The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-16
A BELGIAN MANDARIN.
The Romantic Career of Chinese Gus
tom Ofacial.


While the young American bicyclists,
Messrs. Allen and Sachtelben, were cross
ing the desert of Cobb, they heard much Of
a mysterious and powerful Official called
the Ling DARN. No one could tell who or
what he was. Finally, as they emerged
from the desert, starved, i'll. and ragged.
they were met by richly dressed man
DARN, according to the story they tell in
the September number of the Century.
he greeted them cordially in clear but
broken English, and, mounted on waiting
horses, they were attended into the city
Of Su-chou. ut was some time before
the idea flashed across our minds that
this might indeed be the mysterious Ling
DARN about whom we had heard
so much. Yes said he, that is what
am called here, but my real name is
Spllngard.' He then went on to tell us
that he was Belgian by birth; that he
had travelled extensively through China,
as the companion of Baron Richthofen,
and had thus become SO thoroughly ac-
qualnted with the country and its people
that, on his return to the coast, he had
been offered by the Chinese government
the position of custom mandarin at Su-
chou, position just then established for
the levying of duty on the Russian goods
passing in through the northwest prov
dress and mode of living, and had
even married, many years ago, a Chinese
girl educated at the Catholic schools in
rien Tsin
1--WE were so absorbed in this romantic
history that we scarcely noticed the
crowds that lined the streets leading to
the Ling Darin's palace, until the boom of
cannon recalled US to our situation.
From the smile on the Jolly face beside us
knew n VVhOu1 wa pOI116 hold 20
sponsible for this reception. The palace
gates were now thrown open by host of
servants, and in our rags and tatters we
rolled at once from the hardships of the
lnhospitaOle desert into the lap of luxury.
"A surplus is not always so easily dis
posed of as a deficit-at least we were in
clined to think so in the case Of our Su-
chou diet. The Ling Darin's table which,
for the exceptional occasion, was set in
the foreign fashion with knives and
forks, fairly teemed with abundance and
variety. There was even butter, made
from the milk of the Tibetan yak, and
condensed milk for our coffee, the first we
had tasted since leaving Turkey, more
than year before The Ling DARN in
formed US that can of this milk. which
he once presented to Chinese friends, had
been mistaken for a face cosmetic, and
was so used by the ladies of the family
The Ling Darin's wife we found an excel
| lent and even artistic cook, while his
buxom twin daughters could read and
write their own language-a rare accom-
plishment for a Chinese woman
AS guests of our highly respected and
| even venerated host, we were visited by
nearly all the magistrates of the city.
| The Ling DARN was never before COM
PEELED to answer so many questions In
| self-defense he was at last forced to get
| up stereotyped speech to deliver on each
social occasion. The people, too, besieged
the palace gates, and clamored for an ex-
hibition. Although our own clothes had
been sent away to be boiled, we could not
plead this as an excuse. The flowing
Chinese garments which had been pro-
vided from the private wardrobe of the
| Ling DARN fiuttered wildly in the breeze.
as we rode out through the city at the
appointed hour. Our Chinese shoes, also,
were constantly slipping of, and as we
raised the foot to re-adjust them, a shout
went up from the crowd for what they
thought was some fancy touch in the way
Of riding"