The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-02-10

6DlIllS, utT NOlCs OIOhOA W iNil SObo eaiAN
ner Dyes blinded with tears. As she
prayed, the wind, which had increased
In volume as he.evening wore on, SEEM
cd to change into a confused mass OF
sounds, and the sounds to separate into
voices Some were whispers whose &C.
cents fell upon her ear strangely famil-
lar; others were wild walls of people
dying in some dreadful catastrophe;
others again wcro songs of ineffable
sweetness wIIilo still. others wero like
the notes of birds. The sounds ever deep
ened and varied Tho prattling of chill
drcn, the noise of boys at play, the hub
bub of the market place, the chant Of
tho singer, the call of the soldier, the
shout of the sampan man mingled and
yet were separate and apart. Then the
air grew lighter and began to break into
shadowy faces and forms. Some sho
half recognized, and some were utter
strangers; some smiled upon her with
love, and others glared with the fierce
eyes of a tiger, but as she prayed the
discordant. sounds died away, and the
ugly looks and cruel faces dimmed and
vanished. She was surrounded by thou
sands of spirits who loved her and her
baby and who seemed to be bearing them
up and away into the heavens toward
the stars. Then there came great light
like the sun rising over the mountains
of Annoy, and the walls vanished, and
she became unconscious.
1t was about O'Clock in the morning
when Dr. Hugh McDowgle buttoned up
his coat and said goodby to Cassius
Blank, one of the tea kings of the east.
Mr.. Blank was a charming gentleman,
who, by careful cultivation of Old Bur
gundy, Comet ports and matchless sher-
ries had succeeded in getting his system
into that simple condition which is best
described as being bounded by govt OIL
one side. hobnail liver on the other,
with sprinkling of indigestion be-
tween. He required physician at least
twice week, not so much to treat any
particular disorder as to prevent the dis
order which was always about to attack
him. He had keen appreciation of the
doctor, who, besides being master of
his profession, was as charming COM
panion as the good Scotch universities
have ever graduated. The doctor said
good night and went out on the veran
da. His chair and porters were waiting
for him, but he preferred to walk the
brief distance that lay between him and
his home.
There had been change of weather
since dinner time. The wind had died
out, the clouds had disappeared, and the
blue sky of the tropics seemed all the
bluer and darker from the numberless
stars that shone down upon the Chinese
landscape.
AS he swung around the road near
Banyan villa an old woman tottered to-
ward him and almost fell upon the
ground from sheer exhaustion. He rec
ognized her as the servant of poor Chi
nese family in the neighborhood and
asked her kindly what her trouble was.
Tai gave an incoherent statement, in
which she mixed the description of the
night and the sickness with a pathetic
appeal for his assistance
1t took five minutes for the doctor and
his head porter to make out what the
old servant meant, and then with his
customary gallantry he told her that he
would go to the house Immediately and
would let her act as his guide She
gasped: I'm too weak, doctor. You go
ahead, and will follow you"
He walked rapidly forward to the
half open door of Tab Sins house and
passed in. On the floor lay All Ho and
the baby, both seemingly dead. He took
in the situation at glance. He had the
woman raised into her bed and gave her
some sleeping potion which he luckily
had brought with him. He then turned
to the baby, and after half an hours
hard work succeeded in restoring its an
imation He laid the little one in its
mothers arms and leaving small
amount of money in case she should be
in need he placed one of his coolies on
guard and then went home.
Toward in the morning the baby
began to manifest symptoms of hunger.
The chair cody smiled grimly and plac-
ed the child where nature could do the
rest The arms of the sleeping mother
closed convulsively over the frail body,
and the room lapsed into silence, bro.
ken only by an occasional gurgling
sound beneath the coverlet where the
two reposed.
The cody sat still for another hour,
one-half of his mind fixed upon the lit
tic pile Of coins the good doctor had left
and the other half upon dim and fan
tastic idea of duty. Then he rose, put
the money into some recess of his coat
and disappeared for the gambling house
OH the main road. Shortly after that
the sun rose and bathed Annoy in unut-
terable splendor. The gold and scarlet
went through the narrow windows of
All Hos house and painted the rooms
i'll hues and tints worthy of manda-
rim. A clear morning breeze stole
through the easements and shook the
little colored papers that hung around
the altar where she had knelt the night
before. From the street came the noise
Of the busy world outside. All Ho woke
with start and gasp, and then burst
into great smile shot through with
tears as she saw the sleeping child in
her arms with faint blush on its
cheeks and pulse no longer feeble or
uncertain She knew that the Wander
ing Spirits had heard her prayer and had
preserved her babe
But in the yard lay the body of Tai,
the old servant, and on her aged face
were light and q beauty such as shine