Evening star., 1940-01-21

Rubin very we'll as the winter wore on,
because she and the children had to go
somewhere almost every day now that
Herman was so busy. In Shanghai he
had always gone away from home
when he had business to do. but here
in New York different men came to
see him Two of them were Chinese
she had never seen before. She saw
them often now, debonair, smooth
faced men in dapper suits, who bowed
to her without seeing her almost every
morning She told Madame Rubin
about them. The moment they came,
Herman hustled her and the children
out
"He has such important business
that he can't have us around, she
told Madame Rubin, trying to smile.
SIS that so?" Madame Rubin said
drily.
1t was while she and the children
waited for Amah, one dreadful day, IN
the mezzanine where the beauty shop
was, that Louise Peng first learned the
awful truth about Herman. Amah had
come downstairs to the mezzanlne
with her eyes staring like pop-eyes.
and her underlip stuck out. Whats
the matter, Amah?" she had asked.
getting up. But Amah would not
answer. lust shook her head. mo can
90 topside yet" she said shortly. She
was learning a lot of English now,
Amah was.
"Oh. dear, I'm so tired" Louise said
helplessly, and sat down again. 1t was
at this moment that Madame Rubin
saw them and came out to speak to
them between permanents.
Seed of SIM the old woman was
muttering to herself there in the
foreign hotel. Descendant that lays
waste the ancestral tombsr'
What are you talking about.
Amah?" Louise said. laughing. She
looked at Madame Rubin, seeking
laughter in her eyes. "Amah is so
funny sometimes" she said. Il can't
understand her much when she begins
talking her old country dialect.
Il can understand her." Mary said
suddenly. She's cursing Father. She
says he's laying waste Grandfather
and Great Grandfather graves"
why, Mary" her mother cried.
Then she glggled. Il guess Mary
understands more Chinese than l do
she said to Madame Rubin, half
proudly. "Shes awful smart"
But Madame Rubin was not look
ing at the precocious little child. She
put her penetrating gaze upon the
dark W nkled face of the old Chinese
woman. Il kinda smell somethin',"
Madame Rubin said.
And two weeks later when Mrs.
Whitaker came in and told her about
Henry's saying the little Chinese man
wanted to borrow money. Madame
Rubin said to herself, Here's two is
the old woman's face, and here's two
is the man wants money. But kinda
don't see the four of it,
She did not see the four of it indeed
until the day the good old woman
came into the beauty shop alone -
opening the door so quietly and shut
ting it so quickly that it was only
because Madame Rubin was looking
over her engagement book that she
saw her. 1t happened to be Mrs.
Whittaker's day and Mrs. Whitaker
herself was scarcely five minutes be-
hind the old Chinese woman.
She's tryin' to tell me somethin',"
Madame Rubin told Mrs. Whitaker
- Madame Rubin was deaf - but
what it is can't tell, not bein' able to
hear, and her lips don't make any
shape ever | see before. See can you
make out, ma am. Let's go into the
facial boot where is quiet so early"
In the facial room where Mrs.
Whitaker had spent so many placid
half-dozinR hours, she now heard an