BY luLL'S NOTArTaI Irudens FuTUR^r^'k J. Off the High Road Marked by intelligent discrimination, modesty and good sense. — Religio- Philosophical Journal. How I Found Rustle-us, Prince OF Abyssinia *'Mr. Roosevelt much appreciates your kindness and was much amused/' The Township of Jefferson, III., and "Dinner-Pail Avenue/' From Mastodon TO Man History of a suburb has seldom, if ever, been written in so piquant and refreshing a fashion. — Chicago Even- ing Post ALFRED BULL, Publisher Irving Park, III. The Celestial Female ONE OF UNCLE SAM'S COLOR PROBLEMS With ^de-flung arm perplexed he stands , Blacky Red, Broivn, Yellonv, on his ijueary hands\ Redskins he smeared out. Blacks he ate. Dragon and Rising Sun, excluded, wait. THE RECKONING OF HEAVEN By ALFRED BULL Author of "jAUNTS Off the High Road," "The Township of Jefferson," etc., etc. *' Death is the Reckoning of Heaven " — Chinese Proverb ALFRED BULL, Publisher IRVING PARK, ILL. 1912 ^''tk^ \V Copyright IQI2 By Alfred Bull ©CI.A305157 Contents Chapter I Ta-yu learns of a distinguished relative, one Uncle Sam, hitherto unknown to him, and resolves to visit him . Page ii Chapter II Ta-yu hears dame Fortune's faint tap at his door Page ig Chapter III Ta-yu accumulates experience and cap- ital for the journey, arrives and pros- pers ,,.... Page 2Q Chapter IV Ta-yu acquires some English, also a little elemental Chinography, including the fact that the seat of his affections was not, as he had always supposed it to be, in the liver Page JQ Chapter V Ta-yu discovers more symbolism in Miss Myra Jones' gift than was in- tended by that young lady . . Pagf Ji Chapter VI Ta-yu knows not that love is blind, while proving the truth of the adage by his own sad experience . . . Page 6^ Chapter VII Ta-yu disconcerts his friends; but he makes overtures to Charon, the domes- ticated water-buffalo, which are gra- ciously entertained .... Page 8l Chapter VIII Ta-yu meditates full and sweet revenge upon his successful rival . . . Page gy Chapter IX Ta-yu summons Charon to his assist- ance, and empties his Noah's Ark Page lOg Chapter X Ta-yu realizes that Death is the Reck- oning of Heaven .... Page 123 THE RECKONING OF HEAVEN Une Fantaisie Chinoise Ta-yu learns of a distinguished relati've, one Uncle Sam, hitherto unkno^wn to him, and resolves to njisit him. WHEN Ta-yu^s kind friend, the reverend Mr, Kitcat, foreign missionary, chanced to mention the great country from which he, the black-coated one, had so recently em- barked for China — 11 and, in particular, that lanky and benignant individual. Uncle Sam, ruler of its destinies, Ta-yu was all attention. On speaking further of Uncle Sam, as blending all nationalities into one harmonious and vastly im- proved whole, Ta-yu grasped his friend's meaning at once; for Ta- yu knew something of blends, whereby color, strength and flavor are greatly benefited. As much may not be said for the mission- ary's well-meant and repeated ef- forts at Ta-yu's conversion. For a sufficient small sum Ta-yu would, after the fashion of his kind, have professed all expected reformation and belief; but to make this really part and parcel of 12 himself, clearing his attic of all in- herited lumber to make room for it — this was absurd, almost an im- possible expectation. Similarly, when Mr. Kitcat dis- coursed of one of the five elements, water, making various foolish sug- gestions for its use, externally, in- ternally and as a means of grace, Ta-yu was not to be cajoled into accepting such sophistries. A na- tive bonze might very properly spurt a mouthful over sacrifices in token of purification, or over rela- tives of the honored dead with similar intent; but Ta-yu hoped to be able to declare, with his latest breath, that he had wantonly wasted no water himself. Uncle Sam possessed so attract- 13 ive a personality, as set forth by his votary, that a longing thence- forward possessed Ta-yu to enjoy his acquaintance. Mr. Kitcat's portrait was in high lights; no dark shadow, exclusion for in- stance, was suggested. Innocently referred to by the missionary, while hipped with home -sickness, his words bore fruit, arousing ambition and discontent in the follower of Confucius; and confusion came eventually to the heathen one from the good man's ill-advised