The Glenwood post., 1924-06-12

IN open uelO. II was WINTER. i WOuAu
have passed to my ancestors. Td-
K'ung Is a learned man. He knew that
the bottle my father carried contained
medicine. The Boxers thought, so Tsi-
K'ung said, that 1t was poison, to be
poured into drinking wells My moth
er wore sheepskin coat, for 1t was
cold. The Boxers said that this could
be made ravening sheep. to destroy
the rice and millet."
"That is true" Wells said gravely.
"Truel It was Of great foolish
ness. Tsi-K'ung never told me what
the fOreign-devil haters did to my
mother and father. He said that 1t
was better did not know. He was
revered man Of great excellence and
he sent me to mission school.
81 was taught to read and write
English. There was nothing to tell
who was. only knew a word or
30. But Tsi-K'ung saw to 1t that each
sound l made was copied upon paper.
So he discovered that my name was
Ellen Ainsmith, after speaking to the
mission women of 1t. The mission
women wanted me. But 1t was work,
work, pray, pray with them" Wells
could understand that. "My father was
willing, but I withheld the hem Of my
trousers from entering the mission.
Young men wanted me- Tsi-K'ung
would not hear of that. Wisely, he
said that yellow Jewel had beauty, a
white Jewel likewise, but, side by side,
each destroyed the harmony Of the
other"
She looked at Wells for agreement,
but at his impassive face went on
more quickly.
"Then Tsi-K'ung was supposed to
have helped blond foreigner"
II know the rest, O-Hana-San. But
your hair and skin and eyes-did
none question:"
"My father had spent year in the
treaty port. Also, 1t was told, perhaps
by Tsi-K'ung himself at first, that
there are women with hair as mine
who lived in the Hsikan desert Many
have marveled at my hair. Do you
think 1t worthy?"
ut is very love unattrac-
tive" Wells informed her. 1.-The night
grows cooler. We shall return to my
house."
II trust you," Ellen whispered.
"Also, your name has an outlandish
sound. I will call you O'Hana." He
glared at her. "As for the rest, I
have already spoken"
Ellen awake in the morning filed
with instant, momentary fears; before
her eyes drifted again the protests of
Tsi-K'ung at her seizure, her mufiling
in blanket, the hurried journey to
the sea, the hiding in some strange
house, the appraising unfriendly faces,
| second voyage and then the
temple. OF how she was decked, for
what purpose, she had no need of even
her scattered wits to guess.
For the time of the Seven Prayers,
consumed while a maid dressed her
hair, she was given to composing her
| self. The maid twittered as she
young, even If the new mistress could
not understand. OF the great good
fortune In becoming the beloved of
Kayama-San, Of the joy that would
come to the house, the decking with
flowers. the prayers and ringing of
bells and feasting. when there was
born son. "See to 1t that the babe
be not like yourself" came the eau.
ton. HE must have brown skin
and eyebrows like Kayama-San's, for
those are the mark of the house. And
there will be the ceremony of the
lightning flash, to be placed upon the
child's breast by the priests, through
which you must be brave" (The maid
spoke of this after and was beaten
by the head serving woman, who told
her bitterly that this white-skin was
hut a plaything of the lords. }
The maid brought her a polished
mirror when the toilet was complete.
"Will he think me beautifulY' Ellen
wondered. instantly hating herself fol-
the thought. And yet Kayama was
| not like the other Japanese she had
seen. He was big His eyes were
kind. He looked at YOU, not through
you. Not like the others. What
would the intimacy Of everyday life
bring? Should she run awayf Where
To whomf She had no money. She
sensed without actually knowing that
she had been married to Kayama. She
would be brought back to him.
At the same moment Wells, already
upon his cushion, beside low stand
with tea-things, was thinking Of the
same thing. He had bought the girl
to permit her to escape. He could
have helped her-to 60 where? Inves
tigation might tell who the Ainsmiths
were, II properly conducted. Did he
want to investigate?
What would Alberta think of III
What she already thought. He remem
hered the scathing, biting words OF
her cable.
And what did he think of Alberta
now? He had carried her image lr
his wanderings. Image-idol. rather