Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-22
off the floor and l44u
Them in her bureau drawer and cried.
l wonder why she did?
j. w. Foley
A "COMMON CHINK",

their way from school Of evenings ir
front of Chinaman's laundry tc
watch him at his work And two OF
three of the boys were rude enough tc
cast ugly remarks through the. China
mans shop door at him, calling hin.
"Chink, or common Chink rat eater
To these insults John Chinamar
paid not the slightest heed, for he hao
the patience born of his people and
knew that to talk back" could do hin
no possible good and might bring
harm to him or to his business. So he
bore the boys abuse, keeping his
head bent over his ironing table.
Arthur Graves was the ringleadel
Of the mischievous boys, and some
times his pranks went beyond the
bounds OF mere mischief or play. II
was he who first began making fun Of
the Chinaman by calling him mean
names and making wry faces at him
through the window He may not
have quite realized how mean his con.
duct toward the Chinese laundrymar
was, for he thought-like many other
people-that a pig tailed" man from
the Celestial Empire was not to be
classed as human. So he led a few
Of his comrades each evening to the
Chinaman's shop where they would
spend few minutes in fun" at the
poor fellows expense.
B Hello, Chink!" called out Arthur
one evening as he stood in his &C
customed place beside the Chinaman's
shop door. Here's bit Of grub for
your support" And he threw into the
shop dead mouse which he had found
on the street. John Chinaman glanced
at the lifeless little creature, but did
not advance to pick 1t up. He de.
cided to let 1t lay where Arthur had
thrown 1t till his tormentors had gone
away Then he would toss it into the
alley behind his shop. But Arthur
was not satisfied with what he had al
ready done, and called out in com
tones: "Pick 1t up, Chink!
If you don't we'll come in and cut on
your pigtail."
John Chinaman understood most Of
what Arthur said, for he had lived II
America from babyhood, having come
from the Pacific coast the year before
to the town where he now lived.
Come, pick up your supper, Chink!
cried another of the boys in imitation
of Arthur. eff you don't you'll get
free hair CUT"
John Chinaman looked uneasily to
wards his tormentors and tried t
smile. He shook his head, saying II
his best English that he did not wan
to eat the mouse, etc. To this Artnul
and his comrades roared with laugh
ter. and Arthur made dash for the
door. AS he did so-his companions
close behind him-John ran TO tnt
door and turned the key. Thus the
boys found themselves locked ou'
when they tried to force their way In
Then Arthur kicked loudly on the dool
demanding entrance. But paying NJ
heed to him. John Chinaman kept OF
with his work. ~.
"say. boys" whispered Arthur. "rl
tell you what we'll do. Well go be
hind his shop and make believe u
take the clothes from the line. 70,
know he dries his wash behind tn
shop"
Yes. that's it," agreed close sec
ond to Arthur. "Then he'll come tear
ing out to protect his patrons prop
erty and we'll dash in at the back doc
and unlock the front door. Won't n
get fooled?"
: So the wicked fellows went roun'
behind the Chinaman's shop to tn
back door. They found the yart
strung with clothes lines full OF re
Gently laundered family clothing
Arthur recognized some OF the gar
ments as belonging to his own mother
therefore refrained from doing an!
damage to the clothes But he wen
to the laundry's back door and called
through It: Say, Chink, we'll carr!
OF your clothes II you don't open VI
the door,
Immediately the Chinaman opened
the back door and stepped into tn
yard. Supplicatingly he held up a.
empty suds-soaked hands. saying
"Please don't take the peoples clothe:
off the line. l will have to pay"
But while he was saying this TN
boys had dashed round him and hat
eutered the shop, closing the door ant
turning the key in the lock. Thus join
found himself locked out of his owl
shop. In vain did he beg Tin his bes
English) the boys to allow him t.
enter his own private quarters. They
refused for some minutes. The fac
was Arthur was hunting plate OF
which to lay the dead mouse. Once
he had accomplished this unmanlJ
thing he told the boys to open the
front door and run. Then he unlocked
the rear door and called out to tbs
owner of the shop to enter. Then ne
followed his companions to the street
the front door.
John Chinaman entered his front
room to find a plate on the table, In
the plate the poor little dead mouse
The good natured, patient Chinamar
merely took the tiny creature that had
doubtless met its death through some
harsh accident and tossed it in the ash
barrel behind the house. Then he sci
to work again, ironing a shirt.
He had barely finished the garment
when faint cry fell on his ears. Fire!
Help! Fire!" came the words of some