The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-11-06
A CHINESE PUPIL.
Little Wah Sin and His Last Day
at School.

Little Wah Sin and His Last DAY
at School.
Crystal City was little mining CAM
half way up the barren slope of one 0
the most desolate of the Rocky Noun
ztains.
There were about fifty houses, cabins
tents and shanties, and as many as fou
hundred people in the city.
was teacher of the first school in thu
little camp My school-house was /,
small log-cabin, with two small windows
and door. An old gray blanket, hung
-On two wooden pins, was the door. Tn,
seats were of rough pine slabs. placed
.on ends of logs. There was no desks
On the first day of school went W
the trail to the little log school-house
and waited for ray pupils.
1t was nearly nine o'clock, and not :
pupil had yet arrivedy when there was
movement of the blanket door. 1t was
manner. and there stood my first pupil
A---Wah Sin.
Of course he was 4 Chinese boy.
American boys are never afflicted with
such names as that.
He was dressed in his countrv's COS.
tune. His father had evidently allowed
him to wear his Sunday clothes. in honor
of the first day of school. He never
wore them again after that day. but ap-
peared in 4 garb very much like that
worn by American boys of the same
age.
When 1 ask Wah Sin how old he
was. he replied by holding up both
hands. with all the fingers extended but
.one which was turned down toward the
palm.
Then you are nine years old, count
ing in your thumbs?' asked.
"Ha! less-yes-nine We old. Belly
good. Come school alice samee like
Mclean boy. Har'
That little aspirated ''Ha!" began and
ended everything Wah Sin said. The
Chinese are subject to peculiarities like
other people. who are always saying
.''Ohr' and ..Ahr' and ..Indeedr'
Wah SIN was very modest and BASH
full. He was, however, the only boy in
the school thus affected; and in time
he overcame these weaknesses.
When rang my little bell at nine
O'Clock, about fifty boys and girls OF all
sizes and ages had assembled in the lit
tie room, which they quite filled.
They were dressed in all kinds of i'll
fitting. coarse, and ''made over" gar
,ments, and they bad few books. But
they were as full Of fun rs other chill
.dren, and enjoyed life quite as much as
it IS enjoyed by boys and girls who have
neat, Iiatty and stylish clothes, and who
go to School ia handsome buildings.
with Heautifus grounds, in large and
prospectus cites.
Crystal City sounds very romantic
and pretty, but it was poor, shabby.
-dreary little place, and everybody was
poor whp lived in it. Indeed, many OF
the inhabitants were too poor to go
away, orithey would not have stayed
You haSe beard of mining ''booms''
Well, Crystal City was all there was
left of whst had been "a big old boom, y
as the miners call it. There are many
such dreary and sorrowful remains Of
dead and gone blooms" lying around
in the gulches and valleys and on the
slopes Of the Rocky Mountains.
At one time theIe had been as many
as a thousand people in and around
Crystal City, but the excitement died
out in three or four months. and most
of the people had gone to places where
they thought their chances would be
better in the great lottery of mining.
Wah Sin and his father were the only
Chinese in Crys.al City. Wah Sin 8
father was the "washee man" of the
camp. He did washing for a few peo-
pie who could afford to hire it done.
Wah Sin helped with the washing
when he felt SO disposed, but as he sell
dom felt this disposition, his indulgent
father did it about all himself.
There was water to be carried from a
spring some dDtance away. Wah Sin
would be sent out with tin pail, and
tod to '.hullee back"
Ten, fifteen, twenty-five minutes
would elapse. The clothes in Sam SIM
boiler would boil dry, and there would
be no rinse. water. He would lcok down
the trail towards the spring; no Wah
Sin. He would shade his little almond
eyes and wrinkle up his brown face,
peering far up the mountain side to a
certain great boulder. behind which Wah
sin was often pleased to hide, and shy
rocks at people on the trail below to see
them '.jumpee big" No rocks were
flying, no angry miner was seen 70
-.jumpee Hg." no loose .~,ulder was
bounding and crashing over the rocks
. and among the stunted pines to the lit
tie gulch below. Wah 6!a was not
there
But far down the gulch, on the one
rocky. crooked street of the camp, q flu
rious little mountain burro could be
seen, with its head down, its ears laid
back, and the heels of its hind legs fly
ing in the air as they beat tattoo on .
shining tin pail tied to the animals tail
A little Chinese boy could be seen Iy-
ing fiat on his back in the rocky road,
his heels flying. his eyes shut. his hands
clapping. and his 1.-the little body writh-
ing in happiness. Wah Sin was there.
The boys and girls III liked Wah Sin.
His droll looks and Manners amused
them. He gave me NO end II trouble,
but liked him myself. Il was, surpr1s.
$a4 to note his prOQr0Gg n hia afu6ies