The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-23

little bamboo hut in one of the interior
provinces of China. A faint cry could be
heard. It was the wailing of a poor little
girl baby who had just come into world
where girls were not wanted. In her feeble
way she was protesting against 1t.
oh, it's nothing but girl. Drown the
little wretch and get 1t out of the way!'
II was kind neighbor standing over the
mother who said this to the father. Her
tone was one of deep disgust
No. no, it is my baby, let her live" plead
ed the mother and with a contemptuous
shrug of his shoulders her husband con-
sented. Rice was scarce. There vas hard
" enough to go around now. and all this
meant there would soon be another mouth
70 feed. The father was a practical man.
lie remembered this, but the girl was not
drowned.
we will call her Tuen Tson Hsi." said
the mother. 1T is name that means good
fortune"
GREW TO BE PRETTY GIRL.
No one would be a girl in China If she
could help it. Tuen found that out after
she got older. There were plenty of people
to tell her she was a nuisance, so it was
no wonder that she was a sad, earnest
child. Her life was uneventful enough at
this period. The changes would come rapid
~ enough in the years afterward Now she
did cheerfully the daily drudgery that fell
TO her lot and lived the life of any other
humble Chinese maiden ALI the time. how
ever, she was growing into a pretty girl
I with great soft. dark, bias eyes, sweet
little mouth with lips red as the cherry
blossoms that come with the spring IN
China, and soft, olive complexion. When
she laughed, which was seldom, she was
positively beautiful She might have one
er through the kindly offices of of the
,go betweens, who arrange such things in
III fa1u apr ere sov mot Pretter glr 70
destined for other things. Obscurity and
monotony were not to be her portion.
The TAPPING rebellion was then stirring
center. 1uens father of the suffer-
ers at the hands of the rebels. His little
patch of ground destroyed. Day by
day the future Empress of China stood with
her mother and father at the gates of the
temple of Buddha begging for little rice.
Outlines they had nothing to eat all day.
At night they slept in the open space IN
front of the temple. But she was not a girl
to tamely starve. Even then she was
determined little individual, and she showed
some of the ability to get out of a bad
predicament that has since characterized
her actions She knew that girls, especially
II they were young and pretty, brought
good price in China. 1t was no uncommon
thing for them to be sold.
When she suggested to her father that this
would be a good way to retrieve his fallen
desperately in need of cash. but not in need
of a daughter, just at that time. So he
managed to sell her to the Viceroy of Lu
Chang. Being a man Of business ability he
struck a good bargain, too. and went back
to his native province loaded with strings
Of cash. His daughter he left as kitchen
Fortune now befriended lonely little Tuen
Tson Hsi. She grew plump and pretty
again, and soon her beauty and her bright
mind attracted the attention of the wifi of
the Viceroy. She promoted from her
position as scullion to stool before the
embroidery frame and her. life flowed on in
a very pleasant channel. 1t was about this
time that she electrified that august official,
the Viceroy, by begging to be allowed to
learn to read. Who had ever heard of such
a thing as a woman learning to read?
Chinese women as a rule don't care any
thing about an education, they wouldn't
get 1t if they did. knowledge is reserved
for men-they think
The Viceroy of Lu Chang tried to explain
this to little Tuen Tson Hs The end of
it all was that she gained her point She
has had way of doing this all her life.
But beautiful girl, who is also smart and
ambitious, cause a gEeat deal of
trouble in quiet, well-regulated yamen.
The Viceroy was a man who loved peace,
lie was even willing to part with his pretty
favorite to secure it.
THE EMPERoR's SLAVE.
1t happened that the Emperor now sent
him peacock feather, and it is a GUS
tom in China for a subject to make pres4
ent to his ruler in return for any promot
ton The Emperors have found it pretty
fashion. and waxed rich on presents. The
Viceroy of Lu Chang now sent Tuen Tson
Fsi to the Emperor in return for the pea
cock feather. The Emperor was pleased
with the exchange. Doubtless the Viceroy
thought he paid a very high price for his
little plume.
Picking is a three-walled city, and 1t is in
the mysterious depths of the inner city,
shut off from all the world, that the Son Of
Heaven, as the Emperor of China styles
himself, has his palaces. Here he lives in
superb lsol la. but Few or ms subjects
enter the Prohibited City go out no more.
It was here they brought Tuen Tson Hsi
one day in autumn forty-four years ago.
She was dressed in gorgeous robes of yellow
satin, for yellow is the imperial color, and
her sedan was hung with yellow silk, and
festooned with golden flowers.
She looked every inch a queen, this one
time beggar maid. 1t had been her fathers
boast that the blood of the Tartars flowed
IN his veins, and the TartarS are the true
aIistocrats of China. His daughter did not
disgrace her ancestry. With great honor
and beating of tom-toms she was carried
within the secluded Enclosure of the Palace
of Earth's Repose-which is the imperial
there before her and many since that time.
Not one of them has ever been heard of
those portals close behind them. But not
even the impenetrable seclusion of the Pal
ace of EarthS RepOse could keep the fame
Of the wisdom and beauty of Tuen Tson Hsi
from creeping abroad She was not born
to live and die "unhonored and unsung."
Not even the majesty and power of the So
called Son of Heaven could accomplish that.
There in her gilded prison she went on
working out her destiny. Never did her
Emperor soon discovered that she was not
only very pretty woman, after the
Chinese fashion, but very clever one She
liked to hear about affairs of state, and he
found to his surprise that her advice was
always good. Gifted with clear head and
remarkable foresight. by the time she had
been in the harem year she had made
herself invaluable to him. The Tsung Lii
Yamen began to find out that the Emperor
was wiser than they had thought.
Finally the Empress of China died.
Probably no one grieved very much for her,
though she was reported to have been a
very estimable old lady. Her death re-
moved the obstacle that stood between the
favorite of the Emperor and the realization
of her dearest dream. She was not slow to
avail herself of the situation.
"HEAVEN'S CONSORT"
Scarcely had the mourning for the EN-
press demanded by court etiquette been laid
aside when the Emperor caused it to be an
nounced throughout his kingdom that one
Tuen Tson Hsi was now heavens con-
sort" That high-sounding title is the par
tieular property of the Empress of China.
1t meant that Tuen had been espoused by
the son of heaven. The Emperor was get
ting old and childish. 1t soon became evil
dent that he deDended entirely upon his
the affairs of the Flowery Kingdom to suit
her own sweet will. This knowledge was
great shock to the willy Monaghan states
men. They were sometimes brave enough
10 protest against some of her DEGREES. and
promptly had their heads cut off-not fig
uratively speaking at all.
This quickly put an end to any criticism
city of royal counsalors. Those who
came aftqrvard Drofifad nv the ia TO Of their