The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-10-24
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! Born Tired N|
I ny JAMES d. ELLSWORTH

BY JAMES D. ELLSWORTH


The Pacific Mail steamship Peking
which sailed for Hongkong last month,
carried 347 passengers of various ma.
tionalities. In that whole number
there was one, a Chinaman, who left
no friends behind, and yet he will be
missed, from Maine to California.
All Wong, the exceptional man
among several hundred ocean voy.
ayers, would be exceptional in any
community on the face of the globe.
He carried with him, In letters OF
credit, fortune that will keep him
in luxury for the rest of his days,
earned without work In a unique pro.
fession which he invented himself.
He belongs to a race that has long
been credited with peculiar aptitude
for ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain, but All Wong's ways
have been so much darker than those
of his fellow.countrymen that he is
the most cordially hated man that has
ever been smuggled over the Canadian
border.
All Wong is the son Of an actor,
since dead, who performed In one of
the minor theaters of Canton install.
ment plays that lasted for a month
great grandson of actors, and from
his earliest. youth has shown marked
ability in the same line, as he made
devil faces at his mother, frightening
her half out of her diminutive shoes
before he was year old. He soon
became unpopular with his family
who regarded him as having been
born tired, but 1t was thought that
his inherited talents could be counted
upon 10 provide handsomely for his
parents In their old age. But disap
pointment attended their expectations
at every step. When the boy was old
enough to go to school he began to
limp so badly that he had to be car
ried In the arms Of a servant Soon
afterward he appeared to be subject
to sudden attacks of blindness, sc
that all thought of providing him with
regular education had to be indefi
nitely postponed. Then his father, In
his leisure time, undertook to teach
him by rote the text of the ancient
Celestial tragedies, and would
harangue at the top of his voice fol
hours together. II was all breath
wasted, for after the first few words
Ah Wong's hearing would become
blunted, and he would sit in passive
somnolencc, with curtain of silence
between himself and the noise of talk
All Wong's stomach seemed to be
The only part of his anatomy that re
NAMED in good working order, and ir
this the family rejoiced, believing thai
IL his appetite remained good, the
time would come when he would ou:
grow his physical defects.
Many years passed, the actor
father was gathered to his fathers and
All Wong, instead OF being prop fol
the support of his widowed mother
was troublesome burden. He was
now believed to have been born lazy
| He was more unpopular than wher
he made devil faces at her as a baby
so his mother, exercising her right as
| head of the house, called family
council to sit upon his case. The wise
old lady strongly limited that II nigh
be well to put him out of his misery
permanently. Possibly she nigh
have found some one TO hold a sword
II he would consent to fall upon II
| but the uncles and causins had an
other plan. They took up collection
/ x.ytt
money All Wong was sent across thu
ocean to America. Doubtless HI
| would be we'll cared for there, and II
any event he would be unable to re
| turn.
| 1t all turned out as they had said
All Wong was unloaded in BostoI
| from the underground railway" lik'
lump of lead. Taken to some distan
| relatives, he ate their rice, dranl
| their tea and smoked their tobacco
for several years, and earned the it'll
| OF the LATEST man In the world. Whel
told that he must go to work he wa
too lazy to refuse, but somehow h
never did the work. When he wa
kicked out of one store he quietl.
settled himself in another, and whel
his distant relatives said disgracefu
things, his hearing became dulled 81
that he was not disturbed. His need
were few and the burden of his foo,
and tobacco was not heavy one, bu
his perpetual idleness was a constan
annoyance to his cousins, who at las
lost patience and began to talk o
sending him back to China.
Then the deafness left An Wong
He did not want to hear that talk, bu
in spite OF his inhrmities he coul
not help it, With China came thought
of falling on swords and all that sor
of thing, SO he promptly told his couS
ms that he would soon be able to d
something for himself, but he di
nothing until Sam Chin got caugh
pounding a neighbor with a fiat-iro
and was sure to get six months In th
house of correction. Sam Chin coul
not afford to waste so much time a
It would mean the loss of all hi
laundry customers. While he was on
on bail, awaiting trial, he said tina
he would rather pay lazy Chinama
$500 to go to jail than so himsel
With laughs and jeers All Wong wa
advised TO apply for the place. an