Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-03-06

with the circumstance. ThlngS might
80 easily have been different. Why had
not my lot been cast In the ordinary
groove? Why had not been permit
ted to enjoy the peaceful. uneventful
life Of the many7 And then | looked
across the table and saw her who had
come to me In the long polar winter Of
my life. and could have cried with
the Mussulman. God is greaty' But
for my flight from death should never
have met her. Therefore fate laid me
under an obligation, and could not
quarrel with 1t. for though II had treat
ed me SO cruelty. yet was recompens-
ed with the love Of this woman. It was
destiny. God is great.
When the wrench came. philosophy
proved but broken reed. We wan
dered round and round the garden,
sometimes strangely silent for long in
tervals. at others voicing with no I'M
certain tongue our hopes and fears.
And when l pointed out to her how
absolutely necessaryslt wSS for us that
the power Of Kung should be curtailed
her wisdom strove hard with her wo-
mans fears, and eventually wrung
from her a heartbroken consent.
Sometimes l thought this setting out
on such an expedition was the acme Of
folly. Why not let things go. why not
seize on happiness when It was within
my grasp and leave the future in the
hands of the gods7 ! admit 1t was q
great temptation and one that sore be-
set me. but Jim was BY when waver-
ed. and reason told me that this appar-
emily foolish endeavor was In reality
the only right one.
will pass over the rest OF that scene
and the subsequent train journey to
Sydney, where we caught the steamer
Airlie. Nor Is there anything OF impor-
lance to relate during our voyage north
ward. We had half q dozen agreeable
passengers In the saloon and some Chi
nese coolies forwSd. and though on
principle we distrusted them. their be-
havior was circumspect In the ex-
IRENE. Nevertheless never neglected
the least precaution. eschewing the
deck after nightfall. unless In the com.
pany Of Jim or one OF the other pas
sengers, and avoiding open matches
and the less freQuented parts Of the
vessel. And 30 one day the peak Of
Hongkong opened up, swiftly we ap-
preached the Ly-ee-Aoon pass. slipped
through. and presently we were swing
Ing at anchor opposite the town.
The sampans crowded with innumer-
able yellow folk told US that we were
In China at last. and It was not with.
out some little apprehension that l sur
veyed the shrleking and gesticulating
throng. Here were yellow men with .
vengeance. and At first experienced
some slight scruple in trusting myself
to them and their frail sampans. but
realizing that though generally dishon-
est. all these people could not be in the
employ Of the society. we left the ship
and went ashore.
We had been recommended to 20 to
the Hongkong hotel. 1t being at that
time, whatever 1t ia now. the only first
class house In the place. and thither we
proceeded and were duly installed In Q
room on the second door. Now II was
Cinnamon, Cinnamon everywhere. and
we seemed to realize for the FIRST time
what task this was which we had set
ourselves to accomplish. And yet in
the multiplicity OF pigtails there was
some assurance, Of safety. At close
quarters the yellow man was not the
terrible being as,pIctured in my heated
Imagination.
I must say that my Uncle Jim shared
none Of my scruples or alarm. The
moment he set foot ON Chinese soil he
seemed another man. The lethargy
and Indifference which had character.
lied him during the voyage to Austria
liza and the supplementary journey to
Hongkong vanished now az II BY Q
stroke of magic. 1t was a. though he
had said: "At last I am hefei Now to
work" A new energy took possesses
OF him. His tts sharpened thsm-
selves upon the MILESTONE Of his Do
sires. A determination to act and act
quickly was in everything he said and
did. He was as one suddenly gifted
with the powers Of born leader Of
men. and seemed to see him as chair.
man of board meeting curbing the re.
fractory members with the mere force
OF will. There was something in thai
man which the city and the SCOT could
not subdue. and Il seemed to me O.
though 1t was going to have fair trial
at last.
Naturally our ,flrst endeavor was "a
discover the map Of whom my father
had spoken. Kooh-si. the'carpenter. but
at the first glance such task appear.
ed appalling. As well, to use a Chi
nese proverb. search sfof needle al
the bottom Of the ocean. Amid thest
countless thousands. OF whom each ons
seemed but mere hideous replica Of
an ugly original. how was 1t possible Il
strike the one particular. solitary unit
Such was the problem. and at the flrs
glance 1t seemed somewhat did1cult o.
solution. AndlHsk s6netimes thinl
that obstacles arc scsabed merely TO,
the pleasure Of suEHeunting them
Koon-Si, according to MY father. was {
man whom one might distinguish By
the slit In his left nostril, and take 1
that such man would not be entirel,
overlooked In crowd. Moreover, b,
followed profession which would. *
to speak. localixe him. He was car
penter. and IL in the land Of the llvini
1t would be In the neighborhood O
some carpenter shop that we SHOULD
find him.
II he were living? The doubt was no
palatable, but 1t had to be faced. NJ,
father had said nothing Of the man
age. or Of his physical condition
though even that was as nothing to tn
fact that he had incurred the wrath o
the society. Such wrath was more dan
gerous than disease or old age, an,
though without Els aid we should b
like children crying In the wilderness
we tried to prepare ourselves for evel
that dire contingency.
The next day and the day after "
visited many strange quarters Of th
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