The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-07-22

called because IL is said 10 CONSIST Oh
coal, to serve the city as fuel in case
of a siege. =
So carefully is the seclusion of the
Imperial City guarded that even Chi
nese mobiles cannot present themselves
there without being summoned, and
one of the great rewards of a success
full general or q favored statesman Is
the privilege of riding within the I'm
perial City precincts. The legations
know little and see less of this hidden
city. as the ministers and their stats
are received by the emperor once or
twice a year in pavilion near one OF
the Imperial City gates.
The British legation, or, "Ying- -kwo-
| Foo" as the Chinese call it, was for
merly a FOO" or residence of a prince
of royal blood, and was granted to the
| British minister in 1861. 1t consists OF
seven or eight acres. surrounded by n
walk, with a fine gateway. In front
| of this flows the canal which carries
the overflow of water from the lakes
of the Imperial City. through the Tar
| tar City and into the moat surrounding
| the latter
1 fear no words of mine can describe
the beauty of the Chinese palace in
which Sir Claude and Lady MacDon-
aid dispensed the most gracious hospt-
| tality. 1t makes me sad to look back
| and try to recall the dances. stately
dinners and pleasant receptions given
! in those beautiful rooms, where one
met interesting men of all nationah-
ties. Here we played games in the lab
yrinthian corridors on informal eEea-
| ings; here we sat out dances and lis
tened to pretty nothings expressed IN
Italian, English, German, Spanish and
French, but principally in French.
Hither Ii Hung Chang otter came and
watched our gyrations to the music OF
Sir Robert Hart's band, consisting OF
wind instruments played by Chinese
whose education In European music
had put him to no end of trouble and
expense, but it was the plaything OF
this great parsonage. who INDUCED
himself in few frivolities.
Ii often asked US embarrassing ques-
tions on subjects which he had been
warned not to broach to European wo-
men. so he did it to tease evidently.
Poor Chang-yi-Mow, who had learned
to like us during his long stay in Wash
ington and for that reason is now con-
demned by the ruthless empress to
break stones on the highways Of Man.
churia, and many other Chinese
mobiles and officials presented them
selves on Lady MacDonald's 'even-
ings at home" They recalled US TO the
stern fact that we were in Peking sur
rounded by An alien population who.
to say the least, scorned US as barba-
rians, or, more generally, hated US. and
on slight provocation would be only too
ready to stone US.
How pleasant were the choir rehears-
ais once a week in the legation chapel!
What cozy teas Lady Macdonald gave
US afterward in her own sitting room!
The secretaries of the legation were
unmarried, but that did not prevent
their giving charming dinners and teas.
and even the young students OF the
consular service gave us gay teas in
their barracklike row, where each
young man had his sitting room and
bedroom, all messing together in a fine
large dining room.
On Sunday morning all the English
speaking world except the missionaries
(who lived at great distances from the
legations, and, besides, bad their own
ehapels) met at the morning service to
listen to Bishop Seott's pleasant voice
and to walk about the grounds of the
legation after service. chatting awhile
before tifin. On that day only we
saw the silk hat reappear from its
case. where it generally rested. neglect
ed for cork helmets in summer and fur
caps in winter.
The Russian and French legations
were the only ones which could COM
pare in size or beauty with the British
| legation. These were more given to
| entertaining their own nationals fire.
| Quently and the rest of society formal
| ly and very splendidly occasionally.
| The ballroom of the Russian legation
was the largest in Peking. and here
we danced some brilliant cotillons.
| delighted in the distinctly Russian To-
cal color one felt when paying visits
| to the Russian ladies. We generally
| found the minister surrounded by Wis
itors or his staff sitting on board We
randa drinking tea out of glasses as tall
as beer glasses, in silver stands with
handles. and eating great slices of
bread and butter from plates which
stood on bare round table.
The French legation occupied a for
mer foo" like the English, and was
only degree less handsome. The Ger
man and American legations were far
too small for the comfort of their occu-
pants. The Austrians had just built
their fine new legation in European
style. The Dutch legation was mod
ern and small. with no attraction be-
yond an air of comfort. The Spanish
legation was handsome. but small. and,
as only one or two persons besides the
tall, handsome old minister occupied 1t,
it suited its purpose.
Near the German legation stood an
other center of amusement, the Peking
club, unique in allowing women the
use of its good library and reading