The Portland daily press., 1891-09-01
THE SOUL OF THE CAT.

New York SUM-
Yee Sam Ling was a lonely one. He
had friends in plenty and relatives, too,
for that matter, but Ling had his own
views on matrimony and he didn't be-
lieve anybody could be happy without a
wife. 1t was strange why he had so sud-
denly taken on that belief, for hadn't he
lived fifteen years away from his own
Flowery Landl OF course he had.
He came first to the Golden Hills and
went to work in the mines, but he
couldn't stand it, for he used to feel the
strange white devils at night punching
him in the back. So he gave his claim
In the Golden Hills to a relative and
travelled across the continent to New
York, curled up like aqnink on a seat of
the smoking car.
He was idle for awhile and then started
in to sell soap to the laundrymen, until
finally he got enough of the American
mans cash to rent store. He put out
his red sign, with the futtering red
streamers on it to keep the evil ones
away, and he became merchant. Ev-
cry night for years he had crawled into
his little bunk curtained off at the back
Of the store, and after comforting him
self with the opium he loved SO well he
had fallen to sleep, to dream of pretty
Chinese girls lettering on pink clouds
across the water and stretching their
arms out to him.
He often thought of China and the
home life there, and he used to count
the money in his trunk and wonder when
he would have enough to go back and
buy koonfoo's rank and wear cap
with the red button of the third degree.
Then he thought he would buy with
some of his money the prettiest girl in
the province, and she would have feet SO
small that she couldn't walk at all I'M
less she had a strong servant holding
each hand.
He often played the lottery in the hope
that he would win, and he burned prayer
sticks before his kat god that he might
have luck, but he might just as well
have saved the sticks, for luck never
came. So persistently did he lose that
more than once he was tempted to, let
one of the burning prayer sticks fall
over against the god and burn it, but he
was afraid lest the deceit should be dis
covered and the god seek a just revenge.
One day there came into his store O
white girl who lived on the top floor of
the tenement around the corner. She
had hair like the wong shik gold he used
to dig out of the Golden hills.
"Say, john" she said, "me mothers
run out O. sope, an she's up to her neck
in washin. Gimme BARR
Ling was smitten with q great love.
He remembered having seen this girl go
past his store many times, but he never
had such chance as this to speak to
her.
"You nominee want sope?" he asked.
"She washee?"
eyes; want er bar, an I want it
quick"
"Alle lite" said Ling, and he clattered
behind the narrow counter and pulled
out from shelf two bars Of soap.
"You takkee two" he said. mo
n'gant'sin, you takkee; you sabe?' and
he pushed the soap and the five pennies
she had laid down away from him. Then
he went on; 81 lakkee you; you heap
nicei Lat you name"
"Gee, what graftp said the girl; $50 I
get de sope for muffin, do /, John? Well,
me names Maggie Sullivan, if yer
wanter know"
Ling looked at her with admiring eyes,
Then he pointed to the soap and pennies
and said simply:
"You takkee. heap lakkee you, sabe?
You clum CLAIM"
"Yes, sabe, john" said the girl, "an
I'll come again"
So she went out and Ling went to the
door and looked after her until she had
disappeared around the corner. Then
he went back behind the narrow counter
and sat down on q stool. He rested his
elbows on pile of paper, sunk his chin
in his hands and thought very hard.
His thinking amounted to something,
for he went to the little cubby room cur
tanned off at the back of the store, and
out Of the big camphor wood chest he
pulled some carefully folded clothes. He
was new man when he came out into
the store again, and couple of his
sountrymen who had dropped in to have
friendly chat and a smoke began to
chaff him.
His old cloth blouse, with the shiny
place on the back where his well oiled
cue had hung, lay in a heap on the
floor with his old pow tail and coarse
trousers; instead he wore clothes Of bro
caded dark blue silk and his sandals
were like those Of koonfoo. A cold
wind was blowing up the street. 1t
made him shiver, but he stood his ground
and watched for the coming of Maggie
Sullivan.
Every day for week he watched, I'M
til on the eighth day he saw her running
by WIN shawl over -ner neau ana
pitcher in her hand. "Hi-lo," he cried,
'hi-lo, Maggie S1'm'ni you COM nj.
chue2"
"Hello, John; how's things9 I'll see
yer when / get tn old mans beer" and
she dashed on, while Ling went in and
waited.
After awhile she came in with rush.
"You lakkee China candy? began
Ling before she could say anything.
Heap good" and he showed queer lit
tie box full Of keung toward her. 81
lakkee you," he continued, while he
picked at the gilt buttons on his blouse.
Il bling you nice close, heap nice, you
Babes Makkee you nice close, you dless
heap nice, sabe? You mally me, you hab
heap money"
Marry you, John? Well, guess notl
Me old woman would pull the pigtail
out Of your head if she heard you maxim
any breaks like that"
"You mally me bimeby," said Ling, as
though he felt sure he would win.
$50 long, joint" she said, as she went
out munching the candy. That was the
first of the queer courtship. 1t struck
Maggie seriously, as though she thought
she might do worse.
II don't know but what I'll marry the
Chink," she said to herself. "rll get all
Their clothes an money want an I'll be
boss, you can betr
There was cat which used to sleep
under Ling's counter. She grew fat on
the scraps of chow chop suey and chue
yunk which fell from the table, and al
together lived life of peace. But the
dav Ling nronosed to Maggie Sullivan