Perth Amboy evening news., 1907-02-15
Il N INSCRIPTION
II ON A FAN.
IorlgInal

forigina1l
My friend Charnley keeps in n glass
case set up on brackets against wall
in his smoking room at home paper
and bamboo fan. There is nothing
about it 10 indicate that it is of especial
value Indeed. 10 or 10 cents would be
Il good price for it. 1t is spread out to
show some Chinese characters daubed
across its face. 1t occurred to me that
this Inscription might have something
TO do with the care taken in the fans
/ preservation, and one evening after
| dinner while in the room where it was
asked Charnley If 1t were not so.
Il should think so,'' he said, knocking
the ashes off his cigar. TITS all in the
inscription
/ "Well, out with it," l knew by his
expression there was story coming.
| You remember some years ago" he
began, Il was obliged to go to China on
business. l needed only to visit Pc
king, Nankin and q few other points.
In going from Nankin to Khaifeng |
met with an adventure. | was on
horseback and well armed. Hearing a
commoton on the road before me, /
spurred ON and found mandarin be-
ing robbed by couple of bandits, who
We're trying to kill him before taking
his money. His position was very
plain to me, and, dashing among them.
fired ut both of the assailants in rapid
succession, purposely missing them.
since | didn't. care to kill any. one and
probably be delayed by doing so. The
robbers ran away, and the mandarln's
servants skunk back to him. He was
the most grateful man you ever saw.
Since we couldn't speak the same Ian
guage, he could only thank me with
his eyes, which told his feelings plain
enough. He picked up that fan, which
during the melee had fallen in the
road, shook the dust off it and, taking a
writing stick, wrote that Inscription
across its face, handing the fan to me.
II supposed that he had written his
thanks.
"'Glad to have your autograph |
stand me, and we went on together in
silence till we reached the next vii
lage, where we parted with many fare
wells which neither understood. Then
went on alone.
81 heard a great deal about the rising
wrath in China against the foreign
DEVILS but didn't suspect it was a
premonition of the celebrated Boxer
movement then about to break out
Reaching a mission station in small
town, concluded to remain with the
family of Mr.. Fisk, its manager. for
a few days. On the afternoon of my
arrival his daughter Evelyn, girl of
twenty, saw me using the fan. She
could read the inscription, of course,
and said to me:
"'Take care of that fan. Don't lose
it as you value your life
81 asked her why, but at the moment
she was called away, and did not see
! her for some time. l don't remem
Der whether when did see her had
4 forgotten the matter or had no op
portunity to ask again. At any rate, II
was very soon after that we heard
shrieks up the street. Every one pres
ent turned white, knowing that a mob
was numbering the Christian converts.
/ The noise came rapidly our way, and
Mr.. Fisk, his family and servants
gathered in the living room in con-
sternation. I got out all my weapons,
but Mr. Fisk shook his head. Never
theless I thought that I might as well
die defending my countrymen, espe-
cially as it would be pleasanter than
dying without action.
"Nearer came the yells and shreks
till suddenly we saw through the win
dow a gang of cutthroats coming,
doubtless, to the station. At that mo-
ment Evelyn, who had been out rush
ed in looking like a ghost.
"'The fan! The FAM she cried.
Where is it?'
"What FAM
1.-The one you had yesterday
81 remembered that Il was III my
room and from .Evelyri eagerness
about it knew that 1t must be of impor-
tance, so l ran there, snatched it from
table and ran back again into the
living ROOM Evelyn pushed me to the
door. crying:
"'Open it! Hold it upr
II did as she directed just in time to
face the ugliest gang of fanatics l
ever saw or expect to see. Their lead
cr, an immense man, was about to
dash In, with an ak raised above his
head, when he caught sight of the let
ters on the fan. He stopped, lowering
his ak, while those behind him seemed
to be paralyzed by the inscription.
Then the leader, calling for a writing
stick, wrote something over our door,
and the mob rushed on, yells and
shrieks following in its wake.
"They had no sooner started away
than, the strain on Evelyn having been
relaxed, she tainted and | caught her
in my arms. Laying her on couch, l
went out TO look at what the Chinaman
had written on the door. The charac
ters were the same as those on the fan.
When Evelyn revived she told me their
meaning, Respect this man and those