The courier-index. (Marianna, Ark.) 1917-current, 1919-12-05
The FdrelCeU of An Ken
BY ]. II. Gainfort

An Ken was hustled off the liner,
lone ripple in the current of saffron
faces that passed over the narrow
boards to the dock. These other men
OF his own land meant little to him.
They were just coolies.
50, when he stepped on the shores
OF America, he turned his ewes to-
ward the white people, for there Law
the road to success. And among the
White people he got his start in the
new life of the new world. All Ken
became cook to a household of four
bachelors. He was a good cook, too,
having learned the art in his fathers
house; and what the man of the
east learns, he knows very well in
deed. The four bachelors thought
highly of their servant.
But" said one of them, "Ah Ken
IS a heather name. We will call you
O'Connor."
So All Ken became O'Connor,
which is a good name and an hon
ored one. In those days the young
Chairman did not know this, but he
did know that his white masters
were men of substance and standing;
hence what they said was to be re-
spected. Moreover, he was master
ing his dislike of change.
Much learning came to him in those
days. He began to understand the
strange-sounding language that the
four bachelors spoke. Also, he
learned much of life from the same
source.
1t came about. however, that the
bachelors separated. They changed
their habits, as is the custom of white
people. Two married; one went on
journey; another went to live in
great hotel; and thus the duties of
O'Connor ended.
But he soon found another place
for his cooking was turly an art. This
time he cooked for the mistress of
fine house. There were many serv-
ants in it, and O'Connor was man
of position among them.
One of the servants was a Portu-
guese maid named Lola. O'Connor
observed Lola the first day he saw
her. Few things escaped his thin
eyes, and those few were not of much
moment. Lola was decidedly a per-
son to be noticed; but her brown
eyes held disdain for the yellow
skinned cook.
The lessons of the four bachelors
had not been wasted. Besides, the
twenty odd years of O'Connor's life
had taught him something of the
ways of men and women. One day
he beckoned Lola to his side and
handed her small book. On the
outside there were gold letters that
spelled the name of a bank; and
within were inky figures denoting a
sum of money large enough to open
Lola's brown eyes wider than ever.
at is enough" said O'Connor.
with the air of man who knows.
Lola's disdain for the yellow skin
vanished, and her red lips parted in
smile.
And so O'Connor, who had been
All Ken, acquired a Portuguese
bride. They left the house of the
mistress of many servants. With
some of the money from the little
book of the gold letters they bought
j land.
O'Connor was fairly started on the
main road now. He had found his
true position. Back in his own
China people dwelt on the land, and
it yielded them life and the good
/ things that man needs. He himself
the moist, warm valley of a great
/ had worked on his fathers land in
river. And these slopes of the west
ern mountains of America were fer
tile and green. They returned full
measure for the work of O'Connor
and his Lola.
Be it said that, having cast her lot
with the yellow man, this Portuguese
girl gave no sikh of regret; nor had
she cause. She worked with him,
and he on his part provided her with
all that she ever had need of.
As time went on there blossomed
| from this union of east and west