The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-08-15

Sin Gee was born, not SO many |
years ago. in a narrow street off the
main road through Malacca and, in
when he played happily
with his little fellow-citizens in the
lovely. joicy mud, he had his absurd
little pigtail-ahout two inches long
carefully braided with crimson silk
by his anxious mother. thereby pro-
claiming to all the sundry that, under
the little beaded 'stomacher"-hisl
sole garment-a tiny ''Straits-born"
Chinaman existed.
His family was not very prosperous
then, though Sin Thye, his father, had
put away respectable amount since
the days when ten years before. he
had run, naked and perspiring, In
front of rickshaw In Singapore. And
1t was not until Sin Gee was eight
that the family-there were few
girls, but of course. they didn't count
into the wonderful blue
fronted house on the main street and
Sin Thye took his proper place as
rich. influential "Towkey," member OF
the local council, and respected In
Tin and Rubber circles.
Here. in the cool darkness, among
the few heavy. black, carved chairs
the two tiny tables and facing the
*joss-sticks." Sin Thye would sit Of an
evening in his brown oiled-silk suit
Zone fat. bare foot under him, the
other fishing for, catching and drop
ping a slipper under his chair in
endless conversations-which would
cease on Sin Gees noiseless approach
with strange men of varied garb.
Then, through doorless arch, the
big living. dining and bathroom 81
the house, roofless. in the center
where the tap and bath were-was
a grand place for hide-and-seek., II
played with great skill and without a
sound. The kitchen and other rooms
up the narrow stairs, windowless most
of them-had no attraction for little
the back overlooking the sea when
the tide was in. the mile OF muck
when it was out, Sin Gee fell in love
with at once.
At twelve a great trial came into
his young life. 1t was decreed that
he should go to Singapore to school,
and a weeping. dishevelled Sin Gee
accompanied his father on the Bon
tong-for once without attraction for
the boy-to the seat Of learning. and
was duly installed as a scholar in the
famous Raffles' Institution.
A very different and blase' Sin Gee
returned at seventeen, after periodical
visits, to the blue-fronted house In
Malacca. He had acquired, among
other things more or less desirable.s q
thorough knowledge of what passed
for European slang: the ability to
smoke cigarettes with marvellous ra
pidity; a taste for dress acquired
from Eurasian schoolfellows) which
ran to bright colors and jewellery. and
knowledge of evil from the same
source) that, had he known Of it
would have astonished hard-heartet
old Sin Thye himself One thing saw
ed the boy His wonderful intelli
gence. enabling him at once to pici
out the good from the bad. while II
drove him to lengths from which .
timid spirit would have shrunk, KEEP,
him calm, cold and slightly contempt
uous through the worst orgies. gave
him the power OF striking balance
afterwards and, even when 1t went
against him, seeing the humor OF tbs
| great game Of life,
His clothes took a milder form. The
"pyjama" effect had almost gone froir
his trousers, and btsttons nearly super
seeded loops and knots. He Joined two
clubs-his own sports" club fol
young Chinese "bloods" and socia
club of rather mixed membership
where he met young white men OF tht
banks and business houses and where
one day, at tennis match, he me
and was introduced to Mary Gordon
Tyndal Of the bank was his spon
sor, and Tyndal, to use his owr
| words, owed young Sin Gee bit"
but, however, it was done. 1t sufficet
| and Sin Gee met Mary Gordon.
! She greeted Sin Gee charmingly-
he had Just won his match, and real
ly played well-she did SO like to tall
to foreigners, and did they really max
their ladies tie up their poor feet
| She couldn't bear it.
| Sin Gee looked straight into tn
large, liquid violet eyes-poor boy, h,
was only twenty!
Sin Gees allowance-which was !
very generous one-seemed to g
y,,,,ch Soopor than usua1 He had hi
own bank-account,> and on the frs
! of every month cheque with Sill
Thye's "chop" was paid in.
Once he overdrew, and he went Il
his father