Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1900-06-23
: MIRACLE OF THE JOSs-HOUsE.

{ was born they called her Almond
Blossom, with true Chinese symbol
ism.
The fact that she was born in Pen
street, New York City, was nothing
against her name. Only she would
never remind you of almond bios
son. Rather of yellow crocus, or,
say, Black Eyed Susan.
When Sum See was eight years old
she lost her mother, and they took her
away where Sum See could not follow.
That was how she came to ask Hip
Sing how to reach her.
Hush! said Hip Sing, bending
! over his shoe mending, that is not
for you to ask. She has sped away to
the Land of Silver Shadows, Perpetual
Sunbeams, and where it overhows
with tea"
This sounded beneficent, but was
unsatisfactory from a Typographical
point of view.
'Have they taken her to the joss
house?" asked Sum See, quietly.
well, not exactly answered Hip
| Sing, but there sits he who knows"
Sum had staid late to talk to the
man who sewed shoes, and she looked
at him refiectively under her thread
like brows.
"Yes?" she answered calmly.
Sum Lee folded her small, tea-col-
ored claws and leaned against the
wall of the house The two queues
braided Enthusiastically with blue and
white cord, looked funny, standing
out from her little round head in an
1nquiring state of mind.
''Where the shadows are of pink
and the darkness is of silver has your
mother gone-peace to her." said
Hip, dismissing the subject
''That would be nice place to go,
I think" urged Almond Blossom, de-
precatingly.
Not in haste; not in haste" ans
wered the aged man, with a thrust of
his anvil into the leather before him.
"How do they go?' asked Sum-
did you not see the red chariot
and hear the screaming of the
f1utes?"
Sum Lee got up quietly and ran
away when she had asked all she could
about her mother, and in the morn
ing she went to the joSShouSe alone
with an offering of two grimy little
wooden birds and a dish of papier
mache ducks that See had brought
her one day.
She climbed hedusty stairs labori-
ously, and the door was open into
the main room of the josshouse
(Which is the Chinese temple) and she
entered to consult the one who pre-
sides there
She found him in, seated upon his
cross legs and smiling kindly at her.
''How do you do?" said Sum Lee in
English.
The joss smiled harder than ever,
which was natural, he made
all of wood and painted a dark
brown.
She was so interested in the prayer
over the place where they burned the
offerings that she did not notice the
Chinaman who came in, looked around
the room to see if there were any at
the shrine, and who then went out
and shut the door and locked it.
1t was the close of the great offer
ing week, and the shrine room that
Almond Blossom was in was not to
be opened for several days
''Tell me-" she said to the Joss, 81
wish to go to the Land of Ceaseless
shine and Diamond Stars-do you
know the way?'
The kindly Joss only smiled, of
course.
''Ah, you are dumbl'' said Sum-
Poor thingi / have neighbor boy,
a dwarf, who is deaf and dumb. You
are like him.
Again the Joss smiled happily, so
Sum knew she had not offended him.
Presently shew over to the door
by which she had entered and found
it locked. She had indeed started on
the way to the Land of Silver Shad-
ows, and there was no turning back
1t was pleasant at first, for there
were the dolls on the shrine-the les
ser gods-and Sum could play with
them without fear, because of the
smile of the main functionary.
SUN noticed after several hours
two namely: That their
room had not got beyond the Chin
ney pots, and that she was hungry.
She had had a small bowl of rice
and pork that noon at her own home,
but now it was getting dark outside,
and she knew that they were getting
into the Land of Silver Shades and
Star Beams
So she sat down and wondered 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 Bios
som lifted the end of the cloth that
was draped over it, and there found
duck roasted, jars of ported fish. and
sweet cakes-all her favorite dishes,
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
lighted with seven tapers, for her
age
When the fifth day came they had
fOund her there when the iOSShouse z