Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-01

filled the room with its pungcnt odor.
Mercy on me- said Deacon
Hovcy's widow. coming forward as
soon as she could speak after her sur
prise. 'Be:ty's feather beds afirc.
And she shifted the air till her eye
caught the burning prayer sticks.
when she made as if to snuff them out.
But the hideous little metal god pc
hind the sticks frightened her away
and she retreated.
In the meantime Fun Ting arose
slowly and stepping forward bowed
low to the guests and motioned them
to seats about the ROOM. The perfect
grace and ease of the odd little fellow
embarrassed them into sitting down
and when Betty arrived. painting, at
the head of the stairs, the room was
comparat lively quiet and Fun Ting
was going from woman to woman
with a tray of sugared orange peel.
asking them to help themselves.
Betty Hudson said half dozen
voices together, who on earth is this
little Chinaman and how came he
| here?"
why he is our little-boarder."
said Betty helplessly and growing
very red
Fun Ting came forward and pulling
Betty's face down'to his kissed her
first on one cheek and then on the
other. This was too much for some of
the younger women and they swooped
him off his feet and cuddled him in
their arms, kissing his round hard
cheeks and soft ruby lips over and
over.
| While Betty and the older women
went down to the kitchen to get the
dinner the girls and young women re-
manned to play with Ting" as they
called him. He showed his toys. his
books. and finally took from his trunk
a little set of wooden blocks tied to-
gether with a string. These he sus-
! pended from two chairs and played
upon with a mallet. producing music OF
a particularly sweet and harmonious
order. First he played long. slow
tune that made them all sleepy. Then
it grew faster and faster till the more
rogush of the listeners began to tap
their toes on the floor in dancing time
Going from this to
Jesus lover of my soul
| Let ME hide myself in thee
| he ended suddenly with few bars of
| Yankee Doodle Dandy
The laugh that followed his gro
| tesque appearance as a musician was
| still ringing among the rafterS of the
house when everyone was called down
| to the kitchen to dinner. All the
| available tables in the house had been
| gathered and now stood arrayed with
| wholesome New England food
Fun TinS's high chair stood at the
| head of the table at Bettys elbow
She whispered to him, anXiously ad-
| Vising him to use his knife and fork
| but this was just what he would not
do. He had a stubborn idea in his lit
tie round head that chopsticks were
| invented before knives and forks. and
he was probably right.
So it was to Betty's humiliation tina;
he began to eat with his smooth
wooden implements, and to at once
monopolize the attention of everyone
at the table. The men, who had no,
seen the mysterious room upstairs, be
gan to talk in whispers about him.
The minister saw an opportunity t.
distinguish himself and show his
knowledge of things religious.
The Chinese are mostly Mohamme-
dams, Confucians and Buddhists," he
|
| will soon come to see the real light in
Christ Jesus the Lord. He has been
! The Power since the world began"
Fun Ting looked up to speak. blu,
Bettys face blanched and she put he,
hand suddenly over the little fellow S
mouth. She dreaded lest he should
shock the assemblage with some of his
religious views.
How now. my little man-arc You a
Christian" asked the minister look
ing straight at Fun Ting.
"Ycth.' lisped Fun Ting. II am a
Christian. Christ and Buddha were
both very gooth."
Fun Ting's eyes burned. In dim
cropping way he had an idea that this
lean individual in the black thread
bare Prince Albert wanted trouble
with him, and he was more than will
ing to help him to the desired end.
The clatter of a knife and fork or
the table revealed the fact that Mrs
Hovey had dropped her food and was
holding her hand up in holy horror al
the sacrilege of the little semi-heath-
en-.
| The ministers knowledge OF
Buddhistic theology was limited anc
he did not intend to be caught in ar
argument by seven-years- old China.
man. He determined to test hi.
knowledge of Christianity, and de.
manded to know if he could say the
Lords Prayer.
Fun Ting was something Of a spoiled
child. He was never SO happy as
when attracting attention to himself
He began to rattle off prayers, creeds
and hymns in<ln amazing variety
He was saying Almighty and Most
Merciful Father, we have erred ano
strayed from Thy ways like lost
sheep" when the minister interrupted
to know where he had learned that
He confessed not to have heard it be-
fore.
'On the Bowery." affirmed Fun
Ting.
Inc Bowery." screamed Mrs.
Hovey.
Sir" said the minister severely
have you been on the Bowery often
Been there most all my life" af-
iirmed Fun Ting innocently. I'VE
lived in Mott street, just off the Bow