Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-04-18

turned 1t from the window ana 0TereQ
! it to her. He felt nearly royal himself
as she accepted. Andrew March sat in
| the window-seat and Lexington con-
| tented himself with the leather sofa
| that had been brought in pieces, like
| the mission furniture, from Grand Rap
ids. Michigan. The college pennant
was over his head.
81 have learned" said Helen, shat
white men are really white. How?"
"We are a bit tanned" admitted her
father, "but for that matter, SO are
you White people usually stiy under
cover when the sun shines"
"That is part of tradition I had
not known" she said. 81 shall tell
Chez Ming"
"Why troubled" asked Lexington.
''He knows
"But it is not written, and all the
tradition of the world is written here,
since the days of the Tower of Folly.
You know that Tau Kuan is to be the
school for the perfect age. Chez Ming
says tradition is the treasure of life."
Rather an Oriental statement" sug-
gested March.
eyes," rejoined Con, 'I could men
ton one or two things to be written
into his library"
"You are laughing at me-" said
Helen, sternly.
"Not at allp replied Con hastily.
"Only the world is such large place"
81 understand" said the princess,
conciliated.
81 did not suppose" her father said,
shat anyone considered Chez Ming as
seriously as you do"
''Do speak the English?' she asked,
ignoring the words of her father.
"You do" assured Lexington, ''Deau-
tifully."
counting the warriors who live be-
yond the walls, in the rock caves to
the south, as we'll as the workers in
| the pits eastward and those who de-
liver the vines of their fruit'-Helen
paused to align her English then pro-
ceeded-"west of the city, and the
warriors who dwell within the walls,
the caste of merchants, too, and the
| women of the palace who belong to
! the mOnzouI, there are many, many
souls in the keeping of Chez Ming"
"Including your own?" asked Lev
/ ington.
The princess felt the trouble in
Cons heart, and did not know how to
reply properly, so merely nodded. Il
am the only white person, at court or
elsewhere. They say that once an
Englishman came. I did not see him.
He died before he could be married
and begin his family"
Con began to realize afresh how diff
farent her training had been, to speak
talmly of these matters. In America,
the subject Of breeding is with pro.
priety discussed beforehand only in
regard to cattle and pups, but con-
corning human beings never until aft
erward, when too late. Lexington
said drily:
'You have no difficulty with the
English speech"
Helen's intuitions were bridging the
gaps of lonely years in her life. She
was catching up with the world of her
| IdIuSIS, anu LuAS Wdo q NJ
business before strangers. She was
meeting the unknown in Lexington.
The quality of him, the way he talked
and moved, were matters new and
stimulating. She openly studied his
face, and beneath her calm of the
Orient was a warm confusion. Ac-
cording to her studies, they had no
princes in America.
Trusting to alter the direction of
their conversation, the father OBJ
served: "All these things seem to
have come from the United States"
eyes, Sir Father, the music machine
only a week since. I cannot compre-
bend it :; it may he devil, but what
of that? Chez Ming learned in San
Francisco to produce sweet singing
from it."
Con rose to meet this occasion, ap-
preached the Emusic machine" and
chose a record. He glanced back at
the princess. who was awaiting with
pure interest the result of his activity.
She had quite naturally crossed her
ankles as a white woman should, but
her eyebrows had a deceptive upward
slant-the Mongol mark that chilled
Con unreasonably. Her hands became
idle. He set the record going, and
into his own emotions came the hot
house sentiments Of the big American
tenor. who sang StrenuOuslv. Con was
glad for this further touch of home,
and Helen was pleased; yet neither
was moved by the singing. They
were pitched more intensely than the
music. And for the girl, there was a
yellow web of tradition between the
Western song and herself. She found
this merely a wonder-toy, part of the
American tradition that had been
brought to her, three costly trunkfuls,
across two continents and the largest
ocean, over deserts and mountains,
deep into the wilderness of Sha Mo.
She thanked Lexington for his cour-
tesy, and her small hands came to life
again as she talked to "Sir Father"
Sunshine fiickered through the leaves