Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1881-03-09
From Lippincott's Magazine for this Month.
UY CHINA BOYS.

agent. ! had written a note to the Of
fee asking for cook.
Here's a pa.cel for you,' laughed
the Wells Ergo agent as be lifted a
small mummy swathed in blue cotton
from the wagon and stood him up
against the wall. Before | had recov-
cred from nv astonishment and dismay
the agent was gone and | was left alone
with the bue-cotton mummy.
What am to do with you? solil-
oquizcd, rather than asked. Then for
the Fl st time | saw in the middle of
the queer little face a pair of brilliant,
cblique black eyes, very small. in ac-
corddnce with the size of the creature,
but sparkling with the vitality of a
dozen lives.
Plenty cook, said an eager voice.
But you are so little
Plenty cook
You cannot reach to the top of a
kitchen-table.'
Plenty cook
Ii was too late to send back the in
fiuiIessimal cook until the next day, so
| gave him permission to show me
what he could do in the mean time.
At once he became possessed of a
fnry of work, sweeping. busting. wash
ing w4ndows, and performing the vari-
uu- household duties like "A 81 ent whirl-
wind. Every few moments there was
pause, the twinking eyes appeared,
and the question 'Do?' What shall l.
do next?') was put To me with unahated
eagerness. Never before or since
have ! seen any one work with the
same honest enjoyment of physical la
bur. When everything bad been
secured and cleaned aud pnt into the
most perfect order and the question
Dog was thrown at me again as from
catapult, was at my wits end. Dog
be repeated, as paused 10 reflect
Fortunately | happened, in my per-
plexitv, to look ont of the window and
saw the garden hose. | was saved
Always, after that, when the 'Do? be-
came too alarmngly imperative, sent
All Choon out to- water the garden. 1t
was never-ending source Of delight
to him. and an employment that might
be prolonged indefinitely, Ah Choon
not considering the work properly
done until the water stood in pools on
the surface of the ground.
| did not send Ab Choon back the
next morning as / had intended. He
amused and interested ne too much,
and then | very soon began to be re-
ally attached to the little fellow.
Some of my neighbors tell different
stories of their experience with the pc
culIar institution but my Chinese SER
wants have been invariably so gentle,
willing, affectionate and clever that,
whether | sent away iuy boy or re left
of bis own accord, i have always felt
sad when be said good-by. and pleased
when he came to see me afterward.
All Choon's beginning was no fash
in the pan. He kept his undated en-
ergy to the end, which, alas came all
too soon. | gave him dollar and
half week. afterwards increased to
two dollars. He surely could have been
no more than ten when he came to me,
but in few weeks be not only did most
OF the cooking and all the chamber
work, but took entire charge of a pony
and pbaton and attended to the light
work of large garden.
An old lady came from the east to
visit me, and, my health not being
good, volunteered To take all home-cares
off my hands. Then came the ting of
war First, grandma as we called
her, came TO complain that the China
boy would not obey her, When sent
for Ah Choon and asked what he meant
by such conduct, he said, You buy this
honse?'-'Yes,' / said old lady no
buy bm?-'No' Then old lady no
bossee You bossee-woman. Old lady
too nnchee sass | explained the sit
uaton as well AZ ! could in Pigeon
English, and remembering the respect
paid 10 their parents and elders by the
Chinese, | reminded him OF that, and
asked how be would Ike TO have
Mclean boy treat his mother a. BE-
treated grandma He is,eded to all
bad 10 say, seeming impressed by it,
repeating many times, 'Elka klukla me.
Me no sass old lady, Shortly after be
ran over to bis cousin to borrow a
phrase-book, 'eka klukla me- means
excuse me-
In little while grandma came back
ag4in, crying. i do believe that China
boy is swearing at me in Chinese now
Again All Choon stood before me,
his shining eyes dimmed with tears.
'Ah Choon, said reproachfulIy, you
said you would he good to The old lady.
and now she says you talk badly in
Chinese to her.
All Choon's dark face flushed, and
the tears poured down his checks. No
can do! no can do!' he cried. Il no sass
old lady Mclean talkee. Old lady
taIkee, talkee, too much sass,-allee
time too mucbee sass. Lilly China
boy no can talkee; lilly China boy no
can sass. Bim-by lilly China boy diet,
/ am bound to say that my sympa-
thies leaned toward the lilly China
boy TO grandma | counselled mode
ration, advising her to allow Al Choon
a little latitude, and take no notice so
long as he confined himself to his
mother-tongue, which from that time
be did relgiously.
Very soon All Cboon became an ex-
pert operator on the sewing-machine.
In the evening, after studying his les
sons with an asiGuity that might put
a Mclean boy TO shame, he amused
himself by making full suits of Chinese
clothing for my little daughters dolls.
Success firing his ambition, he went
further, and produced coats, trousers
and feminine apparel Of all sorts, that
were as complete in detail and fit as
though fashioned by the most able of
dolls dressmakers. With set Of old
modelling tools and lump of clay he
moulded grotesque and realistic ina