The New York herald., 1922-06-18

icdn girl tUho married Chinese
for lore rise to a climar 1ohen
second tCife is offered to her
husband. This danger passed,
good understanding bet,ceen
toife and Chinese mother-in -la,o
is achieved and true affection
born bettCeen them based on re-
spect and mutual concessions. In
tricdcies of Chinese fantliy life
are shotcn in this instalment.
CHAPTER ".
VrY HEN I heard Chan-King's
wv ring at the gate I hurried
out to meet him with the
news. He was even more excited
than I was, and hastened ahead of
me to the house. 1 walked very
slowly in order that they might have
their first greeting undisturbed, and
when I arrived they were beaming
upon each other and talking the
South Province dialect over a very
sleepy and cherubic infant, whom
Chang-King, with paternal pride,
had ordered down to greet his
grandmother.
The retinue settled, Chan-King in
formed me that our mother would
remain with us for six weeks Dur
ing this time I learned the art of
pantomime beyond anything 1 had
ever hoped for in one of my un-
demonstrative nature. My Chinese
mother and I conversed with eye
brows, hands, smiles. holdings and
shakings Of the head. much turning
of the eyes, I had an instant af-
fection and admiration for her, and
she adopted toward me a gently con-
fidential attitude that pleased me
very much.
She had brought presents for us,
in the Chinese way; for me a deli
cately wrought chain of Chinese gold
in a box Of carved sandalwood; for
Wilfred dozen suits of Chinese
clothes in the bright patterns worn
by children of the Orient, and SO be-
coming to the proud, wee man that,
arrayed In them, he seemed already
to be coming into his heritage. She
also brought great hampers OF fresh
fruit-pomeloes. lichees and dragons
eyes-and countless jars of pre-
served fish and meats and vegetables,
which had been Chan-King's favo-
rites when he was boy at home.
Nine. Liang had the Chinese
woman's love for shopping. Accom-
panied by her cousin and the SER
wants we went from silk merchant
to porcelain dealer and from brass
worker to rug weaver, gathering
treasures. Though she carried on
most Of her negotiations through her
cousin. she bargained with a firm
ness and a sense of values that
admired very much. In the silk
shops she bought marvellous bro
caded satins and embroidered silks
and she had me select the pattern I
wanted for myself. Though she pre-
served most carefully the distinctive
features of the dress Of her own
province, she was much interested in
Shanghai styles and examined my
wardrobe critically. noting the short
sleeves with tight fitting under
sleeves and the skirts with seven
plaits-not five, as in Canton, for
example-at each side.
Notwithstanding the popular West
ern fancy that fashions never change
in China, the Chinese woman Is
painstakingly particular as to the
exact length and fullness-or scanti-
ness--of her coats skirts and trous-
ers. She Is carefully precise about
the width of bias bands or braid or
lace that she uses for trimming, the
number and arrangement of fasten-
ings, the shape and height of her coll
lar. All these details vary as tyran-
nically from season to season-under
Shanghai guidance-as certain style
features do with us under the leader
ship Of New York or Paris. More
over, as against our four seasons, the
fashion devotee Of China takes ac-