The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-06
THE ADVERTISERS DAILY SHORT STORY

Mau Cling was young and brown, and dtmpled; youth and innocence shone in her obnQue velvet eyes, but there was a pathetic look in their. depths. for-Mau Cling was Chinese slave girl. The old woman who had her in charge never permitted her to go upon the street alone. and she was under almost constant sur veillance. But tonight. being the first bag had permitted her to step out upon the long balcony and look down upon the motley scene. She was dressed in rich and becoming manner; blue silk dals. and even garbed in the ungainly blouse of the China-woman one could detect the symmetrical lines of her young form. swelling into womanhood.
 What beautiful picture she made as with tiny brown hands pushing aside the sprays of the China lily she peeped through its fragrant whiteness and down to the street. She could see the door be- low. and watch the men coming in to smoke opium. Of men she knew noth-- ing-as yet; and her Virgin soul, not Knowing the hellish life forced upon a slave girl. pictured to itself the hero who would come one day. and with love and tenderness woo her. She thought of these things now, as she peeped through the lilies. She thought, too. of the hide ous old highbinder to whom she had been promised. but she had always felt that tate would not be so unkind as to let him possess her.
 The sensuous fragrance Of the lilies must have been waited to one below, for just then g handsome young American, evidently of wealth and refinement, paus- ed in threading his way through the narrow streets, and glanced upward. Maui Ging chanced to look down at that moment, and the oblique eyes met the laughing blue ones, and-the crowd surged on. Jack no longer went with the crowd, however. but was possessed of sudden desire to try new experiment-that of smoking the long opium pipes, Strange that he should never before have felt this desire.
 He grew bolder as he ascended the narrow, opium-scented stairway, and the sight of pair of celestial eyes peeping from the balcony made him more bold night but the old yellow-wrinkied nag. who held the keys of this sweet and pal pitating young life. If he could only get rid of her! But how? A slave girl was too precious 2 thing to be left unpro. happen. even in moment? The old bag did not know he had seen the young Mau Cling: did not know that at that moment his heart was beating so wildly that he feared it might be audible. and all because, throuVh the folds of cur tain, two brown eyes were looking into his very soul and two soft little brown hands were stEetched out to him. in a manner which plainly said, Save mel He stood there, pickering with the old woman, and pretending he could not un- derstand her, In order to gain time-to plan. Only curtain separated him from this young unknown--she of the Orient-he had no excuse for coming, save that he wished to smoke. He could not delay any longer, or she might sus- pect. and that would end everything With a despairing look at the young girl. he entered the small hot room and took his place on the hard bamboo couch. He really did not have the least desire to smoke the opium the very idea was re- pulsive to him; but it would give him time to collect his thoughts.
 He hardly knew what he wished to do only that he was young and ardent. Just then a crowd came in, and the attention of the old cPone was taken up with them. hear them as they swore at the old wo- man. and she finally assigned them to different places. Suddenly his door was softly opened-he had not fastened it piquant face of-the unknown. Come in quickly he hoarsely whispered; Swiftly her 1.-the young body slipped through the door, which was immedi- ately fastened by the ardent Jack; Now that she was in-what should she do? He took the slim little brown hand in his, and could feel the wild pulse throbbinS, as 1t lay in his palm. she was near him-alone with him where no one else had any existence. She was more beautiful than the almond Aowor--and so young, and-innocent.
 T am q slave girl; save mc!' she pant ed as she looked into his eyes; and he he knew then that 1t did not signify in the least that she was of China. and he of America. She was a woman-young and beautiful-and at once his whole inn pulsive soul went out to her. He pitied her; and pity is akin to love-
 Dear child-I will save you," he said. Where Is vour owner-the old woman?''
 She '--she smoke with the man-I know how she do when she smoke; she no wake till the dawn" |. o God! the joy of this. Could it be that he was to be near this sweet young thing alone-until the dawn? This was more than he had hoped for. She had placed her hands in his. and allowed them to rest there just long enough for him to be conscious of their warmth. He saw only one thing-a pair of eyes as soft and
 Saturdays story, AFTER THREE HUN