The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-12-21
CHINESE LOVE STORY.
Fate of the Hero and Heroine and
Their Tails.

''It is Chinese love story am going
% relate, said the painter.
"A Chinese love Story?" asked Lucia
'Do the Chinese ever fall i'm loye?''
Indeed they do returned the
painter. Look now at your plate,
your blue China plate. There the story
is told i'm crude Chinese fashion. hut
can interpret it for yosI, | think. See,
In the right-hand corner of the plate is
j.. group of blue islands. with trees and
pagodas, all of the same azure color.
dotted over them. while tall blue trees
bend over the pagodaS and the island.
are separated one from the other by
small blue straits. Over this island
empire the great Emperor PeIikan
reignod.
'Pelican-" interrupted AsSunta:
"why, that is the name of an ugly,
clumsy bird
"Pelikan was, l. assure yOu. re-
turned the painter firmly, 1.-the name
of that Emperor. This palace, built i'm
the style of the early Chinese renais-
sance. was. owing TO the stormy reigns
Of the Emperor's predecessors. de-
eidedly i'm need of repair. Why, the
china bells of the tallcsi pagoda had
all fallen off into the wafer. The d.
lapidatcd state of his palace occupied
the Empcror's thoughts more than the
beauty OF his daughter. the Young and
lovely Princess Swcn-Kiang.
''Oh, what funny name for Il Prin-
cess" exclaimed AsSunta.
''Swen-Kisng, genuine Chinese
name, sIgnOrina. just as genuine as her
lovely, long pigtail, which hung down
to the very hem OF her yellow silk
gown"
''Oh, that is not very long. objected
Lucia. ''for the gowns of the Chinese
ladies are very short.
Excuse me, but the gown of the
Princess was quite ss long as Lucia
walking dress. The length and glossi-
ness of this incompatible pigtaiI had
caused a mighty King, Yoo-Foo, to fall
i'm love with and offer to marry her.
1t was very grand match for Sven
Kiang, for her father Was only an En-
perOr over few poor little islands.
But the King IOo-FOO had two very
serious faults i'm Swen-Kiang'S eyes:
he was old enough TO be her great
grandfather. and besides that he was
hunchback
oh, returned Lucia, tcasinglv,
''thOse are not such very serious faults
in King"
"Alas!' returned the painter. 1.-The
Princess was SO ignorant. so childish.
10 I a, IL.
sand years ago, she thought them so.
She was very unhappy at the idea of
marrying the ugly old King. And in
her despair she shook of all the blue
bells from her tower, and tramplcd up
on and crushed 20 pieces the delicate.
snail shells that formed the ornamental
borders of her iuwer-bedS. would even
in her despair have laid violent hands
on her precious pigtail if her maids of
honor had not rushed 10 the RScur.
After shedding torrents of tears. and
stamping her pudgy little feet till they
ached, she left her porcelain tower.
and taking her lishing-rod went of 10
the shore To divert her mind bv fishing.
As she fished she sang. The song the
Princess sang was of her own improv
isatiOn. Here it is:
Fishing went by the silver STA
But caught, alas. anC woe il me,
Never a fish with scales of gold;
Only gander, gray aud Old,
Who went Swi,nn ng past.
gander. old, ugly aud grim.
What in the world shall do with n IN?
TrH-iala, Ira la la.
IL don't think much of that song,
even if Princess did sing IT," eN-
claimed Lucia
sin the Chinese it is more melodi-
Gus. rejoined the painter: lit is, | am
afraid, badly translated
Ibid YOU translate it?" asked AsSun-
Ia. slyly.
The painter turned red and went ON
rapidly. This song. sung in Chinese
and in the sweet voice of Swen-Kiang,
attracted the attention of youth who
WAS pacing the sands moi very far
away. This young man : name was
Tu-foo. He was the architect en-
ployed by the Emperor Pelikan to re-
hang the bells on his pagoda. Tu-foo
approached the Princess slowly and
diffidently, threw himself face down.
ward at her feet: then. still kneeling,
he felt i'm the bosom of his silken robe
and drawing out his visiting card,
painted in the highess style of Chinese
art on rice paper. crimson in color and