Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-10-22
The Tale of a China Plate.


|'Do the Chinese ever fall in love?'' =
Indeed they do" returned the
painter. 'Look at your plate, your
blue china plate. There the story is
told in a crude Chinese fashion, but ]
can interpret it for you, I think. See,
in the right-hand corner of the plate
is a 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 islands areseparated one from the
other by small blue straits. Over
this island empire the great Emperor
Pelilan reigned." r.-'7T
Pelican" interrupted Assunta:
"why, that is the name OF an ugly.
clumsy bird" -
"Peikan was, Iassure you, returned
the painter firmly, "the name OF that
emperor. This palace, built in the
style OF the early Chinese renaissance,
was, owing to the stormy reigns of the
enlperor's predecessors, decidedly in
need OF repairs. Why, the china bells
OF the tallest pagoda had all fallen off
into the water. The dilapidated state
of his palace occupied the emperor's
thoughts more than the beauty of his
daughter, the young and lovely Prin-
cess Sven Kiang.'
ooh, what funny name for prin-
cess" exclaimed Assunta.
'Swen-K!ang, genuine Chinese
name, signorina, just as genuine as
her lovely, long pig tail, 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 as long as Lucia's
walking dress. The length and CLOS
siness ofthis incomparablep igtail had
caused q mighty king, Yoo-Foo, to
fall in love with and offer to marry
her. 1t was a very grand match for
Sven Kiang, for her father was only
an emperor over a few poor little is
lands. But the king Yoo-Foo had two
very serious faults in Sven. Kiang's
eyes; he was old enough to be her
great-erandfather and besides that
he was q hunchback."
son. returned Lucia, teasingly,
"those arcnot such very serious faults
in a king"
''Alas!" returned the painter, "the
princess was so ignorant, so childish
---shc lived, you know, more than a
thousand years ago--she thought
them so. She was very unhappy at
the idea OF margin, the ugly old king.
And in her despair she shook off all the
blue. from her tower, and tram
pied upon and crushed to pieces the
delicate snail shells that formed the
ornamental borders of her flower beds
would even in her despair have laid
violent hands on her precious pig-tail
II her maids OF honor had not rushed
TO the rescue. After shedding torrents
OF tears, and stamping her pudgy lit
tie feet til! they ached, she LETT her
porcelain tower and taking her fish
lng-rod went off to the shore to divert
her mind by fishing. AS she fished she
sang: The song the princess sang was
OF her own imp ovisation. Here it is:
Fishing went by the silver sea,
But caught-alas and woe is me- =,
Never fish with scales OF gold;
Only 81 gander gray and old
Who went swim ming past.
gander, ugly, old and grim
What in the world shall do with him?
Tra-la-la, Tra-la-la!'
IL don't think much OF that song,
even if princess did sing it," exclainl-
ed Lucia.
''1n the Chinese it is more melodious,"
bo
badly translated"
"Did you translate it," asked As
,snnta, slyly.
J The painter turned red and went on
Npidly. "This song, sung in Chinese
and IN the sweet voice OF Sven. Kiang,
attracted the attention Of youth
who was pacing the sands not very
Tar away. This young mans name
was Tu-foo. He was the architect
employed by the Emperor Pelikan to
::renang the bells on the pagoda. Tu-foo
approached the princess slowly and
:dltfidently, and threw himself face
tdownward at her feet. Then, still
kneeling, he felt in the bosom OF his
silken robe and drawing out his visit
ing card, painted in the highest style
OF Chinese art on rice paper, crimson
IN color, and a foot and q half long,
respectfully presented it.
'Ehe princess had not caught any
tsh, and besides had grown tired OF
sitting there on the shore alone So
she graciously deigned to receive the
card, glanced at the youth, and per-
eelvsng that his eyes were as marrow
and oblique and his pig-tail almost as.
long and thick as her own, pronounc-
ed him to herself very handsome
man. She commanded the kneeling
youth to arise and scat himself by
her side. Well, the princess and the
architect sat there on the sands, and
the little bluebirds above their heads
sang and sang aud few about and
around them. The ine'fell from the
princess hand and sapkdowninto the
sea. How Tu-foo found the courage
to do SD I don't know, but an hour
mad hardly gone by when he flung HIM
sell at the princess's feet aud begged.
her to be his wife and share with him.
the artists LOAF. 3 s5s.s s.
Artists loaf how does It, taste, i
wonder?' asked Felicita, who had not
spoken before. sf3 81
."Oh, not so bad; il IS knsAded By
the MUSES. and baked ~ Apollo.
Some peoplenot many, I feer, how
eyer--oat it with = relish, at loast In
China and Japan, il no tin England Or
America. Still SVEN Kianewas apru-
dent SIR, though not prudent enough
70 prefer an old king 70 = young lover,