Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-07-24
SEE YUP,
BY BRET HARTE.
Copyright. 1898. by the Author

don't suppose that his progenitors
ever gave him that name-or indeed
that 1T was name at all-but it was
currently believed that-as pronounced
See Up-it meant that lifting of the
outer angle of the eye common to the
Monaghan. On the other hand, | had
been told that there was an old Chinese
custom OF atfixing some motto or legend
Or even sentence from Confucius-
as sign above their shops, and that
TWO or more words, which might be
merely equivalent to Virtue is its own
reward, or "Riches are deceitful, "
was believed by the simple Californian
miner to be the name of the occupant
himself. Howbeit, See Yup accepted
it with the smiling patience of his race,
and never went by any other If one of
the tunnel men Always addressed him as
"brigadier general, "'"judge" or "oom-
modore, it was understood to be only
the American fondness for ironic title,
and was never used except in personal
conversation. In appearance he looked
like any other Chinaman, wore the or
binary blue cotton blouse and white
drawers of the Sampan cody, and in
spite OF the apparent cleanliness and
freshness OF these garments, always ex-
hailed that singular indicated odor-
half opium, half ginger-which we rec
ognlzed as the common" Chinese smell"
Our first interview was characteristic
of his patient quality. He had done my
washing for several months, but had
never yet seen him, A meeting at last
had become necessary to correct his
impressions regarding "buttons''-
which he had seemed to consider as
mere excrescences, to be removed like
superfiuous dirt from soiled linen. |
had expected him to call at my lodg-
sngs, but he had not yet made his ap-
pearance. One day, during the noontide
recess OF the little frontier school over
which l presided, l returned rather
early. Two or three Of the smaller boys,
who were lettering about the school
yard, disappeared with certain guilty
precipi tation that suspected for the
moment, but which presently dismiss
ed from my mind. l passed through
the empty schoolroom to my desk, sat
down and began to prepare the coming
lessons. Presently heard a faint sigh.
Looking up, to my intense concern l
discovered a solitary Chinaman whom
I had overlooked sitting in rigid atti-
tude on bench with his back to the
window. He caught my eye and smiled
sadly, but without moving.
What are you doing here?" l asked
sternly.
Me washee shifts, me talkee but
tons.'"
"Oh, you're See Yup, are you?"
"Allee same, john"
"Well, come here"
I continued my work, but he did not
move
Come here, hang it. Don't you un-
derstand?''
Me shabbee, CONNIE yea. But me
no shabbee Mellikan boy, who catchee
me, alice same. You CONNIE yea you
shabbee?'
Indignant, but believing that the un-
fortunate man was still in fear of per-
secution frcm these mischievous urchins
whom had evidently just interrupted,
l put down my pen and went over to
him. Here discovered to my surprise
and modification that his long pigtail
was held hard and fast by the closed
window behind him, which the young
rascals had shut down upon it after
having first noiselessly 'fshed it outside
with a hook and line 1 apologized,
opened the window and released him.
He did not complain, although he must
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