Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-04
CHAPTER XVI.
The Love Which Foo-Chee Bore to
Ah-Lin.

Foo-chee was No. 10 of the Sd squad of
the LIST company of the I'd battalion of the
It'll regiment of the I'd brigade of the 1st
division of the 18th army corps of the
great army of China.
Every morning and every night he lifted
up both his hands, and he blessed the name
of Yen How, illustrious who by his might
had changed the old flow and show of
things. For why? Because Ah-lin was No
- of the same squad of the same COM
pany of the same battalion of the same
regiment of tie same brigade of the same
division of the same army corps of the
great army corps of China.
Every day, between and 5:15 O'clock
the company was drilled on the plain south
east Of Picking, half mile from the walls.
| The roll was called before drill, and IL
any one was absent he or she was hanged
publicly by the heels the next morning
| So Ah-lin had TO be there, and Foo-chee
| saw Ah-in, and blessed Yen How illus
tTious
Ah-Iin was a girl of eighteen, very pretty,
with the elongated face which the Chinese
adore, and eyes SO long, and narrow, and
slanting She was the daughter of tiny
sllversmith. whose shop was on the fifth
floor in a gaudy Peking main street
Her father lived his life Ia a corner of
the single room, which was his shop and
dwelling. His life was a dream, and his
I food rice-greens and opium When he
awoSe from his paradises he languidly took
/ up a piece of silver and looked at It and
I put Il down again.
Ah-lins father and mother and herself
{ lived happily upon fifteen taos per week
| The father was exempt from service be-
/ cause one of his legs was incapable of
/ walking. The mother served In different
/ company from that of Ah-lin.
| But, IN spite OF her poverty. Ah-lin had
/ an elongated face, and peepy little bewitch-
/ ing eyes, and pigtail of incredible length.
/ Her feet, of course. had not been cramped
/ and she walked with a fine free swing.
slanting wee bit backward like the true
( nOrtherneI that she was.
''Foo-chee' said Ni-ching tang, who was
/ the father of Foo-chee. take your eyes
/ from Ah-lin, my son. Leave Ah-ln be- She
( Is loved by Sin-wan. and Sin-wan Is among
! the honorable ones in the days which are .
Nt-ching-tang knew what he was saying;
for he was very subordinate cook in the
/ mulutudinous kitchen of Yen How, and
! Sin-wan was wardeI in the imperial pris-
| ons. Ni-ching-tang and Sin-wan were good
| nodding acquaintance. as we should say.
/ That Sin-wan loved Ah-lin there could be
no doubt. He had more than once rislxed
his neck in leaving the imperial precincts
| at unlawful hours to make signaling ges-
lures before the fifth-noor room of Ah-lin' s
| parents.
| But Sin-wan was of middle age and un-
duly stout. His neck was thick and hard
| and seemed made for hanging. And his
| countenanee was as hideous as FEES, the
joss. as it stands carved out In the ebon
| idols.
| Moreover, Sin-wan was addicted TO orgies
| of the spirit samshu, and the impress OF
/ these excuses was left on his brutal face
| Ah-lin's eyes. though narrow, could sec
much; and In her secret meditations in the
darkness of the room at night she would