Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-12-09


his work being done was sitting on his
ironing board struggling with yeritabiP
opium pipe, though only in the first
stages OF the biissiul intOxication Joe
propounded his usual inquiry, and tn
man stared Vacautly az hlln. lie re-
peated it iOuder. Tie man did not wink.
or move & muscle of his face. Then Joe
drew himself up, and growing purple in
the face with the effort, roared out the
question again, this time with panto-
mimic accompaniment.
The Chinaman took the pipe from his
mouth, and began bowling lis pig-tailed
head ike plaster mandarin. He bowed
and bowed and bowed, gently with an
undulatng motion that was fairly scken-
ing. After he had continued this per-
Torrance for the space of about five
minutes, Joe yentured 10 ask:
"Where ?"
"Mle know"
"Welk then tell US, old mandarin"
said Joe, and the venerable smoker half
closed his parchment eyelids, and MUIR
INJURED, as if to himself;
"I'ortee-fortee."
What this meant did not at first occur
to us, nor were we likely to be aided by
would say, for having delivered himself
Of the mysterious word, he relapsed into
state of dreamy silence, and smoked
ON. We turned away, and had about
given up our quest, when, looking down
into "dive" or sidewalk cellar, we saw
the number forty painted on the gray
stone, and beside it i line Of tea-chest
writing 1t was sign of something,
90 10 in i.rl q
wick floating in a tumbler Of oil was
lighted beneath it,
Forty 1t occurred TO us that it was a
number the Chinaman had given u.s. We
went down the steep stairs, opened door
at the bottom and entered basement.
As we opened the door, we were
conscious of strange aromatic smell, a
cross between church after incense
burning and Il drug store. The room
was low and dimly lighted. On one side
was a long counter upon which was
tiny pair of scales, and behind which
was wrinked Chinaman, who looked
old enough to have been present when
the corner stone Of the Great Wall was
laid. Here and there on the walls hung
long slips of paper upon which were in
scriptons in Chinese characters, and be-
tween them were strips Of that wildly
colored cloth known to commerce as
Turkey red" About the apartment,
like little state rooms, were cabinets,
each with a narrow door before which
curtains hung, and behind the curtains
we heard strange, half gurgling, half
sibilant sound. Coming out Of corners,
and peering from the cabinets We saw
Cinnamon, who when they moved,
ly UrI ~ wi A
We knew they were observing us closely,
seemed TO take no notice of us whatever
This was the place. We knew it in a
moment, We approached the China
man behind the counter and stated our
wishes He apparently did not hear us,
but said something to somebody some
where in the cabinets, and presently
there came forth an Americanized young
Chinaman clothed III lavender trowsers,
/ black and shiny clothes, and wearing Il
breast-pin of diamonds as big as 4 cop
per cent. He spoke English, not pigeon
English, and asked us politely what we
wanted. We told him that we wanted
to smoke opium. Would we have the
best quality, and how much The best
quality, of course-and whatever was the
proper dose He suggested that we di-
vide fifty cents wO,A between us, and
we agreed to it. TLen he went to one
of the cabinets and cleared out all its
occupants but one, Il lad of fifteen or
sixteen who was 50 far narcoticized that
he slept like an apppleciic patient, snor-
ing heavily; au animated log-that
dreamed.
Having in this strange place prepared
a place for Us, our celestial guide mo-
toned us to enter. a wide couch Of
mating was stretched across the little
apartment, and in the middle of it was
a light similar to the one at the door,
save that it was covered with a glass
shade opened at the top. The tiny lame
supplied all the light needed, and Il fire,
too. as We shall see presently. We
stretched ourselves on each side Of the
light, and babe our guide make the pipe
ready for as
He left us a moment ana presently
came back with two little silver cups of
opium. They wore about an inch and
a half in diameter, and 81 quarter of an
inch in depth. What they contained
looked like very black molasses, though
somewhat thicker The young man
took a knitting needle, and dipping one
end into the mass lifted drop or two Of
4 and thrust 1t into the flame of the
lamp. II spluttered and swelled in bub-
hles. II boiled itself into "A substance
like shoemaker's wax. The young man
/ then seized the pipe; i had a bowl as
4 big and something the shape ottae stem
I half of Il Bartlett pear and was attached