Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-06-07
FOONG LAS SMILE.

There was a moment in Mrs. Arm.
strong career as president of the board Of
foreign missions when she doubted it's
benefits and her power; when she came to
look upon bright eyes and glistening teeth
as more potent factors in the conversion
of the erring male heather than Biblical
lore and weekly tuition. Up to this period
her Chinese maid, Foong La, had been
her favorite convert.
Foong La was glib and discreet. Her
teeth wore white in contrast to her full
red lips, and she smiled as frequently as
she spoke, which reveals her possession of
another quality peculiar to any woman of
any race. There was only one occasion
on which she was seen to look grave.
Meanwhile imagine her smiling and cast
ing her slanting black eyes dangerously to
the right of her, seductively to the left Of
her. What wonder that poor All Chin
succumbed straightway to the fascination
Of the yellow maiden's glance?
All Chin was a %peripatetic Chinese chair
repairer. He is aptly described as poor,
not only because he possessed al INSULT
cient amount of this worlds goods, but
because he was also a twisted, misshapen
creature, whom any one would have pitied,
His first glimpse of Foong La had been
acquired legitimately enough in the pres
enc of Mrs. Armstrong, her mistress and
president Of the board of foreign missions.
The day was hot, and All Chin's burden
Of a single broken zane chair, which he
was carrying home-God save the word
was heavy on his shoulders. 1t seemed to
him that he limped more painfully than
ever. The windows Of the houses that he
passed were all deserted and gloomy, when
suddenly he looked up and saw Foong La
smiling In one. She beckoned to him to
stop, then disappeared and arrived smiling
at the front door a second later with her
mistress at her elbow. Foong La smiled
because there were half a dozen chairs in
the house that needed mending and be-
cause their opportunity had arrived so
easily.
"You poor man" said Mrs. Armstrong
alphabetically the moment that the
mending of her cam chairs had been dis
posed Of.
"Me poo mane Yeh, me poo man."
And All Chin glanced at Foong La. She
smiled encouragingly.
lone damn Mclean man" he cried,
with sudden force, Chin make me poo.
Me allie same Itch, ale same stlaight, only
one day one Mclean man, him knock me
down, him lun over me-me only one
damn Chinaman-white maj M ca. Me
go hospital. Me come ou' one poo man
ale twists
Mrs. Armstrong scarcely exerted herself
to listen after she had caught the first
forceful outburst. A %revengeful China
man seemed to her the one convert in the
world worth making.
Gale same some day me likee find him
me smashee him shu' ~ The man
bursting forth again in his wrath recalled
her to the duties of the present.
"Tell him about the school, our songs
and our good times, Foong La she said.
The girl responded quickly, with a
smile. Then she talked earnestly and
with much gesture. "Him come be Mel
loan Clistian, too" she announced sudden
ly, her white teeth cleaning and her black
eyes sparkling.
"Yeh, me come be Mclean Clistian allie
same Foong La" " he cried out, grinning
back at her.
All Chin proved a most tractable pupil.
He fell easily into the manners and ways
Of the school. He asked none Of the ques.
lions that the ignorant sometimes ask-he
accepted everything with what Mrs. Arm
strong called delightful faith and simple
ity. His code was briefly: Mclean
Joss, big man. Him live up in blue sky.
Me no see him. bu' him the allie same.
Him do evelyting-Foong La she sable,
me sable allo same like Foong La"
t. xuoc tho bo,,r uftop n py,av ubop FpoOO
La, having finished her work, was won't
to stand in the front area of the house
smiling in the moonlight at some token OF
All Chin's affection. 1t generally took the
form of cheap stones or colored beads. He
had early learned that her brightest smiles
followed moro easily upon his trinkets
than upon his caresses. He anne slowly
limping up the sidewalk. In his hand he
carried a shining green stone set deep in a
broad gilt band. If Foong La had never
smiled before, All Chin would have sworn
she would smile now. At that moment
her low, soft gurgle reached him. She
was standing leaning on the gate looking
up at the butchers boy. She was looking |
Just as she had looked at him in his proud
est moments.
"She foolee NO. muttered All Chin
under his breath; ''muchee foolee me!' he
repeated, gritting his teeth. And then the
American did something that further
aroused the savage blood in All Chin's
breast. He caught sight Of the small,
twisted figure of one of Foo1g Las coun-
trymen. whom by natural instinct every
butchers boy holds in contempt. He gave
o loud laugh and skipped a stone across
the street as one might skip 1t over a lake.
It missed it's mark, and he fred another.
The Chinaman gave q shrill scream. This
time it had struck home. The butchers
boy laughed aloud, and, oh, the pity of It'll
the girl laughed too.
Mrs. Armstrong was attracted to her
door BY the noise in the street before 1t.
There she saw All Chin, pale and wound
ed, in the hands of a policeman, the butch
er's boy, ugly and sullen, also bleeding, In
the grasp of another, and between them
Foong La, highly colored, gazing at the
men in uniform. Mrs. Armstrong was
seized with an almost Irresistible desire to
spread her hand over the girls liquid eyes.
Butcher boy him thlow stone," ex-
planned Foong La excitedly. "Ah Chin,
him have knife in his hand
Hush hushH' cried Mrs. Armstrong.
"Don't you be the one to convict him."
She moved to All Chin's side and caught
in gasping breaths the tale Of his Chris
tianity and his love.
= Mclean man, him no go stlaight an
me 60 twist no mo'-'Melican joss him no
cochin no gi' me Foong La, him no
makee mo stlaight, him no can do evely
ting, him one heep big fsud, slle same,