The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-12-26
IN THE
SHADOW OF
THE JOSS
By JESSIE JULIET KNoz
Copyright, 1901, by ]. J. Knox

musical laugh, and the world had Just
i!egun for the young All Gong.
1t was the week of the Chinese New
Year, the time when every heart Celes
dal beats with JOY, and the heart of the
handsome young Chinaman beat with
more than the usual allotment of JOY
as he glanced upward to find the
source of the snowy shower of the om-
nipresent almond blossom. Was it q
woman who had dared? In that glance
upward his whole soul went out to the
owner of the sweet, piquant face as it
leaned far out over mass of Chinese
lilies and almond blossoms, and his
young heart thrilled with something
that went straight to the heart Of the
fair one, the one who dared.
With all the coquetry of her sex, she
smiled upon him in a sweet, shy way
not to be resisted by one of the tenn
peramept Of All Gong. Who could
wonder that in the sweet iIftoxication
Of that glance he forgot that he had a
wife? A wife who was old and ugly
and like a piece of parchment, not a
sweet, dimpled, perfumed thing like
this!
The fair one, All Leen, had been
burning her incense before the good
Joss and had bowed her pretty head,
glistening with jewels so many times
upon the rugs and waved her sandal
wood sticks so dutifully. And while
doing this it had seemed to her maiden
heart that it must be lovely to be good,
as good as joss would like one to be,
and after her devotions she had
stepped out upon the long balcony
overlooking the streets in order to gaze
upon the ever changing crowd.
The narrow streets were lined with
almond blossoms and lilies, and in
front of every door and on all the pic
turesque balconies, swayed by the
breeze, glowed the great round Ian
terms, and in every doorway were the
little bowls of burning incense and the
red papers to scare away the devil. Far
up in the latticed windows burned
large red candles and from these same
windows peeped happy faces.
All Gong looked again. and the more
he looked the more was he convinced
that his soul was in great peril and
that it was absolutely imperative that
he should at once repair to the joss
house and supplicate the gods. He
suddenly remembered that he had been
very lax in that respect lately, and
with a boldness quite remarkable for
Dne who cared nothing for these things
he mounted the stairway and-well-
hearts are hearts the weary world
over" There comes q time to every
one when the sound of one voice and
the glance from two eyes have the
power to thrill our heartstrings and
make one forget everything except the
intoXication Of being loved. That time
had come for the aristocratic little
Chinese maiden. and through no fault
of hers. 1t was fate-that was all.
She said to the maid: "Ah, Suey,
look! You think bimeby he come? My
harris it pretty? My lips-are they
red? What makes me feel so strange?
Will the good joss be angryY'
mo, no. You are beautiful; more
Your eyes are stars, yonr mouth rose,
your heart speaks-listenw
And. listening, she heard and saw
with the eyes of her soul and then
he came, and with his coming life was
changed.
First, as the maid reported through
the chinks of the carved woodwork. he
burned his incense sticks and little red
papers before the great joss, his silken
robes clinging gracefully to his 1.-THE
form the while, and then he placed his
New Years card, long slip of red pa
per with his name in Chinese letters,
on the carved table.
His devotioDs over, what more nat
ural than that he. too, should repair
to the balcony to look down upon the
crowd? What more natural than that
the little All Leen should drop her fan
at that precise moment? She really
did not mean to do it, but she was SO
startled by the appearance of the one
upon whom she bad showered her al
mond blossoms. Lie was not like any
one she had ever seen. He was so
strong and handsome and young, not
in the least like the vicious old Gum
Ching. the highlander to whom her
father had promised her in marriage.
1t was also quite natural that All
Gong should pick up the perfumed fan
and return it to the fair unknown with
a light pressure of the hand and a
glance from his dark eyes.
All Suey might have been deaf, dumb
and blind for aught one could notice to
the contrary. Like the well trained
little maid she was she saw and heard
The two conversed as readily
as IL they had known each other for
ever and for time All Leen forgot
that she was promised to old Gum
Ching She meant no harm. She was
only young thing and human. and
she had q tender. innocent heart which
had never before been touched. But
tonight she knew as she looked into
the eyes of This man that life would !
never again be the same.
After hearing her sad story he men
tally registered a vow that she should
never wed the highbinder. n
They must meet again, but how ant
where? 1t was the deaf and dumb All
Suey who spoke at this moment and
suggested the theater. The theater-
III.