The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-05-03

odd features of these Pacific coast and
oriental steamers They are mostly as
silent as the sphinx before white people
When they retire to their own Chinese
privacy, however. they gable and chat
ter with sound of 100 ducks all quack-
ing and spluttering together Their
walters uniform would not be endured
moment by any French or British
waiter who had his proper pride about
him. In plain English and brief. it is
like long linen nightshirt At meal
time the heather hash shower puts this
garment on over all. and there you are
1t is always bright and clean and fresh
ly ironed. The color is varied for differ
ent occasions. At breakfast it is pleas
ing sky blue At luncheon and dinner
it is a shining white At the evening
dinner these draped white figures fit
silently hither and thither beneath the
electric lights like ghosts. And ghosts
they are. too shadows of vast oriental
civilization that is vanishing as fast as
time can move. They still wear their
cues hanging almost to their heels, be-
ing braided out to that length by the
aid Of silk cord that deceives nobody.
any more than lady's false hair.
The long black cue adds to the effect
Of the waiter appearance, picturesque
Or comic. as you look at it. For myself,
never see one of these long braided
tails without an almost irresistible i'm
pulse to give it rousing ''yank.'
appreciate the feelings Of the mischie-
vous small boy. Our freight handlers are
also Cinnamon. and these. too, sport
the cue hanging at full length. in spite
of its Inconvenience. At San Francisco
an unearthly howl suddenly rent the
air where the boxes of freight were be-
ing lowered into the hold. yawning far
down. A nail in one of the boxes had
caught a freight hustler's cue and was
drawing him by the head rapidly back
ward and downward A moment more
and there would have been a scalped
Chinaman. but his horror stricken
shrek called attention to his plight,
and he was rescued barely in time to
save him. Heartless white folk cracked
their sides with unseemly laughter.
We have aboard 500 Chinese steerage
passengers bound for their native land.
Some of these are retired laurdrymen
who have heaped up their fortunes of
$500 apiece and are going back home to
spend their declining years in ease and
luxury. Others, less lucky, are being
deported by the hard hearted United
States government just when they
thought they had run the blockade in
safety and struck the promised land
where they. too could find Klondike
mine in washtub and cook stove.
There are also some Japs among the
steerage passengers There always are
on these vessels bound for the orient.
and among the two races the China
japanese war is not yet over. When
from the depths Of the steerage regions
there rises sound of mingled Chinese
shrieks and Jap oatha together with q
squabbling, splitting sound as Of two
cats in each others hair, then the off,
GERS of the ship understand that Jap
and Chinaman are at it again. finishing
up the war. Immediately whichever
one is nearest seizes q healthy long
handled broom and sails tn promiscuoua
Impartially he whacks right and left,
his broom coming down with dull
thud alike upon the skull Of the shaven
pated Chinsman and the black headed
Jap, blow and blow about Thus the
superior race terminates the war be-
tween the efRete orientala