Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-09-13

Of my stick, screaming and gesticu'
lating as before. continued back
ing until was fairly clear. and then
turned and ran, as thought, toward
Tan Quin Sees shop.
Unfortunately, in my bewilder-
ment started down the wrong street,
not discovering the mistake until
had sprinted some distance, with the
bowling swarm close behind. The
miserable Pat scudded ahead, his un.
lucky tail between his legs, adding
his terrified yaps to the general up.
roar.
A stone whizzed close to my head.
followed by another, and feeling that
I was now in real danger, / lodged
down the first side street which
seemed to me to lead in the direc-
ton OF the shop-and unexpected
ly found myself in a blind alley,
ending in brick wall about seven
feet high, with sort of ledge or
shelf running along its foot
Jumping up on this. backed up
against the wall and raised my hands
aloft In token of surrender. The
crowd closed round as before, their
combined voices now sounding like
one continuous, steady shrek, with
out cadence or rise or fall. Every
hand that could see gripped stone
or fragment of brick-the Chinese
rowdy's weapon of offense.
could see over the pigtailed heads
which filled the narrow alley, and
still holding my hands aloft-a ges-
ture which seemed to puzzle them,
for the stone-throwing had Temporal
rily ceased-I noticed in the street
outside a jinrikisha occupied by a
portly old merchant. well-dressed in
clean blue silks, with red button on
his little round cap indicating the
rank of mandarin. He was gazing
placidly at the crowd, his hands COM
fortably folded on his rotund stomach,
and my frantic efforts to attract his
attention ELECTED no response what
ever. He probably had no sympathy
to waste on unlucky foreigners.
Imagining that he could not see me
through the forest of waving arms, I
turned and grasped the edge of the
wall, with the idea of climbing up.
Then the shrek of the mob turned
to a snarlings roar, and felt the sting
ing blows of half dozen stones,
while countless others broke against
the wall or sailed over. made wild
leap in hope of finding a temporary
haven Of refuge on the other side
and crash came my helmet against
something hard, which smashed it
down over by face like an extin
guisher.
I made frantic grab at the air
to save myself from tumbling back.
ward, and clutched a roll of sinewy
shoulder. muscle. At the same tipe
somebody grasped my coat collar,
and there hung for moment with
dangling legs, in the uncongenial EN-.
brace of an athletic Chinaman, who
had evidently tried to leap on the
wall from the farther side, to see the
fun. with disastrous results to my
helmet and his head.
simultaneously we each managed
to get leg atop and to scramble up,
where we sat astride. face to face
while extricated my head from the
remains of my helmet, and he rubbed
his shaven poll with one hand and his
damaged shoulder with the other ut.
tering series Of indignant gutturals
Expecting another shower Of stones,
l turned to look at the crowd-and
continued to look for some time in
bewildered amazement.
For instead of shrieking with an.
ger as before, they were now yelling
with laughter, staggering about, and
doubling up in a very ecstasy of glee,
like so many Georgia darkies at a
"hoe.down," their expression of ma.
lignant hate turned to that Of the
jolliest, happiest fun. Even the tall
man with the child. who lowered
head and shoulders above the rest,
was grinning from ear to ear, while
the fat old party in the jinrikisha
was shaking like a jelly-bag; and
Pat, on his hind legs, was madly
clawing at the wall.
I had just about concluded that the
whole thing was one awful night
mare when the vice,consul came push.
ing into the alley, and elbowed his
way to the wall, followed by Tan
Quin See.
THANK Heaven!" he exclaimed. 81
thought you were done for. How did
you know enough to do it? But come
along out of this and explain on the
way. The Turquoise has whistled."
We made our way through the now
genial crowd without opposition.
leaving my peevish friend on the wall
to scold at his leisure, and were fol-
lowed down to the sea-wall by hi
larious procession of my late enc.
mics. There we babe farewell to Tan
Quin See, and on the way to the
steamer related the whole story.
well, WE'LL" said the vice-consul,
as ne wiped his rudy face, "that
jump Of yours, and getting your he'll.
met dashed over your face, has prob.
ably saved me the trouble of cabling
Uncle Sam for gunboat. You were
within an ace of being stoned to
death, but you discovered by accident
the secret of controlling a Chinese
mob, which is at once the most dan
gerous in the world and the most
childish. If you ever get into a
scrape like that again remember this:
Do something. no matter what, to
make 'em laugh, and you're safe till
next time. Youths Companion.
Housewives in FLORIDA scrub their
floors with oranges.