and overjflowing patriotism. Ta-yu, Coolie of Amoy, in the province of Fuh-keen, had been an orphan from early infancy. In the year of the ''small knife'' rebellion the black plague had taken his 14 mother; Ta-yu being picked, like an unripe berry, from her stiffen- ing arms. His father, Chang-yu, once a petty leader under Tan- keng-chin, was "cut into a thousand pieces'' the same year, resting ever since, his severed head between his knees, the uncomplaining tenant of one of a row of glazed, earthen pots or jars, on a hillside overlooking the native quarter of Amoy. Chang-yu patiently awaited that suitable and honorable inter- ment which the rites of Feng-shui (good luck) demanded at the hands of his only son, Ta-yu, These ceremonies, Ta-yu knew, were contingent upon his own dis- covery of the required number of taels — now, as for so long a time 15 past, alas, wholly beyond his reach. Until this duty to his revered par- ent was accomplished, naught but disgrace and dishonor could be Ta-yu's own portion. He revolved many schemes in the vain hope of retrieving his past, and thus arous- ing some hopefulness in his own future. The words of the mission- ary echoed and re-echoed through his brain, until Ta-yu waited only on opportunity before taking the momentous step. Among other scraps of knowl- edge, eagerly absorbed, Ta-yu had learned that Uncle Sam was rich enough to give all a farm, and that he customarily came to town riding upon a pony — and wealthy manda- rins bestrode the China ponies 16 with which Ta-yu was familiar! If some little confusion of legend- ary heroes existed in Ta-yu's mind, the missionary and his compatriots were to blame for it. A feather in Uncle Sam's hat too, doubt- less from the peacock, no mere '^flower/' or ^^green'' feather, but a full '^three-eyed'' one! The costume was a trifle eccen- tric, but Uncle Sam was rich enough to disregard convention. If a trifle bizarre, in Ta-yu's con- ception, with his striped, strapped nankeens, and his vest and hat- band spangled with stars — well, that was a matter of individual taste and preference. Ta-yu might be willing, he allowed, to rig him- self out similarly, in the fashion 17 of that country, could he only accumulate maces and candareens enough. That the missionary was, after all, a bit of a joker, secure in the knowledge that the poor coolie could never judge for himself, and therefore indulged in some farcical and grimly humorous descriptions, never occurred to Ta-yu, Would a bonze joke? ^'Impossible,'' he decided. ''Does a tiger eat a fly? Can a Buddhist priest carry an olive on his smooth-shaven pate?'' 18 Chapter II Ta-yu hears dame Fortune's faint tap at his door, A T length oppor- tunity came, with a splash of mud and a glint of sun- shine. One day, crowd- ing into itself, as some days will, all possible mishap and ill-luck, Ta-yu lounged in the door- way of the nondescript hovel which 19 he called home, disheartened and beaten, awaiting the summons to the evening meal. The hut stood by the water's edge, a crazy patchwork of decay- ing boat-timbers and matting, of cracked potsherds daubed with mud and clay, crowned with rot- ting thatch and broken tiles, snug- gled under the city wall, which alone saved it from utter collapse. Razor-back hogs and vagrant curs fought for refuse in the long, dark, narrow street; Ta-yu's wearied eyes sought relief in the panorama of the upper heights. Here pic- turesque but useless fortifications crowned outcropping granite of strange configuration, bathed in sunset rays, when all below was 20 dark. Nearer, the sinking sun lighted up the row of funereal pots so often in Ta-yu's thoughts; while, toward the city, beside a tall pa- goda, flashed the stars and stripes, stiff in the offshore breeze as if pasted on the sky, and marking the American consulate. A mangy dog, scurrying across a rocky flagstone in the foul street, splashed Ta-yu from head to foot with reeking filth. With a vin- dictive glance after his scampering foe Ta-yu entered the house. Steaming rice, though salted, and eked out with a particle of salt fish, was less savory when a salt tear or two splashed into the dish. So he arose hastily, kowtowed 21 respectfully to his foster-father, and left the house. Making rapid progress along the rickety causeway, Ta-yu paused before a similar hovel, the outer walls decorated with black plasters (betokening the residence of a medical man), and rapped gently. When admitted, Ta-yu steeled himself to utter disregard of the emptied phials and pill-boxes and used plasters that covered the walls — mutely eloquent testimo- nials to the doctor's skill, and re- turned to him as such by grateful patients — ignoring dry herbs and unfamiliar objects, designed to overwhelm the ignorant visitor and to attest professional status. 