Canyon City news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1903-1908, 1904-07-08
A CHE FOO
TRAGEDY
BY WILLIAM E. s.
FALES
Copyright, 1909, by w. L. S. Fales
- NVIOUS people snccred when
III Percy Strathford Grey passed

tlNN tNlIulHlOIu bliN lIuSStu
E/ the civil service examinations
with high houors and said that
1t was due to his being Il cousin of the
Duke of Eastminstcr There was an
iota of truth in the sncer as there is in
most snccrs. The distinguished rcla-
tive had aided Percy by the confidential
hint that the Chinese examination was
the easiest of all and that the chief OK
amincr was deaf and cgotiStic. The
student took advantage of the hint and.
being ambitious and pcrscvcring, had
no trouble with the department of red
tape. Shortly after the announcement
came his appointment as student in
tcrpretcr to the Ticntsin consulate.
Here he arrived in due season and be-
gan his official work. This for the first
two years consisted in mastering the
mandarin or official language. Percy
engaged an old Chinese gentleman in
reduced circumstances and made the
slow progress which marks instruction
under such auspices
He accordingly had recourse TO the
method employed by student inter
prefers from time mmcmoral in the
far east and bought il "living diction-
ary"-that is. he purchased from her
grateful parents Chinese wife. Nj
IIu, the lady in question, was Il girl of
eighteen we'll built and strong, as arc
most Of the women of ShangtunG. Plain
from Chinese point of view, she was
attractive and even handsome to Eu-
ropean eye Her family belonged to the
poor middle class, so that she had had
the advantage of highly educated sur
roundings. if not OF II high education
herself She was bright, lively and af
fcctionatc.
Percy hired Chinese house and lived
the life of native scholar. His prog
ress was rapid. In three months he had
good coloquia knowledge of the
mandarin. At the end of two years he
spoke, read and wrote it rs llucntly as
Professor Giles. the eminent authority.
In the examination which then occur
red he received high praise from the
judges, upon whose report he was pro
noted from student interpreter TO vice
CONSUL anu WIS dSSlSltb ib liIt tits
and district of Che Foo.
In the latter city he took n pretty
house, installed his Chinese wife and
lived the happy go-lucky life of the far
east. Five years passed uncventfnlly.
Twice Nj llu presented him with
pretty babe which inherited his red
blond hair and gray eyes and the moth
cr's Mongoian cheek bones AS she
was devoted mother and they ndmira-
bic infants. their presence did not dis
t,lrb him in the least. On the contrary.
he grew quite fond of them. They
We're his children by Chinese law, Just
as Nj IIu was his wife. but by English
law neither they nor she bore any re-
latiOn 10 him except Il mcretriciouS one.
Percy did his best TO advance himself
nt Che Foo. His superior. the consul.
had grown gray in the service and did
Just as little work as possible. He was
therefore delighted TO have the vice
consul perform the duties of the office.
by degrees the younger man exercised
more and more of the consular func-
tionS until he WAS practically consul in
all but name The reports and dis
patches were such models nS to attract
the attention and win the praise of the