for national prejudice, and q rap
was heard from the inside of the trunk.
Nine. PAmbassadrice giving it to be un-
derstood that she would like to come out
| and see the show. Such q request was
not to be refused by a considerable hus-
band, and the ambassador asked friend
to give his wife window commanding
view of the procession. The friend was
Mr.. Hit, First Secretary Of the Ameri-
can Legation in Paris and at present, in
the absence of General Noyes, charge
d'affaires. Mr. Hit lives in the Champs
Elysees and his windows. consequently,
commanding a view Of the whole fun of
the fair. He expressed his perfect will
ingness to comply with the Ministers re-
quest. The whole matter, | should say,
was discussed as solemnly as a treaty,
not between the prinsipals themselves,
but between Intermediates, the Embas-
sador sending messengers to Mr.. Hit
and Mr.. Hit sending messengers in re-
turn to the Embassador The first prop
osition was of general nature-would
the Secretary lend window Of his house
TO the ambassadors wife? The reply was
of the same character, Mr.. Hit would be
delighted. The ambassador then prefer
red second request-would Mr.. Hit lend
a whole room? Mr.. Hit returned, that he
could hardly do that, but he would like
to know the ambassadors reasons; he
was going to have a party Of friends al
his house, and If the lady chose to take
her place among them his wife would
be charmed to receive her. The Minis
tiers envoy returned with an answer that
that would unfortunately be impossible.
| Ia nj ba "a hy human
being. She was to be conveyed in a
close carriage to Mr.. Hits house, TO en-
ter a private room; at the end of the
show the closed carriage was to fetch
her home again. Mr.. Hits reply was
that the thing could not be done, and
this closed the negotiation. Subsequent
ly the matter was reopened in an inform
al. friendly way in his occasional meet
ings with the Minister. His Excellency
went 80 far as to admit that his condi-
tions were rather absurd according TO
European notions, and he did not know
what to do. He would not have minded
the lady being seen. He was not SO
much disgraced in that as In the fact of
his knowing that she was seen. 1t is
not the unveiled women who Is dishon-
ored BY this revelation Of the human
| Dul " bO
owns her-as the Minister put it in the
most candid way. How was that diff
Guilty to be overcome? He was not a
straight-laced man. he was not narrow
minded, he was willing TO look the other
way when people were looking at his un-
| yeiled wife. All that he wanted was
an excuse for the pretense of seeing
nothing. Mr.. Hit was then glad enough
| l.. 49,
ment. Everything he said was to be
Judged according to the standpoint Of To-
cal usage. If he, the First Secretary,
were in China, he would take care that
all the ladies Of his family were as close
ly veiled as the Chinese. This, it must
be supposed was a polite concession TO
Chinese prejudice rather than q state
ment or a deliberate conviction. but let
it pass. On the other hand, Mr.. Hit
contended were he a Chinaman in Eu-
rope. where the most exalted ladies were
habitually unveiled he would make it
point of honor to conform to that usage.
These conversations most frequently
took place at the Presidential entertain
ments, and the Secretary was not with
out telling case in point in the pres
ence of the wife of the President of the
| frcnCn htpuDllc NJ tHcsc cnteTtaiH-
ments. "You will hardly pretend" said
he to his Chinese friend, "that your wife
is of more exalted position than Mime.
La Presidente and yet you see she shows
her face to all the world without the
slightest dishonor to her husband" The
noble envoy pondered these things. He
is initiative or nothing He has come
here to learn, and the presence of his
wife at last weeks fete was sign of his
conversion. Still the old leaven was
strong in him, and it was funny to see
him trying to look the other way SO as
not to incur the disgrace involved in the
knowledge of her presence. One corner
of an almond eye was fixed on vacancy,
the other was watching the wife to see
that she did not stumble as she walked
about the rooms. The result must have
teen far more reassurlng than the EN-
bassadore expected. Nothing happened.
China was not s,andalized. Europe was
not convulsed. The sight of the Chinese
beauty was little disappointing. She
was very handsome or the reverse accor-
ding to your way Of looking at it. have
heard the most contradictory verdicts
from different people. Her olive skin
was covered with powder laid on as
thick as if il were a clowns face at pam
tomine time. She toddled about the
rooms for q short time on her poor mu-
tilated feet and then went home, no
doubt to dream Of what the sun and
moon and morning stars would say the
next day on the awful Innovation Of all
4