The San Francisco call., 1897-12-26

a small pot containing specimen OF
Camellia Japonica in flower. l knew
the school children were in the habit of
making presents TO me in this furtive
fashion-leaving their own nosegays of
wild flowers, or perhaps cluster Of
roses from their parents gardens-but
I also knew that this exotic was too
rare to come from them. I remember
that See Yup had a Chinese taste for
gardening, and a friend, another Chi
naman, who kept a large nursery in
the adjoining town. But my doubts
were set at rest by the discovery Of a
small roll of red rice paper containing
my washing bill, fastened to the camel
liza stalk It was plain that this ming
ling Of business and delicate gratitude
was clearly See Yup's own idea. As the
finest flower was the topmost one, 1
plucked it for wearing, when 1 found
to my astonishment th-t it was simply
wired to the stalk This led me to look
at the others, which I found also
wired! More than that, they seemed to
be an inferior flower, and exhaled that
cold, earthly odor peculiar to the ca
mellia, even, as I thought, to an ex-
cess. A closer examination resulted in
of the first flower I had plucked, they
were one and all ingeniously construct
ed of thin slices of potato, marvelously
cut to initiate the vegetable Weakness
and formality of the real flower. The
work showed an infinite and almost
pathetic patience In detail, yet strange
ly incommensurate with the result,
/ admirable as it was. Nevertheless, this
was also like See Yup. But whether
he had tried to deceive me, or whether
| he only wished me to admire his skill,
l could not say. And as his persecu-
tion by my scholars had left bal
ance of consideration in his favor, I
sent him a warm note of thanks and
said nothing Of my discovery.
AS our acquaintance progressed I
became frequently the recipient of
other small presents from him; a pot
of preserves Of a quality 1 could not
purchase in shops, and whose contents
in their crafty, gingery dissimulation
so def1ed definition that I never knew
whether they were animal, vegetable or
mineral; two or three hideous Chinese
idols for luckee," and a diabolical
firework with an irregular spasmodic
activity that would soretrmes be pro-
longed until the next morning. In re-
turn, l gave him some apparently
hopeless oral lessons in English, and
certain sentences to be copied, which
he did with marvellous precision. 1 re-
member one instance when this pecu-
liar faculty of imitation was disastrous
in result. In setting him a copy, had
blurred a word, which promptly eras-
ed, and then traced the letters more
distinctly over the scratched surface.
To my surprise, See Yup triumphantly
produced his copy with the erasion it
self carefully initiated and, in fact,
much more neatly done than mine.
In our confidential intercourse 1
never seemed to really get nearer to
him. His sympathy and simplicity ap-
peared like his fowers-to be a good
humored imitation of my own. 1 am
satisfied that his particularly soulless
laugh was not derived from any
amusement he actually felt, yet I
could not say it was forced. In his ac-
curate limitations 1 fancied he was
only trying to evade any responsibility
of his own. That devolved upon his
taskmaster! In the attention he dis
played when new ideas were presented
sion as If he were looking down upon
them from his 5000 years of history.
Don't you think the electrical tele-
graph wonderful?" I asked one day.
'VelIy good for Mellican man." he
said, with his aimless laugh; plenty
makee him jump"
never could tell whether he had
confounded it with electro-galvanism
or was only satirizing our American
haste and feverishness. He was capa-
BILE of either. For that matter, we
knew that the Chinese themselves pos
sessed some means of secretly and
quickly communicating with each 9TH
er. Any news of good or Ill import to
their race was quickly disseminated
through the settlement before we knew
anything about it. An innocent bas-
ket of clothes from the wash sent up
from the river bank, became in some
way library of information; single
slip of rice paper aimlessly f1uttering
in the dust of the road had the mystic
rious effect of diverging a whole gang
of coolie tramps away from our settle
ment.
? When See Yup was not subject. to
the prosecutions of the more ignorant
and brutal he was always a source OF
, amusement to all, and 1 cannot recall
an instance when he was ever taken
t seriously. The miners found diversions
/ even in his alleged frauds and tricker-
| les, whether innocent or retaliatory
| and were fond of relating with great
| gusto his evasion of the foreign min
ers' tax" This was an oppressive
5 measure, aimed principally at the Chi