St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-11-26
MRS. GORDONS AMAH.
A STORY OF THE CHINESE RIOTS.

A STORY OF THE CHINESE RIOTS.
The great bell of the Honam temple
was toilling the hour for service This
bell, twice the size of a man, of ponder
Gus tone and exasperating harshness, was
being most energetically pounded by q
shaven and cowlless priest; yet woman
standing under its shadow seemed, in
spite of its deafening roar, to be uncon-
sclous of this metallic thunder, 50 alb
sorbed was she in thought She was a
slender woman, her deep coloring show
ing her to be Of the Sampau class, but
the tineness of her coat, the white sheer
ness of her long, flowing undcrSleeye.
the beauty of the chasing on gold ring
she wore, and the ring of gold watch
peepng out from her east-pOcket
proved her either the wife Of FOREIGNER
Or a favored servant in a European
family.
She was leaning eagerly forward,
watching the carycn door from which
the procession of priests was to enter.
and pressing in her small olive nailed
fingers two "chopped' silver dollars,
greatly to the interest of the bell-rinmer.
The temple was crowded, for it was a
fetc-day, and the woman and the bell
ringer were thrown nearer and nearer to-
gether, when at last, at a given signal,
the priests door was opened. the rank
and file of ycllow-g owncd acolytcs en-
tered, and the bell ceased its clamor with
hoarsc and resonant groan. The Young
woman pressed yet more eagerly forward
toward the altar
Last in the row Of arolytcs came a
youth whose shaver head. and long vel
low robe, proclaimed him a Buddhist
ncophvtc. After Salmninr ten times,
with forehead to the floor. before the
great idol of Buddha, he Withdrew with
his companions to the side OF the altar,
and then gazcd with apparent careless
ness over the audience. His CHALLENGING
gaze met that of the young woman, who
at once began slow and toiISomc pill
grmagc through the crowd toward
him. He, in turn, as tie service pro
crossed, dropped away from his com
panions little, and at last the two met
at the base of Il huge pillar, which par
daily concealed them from the mass Of
the people.
"-Sec, All Tc," she said, Il have
brought you the silver. Is there news of
the tohqW uprising? Tell me"
The young neophyte cast his ewes
hcavenward, and placing the palm Of one
hand over the back of the other, stretched
them in front of him with gesture pccul
larly Chinese, but made no answer.
eff you can tell me nothing, ! will
keep my silver" said the woman, as she
drew smnll purse from her breast and
dropped therein her two dollars. The
neophyte watched their disappearance
and shrugged his shoulders. Chinese
fashion.
"They would kill me if they knew"
he said, glancing toward the priests,
y" but look there p He thrust his sister
forward, so that through the temples
portlco she saw the sky cleaning with
lurid, red light THAT is the fire on
Shameen," he said grimly. '.They be-
gin with the French Concession
"And the English Concession-and
keecheong hong-must that go, too ~
"All-all ! Even the servants of the
fanqui foreign devils who remain with
their masters will perish. There is only
one English gunboat of the fool-foreigncr
in port, and the Viceroy, noble son Of
heaven, has placed distractions in the
stream, SO that is only a little one. They
will crush the foreign devil So" he |
stepped on a beetle which had run out
rom the stones. His sister looked on, I'M |
moved
"Go home, Emui; go back to Canton"
1e added, as the girl placed her dollars
n his palm and was fastening away. |
1T is bad night for amahs on Sha-
neen"
Emui made no answer She looked at |
Tim an instant, then caught his hand I'M
Ter the folds of his long robe, and pressed
t. After all, he was her brother.
He drew his shoulders forward, and
gain made the characteristic gesture
With the lowered palms. at is all one
o me" he said, "fanqui or no fanqui |
m priest of Buddha."
But the girl had fled.
Emui tore down the long stone-paved
walk, which runs from the temple portco
0 the rivers edge. There was no one in
lght but an empty sampau was anchored
o the stones. Whose, she knew not.
But she did not pause. She glanced
round a second to see if a possible
wner was in sight, to dispute her ac-
ion, then kicked off her shoes, stepped
lightly in, deity united the sampau, and
fitted the huge yellow, or sampau oar.
luckily she had grown up in one of these
oats, and propelling a sampau was sec
nd nature to her. Without backward
lance, she steered the stolen craft
traight for the crimson-lighted bend of
he Shameen.