The San Francisco call., 1910-10-30

II
the town lights ronicked. clean
washed in the wind. The country girl
was silent for time and then she said:
Gracious John. YOU live in a queer
place-that Granberry's up over
tumbledoWn old saloon."
"WelI. you see the town has rather
stranded Granny. II 7 left it might be
hard TO rent the front rooms. and Gran
ny's been mighty good to me-to every
one" he added hastily. "and ] like them
all-J-rc' Pop and Sedaini with his
grouch-au of them. They're all sort
81 stranded on the HILL and my being
there brings q little business from
downtown"
She debated for time this lame and
rrofuse dofeusc. And they're so queer.
But every one seems 20 he your friend"
That's what the matter with me-" he
answered drolly with smile beyond
her simplicity Sometimes I wonder
how youu like it here. Sylvia. The
fierce old town. tho blazing city-this
San Francisco Here-everytbing goes"
- TITS different from the country up I'm
back" she said slowly But I'll be
happy anywhere that you are-just
anywhere that YOU are"
Arnold checked some confused pro-
test within him at this faith. lie
seemed humbled when he spoke again.
Sweetheart. some day weIl own a hill
2 bis sunny hin and on the top well
live. you and 7 sylvia. that's been
dream Of mine All my life long-to
stand in the sunshine on my own hill.
I'm tired of things here; they're stale.
I've run with hard bit crowd"
Every one seems so familiar with
you. They cau you Hammy. when
your names John. didn't like tt
Hammy. 1t doesn't seem fine as you"
Everything goes with me-" he smiled.
ct suppose it's the way I've let things
drift. Sylvia, sometimes I'll take
clean brace-weIl have that little house
on a hintop-seems like I've always
dreamed Of that"
And roses" she added, "an about
the door"
You grand little girl" he whispered.
'I wish I'd known you-always."
And as they went through China
town he added restlessly: Would you
ike to walk downtown? The fight
the bumetins-well. the rain is over and
we might as well"
He took her through Dupont and Clay
streets TO Portsmouth square. past the
squawl1ing ochestra on the balcony
celebrating the wedding of the fish
merchant. with the black huddIed group
Of beggars and curious ones held back
by the policeman at the door; past dark
basement holes. where by the light of
wicks burning In dishes of fish oil gold
smiths wrought intricate oriental jew
elry: past gambling dens and tong
clubs where slanteyed sentinels peered
through the wickersHof strong doors
inscribed with vast. grotesque charac-
ters in silt and black paper; past broth
els where silk trousered slave girls
with gaudy head dresses and lips henna
stained. their faces pallid yellow. twisted
5eweled fingers in the bars Of their tiny
windows and gibbered at passers-by;
through narrow. tortuous alleys amid
thousands Of shufiing Chinese shoes
and the cackling monotone Of Chinese
voices. At every doorway in pot Of
sand burned the joss sticks; on the cor
ners were the abalone and sugar cane
merchants and sellers Of betel nut. and
the cobbler of spectacles and opium
pipes; in the alleys the shrimp and fish
vendors. They went through the mar
l1ets where glazed pigs and iattened
Cantonese ducks and strange oriental
delicacies were hung, all adding TO the
indescribable street smell-opium, fish,
vegetables. tobacco and-Chinamen-
which is unlike anything under the sun.
The little mountain girl had never
seen a Chinese habitation. They paused
before a drug store called the Temple
Of Heavenly Harmonies," where, IN the
street upon the wet cobbles, a priest
was having a devil burning. He threw
on the fire handfuls Of rice paper COW
cred with gilt characters, and muttered
incantations. while the crowd shuffied
in thick, soft sOled shoes about him;
then he seized the whole boxful Of gilt
prayers brought to him by a small, i'm
portant Chinese boy, who had red silk
braided into his embryo cue and a gay
tunic OF satin worked in raised flower
figures, and hurled the mass at the
devil fire, scattering the burning
prayers in a swirl across the muddy
street
sylvia shrank away from the devil
burning: ii was ghastly, unhuman.
even though Arnold laughed and
told her il was a harmless mat
ter Of commerce paid for by some
merchant, and that the Chinese them
selves had small respect for their josses,
except to use them in fleeing the tour
fists who visited the temples. But the
thousands Of yellow, weazened faces
with their brute complacence, alien, in
explcable, gave the country girl a
morbid terror; she begged her lover TO
go on, and never again take her
through this place with its stealthy
shuttle OF feet, its silken glister of vice,
its choking, unearthly fumes from the
gratings underfoot. it's acrid laughter,
its bald lights of red and yellow under
the sodden drip Of the night. They
slipped through the dark little square
by the Stevenson monument to Kearny
street. and went on until she recovered
her composure, smelling at times OF her
gloves and sleeves TO see if the reek Of
Chinatown was not still on her.
Arnold laughingly comforted her; il
gave him an indescribable pleasure to.
have her cling TO him. 10 seek him and
be sheltered. He took her on through
the wet radiance. and when they came
70 Market, where the main streets OF
the town converged, she again stopped
and shrank against his arm. for it
seemed anna ling this rusb of noopIa