22 Ignoring them, Ta-yu addressed the learned man with a reckless courage and disregard of etiquette that startled his host, and surprised himself. Ponderous spectacles, a strag- gling, wiry, white moustache, blue cotton breeches and rice-straw slippers, down-at-heel, sufficiently clothed that mummy-like person- age, who listened quietly, secretly relieved that his impetuous visitor had no intention of running amuck. The recital ended, the physician with upraised hand and claw-like nails commanded silence, the while he busied himself with his metal- covered pip e. Placing a few shreds of tobacco with the tweezers in the 23 bowl, he reached for a stick of smouldering punk, blew a glowing coal, and meditatively enjoyed two long-drawn whiffs. The weed ex- hausted, he leisurely removed the bowl, blew the ashes away, and cleansed the bowl and tube. Ta-yu waited, respectfully silent. Thus quickened, the doctor began: ^^My son, I fear I myself am becoming affected by the modern evil spirit of unrest, since I say there are times that the dead must wait upon the living. Your father, Chang -yu, can content himself yonder a little longer. I have heard of this Uncle Sam, of whom the fankwei (foreign devil) spoke to you, and I know the dangers that beset the way. 24 ^^Since it hath pleased the Son of Heaven graciously to withdraw his imperial edict against his heung-noo (clamorous slaves) leaving the ce- lestial kingdom, it is not for me to discover objections, but rather to assist you, if I may." The old fossil busied his trem- bling fingers with brush and ink, speedily offering to Ta-yu, for his inspection and signature, those necessary hieroglyphs which con- veyed to himself all right, title and interest in everything material and personal possessed by Ta-yu, save only the ragged clothing which he then wore. These possessions were not nu- merous: a one-eighth interest in that patched and battered antique, 25 the sampan, ''the Delight of My Soul/' moored in the river close by; a nearly whole and fairly clean sleeping -blanket; and, prospec- tively, four hundred // or cash due from the good doctor himself to Ta-yu for the carriage of v^ater and other merchandise. Of course, also, a mortgage upon the afore- said earthenware pot, in which re- posed the mortal remains of Chang-yu; morally, if not com- mercially, one of the most valuable assets hitherto controlled by Ta- yu, since he was contemplating an extended tour. After the doctor had dwelt suf- ficiently upon the desirability of closing a transaction of this mag- nitude with an honorable neighbor of professional repute, instead of 26 attempting to deal with a dishonest schroffer (money changer) in the city proper, Ta-yu received his mess of pottage. Two other documents were ex- ecuted and placed in Ta-yu's eager hands. Laboriously deciphered by him, one was an order upon a na- tive comprador in Amoy for trans- portation to Canton, thence to Sin- gapore, or as much farther on the road to America as its net value would warrant. The Celestial Kingdom is so large, central and dominant, the rest of the world so small, no wonder both blundered in locating tiny objects on the outer rim of space. Also an intro- duction to that Columbian nation's consulate at Canton, speedily prov- en to possess no value whatever. 