Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-10-16
The Chinese as House Servants.

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manner of means. Their settled deter
mination to carry a point. their uncon-
scious air of ignorance of anything per-
tanning to our language when it suits
their convenience, is, to say the least,
rasping. That they are Systematically
idiotic is stereotyped fact. 70 per-
form single function of their duty for
once is to fix habit. John must move
from that time on in that groove nor
vary one lot or title. or he is unhinged
for business. If he boils the potatoes
in the iron pot to-day and You suggest
the stew-pan tomorrow, his occupa-
ton is gone for that day. If you en-
gage him to make four beds and cook
for six, and seventh is added, that is
sufficient for him to vamose the ranch.
The extraordinary elasticity of our hos
pitality and the wide margin we allow
for addition to the original number of
small family is beyond his compre-
hension, and he considers it a branch
of the family that has been rusticating
in the shade until he is well systemat-
lied to his tread. mill of duty, when
they suddenly fiutter down to enjoy a
siesta at the expense of his labor, and
no extra pay. He has bad trick of
stepping out without the slightest ex-
PLANTATION. and leaving behind him a
slight memento in the shape Of hero
glyphic in some obscure place, for the
benefit of his successor. Then will fol-
low a siege of servants, who suddenly,
in the midst of a meal, or in the wee
sma' hours, seem to be swallowed in
the bowels of the earth-they so totally
disappear. Some one who has been the
victim of a ''mark" explains. A search
reveals it, a translator reads it, and it
runs something in this style: mo
stay here; you get not one cent" or if
he is vindictive, "Spirits come here;
pull all the clothes off bad Cinnamon"
To be bad they evidently consider their
normal condition, for not one considers
himself exempt. d
1t was pleasure to contemplate the
landlady's ''poy" as he moved around
in black pants, coat cut like blouse,
with flaps on the bottom, white. clean
and freshly starched; his stockings i'm
maculate. and his thick. solid shoes
that contrary TO all laws of gravitation
stayed up at the heel without the
slightest grip on any thing, busy about
his work. As he glided in and out
about his duties with that cat-like
tread SO like an automaton, one longed
to pull the bell-rope at the back of his
head to see If any one was at home.
He would pat the bed in place as neat
ly as woman. dust every little article
with scrupulous rigor, and easily go
over the gas fixtures. II was fly time
when ne came, and it was thought ne
cessary to give those articles rubbing
up. That generation of flies has long
since been gathered to their forefa-
theirs, but the polishing goes on just the
same.
He is as unconscious, to all intents
and purposes, to your conversation as
the wooden Indian that suggests a
smoke, so that the Jones hired girl
with your chit-chat before it has had
time to get cold. 1t was an amusing
thing to witness how cheerfully he re-
ceived any little correction and his
pleasant "alle lightee." with which
he invariably responded. You would
thought him treated to sugar-coated
compliment. Having been for some
time without a vacation he concluded
to leave at most unpropitions time.
In vain were the expostulations on the
part of his mistress, and after numer-
Gus explanations of the inconvenience
he would cause, her patience exhaust
ed bv his Sullen determination, she
gives his ears a good boxing. Strange