The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-10-12
THE FIDELITY
OF WONG KAI.
A Story of the
Chinese Boxers.
BY ERNEsr1NE coUeHRAN.

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The presence of great unrest was felt
in the valley Of the IIo Tai. Up on the
hillside the mission of the Jesuit fathers
was as trfAquil and as dgniGed as at all
times, but its silence was the quiet of
apprehension.
Presently at one of the windows there
was stir. 1t was the window of Father
Honore's library, and the curtain had
been drawn 10y a hand.
'Sit down. my SON" said the good IA
ther. THE air is sitting. You are sure
it is your wish to go?"
Yes, father" returned the young stu
dent simply. He knew the danger that
threatened the mission of Hoi Nun and
all its people He knew that there was
peril in the air and that at any moment
might come the outbreak of the rebel
llous element, which meant a. horrible ana
revolving death for all the Christians in
the settlement of the valley of Good to
Look At. To him had been intrusted the
message for the commander of the
French squadron at ShGnghli ana
through him was to come the assistance
which was to save the mission if it were
possible. He knew that his was no
easy task; that the way lay through a
country wild with roting and nervous
with the breath of horrible crimes. He
knew that there was little hope of thread
ing safe path through the pcrils OF the
: section through which he would have to
.&aass and that the uncertainty of life car
ried with it the horrors Of death un-
speakable But Felix Mardhand was -
and no coward.
>As the last of the red sun sank out of
sight behind the ricefelds Felix set out,
close at his heels the servant of the mis-
sion, Chung Foo, with a bag of provi-
sious on his back At the bridge, where
the canal was widest, they met a tail, Sc
rious yellow man. 1t was Wong Kai.
With Il word and a nod Felix passed him
by, but the slant eyes watched long after
the careless goodby.
=. ME sabe he go, mused Wong. "Mishee
Felix 20 Shanghai. Wong Kai go too.
Mishee FELIX GOO man. No likee see
go dead" Then when the sun was not
at all and the dark had settled over the
mission of The Open Door, a dark,
stealthy form slid through the swaying
grasses along the canal and followed.
Felix and the cody servant Travelled
fast-far down the edge of the canal,
past fantastic bridges, gaudy pagodas
and the grotesque temples of the neigh
boring villages, then out into the illimit
able plain, with its network of canals,
where the stretches of brown fallow
showed dreary, clean cut horizon, un-
broken by tree or hedgerow. Toward
the rising of the sun they slept, and when
it was light they breakfasted and started
on. Journeying on, they passed the sail
carts of the rice farms, with canvas
spread and driven by the wind. Here
and there were barges riding on wheels
through the canals. That was all, an
endless waste of the same along the tree
less level. At first there was no trouble,
and they passed unmolested through the
groups of boatmen and villagers, simple
folks unaware that their country was at
war with the allied powers of the world.
But day and night brought them to
place of scowling faces and ominous
mutterings. 1t was when they turned
from the great waterway and struck
across the plain toward Shanghai. At
every village the scowls grew blacker,
apa the cody crept silently at the heels
of his master. nervous and watchful.
Being refused a lodging, Felix grew
afraid to ask, and they took turns at
sleeping in the open fields or in the cooler
nights under some friendly bank. They
ekirted the towns and avoided inhabited
places.
One night but 40 miles from his des-
tination they stopped for rest With the
Nnessages safe in his breast Felix crept
in beside a bank, and with his head upon
his pack fell asleep, while the cody with
tireless eyes watched beside him. Pres
emily there were wild sounds off toward
the dark line of horizon, and Chung Foo
sprang to his feet. Physical exhaustion
had rendered Felix insensible to the dan
ger of abandonment, and he slept sound
ly. The words of the cody reached his
ears. but not his senses, as Chung Foo
hastily muttered in pigeon English: You
stay; me goo look see. No come back,
you run likee devil. Big sword man
come, me sabe allie day, makee follow"
The little yellow man darted off, Gid
ing through the grasses, and Felix slept
on Reused, after how long time he
knew not, by the most iiendish succession
of heather yells ever given vent to out
side the limits of the Internal regions,
Felix leaped to his feet, instantly awake
to the perils of his position, and found
Chung Foo missing. The momentary
suspicion of treachery against his faithful
: servant came back to him as a bitter re-
proach few minutes later when the real
situation unfolded its horrors TO his real
ization. The Boxers had laid hold of the
devoted coolie and were torturing him
with the fury disappointment. They
.1&. ought his mister. Peering from the
el.44ankment, Felix beheld a sickening
sight BY the light of torches dozen
kSwling fends c:rcled around the body of
p0f Chung Foo, lashing him with whips
and prodding him with sticks, burning
him with flaming torches and throwing
stones ard missiles.
Felix felt a mad, hopeless impulse,