Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-15
ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE.


conscience is an affair of geography.
Put the best man you like down in a
foreign country and he'll laugh at things
that he'd drop a hard hand on here
in Gotham. Don't believe mech?
fancy l can convince you. You all
know old Roberts, and know that he's
as good a Christian as he is a captain,
and that's not saying a little. Well,
I've seen that man twisting and turning
like cat on hot bricks for fear that
a rogue should be punished, and it
wasn't because the fellow had only
broken some petty local law, either,
for he would have five years Sing Sing
here, and the captain have been first
to say: He's got off easy
II was serving in the United States
of America frigate Delaware, and we
had been cruising on the China station
for couple of years, and for the
principal part of that time we'd had
young Chinaman helping in the cook
house. He was a pleasant, gOOd-tem-
pered young fellow, not bad looking
for Celes tial, and had become a great
fayOrite with us all, officers as we'll
as men.
There was a bit of romance attach
ing to him. he was in love with the
dler at Hong Kong, and that was why
he was with us. His sweetheart, little
Sing Ooh, was a great beauty, with
eyes like button holes and golden lilies
no bigger than n three-year- DDS fists;
so her uncle made up his mind that
she must connect him with some middle
class mandarin or rich banker, and
when Wan Lee made his advances the
old rascal simply demanded a payment
of 500 ounces of Silver as a recompense
for the expense he had been put to
bringing her up.
''NoW, as far as Wan Lee was CON
cerned, he might just as well have
asked for 5000. and that the old rascal
knew very well, and doubtless thought
that when poor little Sing had taken
time to dry her tears and reflect how
impossible it was she should ever be-
come Mrs. Wan Lee, she would, like q
sensible girl, take the man of her uncle
choice rather than run the risk of be-
coming the most miserable of created
things. Chinese old maid. And no
doubt Lung Sien Oong Sinned the sail
ors called him, and they weren't far
wrOng) was correct in his calculations,
for Chinese girls are very much like
their A,4erican sisters.
''Well, Wan Lee had taken service on
the Delaware as last despairing hope.
n ON Iin
surely among them there must be
some chance of making money. But
the poor fellow found that even on such
a mine of wealth as the Delaware must
have seemed. there were very close
limits to the amount to be picked up
by a 'pgtail.'
Had il only been Il small sum he
needed he might have got help when
the men knew his story, but 500 ounces
means $500 more or less, and that was
beyond even Jacks open-heartedness.
80 poor VANS gains were confined
to what he could save out of his month
" So, and that was roughly shaken
every third month when we ran into
Hong Kong by the preserved viOlets,
candied sIugs smuggle to Sing Ooh for
he would muggle in to Sing Ooh, for
human nature is the same whether
under n dudes silk hat or a coolies
skull cap.
1--WE We're lying at anchor on one
of our visits and as it was my turn
for leave / had logged up and was
coming on deck when / was summoned
to the captain, oh, Mr.. Arnold he
said. I want you to do Il little COM
is it? why it'srather a queer affair,
Wan Lee says his relatives have raised
the money for his marriage and begs
me to let q "Nlelican officer go with
him to see it paid over to Lung Sien-
and, by the by. Mr.. Arnold. as I have
promised to put him ashore at Cheefoo
when we weigh anchor. I want you
to keep an eve on him and see that
he comes back to the ship after he
is married. It may be all right, and he
is a very civil fellow, but I shall have
the officers jewelry looked over. It's
rather queer his coming into this money
so suddenly
"Of course [ wasn't sorry for the
chance of seeing a little Chinese life.
90, solemnly promising to keep my
eyes glued on to Wan Lee, [ went on
shore with him in the gig.
WAN, who was dressed in his best,
took me to a little teahouse near the
quay, where we found a couple of
coolies waiting for us, for the eNpec-
tant bridegroom had come on shore the
night before and made his preparations.
L expected to see some of his relatives
waiting to meet us, but no one appear
ed save the proprietor, who received
us most ObliquiOusly and led us into
the back room, where Wan took out
a key and opened the door of a little
off-room he had hired for a treasure
chamber. In it was long box. which
he instructed the coolies TO take up and
follow U.S. Now, as you most likely all
know, there are no Chinese coins larger
than the cash about six of which go to
q cent. So all large sums are paid by
silver ingots, which are always careful
ly weighed at each transaction and
the balances adjusted by strings of
cash, so could make 4 very fair guess
at what the box contained. We hadn't
Tar to carry it, for, of course, Long Sin
ner's place was near the river, and