The Dickinson press., 1888-03-03
LIFE AT HONG KONG.
DINING FOR "FoREIeN oEvlLsv AT
ALL HOURS OF THE DAY.
"Pi,lsin English" aud Its Difficulties.
Everybody Carried About In Chairs or
ralanquims A Lady Takes in the
sights of the City.

sights of the City.
fhe European taste is catered to so far as
tllr food, or chow, as 1t is always called here
| is Concerned. The Goods are all Chiuamen
aa'! very excellent COOKS. for while they look
With pi'Ning eyes ON the foreign devil" who
has th" bad taste To prefer roast beef to stew
c'l do, OF ir'i>sre,l black cats eyes. they vet
roast the i'cci IN a turn, and run IL French
GORDON hlen Very closely i'll the pquancy of
Their sauces. tl" curry and rice, which
might almost h" called tho piece de resist
enc" ;" re2"ai!N docs it appear ut both tit
I'm AMI dnnrs, i, better here, to my taste
thin IN India. til" land of its BIRTH The con-
dlih"ht> cat". with the curry constitute its
charla.
NV hoy, Ah Cl"ong, brings TO nv room
eNctN morning when | awaken, coffee. with
NJ. TOW, rr.:' strips ot luttcred toast break
- proper Is served at o O'Clock. ttlin on.
i"i."r"n al |, and dinner which is the event
'f In" haN at =. AS there is nothing to ,ln
after dllilicr-no theatre, no opera. no amus,,-
h"tt "i any iini-im pleasure of dining il;
II '''i:iH'i I" the la,c-t possible moment. and
''' Ht'"" IL n'lr attractive sight than
ii' dunn; room of III" Hong Kong hotel
cNr''N rishf from $ o'clock 10 II. or even
ia''r. The room is large, brilliantly lighted,
il''' With snail tables ornamental with
lf';it'inl flowers and exquisite china. The
lnh'';4'N III constant motion keep the air cool
'';.'' fresh. Everybody is in evening dress.
;.h4 every nationality nearly is represented
iiic servants are all dressed precisely alike in
long gowns of h!ue cotton, and wear little
lti''s satin skull CAPS with a red button an
| IL" crown.
lle'c are ;'b'ut as many servants us guests
ami iiivN move nos,'lr.sly about with no com
l'N"il, perfectly imlassivr, their expression.
l'N' ''lin""d eyes ever OH The alert, their lnp;.
| pSt'si'' dangling behind 1t is an evidence
"i want ol respect for Il Chinese servant to
tl.'of Your presence with his cue twisted
af"'nd hiS head; rs objectionable. for in
s''n1r, as Ion Your butler to present himself
i" wait ut table without his coat. The head
waiter is called number one boy" and Won
Sei'd Tor nm i'll all cases of emergency. lIn
'.'HtE' pl%oin English, as does cv,iyl,mly.
-NIl' nearly all Chinamen understand it well
enough To transact business with FOREIGNERS.
n''' IN 'l'H ho'"ia all servan:S are provided
"'ih h"''"f "rhlt books, AID il You cannot
maze N"Nr"li understood y"u writca "chit "
which Is carried 10 an interpreter i'm thp
office II Is astonishing that such nm aLonl-
l'atir combination and arr;,n-ynmcnt of
h'.y" obtained as it has in China. II is So
'''I''ni t" speak, that is, to speak well (9
TINT !ioi'' place; where il is taught.
tEW JlNR,CKSIIAs
There are horses and carriages in Hong
l>"n%- and comparatively few iinrickslas.
i.Ne'Nl"dy is carried about in IL chair or
iiian1min slung on long bamboo poles. which
resi- "iHIa the shoulders of the c,olic hearers
y pnbiir stand for these chairs is lust across
The street from the hotel, arranged precisely
| as thr can stands are arranged in New York,
"''h 'hiN d'ilrr2nrc, that the moment You
"Innrle from Tie doorway and raise you,.
iil5'f '' signal i"l II chair, not one but the
entire i"rrc bears down upon you with such
Il lNS'i 'ha' You an" completely cng,lfcl in
han'''"" poles. chairs and coolies, the latter
screaming ai the top Of their voices: s"rakrc
my MISSY, take" my, and they only ,lispcrsc
"Gcn N"n finally fall llelplcssly into the first
''i4f Whose coolies succeed in tripping you
up by I'll" lvSs. Sometimes Il policeman ap-
pears Upon t!!" $.'"nc, and then they scatter,
ioll"He! pi He policeman at full tilt, WHO,
If lie can, grabs the roolie hv his cue and
drass him troumd tie block. These chair
coolies act sixteen cents ;n hour, and for that
price they trot like mad, stopping otrasion-
| ally tn patronizc n chow stand, but not TO
| r,.St.
