UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT 1.0 S ANGELES ROBERT ERNEST COWAN Y E O N *S T E N H U N D R E D S O R R O W S A N D O T H E R S T O R I E S M B A Y R Y T. V A N D E N B U R G H YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS AND OTHER STORIES BY MARY T. VAN DENBURGH SAN FRANCISCO THE MURDOCK PRESS 1907 3/14 Contents Page Ye On's Ten Hundred Sorrows . . 5 The Doll of the White Devils 1 . . 15 The Exiles 2 23 See Wah's New Year 3 35 1 Permission The Land of Sunshine (Out West) 2 Permission The Era 3 Permission The Churchman Ye On's Ten Hundred Sorrows 'E ON had attained the dignity of a school name, and went to his lessons wearing the long blue apron of a schoolboy. He considered himself quite grown up, and did not like to be bothered with little A-sam, whose feet toddled around in the kitten shoes in which he had learned to walk, and who, during his short life, had been called only by a babyish number. Then, too, when Ye On was not burdened with the care of his brother, he could spend the afternoon in the shop where his father worked, for the boy's knowledge of the strange language and peculiar ways of the "foreign devils" who came in search of wonderful teapots and queer bowls was more extensive than that of the elder Chinese, and they were glad of his help. To tend store was joy; to tend baby misery; and Yc On never knew which might be his fate until his mother informed him on his return 5 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS from school, for when A-sam was quiet and well behaved the mother was willing he should stay with her, but when he was restless and fretful Ye On must take him out and amuse him. One day, when he particularly wanted to go to the shop, but found the baby all ready to be taken for an airing, Ye On flew into a sudden passion. He felt that it would be a relief if he could pound or pinch little A-sam, but knowing from previous experiments that the resulting howls would betray him, he looked around for some one else to wreak his vengeance upon. Ah! there was the kitchen god, comfortable and complacent behind the stove. Why did he not arrange things more satisfactorily? In an in- stant Ye On's hand was in a bowl of water standing temptingly near, and the picture of the kitchen god was splashed from head to foot, so that the red of his girdle began to run into the green, of his robe, while the pink from his cheeks added itself to the mixture. 6 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS At the sight of the mischief he had caused, Ye On's anger left him, and a great fear came to take its place. He had in- sulted the god of the kitchen, who, that very evening, would ascend to heaven to make his yearly report of the conduct of the members of the family to the Pearly Emperor. What punishment would be sent to Ye On when the chief of all the gods should hear what he had done? Filled with re- morse he took A-sam's hand, and, instead of dragging him by one arm, as usual, helped him carefully downstairs. But it was no better out in the sunshine. Ye On felt more and more unhap- py as the afternoon passed. Once he crept up- stairs to look at the picture of the offended god; the stains had dried out so they hardly showed, 7 THE KITCHEN GOD YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS but Ye On imagined that the eyes above the pale cheeks followed him reproachfully. Then he thought of something he might do. He could spend a long-hoarded nickel for sweets to add to the feast to be spread before the departing deity. Clutching the coin tightly he hurried out again, and he and A-sam, after much de- liberation, made a purchase of some gayly decorated candy. He kept the child on the street as long as he could, because he dreaded to return to the following, threatening eyes of the god. At dusk the father, coming from work, met the children and took them home. That evening, when the feast was prepared, the candy was among the offerings, and after the god had enjoyed the dainties which it was hoped would send him off in good humor, his picture was taken down, placed in a little paper sedan-chair, and burned, and the deity of the kitchen ascended in the smoke to heaven. Ye On, refusing to taste the candy, which there- fore fell to A-sam, went to bed, where he 8 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS trembled with fright at the thought of the ter- rible things that would happen to him when the kitchen god's story should be told to the Pearly Emperor. The god would be gone several days, return- ing just before the New Year. Would he wait to bring Ye On's punishment with him, or would he send it immediately, in the height of his wrath? The boy never doubted that it would come. He waited for a friend in whose com- pany to go to school; at any rate, the kitchen god's messenger of evil should not catch him alone. After school, he put the cap with the row of protecting images on A-sam's head, and offered to take him to walk. The two rooms in which the family lived were undergoing the annual cleaning, which could be done only in the absence of the god of the kitchen, who does not like dust and confusion, so that the mother was glad to have the children out of the way. It was the first house-cleaning A-sam had seen, and he was so much interested in it that he left YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS regretfully, and soon begged to return. Ye On persuaded him to stay out of