Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-03

IN the cold cmbers waing and scattering
" lAndfuls OF ashes over her head, while
Il V N fong Quong ran through the streets cry
ing. Loo Puck Loo Puck Oh, little
peach blossom OF thy fathers garden where art thou?"
An hour before she had been playing, her tiny baby
outside the bazaar door while her father sat inside
and slipped Sdrl-ShH with his crones. One moment he
looked out and smiled at his merry little girl with
her rosy checks set in her shining hair like an Oriental
pearl in clasp Of jet The next moment he looked
she gone!
The other youngsters were still playing at their
games, laughing; whoopng like little ends of mirth-
land scampering hither and yon with pigtais trailing
tasses of red silken floss at their heels the merry
imps played as if nothing had happend Reassured
focked about him.
'Oh, she is here! She is there! She is hiding in
chirruped.
Il saw the feng5hu (earth-devis) catch and eat her
cried one tiny rascal more imaginative than the rest
But she was not here there, nor in the old
barrel, nor in the cellars the doorways nor the
teen years, whose beauty was like the ripeness of
peaches, like the tulips of Hanoi was gone.
"a And "a that hat is why the rice pot yawned empty of co5o
the cold embers crying out her grief while Fong Quong
roamed the alleys calling calling mournfully for his
hrst-born-though she only girl
When he back to the bazaar at nightfal Nah
Neng still sat at her weeping; she did not even
raise her head for she knew that his search had been
finding himself neglected. was conenng himself bv
solemnly scutt1ng in corner with the kittens while
tiiee CHWS puppies lCked MS toes and yapDed their
qisapproval OF his preferences for feline plavmates
Fong picked the little boy up and codded him in his
" "
Hast thou called in the bue-coated fat-be1les ~
the white pigs and hast thou summoned to council the
wise ones OF thy tong? Some base williams Of the
dark alleys hath stolen Loo Puck and hidden her
in nest of founess; why may not wisdom and blood
money bring her back" O'O0N
Il have considered these things The high man of
the bluecoats has sent out his best ferrets Our
mighty ones have sent with cunning ewes and
padded feet INTO dens where the white pigs cannot
go-but Loo Puck not in them Perc6ance tbe
vile bo tau tS Chghbinders) have taken her TO some
House of Dreadful Doom and are holding her for
ransom Aie! | know not! except that nv heart is
very sad and l mourn for my lily bud Loo Puck 4ieI
Ae!" ~ '
The little mother and slipped her fat feet into
sandals. ~
II go to the temple and beseech Kun Tah Foo Y,n,
Goddess of Women) for her help that Loo Puck come
to no harm" O''N
:. "Aie! Aie" cried Fong Quong to himself when she
had gone had | but sold her only two davs apo to
ilustrous Chung Wo, the great one OF the Suey
Sings, l would now have thousand ven But how.
can one OF the Hop Sam Tong sell the flesh or hs
flesh to Suey Sing? Besides | have promised her in
marriage to cousin But Lucy Chen will have none
OF her now, though she be found again. .4ic! 4iel
1t is hard indeed to lose ones wonla1l-child-or
thousand yen!'
cuddled in the hollow of his arm the dralight from
beneath the loosely hung door the broken chimney
waited tiny bit OF rice paper the floor
He laid the baby tendery mat and picked I'D
the bit of paper. -
Spread open the himsy billet displayed 4 line Of
scraggy Chinese characters rudely brushed in darl
green Ink. He read: