The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-10-14

her pot of growing plants. jewsharp,
harmonica, canary bird or two, patent
whistle which Is supposed to trill like the
feathered songster, and above all an ex-
pensive European music box which plays
from ten to twenty five tunes, grinding
out "The Last Rose of Summer" like
galloping COW, and rendering the faran-
dole from s:Olivette' like funeral dirge.
She cannot distinguish one tune from an
other and cannot adjust the mechanism to
either tune or time, but sits back in COM
placent satisfaction to listen to the noise
and watch the prickly cylinder revolve. Z
The strong-minded woman had all these
toys to entertain her, but the charm OF
novelty had faded; she longed for some
thing new-her husband was about to
present her with it in the shape of another
wife. The carpenter was already at work
partitioning off cubby hole with sleep.
ing bunk inside of it for the brides ac-
commodation.
"Of course you wish my congratula-
tons; you are glad to have constant
company and some one to boss"
mo, I'm not; most Chinese women
would be, but I'm sorry. And I'm not
boss, either, for I'm only No. 2, and have
to look down to No. /. Now, Seen Sang,
look; love my boy-I want him with
me all the time, but our custom says: mo,
you are only No. 2; that boy belongs to
No. /; he must never call you mother,
but must always owe allegiance to No. l,
who is the true wife, and call her mother.
She wants to see the child-hcr child she
calls bim-my child, and so my husband
will send him to China in year or two
more and may never see him again. 1t
makes my heart sorry, but if l had fifty
children my feelings would be of no con-
sideration-tbey would all 60 the same
way. No one can stay by me and be the
support and comfort of my old age
"But you may 60 back to him some
timer"
"Yes, maybe sometime, if my husband
does not get tired Of me and sell me to
some other man. We are just like cows,
excepting No. 1; it Is only the first wife
he cannot put away so easily; she has all
the rights. But if I were to go back
should have to be No. Is slave, always
ready to pamper her every whim and
obey her most tyrannical command, and
my son could do nothing for me, for he
would no longer I've my son. You say the
Chinese are not an affectionate people.
What is there in our domestic life to
found affection upon, when our laws
maintain that man may have as many
wives as he wishes; that he may put
away any or all, excepting his first wife,
whenever he wishes; that all the wives
must obey No. wife and raise up chill
dren to her, and all the children must
acknowledge her as their mother2 /
should like to be Christian woman, to
be governed by Christian laws"
''Be Christian woman"
"For my husband to sell at once, what
should l ds2"
"Find home in the mission house."
"a worse prison than this, with revo-
luton in my daily habits. I do not de-
sire to be literal Christian; / do not be-
lieve in the Christian religion, but l like
the Christian laws. The Chinese in
America are governed by the Six Com.
panies, so-called; although there are more
companies than that now-common usage
makes it six. l could run away from my
husband successfully, perhaps, to a mis-
sion if desired. A mission would give
me home for year; then at the year s
expiration turn me out to marry or to
make my own living. Either would mean
starvation, death. am too old for any
man to desire III marriage, too helpless
in the ways of making money to support
myself, too used to the good living my
husband provides to be deprived of it;
besides, he is as good to me as any Chi
nese husband would be-what object IN
leaving hint"
eff he were to die would you grieve fol
him, for you then would be free to follow
your own inclinations2"
"Oh, Lun Sang, how should ever cease
grieving. for shall then be worse slave
than ever"
"Perhaps if No. could be found
the real widow acknowledged by our laws
who wished to appeal to our laws she
could gain q point"
"Don't believe it, exclaimed the strong
minded woman, emphatically. "Look at
Lizzie, the Swedish girl who married our
wcalthiest lottery man in San Francisco
When he took q Chinese girl for his sec
ond wife Lizzie was indignant. 'I'll apply
for divorce and one half the community
property. ! was married according to
Christian laws she cried.
"Lok Chez laughed and snapped his
ieweled fingers. "A fig for your Christian
marriage and your Christian laws. Be-
have yourself and I'll always give you an
excellent living, and what no Chinese
wife gets, plenty of spending money, even