The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-06-09
LOOKING FOR Hi 10.
A TALE OF A SACK OF RICE AND
CHINESE CHiCANERH
For Ways That Are Dark and Tricks That
Are Vain These Heather Chinese Were
Undoubtedly Peculiar Some One Got
the Rice, but No One Paid,


Take this sack of rice to Hi Lo at
- Clark street and be sure to collect
for it, as we don't know him.
Hi Lo may not have been the name
of the Chinaman, but it was something
fully as long This Chinaman had come
to grocery house and ordered large
sack of rice to be sent to an address in
Clark street, payment to be made on
delivery.
Accordingly the delivery wagon had
been sent out, and the driver had his
instructions. He arrived at the Clark
street number, dumped the sack ont of
the wagon and hauled it (the SACK into
the Chinese establishment, an odorous
little place with strange junk on the
shelves.
where's Hi Lo?'' asked the driver
of sleepy Chinaman, seated ON II high
stool behind the counter.
"Oooh- ah- lzuh- la-sang- ah-ooh- " re-
piled the man in charge.
as there & Chinaman here Of the
name of Hi Lo?''
"Koo-ah e-ta-gooah," piped the
salesman, and at that another China
man in another blue gown came up
through trapdoor not three feet away
from the startled driver.
Ga-loola-ahguhr he exclaimed.
Are you Hi Le?' demanded the
driver.
"Me no" and he went back into the
trapdoor like a Jack into box.
Tl,o Il.
men in two other inflated blue shirts
came in from rear room, and one of
them pointed to the driver and said,
Gee ah-h-h-h-t tow -hi-yah- h-h-h.
(Which one of you fellows is Hi Lo?"
asked the driver.
They paid no attention to him, but
began an argument Of which he was evil
IDENTIFY the subject. While they were
talking there came in from the front
Chinaman with the regulation blue
shirt, detected SLOUGH hat ON his head
and pale cigar dropping from his
mouth.
What you want?' he asked of the
driver
Are you Hi Lo?'
He shook his head dolefully and went
behind the counter.
who's goin to pay for this rice?"
what lice?"
why, there, r." but when he turned
and pointed there was no sack Of rice to
be seen.
"Who sneaked that away?'' he de-
manded
The Chinaman answered with a volu-
BILE jabber of Chinese
"Where is the fellow that was here
when came IMP" asked the driver. The
salesman had disappeared Then the
driver smashed the counter with his fist
and swore that he wouldn't be bunkoed
by a lot of yellow swindlers.
Suddenly more Cinnamon came up
through the floor or popped in from the
back room, and all began talking at
once
What did the white man want?
Why had he come to prosecute them?
Why did he ask for Hi Lo, and what
was all this talk about rice?
"Oh, you fellows are smooth, said
panel game on me- One of you saw me
bring that sack of rice in here
He tried to identify the salesman who
had been ON the high stool when he ell
tered, but when he came to look over
the lot he couldn't tell which was
which. He was going to search the
premises, but the Cinnamon raised such
a howl Of protest that he gave up the
job and drove back to the grocery
| no yho hol do kn 10
to Hi Lo went to the number in Clark
street to identify Hi Lo. No one around
the place answered to the name, but
there were four Cinnamon whom he
positively identified, declaring that any
one of them might have been the Hi Lo
who ordered the rice.
Let any one who marvels at his in
ability to pick out the right Chinaman
go to the government building and look
over the hundreds of photographs there.
He will find wonderful sameness of
smooth faces, slant eyes and sunken
cheeks Even the city detectives who
keep watch ON Chinatown have great
difficulty in distinguishing one resident
from another. In the case Of the man
who was looking for Hi Lo his failure
to pick out the Chinaman who had or
dered the rice was doubtless due to the
fact that the real Hi Lo was not one of
the quartet
The grocery house brought suit against
the Chinese company that owned the
store at which the rice had been deliv-
cred The occupants of the building
not only denied all responsibility for
debts, but they also maintained that the
driver had never delivered sack of rice
Not one of the Cinnamon had seen
any sack of rice. 1t was their belief
that the driver had dreamed it.
The case is hanging in a justice
court, and the poor, simple minded
children of the orient seem to have the
best of the argument. Chicago Record.