The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1906-09-07
The Household Devil
Of Sam Louie
BY E. SPENCE DE puB


PORTSMOUTH square stood little Quong
Ling on summer day.
Across the grass came another fig
ure; q little taller, a little older than
Quong Ling, and neither white nor
Chinese, but part of both. When 1t
was directly behind the Chinese boy 1t
shot out its hands and clapped them
tightly over the Others eyes, and cried
In merry voice:
"Who?"
Ming Foo, of course" was the
prompt response.
They curled themselves comfortably
on the grass, near the edge of the
gravel path, content as two young ami
mails.
Here comes Sam Louie cried Ming
Foo, suddenly: hes going to stop"
"Ho. little rascals. do you have
naught to do but idle?" asked Sam
Louie affably, as he paused a moment.
Nothing, honorable friend, but to
idle and tell stories, ,Ass.--..
Z well. II that be all, let this add to
the pleasures of thy idleness; CATCH"
Cutting on a generous piece of sugar
cane from one of the sticks he carried.
he tossed 1t into the air and passed
on.
For the time all else was forgotten
in the pleasurable crunch of teeth upon
the succuleng cane. Forgotten till a
fat. sleek Chinaman, in American APP
parel, and another Chinaman with
great red scar across his cheek, passed
by, and word or so fioated to the al
ways wide-open ears of Ming Foo
Understand? There ought to be
about three thousand dollars. and you
must get every cent Of" That was
all. nut II was enough to arrest pair
Of stout young Jaws midway in the act
Of sending a set Of white teeth into the
juicy wood. Enough to cause Ming Foo
to stare wonderingly after the retreat
ing pair, and note that they settled
themselves on bench and that they
were Joined by third Chinaman.
In the last arrival Ming Foo recog-
nized a hatchetman of the Ping Kong
tong. His eyes danced joyously, and
thrusting his stumpy piece of cane
within his blouse, he pulled Quong
Ling's ear down close to his lips, whis-
pered something, then scampered on
and left the smaller boy wondering
and watching the patched trousers as
they disappeared around corner.
Quong Lings patience had become
almost exhausted when one of the
three men on the bench wandered of:
in another moment the other two part
ed, going in opposite directions; and
as he held his gaze on the empty
bench, he saw a battered cap and a
.close-cIopped head rise from the low
shrubbery just behind 1t.
'Oh. Quong Ling. Quong Ling
Quong-a-ling-a-ling." he sang, dancing
around on the tips OF his toes. Big
biggest thing ever, Ell? We're goin' to
do big thing tonight. Come long
with me and I'll tell you all about It.
Then, with many gesticulatioRs and
contortions and swellings of the chest
he lay in the shrubbery How, on this
night, the store of Nov Gum, for whom
Sam Louie worked, was to be robbed;
that It was 10 punish the proprietor fol
daring to cross the hatchet-man-ir
daring to refuse to bear false witness
in some matter before the police, as
well as to gain the money. That there
were things and mysteries back Of this
that It had to do with the tongs, anC
much more. SO that in the end, Quonl
Ling quivered with the mystery ant
excitement of 1t, and Ming Foo, strik
ing his robust little chest, fairl!
Kissed:
Amt 1t big? Amt we goin' to stol
1t; amt we goin' t do more than BIZ
detectives would?"
When the smaller adventurer asked
"How!" Ming Foo grew in stature a
he exclaimed:
Never mind You come with me, II
show you! I'm white"
Possibly 1t was owing to that littl
streak of white in him that the follow
ing things happened. He was only l:
but he knew very much, and Quon
Ling was his devoted admirer,
There was no place in the quarter o
which Ming Foo did not have the run
Every cpnm joint was to him HON
and place to lay his head; ever
pawnshop was his museum and tn
fheater was his especial place of pat
ronage. so that It was with no Difficult
" that he gained for himself and fol
lower admission 10 this place OF amuse
ment. He strutted across the stage an
TO the dressing room behind, and 60
in peoples way, and bullied the actors
and finally disappeared in the depth
below-Aand the fact was not even nc
ticed.
Among rows upon rows OF masks
whole heads. some OF them, in fact
racks OF swords, miniature pagoda,
tn mes and ancient armor, they re-
elsd undisturbed, and Ming Foo pulle
and hauled the things about until final
" he found these articles he shoul
need-not a great DEAL papier mach
mask OF hideous design and extraord
nary proportions and a few yards {
yellow silk Nor was the removal {
these things without detection In tn
smallest degree diificult nor beyond HI
resources.