The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-11-04
the shrine. and who then went OUT

and shut the door and locked II.
Ii was the close of the great Offering
week, and the shrineroom that Almond
Blossom was in was not TO be opened
for several days.
Almond Blossom had crawled into the
prayer kiln after kitten, and she came
out dusty and dismayed not TO have
found IL, for it had scrambled out OF
the smoke hole and got hastily 10 the
roof of the house in dash.
The walls were hung with strips OF
paper, in yellow and red, and Miss Sum
liked the orderly way they were ar
rayed.
"Tell me-" she said TO the joss, II
wish to go TO the Land of Ceaseiess
Shine and Diamond Stars-do you know
the way?"
The kindly joss only smiled, of
course.
"Ah. you are dumb" said Sum.
"Poor thing! / have neighbor boy,
dwarf, who is deaf and dumb. You
are like him."
Again the joss smiled happily, so
Sum knew that she had not offended
| him.
Presently she went over to the door
by which she had come in and found
IL locked. She had, indeed, started on
the way TO the Land of Silver Shadows,
and there was no turning back.
Sum See sighed and turned away.
There was the window yet. But the
window opened out on balcony of
stone eight feet wide; and she could
not see the street from there; only the
tops of the other houses in the Chinese
quarter and n row OF black chimneys.
THAT must be the City OF the Cross
and Envious Serpents?" said Sum,
questioningly. 1t was the way TO the
land where her parents had gone. Hip
had told her so.
"If am still and say nothing maybe
we shall travel there in this shut-up
place." said Sum TO herself reassur-
ingly.
| 1t was pleasant at first, for there
were the dolls on the shrine-the lesser
gods-and Sum could play with them
without fear, because of the smile OF
| the main functionary.
Then there were the toy banners to
sway in the scented air, now so heavy
and cloying with the dying sandal flame
that Sum was glad il was charring TO
n finish. The room reeled With these
serpents Of smoke altering out through
the crannies of the room and window
TO the street and the sky above.
Sum noticed after several hours two
things-namely that their room had
not got beyond the chimney pots, and
that she was very hungry.
She had had a small bowl Of rice and
pork that noon in her own home, but
now IL was getting dark outside, and
she knew that they were getting into
the Land of Silver Shades and Star
Beams.
So She sat still and wonder ed why
she could not get out and what she
should eat for dinner. And then she
went around and consulted the joss.
There he sat, as if made of chocolate
creams, and smiled. Below him was
a covered board, and Almond Blossom
lifted the end of the cloth that was
draped over IL, and there found duck
roasted, jars Of potted fish and sweet
| cakes-all her favorite dishesl
She knew then that she was in Magic
Land, and she smiled back at the brown
man and ate ravenously.
The night passed by, Almond Bios
som sleeping profoundly in the soft
robes Of the Exalted Few, and then, re.
placing them in the morning, she be-
gan another day Of weary waiting for
the opening OF the temple door.
| At Almond Blossoms home you can
understand the excitement. They
mourned her as dead, and thought the
angry devils had spirited her away.
They gave up searching for her after
awhile, and when the fourth day came
her tea sets and wooden dolls were put
away and the family shrine lit with
seven tapers, for her years.
The Welcome Cat was removed from
the hospitable door, and they mourned
Aside from the mere loneliness OF the
situation Sum See was faring well. No
royal daughter Of the Eight Houses
Jared better in lifetime. She ate Of
the glazed brown pork nimbly and
Toasted with the freedom of a rat in a
corner cupboard. She and the friendly
joss looked solemnly at each other over
the viands and said nothing.
IL was SO high TO the shelf that II
seemed like standing up TO lunch
counter 10 eat, but Sum soon found a
way of retiring TO the floor with her
bites and there enjoying herself.
And when the fifth day came they
found her there when the joss house
was opened for airing and worship OF
the smiling man who sat there.
They would have been Mortified at the
familiarity OF Sum See with His Great
ness II they could have known, but she
said nothing OF her conclaves with the
Ruler of the Destinies of the Faithful
Followers, and as she looked fat and
well they said nothing.
The food for the departed spirit had
disappeared, and il was well that the
religious miracle should be told OF
They did not know that Sum See had
eaten IL all, and that she had burned
/ 10 l.u xf,. L.. l.. a..