AS the Chinese language is so difficult 10
learn, 40 foreigner pretend, to speak it, eX-
"a. ci coi'''.r, the missionaries, but every
holT says "chin chin (how do You don
'Nh"p chop 'lulv up and "nan man.
stop. y little learning is however, u dam
is'r"'is thing. as was cxcmplificd in the case
| OF my friend, Miss Jackson. who the tlay of
her arrival among the hcatllen took n chair
| Win loui bearers Ia sec The sights The
/ cooi!eS were instructed l,v The Interpreter at
| IN" hp'rl hcf"r" She art ont ON this John Gil
! pin expedition taa ii proved To bc,, to take
| her t'il3l:h the principal street, and bring
li"F back in three hours. All went we'll for
SOM" little tin," the coolies ,rotted peacefully
al"ns Tho Queens rnad-my friend enjoying
| th' h"'ci;.nd ia."'iiit:n.s motion of the chair
and tahiI!; i.i the .tian,e sights
| "clcKENED THEIR PACE
| Finally It curl" Shop attracted her attcn-
lion, Ali' wishing {" stol, she raped sharply
on the si'i'' Of The chair and said "Chnp-
chop. TO her ;5irat surprise the coolies
/ qliicktari their pace somewhat and llanced
gay + OH 'Chop-chop," she said again with
rather more energy than before, and faster
| the ''ni"ii trottcd She now became thor
ought alarmed. and imagining the coolies
were. ;'ci!:s 10 take her to some out of the
waG ii'."' "nd slay her, She took ont her
purse, and holding upa handful of Mexicans,
sild Inl..i".'ingly, while the tears started to
! lici cN'' ''Chop-chop.' "thopchop." At
this 'h'' hearers broke into a run and up hill
hml do"n dale, along the queens road
through the Chinese quarter Of the town.
| along tn" B'ind, everywhere in fact, those
Zcaiou". ''catliless coolies tore, ltuI'iIlp their
helpless vifti:l gallantly aloft, and finally
brought unat the hotel "na dead run exactly
on he str"!:" of the hour, their eyes starting
from their heads, the perspiraton stream
ing from every pore, tlIcir pigtails standing
ont straight behind, but Sustained and
so";llsDi Ly an unfaltcring trust that the
! handful of Mexicans would lie theirs. Poor
Mss Jackson was ringinS desperately to the
-i'i''s ''i hcr chair, the inccssant and rapid
.ip!tnS had knocked her bonnet over one eve.
'-i il''it' strcamcd down her back, blank de-
sislir was depicted On every feature. Willie
h5:wccn h;r ,.,!.s she still continued to ciacu-
late iainiiE at intervals: Chop chou
- i:u,,
Ordinary iaortals hav, two bc1lcl.S. the
swell, have four, and most people find it
c'.aa,.er. Is vol as cleaner and more salts
factory Ia purchase their o"n chair and iiv-
O. for ts." bearers, instead Of hiring from
,..' ii lie stni.'ls. Tie livery consists of a
s;f .. roiion yaja:nas Of any color fancied,
;'la"4a' with braid Of contrasting color and
: j.. ,.;,.y OF dark blue, trimmed with ;:iitc.
rei or blaci; braid. or of white cotton.
r.:nm!"'l With rel or blue braid Tie dclni-
'lp.!.". who flourish ON that eastern soil like
~: ''.ei bay tree, are always Distinguished
~. p'irc "i.itc livery Of th", l".arel,S ,in-
.r'l H.. tic slightest shade of color.-Cor.
,ps. y RI Mai! and Express
Life j. a hort day, but it is working day.
Hannah More.