The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-29
THE CHINATOWN ALADDINS.
BY LOUIS wEsLYN JONES.

chant, came hurrying up 10 him, and said
in a somewhat excited manner
"Ah little Vim Foo, have you seen my
boy. Sing WEI"
Vim Foo shook his head. No, he had
not seen his playmate. Sing Wee. to-day
The merchant appeared concerned.
Where can my little son be-" he said.
He disappeared early this morning and L
nave seen neither rind nor queue of him
since"
Which is the Chinese way of saying you
have seen neither hide nor hair of a person
He surely could not have run away,
went on Lee Chong, musingly And II is
almost equally certain that he is not lost,
for he knows every nook and corner in San
Flancisco.
Lee Chong, the merchant, is an intelH-
gent fellow; he uses the most beautiful
Chinese in speaking, but, like all of his
countrymen, he trips up completely when
he attempts TO pronounce the name of the
Golden Gate city.
Il feel rather anxious about my son, he
continued. II cannot understand his nys-
FERROUS absence. I wish you to keep a sharp
lookout, YIN Foo. and try to find my boy.
If you bring me any news of him, you
shall receive two bits
He felt mortally certain that he could dis
cover the whereabouts of the missing Sing
Wee, and thus come into possession of the
promised reward
I'll find him for you" he almost shouted,
and away he darted through the crowded
marketplace.
With vision of the longed-for two
bits" or twenty-five cents, ever in his
minds eye, he began making a thorough
search of all Chinatown He well knew
the favorite haunts of his playmate, Sing
Wee and the rest of the morning was TAX
en- up in visiting all the old familiar places.
But Sing Wee was not to be found YIN
Foo did not become discouraged. however,
and, after he had taken his noon meal of
milk and rice, he started out again in quest
of the absent boy.
Turning a corner quickly as he was hur
rying through the streets Vim Foo ran
head first into tall, handsome American
gentleman who wore fine clothes and a
salk hat and possessed a beautiful black
mustache.
"Hello!" exclaimed the gentleman, as he
caught the embarrassed little Chinaman by
the sleeve of his blouse. you're the very
fellow I've been looking for Vim Foos
embarrassment changed to fright What
should be looking for him? He actually
turned pale under his yellow skin. But he
didn't veture to speak a word.
You see" continued the TALL handsome
man in the silk hat. II am a magician-a
trick player, you understand? and l must
have two little Chinese boys to help me in
one of my tricks at the theater tonight.
I've engaged one OF the boys, and L want
you to be the other. I'll give you one dollar
eight bits-if you will come with me- Do
you savey?"
Vim Foo understood English perfectly; he
was born in San Francisco.
MY savvy,'' he replied, my velly glad to
come an make EN- eight bittee. My frs
go askem father
"Oh you wish to get your fathers con-
sent, do your" said the gentleman. "Well,
you are different from the other boy I've
engaged. Yes. of course, go and ask your
fathers permission to earn a dollar I'll
wait here for you"
Without word Vim Foo was off like a
flash, his face lit up with a joyous express
sion. Things certainly were coming his
way to-day. Here was his second chance
to earn some money And eight bits, too.
What fortune! If he could only find his
lost playmate and claim that reward of
GnOHB Lee ne WOulu earn ten DlIS all IN
one day Why, he would be the richest
Chinese boy in ali the world
The man in the silk hat chuckled as he
watched the hastily retreating figure of the
little Chinaman.
Fortune favors me-" he murmured to
himself. MY two little Oriental fellows
will get me out of my difficulty in fine
style"
The man was none other than the cele-
brated Prof. Kellmann the world renowned
magician, necromancer, prestidiSitator il
lusionist Everybody has witnessed his
wonderful performances, so there is no
need of dwelling upon his proficiency in the
BLACK art He stands alone as the great
est of all trick players.
Now it is not my intention to betray any
of the professors secrets or tricks. 1 could
not do so even if l wished. Although
have seen him perform his wonderful illu-
sions dozen times or more. L never, for
the life of me, could make out how in the
world he managed to do them. But found
out one thing about the professors business
which find necessary to make public prop
etry in order to relate this story. l DO hope
that the professor will not be offended, but
1 will have to take the risk.
You see, in 6lat famous iron-box trick of
MS, ne mas the assistance or two beautiful
Persian girls, twin sisters, one of whom is
locked up in the box and made to disappear
in the twinkling of a second while the
other one Immediately appears in the au-
dience. OF course, the spectators, thinking
there is but one girl, become stricken dumb
with wonder and establishment for the twin
sisters are so marvelously alike in form and
every feature that there is no possible wav
of telling them apart. This trick is Prof
Kellmann's greatest illusion, his piece de
resistance and he always advertises It as
the star feature of his entertainment
wherever he goes.
So you can imagine the professors
chagrin when. upon his arrived in San
Francisco to fill an engagement of three
weeks at one of the principal theaters, one
of the Persian girls was taken very ILL., in
deed, and was compelled to lie in bed at
the hotel, unable even to walk across The
room, to say nothing of appearing in the
performance.
The newspapers had been full of the iron
box trick for the past week and had sue
ceeded in whetting the appetites of the
theatergoers for something entirely new
and novel in the black art line. The profess
sor knew of this, and he realized that his
show would be complete failure il he at
tempted to give it without the much-talked-
of illusion of the Persian girl and the iron
box.
At first the professor could not think of
a single thing that might helm him out of