Evening star., 1925-08-09
Latest Principles of ChnoAnalyss Are Applied Venerable
Producing Some Remarkable Results.
BY STEPHEN LEACOCK.

Y Y HAT / narrate was told me
n one Winters evening by
wv my friend Ah-Yen in the
little room behind his place
of business. AhYen is a
quiet little Celestial with a grave and
thoughtful face, and between US ex-
lists a friendship Of some years stand
ing. But of the keen, analytical side
Of his mind l was in entire ignorance
until the evening of which ! write.
The room where we sat was small
and dingy, and only one picture was
in any way noticeable on the walls.
PORTRAIT admirably executed in pen
and ink. The face was that of d
young man, a very beautiful face, but
one of infinite sadness. j had long
been aware, although / know not how,
that Ah-Yen had met with a great sor-
row, and had in some way connected
the fact with this portrait l had
always refrained, however, from ask
ing him about it. and it was not until
the evening in question that | knew
it's history.
We had been smoking in silence for
some time when Ah-Yen spoke. My
friend is a man Of culture and wide
reading and his English is conse-
quently perfect in it's construction: his
speech is. OF course. marked by the
lingering liquid accent of his country
which / will not attempt to reproduce.
II see" he said. that YOU have
been examining the portrait of my
unhappy friend, Fifty-Six. l have
never yet told you of my bereavement,
but as tonight is the anniversary Of
his death, / would fain speak of him
for while"
Ah-Yen paused; I lighted my pipe
afresh and nodded to him to show that
| was listening.
Il In |, at
what precise time F'ifty-Six came into
my life. l could, indeed, find it out by
examining my books. but | have never
troubled to do so. Naturally | took
no more interest in him at first than
in any other Of my customers--less,
perhaps. since he never in the course
Of our connection brought his clothes
to me himself, but always sent them
by boy.
when / presently perceived that
he was becoming one of my regular
customers, | allotted to him his num-
Der. Ffty-six, and began to speculate
as TO who and what he was. Before
long | had reached several conclusions
in regard to my unknown client.
THE quality of his linen showed me
that, If not rich, he was at any rate
fairly we'll off. / could see that he
was a young man of regular Christian
life, who went out into society to a
certain extent: this ] could tell from
his sending the same number OF
articles to the laundry. from his wash
ing always coming on Saturday night,
and from the fact that he Wore a dress
shirt about once "a week. In disposi-
ton he was a modest, unassuming fell
low. for his collars were only inches
high"
I STARED at Ah-Yen in some amaze
ment. The recent publication of
favorite novelist had rendered me
familiar with the process of analytical
reasoning, but | was prepared for no
such revelations from my Eastern
friend.
When l first knew him" Ah-Yen
went on. "Fifty-Six was a student at
the university. This. of course, I
did not know for some time. / in
ferred 1t, however, in the course of
time, from his absence from town dur
ing the four Summer months. and
from the fact that during the time of
the university examinations the cuffs
of his shirts came TO me covered with
dates, formulas and propositions in
geometry.
Il followed him with no little in