27 Chapter III Ta-yu accumulates experience and capital for the journey y arrives and prospers, npHUS amply provided, hav- ing sold his birth- right, Ta-yu, in bor- rowed bravery, vi^an- dered next morning up the hillside ""the Glorious Rest,'' to his father's jar, and burned beside it some paper models 29 of houses, boats and furniture, carefully prepared beforehand. He scattered the ashes over the pot; and, satisfied that Chang-yu was thus provided with all needed comforts, he left incense-sticks a-burning, and tearfully withdrew. As the long hallowed day closed, the skies were full of rain; a bow of promise curved against them in the East, gratefully accepted by Ta-yu as an omen of good for- tune. When Ta-yu reached Canton^ and sought a passport to the land of his dreams, the native assistant of that busy individual, the American vice-consul, took but one glance at Ta-yu's hands, eloquent of labor, blunt in nail-ends, wanting in all 30 scholastic or aristocratic pretence. He passed his hand corroboratively over Ta-yu's shoulder, to find the hardened evidence of the coolie's bamboo pole; he laughed at the thought of passport to the prom- ised land, and incontinently kicked poor Ta-yu off the premises. But Ta-yu's mind was made up. The Occident having developed an irresistible force, the Orient seemed to present an immovable body; yet Ta-yu swerved at this critical moment, swaying as does a reed before the tempest, and thus avoided any material injury. Ta-yu knew, by the testimony of his friend, the missionary, that he was seeking a land flowing with milk and honey; being once em- 31 barked on such a quest, he wisely- disregarded all such seemingly in- surmountable difficulties. Upon finding his small stock of money absurdly insufficient, all that he did to replenish it must be passed lightly over — detail would fill a volume. In Amoy, Canton, Hong Kong, Singapore, he labored as a boy, helping the silk-weavers work their clumsy foot-looms, and pull- ing up the warp in conformity with the pattern. Afterward, he screeched the warning ^^yaw-ch'^ of the sedan-coolie; then import- ing (with his savings) a Shanghai wheelbarrow he patiently pushed it, piled mountainously with long kaolang (millet) or boxes of poma- 32 toes. Soon the barrow became a jinriksha, which gave place to a sampan again. By judicious trading this saf- fron-colored Yankee of the East developed into a small merchant, collecting used tea-leaves, and adding dust, pickings, sweepings, colors and flavors. He existed meantime in some strange fashion, spending nothing, saving all; aban- doning all luxuries, even his be- loved whiff of opium, until his belt held the necessary amount for the long-deferred journey. Then, one deliriously-delightful day, Ta-yu, outwardly uncon- cerned, curled up for deck pas- sage, across the troubled Pacific, to Magna (America), ^^the beau- 33 tiful country." Almost within sight of the Golden Gate Ta-yu and sundry compatriots disap- peared. He reappeared, months after, across the Great Divide, glassy-eyed and worn to skin and bone; but still possessed of indom- itable perseverance, and with a fair-sized draft in his body-belt. Ta-yu flourished on what other men refused, filling the place of the one-time Irishman, the Italian, the Greek. He ate his rice and scraps philosophically, rarely washing it down with any substitute for the beloved sam-shu (whiskey) of his native land. For a time the sworn foe of his old companion of count- less generations, dirt, he drove it from its lurking places with puri- 34 fying tubs-full and spurts of water. Prospering where another would have starved, behold him at last a weazened veteran of thirty, indulging in the wiry, black mous- tache forbidden in his own coun- try until he was ten years older — a prosperous restaurant-keeper in a large city of the middle West, Ta-yu now sported all the bravery longed for in his toiling youth; silken raiment of gay col- oring, a lengthened cue, and thick felted slippers. His place was gay with gilding, tortuous carving, swinging lanterns, and a tall up- right "beckoning-board,'' on which was blazened Tien Tih Shen (celestial advantage combined with attention). In plum-colored silken 35 jacket, black crape breeches, white leggings and embroidered velvet shoes, he personified celes- tial prosperity under Uncle Sam's benignant rule; and was a power among his fellows. He began to feel the need of the barbarous English speech — with it possibilities would be in- creased tenfold; and, seeking to attain it, Ta-yu esteemed himself fortunate in making the acquaint- ance of that Christian young lady. Miss Myra Jones. Thus Ta-yu learned to know the native in his own joss-house. Miss Myra gave him individual attention in Sunday school, and taught him the alpha- bet. Speedily she formed designs against his heathen belief. If 36 Ta-yu suspected them, he dis- creetly held his tongue, and she hoped much from his respectful attention and absorbed interest. If only Miss Jones had not made that unfortunate present of a Noah's Ark, all might have been well. But who could anticipate that Ta-yu would so pervert the gift of a toy familiar to every one ? Fortunately, Miss Myra Jones never comprehended the mischief she had wrought so innocently. The heathen Chinee is peculiar — on the word of an accepted authority. 