Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1899-07-08

which-and the other knows of it at
last and is hunting him down. He
sends me word that he will come here
tonight anG that must hide him.
In spite of he: horror An Lon thrilled
with the first excitement which had
come into her life.
He will comrT' she gas21d
eyes, but he shall not stay When
the highbindrrs follow, they can have
him
All Lon had never contradicted her
indeed she had thought her
second in wisdom only to the priest i'll
the josShouse But the inherited in
stinct rose in rebellion, and she said
timidly:
"He is my father | should like to
protect him.
Wo Ling sprang to her feet, and
catching All Lon by the shoulder hur.
ried her out to the little balcony and
pointed downward to large shop,
whose windows glittered with masses
of rich stuffS and delicate china
"You see that, she said hoarscly.
at is owned by the rich merchant,
Wong Tee. Such another would your
father have been had he not loved opium
more than the girl who followed him
from China cast forth by her parents
to grow old and bent and weary in
an attic And | was as beautiful when
he left me as you are tOday--and at 30
you, too, will be old and bent and
weary She wheeled All Lon about
and pointed to the little dingy, i'll fur
nishod room with the holes the rats had
made and the great pile of work. 1T
will he like that as long as you live,
she said shall | not take vengeance
on the MANI"
All Lon, deeply impressed, did not
know what answer to make, so she fell
to weeping bitterly. Her mother releas
ed her, and prepared the evening meal
of rice and sausage. Soon after, All Lon
went into the small room adjoining
and Crcpt into her bunk, knowing that
she should not sleep that night.
Twice she peered through crack i'll
the door and saw her mother sitting
there, her hands pressed hard against
her knees, her head strained forward
ing when Wo Ling, without moving
her head, called in loud whisper:
"Ah Lon ~
Her daughter ran to her.
"'He is coming, said Wo Ling eco
down stairs and bring him safely here "
All Lon marveed at what she could
not understand i'll her mother voice,
and forgot her fear of rats. She slipped
hastily down through the black well of
the stair, stopping several times to listen
intently. At last she heard some one
painting as if in terror, and moment
later stumbled over an i'll smelling heap.
Ling Tang" she asked rapidly. II
am All Lon, your daughter. Wo Ling
waits you, and will give you food. We
have sausagcs and rice "
She turned and ran up stairs. The
heap gathered itself together and fol-
lowed slowly.
"'He comes, she said to her mother
And she waited, trembling with curiosi-
ty. Wo Ling raised herself to her full
height, which was above that of most
Chinese women.
The man entered. He had nothing in
common with his moon faced cCmpa-
triOts of the streets, who looked com
paratively clean and well fed, and All
Lon could not know that underground
there We're many like him. He was in
rags, and what they covered might
have ratified, he was so feshless. His
face was wrinkled hide and bony struc-
ture, and sparse gray hair fell about it
and from his cheeks and chin. He look
ed 100, and he may have been 30. All
Lon gave Il cry and fled to the bedroom,
slamming the door behind her. But W0
Ling took the wreck in her arms. -
Gertrude Atherton in Ladys Realm.