The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-09-12

w mats more Davfe, you know as well az
that In every country allegiance may be
bought. We are strangers In a strange
lancr watcher, for all we know to the
contrary by those who do not love us.
All fon may prove OF use. Unless l am
greatly mistaken. he II a shrewd fellow"
Almost too shrewd. ! thought and !
mentioned the curious smile which had
seen play across his face and cast some
doubt upon the genuineness OF Mr. Yons
endeavors.
$50, so" muttered Mr.. Jim quietly. but
am not blind either. II All Yon fails In
his search tomorrow / shall double his
present
! admitted that this was the most ex-
traordinary methods OF procedure OF
| which had ever heard.
Jim smiled. Perhaps. but we are in
China, the land OF inverted notions. II
he falls third time i shall raise the "a
10 80.
"And so on" said rather mockingly.
MI Yon has only to fail 20 earn q COM
Portable competence. What will be the
reward for the fourth failure?"
II shall add 10 the dollars sound
thrashing and then-well. / may hand
him over to the police for obtaining
| money under false pretences."
But All Yon. great as may have been
the temptation for some inexplicable
reason failed to succumb. and just be-
fore lunch OF the following day he In
, formed us that he had discovered Mr..
Koon-Si. Jim patted him on the shoul-
der and gave him a couple of dollars for
his good news. and we arranged TO set
out for the abode OF the esteemed car
penter as Soon as we had finished lunch
con.
! Calling couple OF rickshaws we. un-
der the guidance Of Mr. Yon, who trotted
beside my uncle's carriage. were run out
almost to the extremity OF the native
quarter. and at the bottom OF a narrow.
dark looking street our guide called
halt Here the rickshaw men were dis
charged. a proceeding which might have
been fraught with some trouble had not
Mr. Yum who seemed little inclined TO
handy words, hit one OF the presumptuous
coolies a severe blow on the side OF the
head This effectually silenced the fell
lows earrulity. and he took the prof
fered fare with an idiotic grin.
We were then led up the above men,
toned little dark street and presently we
stopped before a low. wide doorway and
window combined which opened upon a
room some three OF four feet below the
level OF the road. Here the smell or
freshly sawed wood Immediately assailed
US and infinite peering we at length
made out the figures Of two men working
in the interior gloom.
All Yon said something In Chinese. and
presently one OF the figures looked up
from his work. dropped his saw and then
came slowly toward US. Naturally my
probable that this poverty stricken car
penter, living this wretched life I'm this
vile den of a cellar. was the man We had
come so many thousands OF miles to see.
the man who might possibly be our sal
walton.
Therefore / scanned him closely. and
dirty. ugly. almost repellent face II was,
but I saw with JOY. with a Joy which was
not unmixed with horror, that his broad
left nostril had been slit in two.
It's he" said Jim.
The carpenter looked UP, and his eyes
were black and beady like a rats.
What seeks your honorable conde-
scension?" he asked in very good Eng
lish.
Then leaning forward he lowered his
voice and whispered. THE writing Of
Kung Is once more seen In the land"
The carpenter bowed so low that
could not see what effect these words had
on him, but from that moment his man
ner became one OF Intelligent considera-
tion, and with many gracious excuses he
begged US TO enter his contemplate hovel.
This we did carefully. for the little stair
which led down 10 his workshop was bad
ly conditioned throughout. while it's base
was lost in gloom. Our esteemed All Yon
was somewhat peremptorily ordered by
the carpenter to remain out In the street
q command which he .obeyed without the
least dsmur Indeed. poor and ragged and
ugly as he was, Koon-Si was man of
an indefinite presence. and one instinc-
lively felt it's influence. He may have
been only a carpenter. but he was a mas
ter among carpenters.
He led US through his dingy workshop
to stair at tho back, and bowling low.
motioned for US to mount. II was but q
makeshift OF stairway. straight almost,
and entirely free OF hand rail, but not
withstanding such slight deficiencies we
succeeded In mounting with safety to the
room above.
This. though not In any way elegant.
was a welcome contrast to the shop be- |
low, and though An abominable smell per- |
vaded the atmosphere, II was the one |
thing which Is insepa<uble from Chi |
nese house and may TO a certain extent |
be obviated by q free use OF tobacco. We |
begged permission OF our host to con- |
tinye our cheroots
This he graciously granted, declaring |
that we honored his degraded dwelling |
by smoking In II. after which piece OF |
ponteness he carefully closed the trap |
door through which we had ascended and |
then beckoned US TO seats at the other /
extremity Of the room Here the light |
was somewhat better than in the shop |
below. but II did not add an additional !
luster to Koon-Si. II In the semi gloom |
he was ugly. In the light he was, II any