37 Chapter IV Ta-yu acquires some English^ also a little elemental Chin-' ography, including the fact that the seat of his affections 6b% days. His son, ShuUy the next emper- or, was followed by Yu, the great Ta-yUy from whom he himself derived his name; tracing a me- andering, traditional descent from him. Yu in nine years drained off^ the waters of the great flood; the 59 mighty inundation by the vast Yellow River, itself coeval with creation, Ta-yu remembered some casual reference to a flood by Miss Myra. A flood, when the Celestial King- dom possessed a record of sixty- three — sixty-three proofs of divine displeasure! Ages after, still in Ta-yu's tra- ditional line, came the great Meaou-Haou (emperor) Chow or Chou-suiy last of the Yin dynasty, who, with Ta-ke's assistance, first formed menageries of horses, dogs, rare animals and curious birds, and incidentally blessed a waiting world with chop-sticks. Piecing these facts and much beside together, like a true 60 Chinese puzzle, Miss Myra Jones* intention was now clear. The sampan itself stood for that treasured memory, "The Delight of My Soul/' doubtless still creep- ing over the waters between the inner and outer towns of that exceedingly dirty city, Amoy. The animals, two of each sort, male and female after their kind, conveyed a delicate hint — that it is not good to be alone. Of the human figures, also in pairs, two of larger size represented Tu and his prospective consort, with their suite indicative of prosperity. All others, biped and quadruped alike, implied vast dominion for Yu and his bride over many things, wild and domesticated. The rabbits 61 and chickens were already in evi- dence, housed securely in Ta-yu's back yard. Yuy forty centuries dead, could be naught but a symbol of living Ta-yu. The fair giver's wishes for Ta-yu's continued prosperity, her forethought in providing him with a helpmate, permitted but one conclusion; she would not be unwilling to share these blessings with him. Miss Jones had exhibited the most intimate knowledge of his pedigree, while gracefully omit- ting all allusion to luckless Chang-yu, still awaiting suitable interment, potted, his head between his knees. 62 The gift had become a deli- cately-veiled declaration of love. Radical changes in Ta-yu's personal appearance followed, transforming a not ill-looking Mongolian into a rather row^dyish and wholly common-place corner- loafer. His pig-tail, ruthlessly discarded, was coiled serpent-wise in a vacant corner of the treasured Ark. Flowing, flowered silks were replaced by an ill-fitting suit of *^hand-me-downs.'* Noisy, clumsy brogans succeeded to felt- padded velvet-embroidered clogs. The transformation was viewed with dismay by Miss Myra, who could not conceal her dissatisfac- tion with it. 63 Whatever scraps of sentiment, romance, poetry,there might have been in her conceptions of her oriental pupil disappeared with his silk cap and cue. The task of teaching him became irksome and distasteful. Ta-yu was un- pleasantly aware of a change that tied his nimble, clicking tongue, making him mute and sullen where he had been apt and alert. ^^I coveted another man's horse and lost my own ox," thought Ta-yu, quoting a native proverb, as he essayed every explanation except the right one. Perhaps Uncle Sam is wise in refusing citizenship to one so incapable of assimilation, no matter how ar- dently Ta-yu desired it. 64 j-j»,^ ii 'H\V| Chapter VI Ta-yu knonvs not that lo^e is blind, 'while pro'ving the truth of the adage by his oivn sad experience, ^^TS it possible? ^ My old friend, Noah, one hundred and twenty times removed, isn't it? How is it with you, Ta-yu, and with all the good people