Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-20
H|GH-CLASS LINGO
Chinaman Does Talking,
Teacher lnterprets.
SCENE IN HEALTH OFFICE
Celestial Kingdom Traditions and
District Laundry Laws Found to
Be in Conflict.

J service sat at his desk this morning
trying his level best to think of some
real lively news to give out about the
inspection of candy kitchens, when his
reverie was disturbed by the sound of a
person, evidently i'm great distress, who
was saying in high key:
10Y ong koo, hing wah ching rung soc
| La"
| To which a soft voice replied:
Right in here, l think. It's Mr.. Con-
rad we want to see
| Thereupon the most excited Chinaman
| in all the city entered the room, and
with him was the incest Sunday school
teacher that ever undertook to act as
interpreter between the suspicious OF the
celestial kingdom and the rules Of the
health department.
| "Mr. Cnorad?''
| At which Mr.. Conrad wished nightly
that the water had not been too cold to
shave with this morning
Properly introduced.
Yes, this is Mr.. Conrad" and she
leaned gently upon the side of his desk.
while her excited Sunday school student
danced on one rocking -chair-padded shoe
and then on the other. put his left hand
in the cuff OF his right sleeve, and his
right hand in the cuff of his left sleeve,
and called upon his grandparents to the
most distant previous generation to pro-
| tect him while in the pig-dOg precincts
| Of the pig-dog foreign imps and their
| heather health Office.
Nov. Mr.. Conrad. this is Bling Long
Tom, one of my Sunday school students.
| You know that the law requires him to
| register
| Yes" interjected Mr.. Conrad. remem-
boring he was an official and speaking
| With the precision of a health official, by
and as amended by order of August I,
| 1908, all persons who conduct laundries
and who wash pillow cases, sheets, table
cloths land list of hundreds of things.
all enumerated by Mr.. ConraD must
| register
| Interrogations Follow.
At which the pretty lady turned to Bling
Long Tom and said:
| "koy ong koo?'
To which Bing said: 100 long fall Ding
la ching roo. ung ko bling saw loo loo
HE says he washes collars mostly, but
| shirts some, and gives red ticket fol
shirts and collars and white ticket fol-
| collars only.
But has he registered?' asked Mr.
Conrad.
mo. he has not registered. because he
| says the inspector that comes to see him
burns incense in front of his laundry and
sets foreign devil after him. which
chases him about the place and drives al
| his customers away
| Really" said Mr.. Conrad
Yes. and he wants me to ask you to
| keep the foreigner ah. the evil gentle
man. away until he has beard from the
! tomb of his ancestors
| Look here, madam, did you say you
are a Sunday school teacher?''
| Yes. sir
"Oh. Well. Bings got to register or he
cannot wash.
"Says He Won't"
| Whereupon the Pretty One turned to
Bling Long Tom and began to tell him
that he'd have to sign his name in the
big book or stop dealing out laundry
tickets. And Bing, still hopping on one
foot and then the other. started off with
a sentence that exploded like the fire
crackers of an unsafe 4th of July, and
sputtered and sing-songed for fully ter
minutes.
The translation OF the pretty lady was
| He says he won't"
| WELL no signee, no waShee," said the
lhard-hearted official.
And the pretty lady and her excited
yellow pupil went out of the door. Bins
will have to sign or be taken to court.
He Is only one Of the kickers. Thu
health department says that nearly al
proprietors of Chinese laundries have OBJ
jected to signing up on the register, bu
after the 'pig-dog' inspector burns in
cense and sets the powers of darkness!
on them in the shape of an ultimatum t.
sign up or shut up. Sunday schoo
teacher or some other kindly disposet
American steps In and assures the China
man that signing the registry does no
necessarily cast any reflection on tn,
souls of dead ancestors. nor does it weav.
any other magic.
1t keeps them out of the Police Court
though.