The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1886-04-11
All SINGS MISTAKE.
A SHORT STORY OF THESE DAYS

A SHORT STORY OF THESE DAYS.
All Sing was poor miserable Chlnaman. lie was
BORN AT Old Canton, which they call the "Cty OF
heard for instance OF the science OF Political Econ
)my; but there Is no learned professor Thereon
whom he could not have Instructed Ia the matter OF
population. His years. from earliest conscious
ness. were passed among literally teeming myrals
If human beings They covered the land, and when
there was no more room for them there they sus
pended S1i themselves over the water in nlmsy mat
sheds supported on slender bamboo piles one OF
these apoioges for dwellings An Sing shared with
his father, mother, brothers, anu sisters. From
where il stood you can look over the "Clty OF Rams"
to the picturesque white Cloud Mountains, but II Is
II An sing ever saw snat oeant u W. sSn n
those OF hs family were simply struggle for exist
cnco-a struggle to keep the mats over their heads,
and secure enough rice TO prevent them from
starving.
Perhaps sometimes when All Sing, standing erect
In his ilmsy boat, chung to the ladder OF the long,
symmetrical, Amerlcan.built steamer which came
daily to Canton, and solicited share OF the patron
age OF her we-drcssed and Notwithstanding
Foanaiaes than his may have aawneG but
no one can tell. once. however, an American mis-.
sonary engaged tho boat TO take him to his chapel
at IIonan, AMI he, speaking the Canton dialect well,
talked with All Sing. lie told him Of the great anu
free country where he himself was born, aud from
whence he had come over thousands OF mile, o. sea
lie told him, too, how truly the people OF this great
and good land wished well to him and his kind and
Az his boat was engaged by the hour All Sing went,
ane he sat In the chapel and listened. Probably no
heard little and comprehended less OF what the
preacher was saying about theological points, and
about the glores and Joys OF future world, but he
did think great deal about that lovely, benefcent
When he ferried the missionary back 10 The Canton
side he ventured to ask him some questions about IT,
That night, too, curiousy enough, he met an Oh
early daya, and come back with money and eXpe-
renee. This man told him more OF the land OF Tree
DOM Of the opporqnlss for making money there
Canton boatman could furnish. An Sing went to
his squalida that evening and actually dreamed
The next day the condition OF the atmosphere was
very singular. 1t was continuously quiet, and the
clouds were heavy and lowering. In the afternoon
All Sing had occasion to go into the walled city, anu
he remained there until nearly dusk AZ he came
into the narrow street from the low door OF shop,
demons DEMO the fury Of The Storm Flend lie dragged
himself under shelter Of wall, and lay there IN
terr0r-how long he knew not 1t was actually
had somewhat spent Its force, half ran, half crept,
wet 10 the skin and bedraggled, towardIhe river.
bank When DO reached n ne M, uttered wa wa
gone-houses, mat sheds. junke, boats, and RATS.
Away nshorc from the point where his own shed
yellow torrent. His particular mat shed was hut
one OF many. and those who had dwelt with him
therein were no doubt exceedingly shabby ana
pOvery-strcken people, but they happened 10 DO his
hesh and blood; and now house and boats, and
father and mother, and brothers and sisters, were
gone forever, aRI an Sing was alone In the wide
They tel of that typhoon TO THIS day, and point
you out the marks showing to what point the water
counts of the lifting OF ship lying at Whampoa to
berth well NJ In the paddy fields; and they mon:
toned incidentally the loss OF many thousands OF
aaa the tVnhDOn. tn GDDnU
''great wind ~ the Demon OF the Storm. had at one
blow destroyed nearly all the river population, and
hard, bitter, tolling, jOyless lives There were few
mourners, too, to go about the Streets" for most
OF them had gone with those whom they would have
mOurned. A few thousands or tens of thousands
more less, count for little In this land OF many
milllons their places were easily and quickly filed
the waters subsidized, and all went on as usual on ie
All Sing had little time for grlevlng. Woe was fal
too expensive luxury for him, and hunger ant
to do. and he was not long about i. His thought,
turned at once to that happy land OF Promise, o!
S onrs III lime he aa engaged himself to an aRcnf
the Six Companies; he had turned his hack forever
on the "City OF Rams and tae White Cloud Noun
talns, and he WAS on HIS way to Hong.Kong with {
number of companions. IN the beautiful harhor u
this colony lay the great American steamer CITY o.