of Amoyf' This greeting surprised Ta- 65 i^i "^H -f -m :v,fj^i>= yu, a few weeks later, upon his punc- tual arrival at Sunday school. His old acquaintance, the missionary, had made a flying trip home, to greet old friends; and, for the good of the cause, to exploit his experi- ences in distant lands. The rev- erend Thomas Kitcat's patriotism was effusive as ever, and rather difficult to explain; since he was originally a foundling, and in- debted, for a provoking surname, to the questionable humor of a supervisor. He was pleased to discover in Ta-yu an example ready to hand, to aid him on the lecture-platform, and otherwise illustrate his points. In abandoning his picturesque dress and customs, however, Ta-yu 66 had almost destroyed his own use- fulness in these particulars. He grieved his old friend by emphat- ically refusing to resume them, even temporarily. Mr. Kitcat regretted changes he could neither control nor account for, on more intimate acquaintance with his old-time protege and ferryman. Ta-yu was not disposed to pose either as a horrible example (ethic- ally considered) or a brand snatched from the burning. In some respects, his practical knowl- edge exceeded that of his would- be patron; and he had, as already indicated, a strong incentive to assert himself as a man and a brother. As the dime to the dollar, so did Ta-yu, one-time 67 cooley of Amoy, compare with the almost-offensively prosperous Mr. Ta-yu of today. Mr. Kitcat was justified in thinking himself something of a personator, and his strong card was — ^'opium, costly, baneful, deadly,'' as he customarily closed his peroration. Kitcat could, and did, look pallid, glare, shrug his shoulders up, draw his head down, and other- wise reproduce an ^^opium deviF' very passably; creating a peculiar thrill in an audience, agreeable to them and gratifying to himself. He could manipulate an opium- outfit in pantomimic representa- tion of its use, ^^hitting the pipe'' as well as could anyone not supplied 68 with the ''dope'' itself. He dwelt upon the after-sneezings and gap- ings and gripings; he so compared vices as to make indulgence in liquor comparatively respectable, and almost commendable; he em- phasized striking resemblances between Chinese customs and those in the Scriptures; he expati- ated upon the value of the Native Helper. It was provoking to find that the one native on the spot was unable or unwilling to testify to the truth of these statements. The missionary was hurt by Ta-yu's indifference; he repeated to John Hamilton, in Miss Jones' hearing, his regret at Ta-yu's un- willingness to aid him. Ta-yu, suspecting he was thus discussed, 69 resented it by increased churlish- ness and indisposition to please. Finally, he became irregular in attendance on Sundays, and the missionary hunted him up. Mr. Kitcat found that the Chinaman had disposed of his restaurant, and he followed Ta-yu to a laundry in the stockyards district, some miles away. Ta-yu was unkempt and in native cos- tume again, but for a squat derby hat that covered the spot where the cue had been. In discussing his visit afterward with young Hamilton, the rever- end gentleman admitted that the situation was beyond him; and hinted at some mild hallucination, or at least absurdities and incon- 70 sistencies, indulged in by Ta-yu. He concluded, "I shall keep track of him, Hamilton. He interested me in the long ago, and now he is a puzzle I am not inclined to give up. Ta-yu has abandoned a pros- perous eating-house, which he had been neglecting for some time. Now he mopes, and pays little attention to his business.'' John Hamilton accompanied the missionary on his next call, but was received with scant civil- ity, so he did not repeat his visit. Mr. Kitcat slowly recovered some of the old-time ascendency, being at last invited into Ta-yu's own room. Here he discovered some singular developments. 