The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-21

the expression Of the little mouth IL seemet
something decisive. and from the way hel
lover and the coolies laughed Think !
must have been slightly sareastic. In fact
fancy that the idea that had passed through
my mind that II Lung Sisn was left will
the money in his hands q luoky day
might DO SOM time in coming had, ala
presented itself 10 her. and sh'
apt to under such oireumstancsa. Anyhow
abe settled the question. for 4 iinriokshav
was fetohed and the poo little maid paeket
in 10 and trotted OF to the consulats
accomranied her, for he had svidenti,
washed his hands Of her. Her belonging
were bundled out, one little bamboo no,
held all, and that was carried on the heat
Of a ooolie. who dill not need to shirk hi
turn at The 'riokshaw In consequence.
when VI got to the consulate the poor
ing rather triahssned and voebssone, a,
Ladies, white or yellow, will do when thsy'v
got their own way and are not quite surt
what's coming of IL, and any one who
knows the amount of fuss n ceremony
attending a Chinese marriage. even of thu
lowest class, can understand her feelings
in such n position.
with no glad bells, no marriage feast,
No Joyous homo returning
"But pale and trembling as she was,
there was no backout to her, and by the aid
of the interpreter the happy pair were
made one in a very few minutes. Then
my worry began, for I was afraid that Wan
Lee would mako some excuse for not going
back to the ship. and IL he did l should Dc
at my wits end to find out how to fulfil
my promise to Capt. Roberts.
III Hong kong had been under native
rule it would have been easy enough-just
take hin by the pigtnil and march him
down to the boat and let the captain and
the American consul put it right afterward
S:Hh the authorities.
but under the despotic rule of her Bri.
tannic majesty, where a man mustn't wal
lop his own Niger. this would have been q
risky proceeding, and l should have been
stopped before ! got three streets length by
some %puggareed o2pressor.
However. my trouble did not last long,
for Wan himself was the fret to propose an
immediate return to the Delaware. so l
escortsd him and the 'rickshaw to tho quay
and did NOT leave them until i saw both In
the gig aud the oars splashinR up the water.
Then ! went off for my own private spree.
Well, that has nothing to do with this tale.
SO Til only say that the next morning ! was
just thinking of getting up Il was staying
with an old friend in the tea trade). and
trying to make sure whether the thing on
my shoulders was q head or q forge with
the hammers going inside II. when there
came q knock at the door, and one of our
midshipmites was shown In. Capt. Rob
erts wishes you TO meet him at the police
Office at once. sir; Wan Lee has been ar
rested; the silver he paid for his wife
wasn't silver at all and o are wanted for
a witness.' You may guess l tumblsd out
sharp and dressed at a sailors rate and was
soon on nay way, the boy giving me the
particulars a. we went along. After the
<SroA Hnv~psnn -~n ~-n~ I lSlvNSk no
wonder at Wan Lees fraud as at his being
so mad as to stay near the scene of his
knavery. knowing how soon 1t would be
discovered. Whom We got to the office the
case had commenced before the police mag
istiate and q red-buttoned mandarin. who
was sitting with him to act as assessor on
knotty points of Chinese law. Wan Lee
cast dow as was expected, but poor little
Sing Ooh was weeping bitterly in spite of
a gruff word of sympathy given her by
the old captain from lime to time. There
were the usual court loungers and a num-
Der of liberty men from the frigate mixed
among them. freely expressing their SYM
patty for Sing Ooh and their desire to give
| Long Sinner a ke%el-haullnG. Lung 6ien
was giving his evidence as l came in. and 1t
was terribly simple aud plain. Wan Lee
had paid him the silver. it was put
straight into the strong room. and on being
tested in the morning was found to be Dase
metal.
his custom to take silver without at once
testing it, he replied, Certainly not but
that the fact OF an American officer, whom
he knew belonged to the Delaware, coming
with the prisoner, had thrown him of his
guard, as it seemed to Ncorfoborate the tale
which Wan Lee had told him the night be-
fore that the officers of the frigate had
Il roiaaS tba ,no1,Av hu an dissemination for hirn
II felt rather a buzzing In my head at
this answer, which was not improved by
Frank Morley, the widest young soape-
grace in the ship, whispering In my ear,
oh, Arnold! Arnold! only think of the cute
Jack Arnold being used as a tool by a Chi
nese %coolie; what will they say at Harvard
! when l write homer However, the magis.
trate seemed to think it was q reasonable
answe and the plaintiff left the stand. te
be followed by his cashier. whose evidence
was only a copy of his masters. 1her
came nv turn. and I. of course. cor; obof-
ated them as far as the buying the si!ve,
was concerned.
"ihen a silversmith was called to prove
the baseness of the metal, and that close
the case for the prosecution, and very black
it looked against poor Wan Lee as the mag
istrRte turned to him for his dofense. That
poor little girl is in for two years widow
hood, at least whispered Frank to me;
'they can't give him less for such an at.
Tempt
"Bus before the prisoner was swo,u
following the very sensible custom of the
middle Kingdom whore they don't shu;
out the evidence of the man who may be-
supposed to know most about the case, J.
question arose as to how the oath WAS to be
ad administered. The other witnesses had
taken it in the usual Shintoo way, by
breaking a plate, and the mandarin was
for swearing Wan in the same way. but
the magistrate. looking to the mar
riage of the day before. thought the
oath should be put in the usual Christian
form. After some little discussion the
prisoners opinion was asked, and that
astute young man. with IN evident deter.
mination to offend neither Of the judges,
disolaimed any partially. XIII i'm cock,
break i'm plate, smell I'm b~ook-allee same.
allse good ways averred this Celestial
broad churchman: SO it was finally decided
to let him smell i'm book. on the ground OF
economy.
"On being sworn his tale was as simple
as HIS opponents.
HE was a poor orphan, the honorable
court was his fathe. and his mother; BIZ
had bought his wife and paid for her with
good silver, and he could not imagine why
Lung Sien should charge Him with tn,
crime be was accused Of. The magistrat,
Lung STEMS evidence alone; he was corrob
GRATED on all points by indepen-
dent testimony; the officer swore t,
tho bars being sold. and the siivsrsmith
a respectable trSdssman. had testife.
to their b~aseness. Would the prisoner lik
to nave it tested by another expert? No
the prisoner was quito willing to accept th,