Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-08-07
A WOman'S JeWeled Earrings
Bv Achnnod Ab1uunh

!, For Si-Si surpassed all expectations,
| with her waxen skin, her large, almond
shaped eyes.
IL was a sardonic gesture of fate
that both Cheng Sung and Kee Wong
| should fall in love with her.
Perhaps it was only passion. Passion.
| thought the priest morosely. SO ugly
ah-So ugly that scene when,
each having left the business premises
on a pretext. they met one afternoon
in Fanny Mays apartment, faced each
other su~spiciously; then, quickly,
guessed.
They stared at one another. while
Fanny Nag smiled ironically and fig
urpd potential profits. With a cruelty
acute apprehension they understood
that their friendship was at an end
as they looked al Si-Si sitting in the
corner like a small idol carved out Of
ivory and gold, her face a mask. her
hands folded in her lap.
Il love her!"
Cheng Sung's voice was high pitched,
tortured, ludicrous. So was Kee Wong's:
Il love her 0 than you!"
Again they stared at n another.
Came silence.
Then Fanny Nag spoke, being a bust
ness woman, without much delicacy.
Though the bow be crooked, the
arrow reaches its mark. Though a man
be old, gold is his strength. How much
am I offered for delightful Si-Si?"
"A thousand dollars!' cried Kee
Wong.
Two Thousand" exclaimed the other.
Three thousand"
The bids grew. Fanny Mays eyes
glistened with greed. Si-Si sat mo-
tionless. Nobody noticed that, present.
ly, her hands fluttered a little as, faint
ly, from Shen MOk's laundry shop be-
low, drifted the twanging of a one
string lutte and the Tilt of a Cantonese
love song
How we to
Sien hwa a
Yu chow yu che 10 tsai go kia. :
Si-Si smiled. Then once more hel
features became expressionless IS
Cheng Sung's voice peaked shrily:
six Thousand dollars"
And yet another thousand!" inter
rupted Kee Wong.
Still the bids grew by leaps anc
bounds; and there was irony in the
fact that, having earned, shared, anc
spent alike these many years, Their
wealth was the same to a dollar, al
most to the fraction Of a dollar. Mad
those bids, grotesque-Cheng Sunp al
last, having scrubbed and added GER
tain sums on a piece Of paper, offer
;,~ Hs~ cnfjro fn~f,rn. NfFo~trn ~ fr{
umphantly and vindictively:
''Thirty-three thousand four hun
bred dollars-and my half of whatever
the sale of our business might bring!'
He should have known his partner
better.
Il offer the same!" said the latter
Fanny Nag smiled.
THE price, she told them, "is eight.
thousand. Whoever comes to me frs
with eighty thousand, him-I Civ
oath-delightful Si-Si shall marry"
She rose. She ushered the two mer
across the threshold, turned to Si-Si
demanding proudly:
".WaS there ever the like OF me Whel
it comes to stripping two skins off on
cow?"
'They are DID," sighed the girl. :"
could not love either"
The matchmaker shrugged her shout.
ders. She remarked that gain on dir
was to be preferred to loss or musk.
Besides" she added, your parent
have given you to me. They have littl'
money. Only twice a month have the,
q shred of pork with their evening rice
Eighty thousand dollars - consider
child! Forty thousand to me, the same
to you as your dover! Out of you
half you can send princely sums each
month to your honorable parents
Hereafter they will be able to eat porl
twice a day."
She left the room. Si-Si was alone
Typically Chinese in flial devotion
she considered that, because of hel
parents, she must obey.
At last she bowed her head In drat
resignation. She sighed-ah, deal
Buddha, it was her duty, her fate
and then, suddenly, she sat up straight
as again from Shen Mok's laundry
below came the Tilt Of a love song:
How We to
Mo lie hwa
Man yuen hwa kai soey pow Kwe ia.
The melody broke off on a high note
She went to the window. She looked
out. At that moment Shen Mok came
from his shop. She had met him {
few days earlier at the house OF Nag
Hong Fab.
How young he was, she thought, how
strong. and so good looking.
He saw her, too. He bowed politely
II lu fu sing" he greeted her. Ma,