Evening star., 1903-11-21
An CHENe'S HOP RACE.
BY Mary J. Sanny.

One bright morning nearly forty years
ago two children boy of ten and his sis
ter, two years younger, whose yellow curls
glittered like god as she ran across patch
Of sunlit turf were playing together in the
| compound of their fathers house in Shang
hal. They were waiting for the sedan
| chairs, In which they were going to visit
one of their playmates, All Cheng the
daughter of a rich Chinese merchant from
whom Mr. Hudson. the head of the Amer
lean firm. bought many of the goods he
sent to the United States-that far-away
home" which Jennie and Arthur were to
see in a few months. They never wearied
Of listening to stories of this distant coun-
try, where lived all the relatives. grand
parents. aunts and cousins from whom let
| ters and gifts were constantly coming. And
now they would soon san across the wide
| Pacific ocean to visit them.
| Armah. their round faced Chinese nurse,
was going. too. but the coolies who carried
their sedan chairs would be left behind.
People didn't ride in sedan chairs in New
| England, their mother told them. GRANDPA
had a carriage, drawn by two beautiful
black horses, let and Ebony. and their
cousins in Milton had a pony-their aunt
had sent picture of Milly and Ned sitting
in the cart before the door, just ready to
| drive down the avenue.
Arthur ard Jennie were full of eagerness
to see these little cousins. though they
loved their Chinese home and their round
faced almond-eyed Chinese playmates. The
little girls, it is true, could not run and
play like Jennie. but only hobbed on their
tiny feet. Jennie thought the beautiful lit
tie embroidered shoes they wore would not
repay her for the loss CO all the games she
had with her brother. Still. both children
enjoyed visiting them. and that their Chi
nese playfellows might share at least one
active sport, they had invented what they
called hop race"
Jennie and Arthur. who were of nearly
the same height and strength, took their
places on each side of All Cheng their
most intimate friend, who stood shakily on
her little club feet, and clenched her hands
on her hips, forming loops. The American
BOY and girl put an arm through under
her shoulders, and. after swinging her to
and fro once or twice. ran at full speed
carrying her along with them. her little
shoes touching the ground every ten or
twelve feet, as with her playmates' assist
ance she made these long leaps, which
seemed as though she flying. All
Cheng meanwhile laughed and shouted as
loudly her friends, declaring in her
pigeon English that she could jump
too. all samee Mclean girl"
Come, Jennie" called Arthur, "our
chairs are ready" and just at that moment
Jennie saw the long blue cotton gowns and
shining black queues of the Chinese bearers
crossing the compound
The children climbed in, and soon reached
the stately house where Ah Cheng's father
lived. They went first to the mothers
room a large, bare chamber with a stone
floor On the walls hung embroidered red
scrolls, and in the center stood table.
which were a number of small china dishes
filled with preserved melon seeds. jujube
paste, salted peanuts, preserved ginger and
other Chinese sweets, of which Arthur and
| Jennie were very fond.
1 All Cheng. dressed in bright scarlet Sa tin.
came hobbling to meet them on her little
stumps of feet-her mother, in a gorgeous
| blue satin robe. with large punches of
flowers in her shiny black hair smiled
| pleasantly and waved her hand to SER
want to pass the plates of sweetmeats.
After these had been taken away and tow.
| els wet with hot water brought. instead of
| finger bowls. to wash the sticky little
hands. the friends began to play with All
Chengs two pet birds, which hopped fear
lessly from their little mistress shoulders
| ton of her head.
Then steps were heard on the stone floor
and they saw Ah Cheng's father. smiling
at the children as he ca me In carrying two
fiat packages covered with bright red pa
per. he knew very few English words. so
he could only smile and bow as he handed
one to Arthur and one to Jennie. saying
| pleasantly: "One man, one piece.
| Little All Cheng hopped up and down on
| her tiny feet, calling excitedly: "Open!
| Open!'
| instant, and there were two beautiful mir
rors about the size of a school boys slate
| but the frames were covered with embroid-
cred silk and the glass was protected b.
two flaps of the same material. lined with
some stiff substance which folded from the
sides and not exactly in the middle. Ar
thurs was iight-blue and Jennie's white
| both embroidered with gold.
| All Cheng's little beady black eyes shone
| with pleasure as the children thanked her
father, who nodded and smiled at them in
reply. Though he could not understand the
| words. he guessed what they were saying
| Then the friends went out into the COM
pound to play. 1t was unusually large,
with wide. heavy wooden gates now fas-
/ tened back by wooden beams. facing
rough. dusty road. along which cart.
drawn by bullocks occasionally jo1ted or
sedan chair with a Chinese lady on her way
to nay a call was carried by.
| Lets play Master Ball. said Arthur.
for this was one of the games in which All
| Cheng could join, the little Chinese girl.
! swaying to and fro in her Cinderella shoes,
being quick to catch the ball as it flew.
So Jennie and All Cheng stood side by
side about midway between the gates and
the house. with Arthur in front of them.
facing the road and tossing the ball first to
| one and then the other of the children, who.
in turn. flung it ba ok to him
The air rang with their shouts ard laugh
ter as the ball flew to and fro. and they
| were too absorbed in their play that they
did not hear other shouts in shril high
pitched Chinese voices. which came from
the road.
Suddenly the ball, flying too high for All
| Cheng'S arm to reach, passed above her
| head and fell beyond.
Arthur ran to bring it back and. he
did so. loud Shrek outside the gate at
| ira cted his attention.
Down the dusty road. followed by a crowd
| of blue -robed Chinese. shrieking at the top
of their lungs. bullock was pluneing
| straight toward the open gates. Arthur
| glanced around the compound. Not a sery-
| ant was in sight. He looked at the gates
| but he knew that he could not move the
| heavy bars and shut them before the furi-
| Gus animal would reach the spot-and then!
| He shuddered at the thought of being tram
pied and torn by he maddened brute To
| run to the house was the only hope. and he
| turned back toward the little girls, calling:
| Run. Jennie! Run. All Cheng! To the
| house! the house"'
Fleet-footed Jennie darted off at full
| speed All Cheng tried to follow and took
| a few stumbling steps on her poor little
| stumphs. then. just as Arthur was passing
| she fell in a tumbed heap of red satin