Picking, and In her capaclous between-decks Al
Sing found his quarters, and the narrow bunk In
which, after the manner OF Chinese passengers he
passed much OF his time on the voyage TO San Fran
had lived In China and learned the Language, was Il
the habit OF coming into the quarters OF the native
and frequently addressing them. HIS fayorlte topic
and he dwelt upon 1t with much force and eloquenc'
was the favored and happy NE Of those who cam
to the United States to oaat their lpt with the grea
MO You, pfospeetIye fcilow-czons," cried he
"to yon, refugees from the oppression of the Old
World, she prolfers warm agd generous welcome
coming, my Monaghan brethren, to the glorious Ian,
Of the free: over You Is enceforth cast the ngs o.
her bonelcent proteolion which Is granted ,nna q
Now there were not wanting skepilcs among thu
| hnm6ug and o bathersklle, that he did not DO
eve word OF what ne said, and that haonly sRoke
partly TO hear himself talk and partly for practice
| however, All Sing was denied admittance to Ties
upper regions, and consequently deprived of Till
s bscyea Ill he o'or sd and ooied roI
ward eagerly to his arrival at the picturesque pora
OF the Golden CITY,
lOnes Light, threaded her way between Point Bonlt
aud Point I.obos, past Alcatraz Island, and up th
beautiful nar6or TO ner wharf, Close to ner, wnei
from Europe; and from this latter, IA from tho CIT
of Peking, there were debarking crowds OF aliens.
seeking a home under the starry nag. There was
marked difference however, 10 the reception OF III
/ two parties. For the Asiatics there was scar
courtesy. Cusonl-house oflclals examined iher
and their luggage roughly dock hands losllea taeg
street boys and 'r0ughs" at the gate greeted tlel
| with cries OF derisl0h aud occasional vOIleys
stones. The Europeans, on the other hand wer
the recipients OF many attentions, and Were met :
smiling faces In large numbers. Stout men, VIII
mnsiaches OF suspicious blackness and OF importai
p0sltlon-to judge from the respect shown Them
were particularly solicous for the welfare OF ihes
new -cOmers. OF course All Sing had yet to kno
thai there was In these others what there was not
him AMI his ompanIons-nidteridi for pofers
he wondered more and more a. me difference:
doubt tails wonder eliminated When one OF thes
| same European aliens, c0nteInporane0us In arryi
| with him, advanced, and, with loud curses, dealt hi
blow which laid MIN senseless on The ground.
When he came 10 himself, In the Chinese quartz
he had plenty OF time for reflection, and as In b
unenlghtened heather way he mentally contras,t
| the real America with the Ideal one, things began
be all "all OF muddle" with him.. And yet, thong
| he, II could hardly be possible that he had bet
wholly misnformed by all the good people who to
him about America.
A number Of years ago some bold engineers q
holder men OF means conceived the Idea OF oarryll
an iron road across the continent, AZ the latln
the Missouri; and west OF that river--so the mi
said-there lay the "Great American Desert
massive heights OF the Sierra Madre, The grim
} cesses OF the Wasaich Mountains, the skeeto
nu%bd Valley ns ana r ,sa
Pixies Peak and California lay the bodies and bon
Of hundreds ON hundreds OF human beings slain
] those inhosplable reglons-traders, trappers, en-
grants, stage-drivers, and riders OF the "Pony i
pressh-were carried IN their hands; anu when !
| railroad engineer proposed to take up his tleodo
aud follow In their Footsteps, he seemed indeed III
: as old Jeremy Taylor says. zone who seiteth up
ontposts In an oneniy's country, andchooseth a fro
| tier garrison to be Wise IN"
Mile by mile, however, the surveyors, tho grader
aud the track'layers advanced from both ends. oy
the mountains through the valleys. across the paii
! crept the rails. At Liant the working parties rae
toward each other aud for the goal AZ Promonto
Point ON the northern shore OF the Great Salt al
Now, unwelcome though the statement may be
these days, 1t In historical fact that the SUGGEST
and early completion OF this great work was larg,
due to Cinnamon. OF all people, they indeed "sco
delights aud live laborious days. aud their pate
and persislent toll was prominent factor 10 I
lrst real binding together OF the East and the We
y The engineers "builded better than they kno
when they carried the great road past coal ban
from which Il should conveniently and easily dr.
IT'D suppesof fuel. Aud here, again, was there nc
OF the patient laborer whose work was no encl,
and whose maintenance 40 Inexpensive. u ih'
gOn, near the great railroad. there was also pel
OF sage-brush above II, and the presence