The L'Anse sentinel., 1924-02-22
Mr.. Lees
Farewell
sa 1898. western Newspaper union.)
.~~~~~>~~~~~~~>>>~~~
By MORRIS SCHULTZ

A.-.-..-.-.-.-s.. a ..-.,s--.-s-.-s-.-s-s-s-s-s
t@l 1898. Western Newspaper Union.)
THE four Lee girls held peculia
= position In Honolulu. Their ia
fher was a Chinaman; their mothe
had been an American school-teache
who had converted him and marrie'
him. Lee was one of the richest mel
I'm the islands. He had brought VI
his daughters with every luxury.
Tie Lee house, almost palace, wal
the resort of many young man o.
wealth and position. Except for
slight obliQaeness Of their flashing
black eyes, and a dead whiteness OF
skin, the Lee girls could not have
been distinguished from any other
wealthy and well-bred American
young women. There were Dora,
May, Mildred, and Estelle. Each OF
them had her lover, each hoped to
marry, and marry well.
And there was ola yellow Lee,
crawling from his house to his Office
ard back, wearing carpet slippers at
home. eating with chopsticks-but he
ate his heather meals In his own
room. The girls adored their father,
but
He's so out of things" sighed Dora.
Hes never learned to adjust him
self, and he doesn't care"
What was going on behind those
inscrutable Mongolian eyes? Lee was
thinking; he was the shrewdest man
IN the islands.
One day he announced dinner
party. Lees announcements amounted
10 commands. The four young men
we're asked-nobody else. There was
CIafin, the young naval officer, Hersh-
field, whose father owned several
hundred acres OF pineapple plantation,
Jackson, thriving young business
man. and Howard, of the civil service.
The Lee girls had good sense and
discrimination in the selection of their
admirers.
II was Chinese-American banquet,
anu lLAC lStS al" llOu 6oVu
wfne-was excellent. The party grew
merry. Old Lees black eyes wrinkled
up in amusement and pride as he
surveyed the gathering.
What change from the paddy
helds in which he had walked, bare
footed boy, long years before.
After the banquet visitor was an
nounced. 1t was Mr.. Gregson, local
lawyer who had charge of Lees af-
fairs. Lee stood up. He had always
spoken piGgln English-it had
been so hard for his daughters to get
into communication with him. But
now sort of mask seemed to have
fallen from him. and his accents were
as mellifluous as those of Harvard
man.
That was what shocked everybody
into silence.
We'll, gentlemen" Lee began, "you
have come here at my invitation to-
night. and we have had a good time
together. now propose that each
,f you sign a marriage contract which
Is being drawn up. Upon your marry
ing my daughters, a settlement Of two
hundred thousand dollars is made
upon each of you. My daughters are
similarly provided for. If any Of you
gentlemen wishes to draw back"
no, no." they shouted.
The contracts were drawn up and
signed Another visitor was an
nounced. 1t proved to be clergy
man ra w..
Gentlemen" said Lee, marriage
licenses have already been procured.
The marriages will now be solemn
led,
Twenty minutes later the four Lee
:iris looked blushingly into the faces
cf the four astounded and delighted
young men.
Gentlemen" said Lee, my home
il yours for your honeymoon. All
arrangements have been made.
have to go away on a short business
trip. When return, II there Is any
thing to be discussed, 1t shall be dis
eussed."
He kissed each Of his daughters,
who hung about his neck, shook hands
with his sons-ln-law, and was gone be-
fore anything more could be said.
Two minutes later a Chinese coolle,
attired in filthy cotton blouse, was
sinking toward the wharf.
Three months later an aged China
mxn and his aged wife stood together
on the edge of the paddy fields near
Canton.
Heaven has not blessed me with
much wealth." he said, "but 1t has
brought me back in my old age with
enough money to render thy future
safe, and that of our six children and
a. ~