Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1925-07-10
A BASKET
OF GOOSE
EGGS
% by Short Story Pub. co.l
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By THOMAS C. SPRINGER

T@HE great Merlin, whose mystify-
ing modern marvels had set the
i vaudeville audiences of San
Francisco agog, was taking a
weeks layoff TO view the wonders of
the City of the Shutdown Straits before
proceeding on his entertaining way. 1t
was his first trip West and he was
making 1t Il sort Of profit-ylelding holt
day, but two performances a day did
not leave him leisure enough to crafty
the curiosity with which the city had
invested him. So he and his profess
siona assistant, who was also his pri-
vate friend, were doing the town on
their own time
Professional sightseeing through the
medium of the "rubberneck car" did
not appeal to him. He preferred to
nose about odd corners off the beaten
track of vulgar tourists in company
with his friend NORM, who, in spite of
a glass eye, made the good one work
overtime If there was anything worth
observing.
As is usual with investigative stran-
gers, they soon knew more Of the odd
corners Of town than most of the ma
tives, and after several days Of In
dustrious lettering, had covered most
of the out-of-the-*ay foreign sections,
The italian, Spanish and Slavonic
quarters gazed calmly at the unobtru-
sive strangers as they wandered in,
and then returned to their work Of
pleasure unannoyed by their quiet
presence.
1t was toward the latter part Of the
week that they finally wandered into
Chinatown which they had purposely
avoided so far on account of the
swarmlng tourists that usually infest
it. John Chinaman has advanced
nightly along occidental business
Aishways, and his orientalism In san
Francisco Chinatown has fast become
merely a lure to coax the souvenir
seekers coin from his purse In ex-
change for the trlfles whose value he
initiates with a romance born Of too
much advertising Merlin knew this
full well, and avoiding the main
thoroughfares where life was too evil
IDENTIFY a revised copy Of occidental
progress, dragged his companion into
the little sheltered byways where one
still finds the fortune teller with his
jar of sticks, the pipe member with his
little rotary hand drill, the sidewalk
stands with their curious oriental
sweetmeats that have not lost the
power to charm the coolie class, who
are yet shy in the presence of the
"white devils"
They played with the gaily caparl-
soned babies that were summing them
selves along the sidewalks; sampled
vari-colored cakes whose exteriOrs
barely limited at their possible concoc-
ton.
But most of all they studied the Inn
perturbable yellow faces that as yet, I'M
accepting the occidental customs, pre-
served the calm with which Confucius
had Invested them.
81 WONDER" specialized Merlin to his
companion, "lf anything short Of physi-
cal violence would set the muscles be-
hind those masks into motions vivid
enough to reflect anything resembling
emotion"
II don't know" answered NORM.
,.They look to me like sphinxes made
out Of putty"
"Well. would Just like to scare up
enough mental excitement In the
sphinx's interior SO that the earthquake
would jar the crust"
I'm bet it would be some earth
quake" commented Norm slangily.
The idea took possession of Merlin.
There was something uncanny about
the expresslonless countenances to
him, for his professional experiences
were filled with conglomeratlon Of
features over which varying express
slons played like the wind ripples over
the surface OF quiet waters, and lie
was used to ripping a sea Of faces
with his art He would have loved to
have had an audience Of Chinese to
perform before, for the pure JOY Of
awakening their surprise, Of showing
them that he was indeed white
devil"
NORM" he said suddenly, I'D give
u weeks salary to give a performance
before big audience Of these fellows
just to see what they would do
Yes" replied NORM, "and you would
give several weeks salary to get away
from them for they would mob you"
Nonsense, look at the japanese jug
glers and magicians"
"Oh, the japanese always have been
tricky little monkeys, but John China
man Is a serious-mlnded individual. He
has about as much sense of humOr rs
losing poker player has Of the witty
remarks bystander makes behind his
chair"
81 wonder" unused Merlin, as they
paused before one Of the little hole-in-
the-wall shops whose stock In trade
was as mixed as an East side pawn
brokers' window. The proprietor stood
leaning against the dOorjamb, smoking
little plnches of tobacco In a pipe that
looked like a musical instrument, His
round face shone In the backing gloom
Of the shop like yellow full moon,
with the placldlty Of centuries Of
philosophy. Beside him stood basket
Of eggs. Merlin looked at them specu-
latively, and his broodlng mind Matched
a scheme,
How muchf' he inquired.
"Thlee for ten centee," answered the
Chlnaman without shifting his position.
Merlin picked up three eggs in his
hand and turned them over.
"Are they good eggsT he asked.