Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-22

W. 81 love-god (Which, TO
AS say the least, 10
humiliatingD. an
Jack. such is his ingratitude. SCOTS open
~ at his powers: nevertheless. they are
both constant in their devotion. and Tan
Shin recognizes the compensation. Being
yery very old, the years days 70
Tan-Shin so he remembers wildly how
il happened. 1t began in Chinese tenn
pie across the sea the had oeen sitting
there for centuriesl, and he was absorbed !.
in his godly affairs when the dis
rordant clamor of tumult interrupted
his medtations. Short, quick rifle reports.
the clashing together of steel weapons.
sroans and imprecations in foreign
tongues. the hurried tramp of many feet.
all added to the indescribaole din Of
composite noises. came nearer and nearer,
eliminating in a roar as the door OF his
particular domain was burst open. Pro
fame hands. griny with the reek of bat
tie. reached out, tore him ruthlessly from
his shrine and thrust him, head first. re-
Gardless of his age dignity, into
sack already tenanted by several lesser
deities.
Poor Tan-Shin. The peace of ages WIS
ended, and there was immediate dani,o~
that contact with these trumpery goos
would shatter his highly glazed surface
The sp!ny toe of an unyielding sea-Sod
pressing against his left jade eye gave
him no opportunity to speculate upon the
degradation of associating with the COM
pany in which he found himself But for
the kindly nterposition of a highly en-
broidered tunic of recen, manufacture,
Tan-Shin must have persisted ct once.
and although such contact was distinct
ly notifying to an ancient god, it is a
fact that without it certain spots IN his
frail anatomy must surely have given
way
This. however. was but temporary
torture: he was shortly taken out of the
sack. bundled up in straw and deposited
in the bottom of box. For many months
he remained there while the dust sifted
down upon his beautifully polished back
till he lost all resemblance to a valuable
antique and looked ike very common
and very dirty piece of china.
Bat patience was of Tan-Shin 5
lesser attributes, so that he held persist
emily to his precious parts in the hope
that fate might relent. and after many
changes from one place to another he
was finally freed from the objectionable
lated in many parts of the world, and at
length deposited with a great deal of
care on smooth glass shelf of cabi-
net.
The relief that this change brought was
truly expressed in the settled grin Of his
round face. He thought himself over and
found no blemish upon his cracked
face. Even the several weak spots, If
u-hio oh he nd
little fearful, were still intact.
He gazed about him anxiously and was
glad to find himself among his own kind.
Through the glass door of the cabinet he
saw quantities of Chinese fabrics hanging
on the walls. carvings innumerable stood
upon tables. shrine doors. temple bells,
embro!deres, lases, bronZes, ivories-in
short. a conglomerate collection of the
odds and ends of his own empire. He
thought al first that lie was back again
in his own land. but he looked more
closely his joy was turned to sorrow. The
homogeneous arrangement of his surround
ings convinced him at once that this
could not possibly be China. Out OF the
corner of his eye he saw standing quite
close to him a spurious folklore idol with
whom he could not associate and for
whose presence the same shelf there
could he no rational explanation. Sacred
hsasts and birds Of origin almost as an
Gent as his were forced to consort
with cheap and flaming counterfeits 81
such recent manufacture that Tan-Shin.
In utter disgust and sorrow for such lack
OF Judgment. cracked under his glaze
This inexpicable condition of things
was bad enough, but Tan-Snin soon dis
covered another fact that made him still
more indignant Crowds of people came
10 the collection. and although he
knew himself 10 be the most ancient and
powerful god there, he received but scant
attention. The worshipers tthey could be
nothing else from Tan-Shin's point of
view) passed him by with hardly 3
glance. while crudely shaped and newly
made copies of the old gods received I'M
=tinted praise.
But one morning Tan-Shin discovered
that from one being al least he was re-
ceiving something like proper respect.
True. she woman-a disappoint-
ment for his attributes were not appro-
pirate TO females. did he desire 10
have any dealings with them-still her
appreciation of him seemed quite genu-
inc. so. on the whole. he was pleased
with her. She young. and her hands
were clasped fogefher IN an attitude he
understood perfectly.
The next day she came again, bring
ing another girl with her. and with some
satisfaction he saw them make straight
for his cabinet.
There he is. Edith" exclaimed the first
girl, pointing a long. white finger at him.
the crackle-ware one. on the left
Isn't he just perfectly fascinating?"
replied Edith
Tan-Shin started a crack under his
glaze from pure JOY. 1t was not accord
ng to rule. but II was distinctly worship.
And. Helen,'' continued Edith, The
must be ages Old
"Oh. yes. Ages and ages. And wouldn't
he fit nicely on the mantel in the studio?'
Helen was almost kneelins before Tan
shin in her effort to see him the better
Helen" exclaimed Edith with convic-
ion. you simply must get him..
But Helen looked doubtful. He must
he worth such lot of money and ought
not TO spend a cent she replied. ''Of
course. he might go at bargan-you
can't ever tell at an auction--though I'm
sure he's very valuable"