The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-30

grow furious when ! read OF them treat
In the yellow monkeys with gentleman
ly forbearanco and conciliation. There
are times when TO stand too much upon
the gentleman Is a bad thing. As rule
people who do that sort of thing have
nothing else to stand upon. The oriental
respects no one but his master. Concilia-
/ tton Il but a sign OF weakness. No man
bothers much about conciliation when he
knows he can thrash his opponent. Pc
king Is not London. IL is not even st.
| Petersburg. You will presently see what
the gentIemanly conduct Of the Russians
| will accomplish.
But this is all beside my story, though
at times my Indignation runs away with
| me. and say my say. which is wrong,
for no sensible man should let himself
get angry with that which he cannot al
ter, which IL equivalent to saying that no
sensible man except the politician should
| take politics seriously. ! fear my In
| terest Is a selfish one as regards China.
j loathe the psstilential monkeys. have
longed for the roar of our guns. have
dreamed OF the jack waving over the
Forbidden City. over the rich provinces
| OF the Yang-tse. And I shall see moth
ing.
II dare not enter into a detailed ac-
count OF my early wanderfngs In that
country; but. as you may have already
guessed. was more or less OF rolling
stone. and one day rolled against Kung.
The impact was not hard one. No
corners were Clipped OF, no damage
done. We smiled and shook hands and
vowed an everlasting friendship.
"Ostensibly a boatbuflder at Fuchau.
Kung was in reality the head Of one OF
the largest secret societies OF the en-
pire, that OF the Hidden Meaning. known
TO foreigners as the Boxers.
This society embraced men Of all
ranks and all ranges OF intellect. from
the low cody TO the high official. Kungs
father, 80 the story went. had once been
person OF some consequences at Peking.
but having fallen under tho displeasure
OF the Son OF Heaven he had been duly
decapttated. Kungs family had there
fore 10 fy to avoid the imperial wrath.
and Kung. being a man who neither for
got nor forgave took to plotting.
Little By little the Importance Of the
society Increased. and Kung was willing
to prove TO mo that It's power dominated
six provinces. His own freedom from ar
rest was proof OF the power no welded.
Indeed he played upon me to such an ex-
tent that i already saw him seated upon
the dragon throne dispensing provinces to
HIS trusted servants. In those days It
was anything for merry life and a
short road 10 fortune. was promised
both. My western intellect would prove
Of incaicuiatle service to the cause. IN
Europe, Australia. America the society
numbered many white men. but mono In
China, for none who might have Joined
could speak Chinese with any huency.
Therefore ] might count upon ten
thousand advantages. I duly became a
member Of the Society OF the Hidden
Meaning.
Shortly after my Inauguration. which
was attended by many oaths and mys-
teries, I was offered the command OF a
vessel which traded up and down the
coast. and I soon found that my new
associates were as good az their word
Many an excellent piece Of business came
my way and nothing more was exacted
OF me than that should occasionally car
ry cargo OF which II was not necessary
for me 10 see the bin OF lading and pas
eengers OF whom I knew not the legal
status This found extremely profitable
and somewhat Inclined 10 my way Of
thinking. for II enabled me 10 fulfll tho
dream OF my life and marry your mother.
But II 80 happened that I was no longer
my own master-as what man isf Hence
my frequent journeyings and long stop
pages abroad Then cane the climax ana
the subsequent cause OF all my misery.
IT had just concluded n trip from Che
muipo. In Korea, 10 Tien-tsin and was
about to betake nnvseif ashore In the
due course OF business, when a cody ad-
venced across the deck 10 me and with
out speaking a word slipped q paper
into my hand II was not the first time
such a thing had happened. so that upon
opening the srrrIses paper Il was was not not
symbol of the society. This was
| that elliptfcaI. sgg-shaped sign seen on
your mothers forehead. on the gateposts,
on stable door at the killing OF the horses
II is the sign that you may one day
see on my forehead unless 1 can clude
the ennissarfes OF the sooiety Why such
symbol was chosen Is no doubt obvious
TO you. It In meant 10 represent an egg
and Is syrnbolical OF what may be inside
the shell unseen by human eyes. Simple
| as IL appears. Il IL an allegory Of deep
meaning and Justly illustrates the title
| OF the society. When you roe II, open
wide your eyes and watch the man walk
Ing by your side, avoid shadows ~isnd
all dark places and men with yellow
skins and strange eyeA
Il turned TO the man who had brought
| this miseive. who was standing watching
mo from the storm OF the vessel, and,
waving him to mo. learned from him
| the spot chosen for the assigna ton Up
| 10 that mon,sut I had no knowledge Of
Kung's presence at Tien-tsin. believing
him TO be stiil at his place I'm Fuchau q,
nor cou1d the messenger Offer an OK
! PLANTATION or give me the slightest In
formation Like all tho members OF the
society, he spoke with the utmost reserve
commendabie habit IN q community,
where cach man was n spy upon the
other.
However. late that night put In an
appearance at the appointed place and
was received by Kung and some SCORE
Of the chief members Of the soaiety
could not help wondering what business
had brought him 20 near the capital.
though had known that the stout. suriy
looking fellow on his right was tho gov.
ernor Of the imperial province OF Pe-chi-li.
might have guessed that something OF
the utnost importance was IN the air
As ~ was. I knew that II was for no
ordipary business I had been summoned.
Nor wns II. The plot. briefly explained.
was the capture Of Peking. the deposition
OK Ire emperor ana the setting up OF a
Chincee as against Msntchoo dynasty.
fairly gssped for breath as this scheme
was unfolded. foreseeing certain failure