The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-01-23

TO grant. Therefore I boarded a Broad.
way car and was drawn haltingly
northward. until, on reaching Canal
street, I alighted in sheer desperation
and turned eastward.
Here a letter carrier, of whom l in.
CURED, sped me straight to my goal
q couple Of blocks as l was going, .
turn to the right, a few blocks more,
and the bulk windows of the Yup Sing
Company would come into view.
found the establishment easily
enough. But. had it not been for tho
name printed in big Roman lettering,
should never have imagined it a
Chinese business house. There was
no display of goods in the big win.
dows, which were screened half way
up by light blue shades, giving the
front an appearance similar to that
of the average American wholesale
house.
Having passed inside, however,
there was no such illusion. All about
me were the characteristic products
of the Orient, from brilliant silken
e~mbroideries, and exquisite gold and
silver and bronze work, to cheap cot
ton and linen fabrics, lacquer furnt-
ture, and straw slippers. And the at
mosphere was further enhanced by
the half-dozen or mor Cinnamon who
We're iounging in the middle and far
distance, each with shaver crown and
coiled queue and each in the more or
less brilliantly colored native dress.
One Of these, a comparatively dark
ly-attired young man with full, round
visage, came forward as l entered.
as Mr.. Yup in?" I asked.
He was inclined, I saw, to hesita-
ton and so l produced Mow's card.
"Oh, yes" he said, after studying 1t
for a moment. "Oh, yes. Mista' Yup!
He IN" With which he left me and
taking the card with him disappeared
behind some %draperies at the back OF
the big crowded store. ~.
Between the others, who regarded
me for a moment only with idle inter-
est, there was, while I stood there. a
rapid exchange of observations in
their native tongue, mingled with a
sort of high-pitched cackling which I
assumed to be laughter.
l had turned my back towards
them, but presently a shutting of feet
along the floor informed me of the
approach of what l imagined was my
returning emissary. On whirling about,
however, it was to face an elderly man
in purple silk garments and a black
skull cap-a man Of thin, almost ca
daverous yellow visage, whose upper
lip and chin were adorned with a
sparse growth of silky blue-black hair,
and upon the bridge of whose nose
rested a pair Of gold-rimmed spec.
tacles.
"You wQuld e Lee, sir?" he asked.
and noted that there was scarcely
the slightest indication of the foreign.
err in either pronunciation or accent.
IF you are Mr.. Yup,"' l smiled,
you can, I fancy, from what Mr.. Now
tells me, give me the information l
am in search off,
He did not smile in return, but his
thin face assumed an expression of be.
nightly that was as much of an invita-.
ton to lay my problem before him as
were his words.
Anyway l can serve a friend of
Mr.. Now" he said, will be a pleas.
ure."
But, as he spoke, the benign express
sion passed. Once again that thin SAT.
fron-hued face, with it's hollow cheeks,
and small deep-set eyes, had become
u~nfathomable.
At least two of his partners or
statesmen were within ear-shot, and
turned a significant glance towards
them, as l said:
"The subject is a confidential one,
MI. Yup. II I could speak to you-"@
%In private?" he finished. Certain.
ly, sir. Will you kindly step this'
way?"
He led me to the zeal Of his store,
holding aside a curtain of heavy EN-.
b%roidery, through which l passed into
a smaller room, furnished in carved
teak wood and ornamented with mag:
niicent specimens of Chinese porce.
lain and pottery. A little Chinese girl,
Not rel eight years old, and wearing,
a blouse and wide breeches Of a pale:
cerulean silk, stood beside a, table.
Before her were several small sheets:
at rice paper on which she was maxi.
ing designs in water colors.
Ignoring the child, he indicated! q
chair near the only window, screened,
like the windows in front, with a, blue.
shade. And when I had sat down, he
drew up a chair for himself opposite.
me-.
His manner, in spite of the, benign.
ity of a moment before, was not en-.
couraging, and for q little I was en-
barrassed as to just where to, begin.
At length, however; I said:
81 fear, MI. Yup, that some, OF you,
countrymen have, recently made. a ter
rible mistake"
"A mistaken he echoed, gravely.
"A mistake that I trust it Is not to~
late to repair. Briefly, they have kid
mapped a gentleman Of fortune and in
fiuence, one Of my dearest friends, In
a manner most mysterious, after first