Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-12-21


just as q civilized woman might have
done under similar circumstances
"The next time she meddled in the
attempt to open a deceived wife's
eyes"
Placidly indignant, yet somewhat
amused, Fay Lee went back to her en-
broidery and fresh cup of tea. The
incident did not seem of enough inn
portance to repeat to her husband,
and it soon escaped her mind. That
any one should dare tell such things
of her most honorable and faithful
lord, expecting her to believe themi
She did believe, however, when very
late that same night Sing Low came
home, not alone, and much the worse
for liquor. He had brought his new
wife, Felipia, to her home, he stated,
with drunken dignity, and Fay Lee
must wait upon her, and see that she
had what she wanted. For sne
(Felipia) was to be the honorable mis-
tress of the house, and Fay Lee and
the servants must bear themselves
accordingly.
Your Chinese wife is no creature of
high tragedy, and Fay Lee acted under
all circumstances as well-behaved
Chinese lady should, placing perfumed
water and powders and silken APP
parel for the new wife. No attentions
were neglected, though Sing Low
watched vigilantly for them. And
only when her services were no
longer needed did the supplanted wo-
/ man go forth full of murderous fury
and hate from the house of her hus-
band. She had a cousin who was
high official in the secret society;
to him she went. Not that there is
any recourse for a Chinese wife If
her husband wishes to take unto him
self No. 2 spouse, for 1t is according
to the law. But all things naturally
should be done in order, and the law
of dignity and self-respect had been
transgressed by Sing Low, who had
not even advised Fay Lee of his in
tention. 1t was an insult to her and
all her family, which the cousin was
not slow to realize. But insults are
not prison offenses, and must be
avenged privately; wherefore the
cousin and Fay Lee said nothing, but
bided their time, having in mind a
way in which they could be more
than avenged
For quite a long time, as much as a
month, Sing Low was exceedingly
happy with his pretty young wife. But
Felipia was young woman of much
sprightliness, and she had not mar
ried the portly old ChinamaE for the
sole purpose of kow-towing to him
and embroidering his clothes and
waiting on him hand and foot-not a
bit of it. And so she emphatically
stated. On the contrary, she wished
many friends, and pretty costumes,
and boxes at the hull-fights and the
one small theater that Madre de Dios
possessed. She had no intention of
being any mans slave.
And so began the tormenting of poor
old Sing Low. He soon learned that
in the bewitching Felipia he had
caught a veritable Tartar, and that
unless humored she could aud would
make his life a torment to him.
Wherefore, like a wise man. he
promptly gave in to her and humored
her in all things-that is. in all things
but one. Despite her every endeavor
she could not make him tell her what
went on at the meetings of his secret
society. On that one subject alone
Sing Low remained mute, and no ca
jolery or Establishment could move
him.
AS time went on, and the influence
of his Mexican wife told on him, Sing
Low began to sink lower and lower,
both morally and. physically. He
drank steadily now, and more and
more OF the "blaek smoke" became
necessary--ahd even the apple of his
eye, his restaurant, with its American
| pies, began to be neglected. So that
many whisperings and reports got
about, and more than one high Official
of the society murmured distrust.
Meanwhile a worn and aged woman
| (hardly to be recognized as the portly
Fay Lee of yore) watched and waited,
eager for revenge And in the secret
society of the Sons of the Silver
Land" one of the high officials went
about stealthily spreading the reports
that traitor was among them; that
important secrets had more than once
been given away, and that II not To-
Gated and dealt with, the traitor
would soon accomplish the ruin of the
| society
All this came TO a head one night,
when the most important meeting of
the year was held. For more than
an hour the rooms of the secret So
ciety had been filed with an Omi-
nously quiet crowd of Cinnamon, who
were waiting in perfect stiffness the
return of one of the officials who had
gone to fetch their erstwhiIe head,
Sing Low. For the first time in 81
years he had failed to appear at the
meeting of the society, and, more than
that, all the private records and docu-
ments of the Sons of the Silver
Land" had been stolen No wonder
there was perfect stiffness in the Sc
cIet rooms, and that over in the cor
ner one Chinaman waited, holding
a huge razor-edged sword. These
things are dealt with quickly among
Chinese guilds.
They brought him in presently, the
cousin and another society member
carrying him, for the honorable head
was too much overcome with the mix
ture of opium and bad cognac to walk
of his own accord. He was dropped
Imply into one corner where the
Chinaman and his sword waited, and
to a Indignantly quiet set of members
the cousin showed the precious papers
and records that he had just taken
from Sing Lows silken vest. The
man had been found dead drunk in a
low cantina in the Mexican part of
the town, while the society papers and
records-had access to only by two
men, the cousin and Sing Low himself
were dropping UNDECIDED to the can
tina floor, to be seen there of all who
might care to read. And but for the