The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-12-08
THE TALE OF THE
TRAIL OF THE COUGH

The hallwayS-aud they wrr" not pref
~ hallwdys-in Mock Ducks hop hons"
w"r,. the only dark places in CHINATOWN
that night. c.
They we're dark only because the sun
Of Ia" place WAS about Z" set: lh'S
wcr.. murky because She or q tAousann
Smiles could smile no more: theY were
damn with the vapor Of Death as He
And ali through tho hicakncss: All
through h. blaCkn"SS All through tho
dankncss and quirtncsS of 1t cam" ne
raSpinC. hCart-rendinC yOund of u cough
II echoed and rc-CChocd through Inc
stiffness. and
ThT twilight Of a life had arrived:
I;ut Mock Duck. swaying like Man
dali and With arms folded rs he sucked
ON a long. long pipe and sighed, knew. q
some Said It Was Opium.
We all knew: however. thtt SSt was
there. We all knew that she nad SlSii'
while fGr--wcll. some said 1t was Tor
ching Fung and others claimed II was
for the opium she could get.
Rut always h. was therc' AlWaAS W,
,ynuId So him as he slipped out noise
lnsSlv. and as nOiSrlcsSly sn"akcd back
carving a hottie Of milk under hts arm,
and now and then II cool grapefruit or 4
half dozen oranges found their way INTO
thu mysterious room.
Powdered Toads and Snakes.
And also. one" in a while, Wan Get.
The w-a>cncd old ChincSs doctor. who
dealt IN medicine mar" of r"Yd"r.1
loads and ultra-VcnomouS snakes. would
walk into the darkcncd Railways IN Il
way that was unc1nuy. When she cam.
out he would glance our way anu SNAKE
his scizZlcd head. mutt"r soWrthinS III,
tween Il curse and a heather pra% cr, anu
|, iii <appcar into the night.
And we. too. shook our heads and
knew.
| So ono night it happened, just as We
had long figured that It would.
\ woman. a nice. mothcrlN. Kitchen!
sort Of Il woman. came up {" me. just a.
though she had known me all my life.
Something in thc way she put -
hands up To the lapsls OF my cH''
something in the way she looked int"
my eyes: something in the way h"r
vnicc Sobh"d aS Sh" tried to tell me
hat Sh.. wanted. told mo without words
;hat was To hear the romance OF
r.nl lf".
And right back of her. shifting from
on" tUu; to the other. was Il hluShnE
boy. He couldn't have been more than
about twenty-five. His complexion was
one that any woman would hay" "nNicd.
but his Stecl-trap jaws showed that II,
was n regular h"n"St-t"-G"d tw"-hst"d
H. man.
II" didn't want to hear what thn
mOthcriy woman was saying to me-. lm
glad hc didn't hear the first part 81 H..
HE drew closer rs she Was telling M
tn" lral story. nnd IRON tn" set Of his
jaw I knew he'd travel through hell
with mo GA the GRAND.
Nothing But q Baby.
"Sh" ran away from home said H."
" oman. I'm hcr--hcr-molher. I'm!
h." and she pointed to the lad, III"
wants to marry her. We heard. no mat
whcr" in CHINATOWN. We know wha;
SIN" has done. hut she's nothing but a
baby. nothing but OUR baby. and We
want her back
Yes" said the hoy. I'm take her
back. want to marry her; | don't car"
what she has done or what shr IL doing.
| want her back
rs he finished. three snow birds
Goat. saw me and sidc-strpped. | walked
toward him. He was shaking like an
aspen leaf.
,,Broke":' I asked him.
M
Sure" l told him. If youu play
stool pigeon and lead me 10 the now
hanS-"ut of the girl with a cough"
'D"n't thy te kid ne. she's .,trll down
~ Mock bucks. l don't Know what
and the cough will lead You TO it
And so We Wont.
And SO W" went. the mother, the sweet
heart and myself.
licking and stale cigarette smok" sick
, ..ncd Us as We opened the doorway int"
tn" hall leading To the upper floors Of
Mock Ducks. The mother hesitated.
placed a handkerchief 70 her nostrils
AID then followed The boy, like a
crusader, seeking THE woman, tried
10 brush past me and lead the way.
From scores OF half-Op"ncd docrwayS
sharp shafts Of light cut into the dark
ness.
They had heard us ascending :hc
stairs and the slant eyes wanted u
know who We were and what We were
! there for
All was silent.
We waited moment. The doors
silently closed AS the ChinkS recognized
From far above came the hasping Of
, a rutt"ral cough.
/ We started up the stairs. All OF is
! were grabbed by SentriCs posted there.
( spoke 70 them in Chinese. One struck
match. They saw who l was and w.
w"r" allowed TO pass on.
And always there carnc to us IN"
sound II tn" hollow cough.
We located the room on the mex!
landing.
I Knocked on the door.
There was no answer save cough
and sob from III" mother At my side.
/ tried the door. 1t was locked. !
placed my shoulder against il. 1t crash
. az 1t. There was a scream and an ori"h-
. tai curse which not on" understood bu
, IN. man and myself
! Amazed, | saw the mother rush 20
! a couch and in a second her daughters
( fore head was wet with tears Of IN:
! mother.
Stod Like a Big Boob.
The boy Was standing there Xix" C.i:
boob, right along side Of me. l looked
az hin ana hr looked at me and then he
: whispered. sort Of shaky like:
Gee, office. l don't know what III"
hell to do!..'
Cry. boy. cry. just Ike I'm doin'. II
u. ,lnp'r I'Il give 4plpti linE IL cry
over and. besides. IN lose my faith III
men"
And he turned away. but his shoulders
were shaking.
, And all this time there was that Chi
nese standing there with snoou in one
hand and Il hnt;l" Of medicine in the
other. jus: watching "a" "lo"k to see