The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-27

N N the gold embers wailing and scattering
NJ handfuls OF ashes her head, while
l. Va rong Quong ran through the streets cry
ing, Loo Puck Loo Puckf Oh, little
peach blossom of thy fathers garden, where thou ??
An hour before she had been playing her tiny baby
brother astrde her hip, with troop OF small heather
outside the bazaar door, while her father inside
and slipped sam-sha with his cronies One moment he
looked out and smiled at his merry little girl with
pearl IN clasp OF Jet The next moment he looked
she gone!
The other youngsters still playing at their
games laughing; whoopng like little hends of rnirh-
land, scamperng hither and yon with pgtais trailing
imps played if nothing had happend Reassured
Tong Quong had calmly questioned them They
"Oh, she herei She is therel She is hiding in
That old barrel revered sire" they had severaly
Il saw the fengshn (earth- devs) catch and eat her."
cried one tiny rascal more imaginative than the rest
barrel, nor in the cellars the doorways nor the
alleys Loo Puck, the little celestial maiden of thir-
teen years, whose beauty like the ripenes. of
peaches, like the tulips Of Hanoi. gone.
And that is why the rice pot yawned empty of ehoac
and the little mother, Nah Neng, in its place among
the cold embers crying out her grief while Fong Quong
Ioamed the alleys calling calling mournfuly for his
When he came back to the bazaar a nightfall Nah
nfns s s bes sat a s her ks % did not
fruitlcss The youthful heir the nouse of Fong
finding , himself neglected was contenting himself BY
three CHING puppies licked his toes yapped their
dlsapprovai OF his preferences for feline playnates
Tong picked the little boy up and coddled him in his
arms.
mast thou called IN the blue-COacd ilies of
the white and hast thou summoned to council the
wise ones OF thy tong. Some base william, Of he
dark alleys hath stolen Loo Puck and hidden her
IN nest OF toulness; why may wisdom and blood
money bring her back.
Il have considered these thing The high man of
the buecoats has sent his best fcrrcts Our
mighty ones have sent men with cunning eve, and
padded feet into dens where the white ii IS cannon
go-but Loo Puck was III them. chance the
vile Po tau Si (hghbnders) have taken .4er - some
House of Dreadful Doom and are holding her for
ransom Aie! L know not! except thar my heart is
very sad and mourn for my lily bud Loo Puck iiei
diet"
The little mother arose and slipped her fat It into
sandals.
Il go to the temple and bcseech Kun Tab Foo Yum
Goddess OF Women) for her help that Loo Puck come
TO no harm"
die! Aic," cried Fong Quong to himself when she
had gone, had | but sold her only days ago to
illustrious Chung Wo, the great one of the Suey
Sings, l would now have thousand ven But how
OF the Hop Sam Tong sell the flesh of his
flesh to Suey Sing Besides have promised her in
marriage cousin. But Lucy Chen will have none
Of her now, though she be fotild again. 4ie, 4iet
Il is hard indeed 70 lose, ones woman clIid-or a
thousand yen!'
As he sat lamenting with the rolypoly youngster
cuddled i'll the hollow OF his arI.l the draught from
beneath the loosely hung door the broken Chimney
waited tiny bit OF rice paper the floor
He laid the baby tenderly mat and picked I'm
the bit of paper
Spread open, the flimsy billet displayed line of
scraggy Chinese characters rudely brushed in dark
green ink. He read