The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1925-04-30

working at LIS order, and on the day
Of the funeral 1t was with great salts
faction that he unloaded his stock Of
offerings at the grave Of Mrs. Ii.
There was q CLINT Of excitement In his
eye that betokened something out Of
the ordinary In what he had to show.
The ceremony of the burial had pro-
ceeded to the point where the local
divinities were being placated by Of
ferings of meat, wine and mock
money. Now the wailings Of the
mourners were redoubled as the little
sedan chair, with the picture Of Mrs.
Ii inside, was brought forward from
Wu's PACK. Around 1t were grouped
representations of animals, mock jew
elry and lunches Of silt and silver
paper money. Then the officiating
priest, with an explanatory remark
about the curious within of the late
Mrs. Ii, held up the image Of the
foreign devil" lady who was to 60 as
an attendant to the deceased. The
crowd pressed nearer to gaze at this
Offering and a Hi yah" of admiration
smOte the ears of WI where he stood,
outwardly nonchalant but inwardly
exultant as he noticed Ii Fan Yin's
satisfaction in the amount Of face"
he was creating In the burial Of Mrs.
Ii. THAT means three, perhaps FIVE.
extra strings of cash." the Offering
maker calculated to himself.
AS the priest held Wu's masterpiece
appraised, cry arose on the outskirts
Of the crowd and 1t parted as two
breathless foreign children forced
their way past the mourpers into the
circle around the open grave.
"Oh, my dolly! Give me my dolly"
cried Constance, as she saw her be-
loved Lady Laura in the priests hands.
Then, noticing the fire Of smoldering
charcoal which was waiting for the
offerings, and realizing what was
about to happen, she began shrieking
Historically with hands outstretched
to her lost treasure.
David, with cooler head, began to
offer an explanation to the company,
which, till now, had stood still from
sheer establishment at the turn affairs
had taken.
The faultless Chinese Of his clio.
quent appeal for justice. and his de-
nunciatiOn Of the thieving WI, who
skunk in the background as attention
was drawn to him, won some sympathy
for the children, but Ii Fan Yin's
| hrnyu nnntranfnI ho tho nffanf
Of David's tale, and, fearing he might
lose face" If the doll were given up,
he hurriedly seized the boy by the arm
and started to eject him from the
place. AS David resisted, the sudden
rage which sometimes possesses the
Chinaman came upon Ii, and, forget
ting the dignity Of his position In the
anger that consumed him, he began
to shrek TRADE Of verbal abuse at
the American lad.
Shaking himself free from the half
crazed Chinaman, David faced him
with flashing eyes. Not for naught
came he from a line Of ancestors Of
the church and state militant. The
blood Of the fearless Pilgrims and
staunch minute men ran in his veins,
and he was ready to fight to the death
for his principles. Lad as he was, he
had not lived in China fourteen years
in vain, and his subcOnscious self,
which had been absorbing impressions
through all his young life, came to
his rescue. In his comings and goings,
many a forensic contest had he wit.
messed, many wOrdy duel In market
place and country road, and, without
the slightest effort, he found himself
| giving the irate official a Roland for
every Oliver, with this difference, that.
whereas Ii had descended to street
lingo, the retort courteous as given by
| David was couched In classic COnfu-
clan dIction.
| The Chinaman, beaten at his own
game, and red in the face and breath
less from his verbal onslaught, was
soon glad to snatch the doll from the
priests hand and restore 1t to Its
rightful owner. Immediately, as If
nothing had happened, the funeral GER
emonies were renewed, and the per-
sistent wall Of the mourners again rent
the air. The incident was closed.
| AS the children lodged around the
tombs to reach the open fields adjoin-
ing the mission compound, they saw
WI disappearing in the direction of
the temple-a sinking, detected figure
outlined against the red sunset sky.
The next party found an empty
room at the temple gate. WI lodged
there no more. They also found the
Goddess Of the Sea decapitated. her
head with family smiling lips lying on
her folded hands. The foreigners
were puzzled by this act Of vandalism,
but no Chinaman to whom they ap-
pealed could explain 1t, and their apa-
thetic shrugs showed tho slight impress
sion made upon them by the occur.
renee.
But an offerlng-maker who earns
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