71 Besides the customary furnish- ings, meager and absurdly insuffi- cient, there were decorations, Ta-yu's own handiwork, that repaid investigation, they were so decidedly unusual. The sampan, the Noah's Ark, and its contents, were the princi- pal features in a sort of shrine covering one of the longer walls. Evidently constructed with loving care, of costly materials, it held Kitcafs attention from the moment he first saw it. In Chinese charac- ters were sundry mottoes and proverbs, on long upright scrolls of red silk; and beneath a tiny central ornament, daintily carven, were the words, ^^, celestial woman. This was a small wooden 72 figure, richly dressed in brocaded silks, minute in detail, represent- ing a Chinese lady of the upper classes. An odd blunder, as Kitcat decided, was the distinct European cast of features — ^^Quite a passable likeness to a little teacher I re- member at the Sunday school,'" thought Kitcat. Had he known it to be the work of Ta-yu's own hands, and that its core, or ground- work, was that identical and very wooden female, the wife of Noah, Kitcat's surprise would have been greater. At the feet of the little lady stood Tseang-kueriy ^^pacificator of the seas,'' a fashionably-attired Chinese gentleman in the latest mode, his features modeled after 73 Ta-yu's own — for the base of this figure Noah himself had been employed. In costly intricacies of teak- wood carving, skilfully touched with gold and colors, were nu- merous other fantastic figures of men, women and animals, each a type, and with an interpretation befitting Ta-yu's earlier Buddhis- tic leanings, Kitcat saw at a glance. Not until afterward did he learn that all these various figures had been the original tenants of that wooden Ark, whose receipt had temporarily worked such havoc with Ta-yu's aff^ections and for- tunes, and which had been treated by their owner in a fashion pecu- liarly his own. 74 The actual investment of skill, time and money in this singular arrangement of cabinets, oriental brackets and shelves; in the shrine itself, its lanterns and incense- burners; harmoniously interwoven in a tracery of ivory, precious metals, rare woods and mother- of-pearl — ^would alone represent more than the difference between Ta-yu's former opulence and his present reduced circumstances. On subsequent visits Mr. Kitcat learned how many of these unique effects had been produced. The original lines of the Ark were maintained, although now covered and inlaid with ebony, ivory, silver and shell; and the visitor ventured 75 on suggestive enquiry, being per- mitted to witness the transforma- tion of the last piece yet to be treated, a camel, whose clumsy outlines made its origin unmistak- able. Ta-yu had dipped it, like all the others, successively in tiny pots of thick varnish and paints of diverse colors, drying it thoroughly after each dip; and now, at his friend's invitation, resumed active work upon it. With delicate tools and fingers possessed of a marvelous cunning, Ta-yu cut through the overlapping layers of enamel, as if carving a cameo, until the con- trasting colors and delicate out- lines had transformed a child's uncouth plaything into an unique 76 work of art, accurate in every detail, finished like a jewel. The patient, painstaking labor, and its wholly useless, however beautiful, results, interested the missionary, too familiar with oriental temperaments and meth- ods to question where confidence was withheld. He perceived that there was a connection, a vital one, between this slow and costly undertaking and the great change that had come over the man, Ta- yu himself. Especially was this noticeable, when this last remain- ing figure was placed in its waiting niche, the shrine completed, and a gray apathy seized its designer. He gazed at his work with body drooped, head down, through 77 eyes half-shut and bleared from intense application; while his sinewy yellow hands hung listless with half-curved, claw-like fingers, from which the tool clattered unheeded to the floor. Failing to rouse Ta-yu at this time, Kitcat took his leave, resolved to call again the sooner and more frequently, since he felt the influence of some strong and very human passion dominating this once ambitious alien; now almost a child again, since his self-imposed task was accom- plished, and nothing further could move him just now. Myra Jones, as she glances at her handsome husband, feels that she has particular reason to be 78 thankful to the reverend Mr. Kitcat for the resolve he then made, and for the manner in which he carried it out. 79 Chapter VII Ta-yu disconcerts his friends; but he makes overtures to Charon, the domesticated