doors, but only on condition that he should have a big marble, which he feared would be lost in the chaos, to keep in the pocket of his pink calico apron, where he could feel that it was safe. Ye On climbed the stairs in search of this cherished treasure, which it took some time to find, and when he went back to the doorway, where he had left A-sam. the child had disappeared. Ye On's heart sank; the anger of the kitchen god had fallen upon him, and through him upon all the family. Up and down the street he went, looking everywhere for the baby. He entered the house and searched the halls and made excuses to call on the neighbors ; he went to the store, and again he ran through the streets, this time going far- ther from home, but he could not find A-sam. He was too frightened to tell any one what had happened, or to arouse curiosity by calling the child's name. When he had looked everywhere, 10 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS he curled himself in a heap on the sidewalk, imagining the most dreadful things. A-sam had been kidnaped; a "foreign devil" had stolen him; he had wandered away to the bay and been drowned. How Ye On mourned that a moment of anger had brought such unhappiness! If the god knew how very sorry he was, he would surely relent. If he could tell him, and promise to do better in future! But the god was in the sky, and how could he be reached? A prayer, written, and then burned? It might get to heaven, but Ye On was not sure. A rocket? Rockets went up, but they flared out while yet in sight, and came down again. An appeal to the gods in the temple? There were plenty of them, but they were not kitchen gods, but deities for other purposes, and Ye On had no money for incense or candles to offer them. How could he tell the god of his great sorrow and repent- ance? Then came an idea. The little "foreign devils" had balls of red and blue and yellow ii YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS which, if they were not held tightly by a string, would soar away into the clouds, far out of sight, to heaven itself. If only he could obtain such a ball! He knew where there was a man who held a great cluster of them, and sold them one by one to those who came to buy. Ye On walked slowly down the hill, drawn towards the balloons, though he had no hope of getting one. He stood looking at them as though fas- cinated, when he saw that a "foreign devil" was about to make him a victim of a picture-box. He turned to run away, but the stranger held up a quarter. Here was a chance! What if he did imperil his soul by having his likeness taken? Two bits would buy a flying ball! He shud- dered as the camera clicked, and made the "foreign devil" laugh at his anxiety to secure a balloon with a strong pull. Having chosen one, he ran up the hill with it waving over his shoulder. He stopped at the professional letter- writer's, where he borrowed a brush and begged a sheet of paper on which he painstakingly 12 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS inscribed "ten hundred sorrows." This he tied to the string of the balloon, and finding a posi- tion free overhead from entangling wires, he sent the ball on its errand. He felt hopeful as the beautiful thing ascended. Surely such a peace-offering would help the god to forgive! All this had taken time, and the days were short, so that it was dark when Ye On stole into the dreaded presence of his parents. To his amazement they showed no anxiety or displeas- ure. Ye On could not account for it, unless the kitchen god, having received and accepted his apology, was protecting him from their anger. The boy had no appetite for his bowl of rice, and after a miserable evening went to bed in the inner room, the bed he had shared with little A-sam. Shaking with suppressed sobs, and feeling that his punishment was more than he could endure, he threw himself on the bed. His hand touched another hand, small and soft and warm. His face pressed against another face, plump and smooth, its curve broken by a flat 13 YE ON'S TEN HUNDRED SORROWS little nose. Was he dreaming so soon? No I for the small hand reached around his neck, the round head rested on his shoulder, and A-sam lay in his brother's arms! Ye On's ten hundred sorrows gave place to so much joy that his faith in the kitchen god was great and unquestioning. And when, a few days later, that personage was welcomed back to a spotless home fragrant with the new year's flowers, and his bright new portrait placed on the kitchen wall, Ye On thought that the eyes had a different expression. Certain it is that happiness and prosperity were with the family all through the year, and Ye On's behavior was so good that the record of it was satisfactory to gods and men. The Doll of the White Devils HOY SUEY lived in a little garret in Chinatown. Her father was por- ter and drudge at the drug-store on the street below, and worked from early morning until late at night, so Choy Suey seldom saw him. He would have been glad of a son; the little girl he regarded only as an expense and a misfortune. But Ging loved her baby. When Choy Suey awoke in the morning her mother was at the sewing-machine, with a big pile of work at her left side. The machine rattled away most of the day, with short intervals of rest when Ging prepared the food that was necessary for their existence. As each piece of work was finished, it was transferred to her right, and this pile grew larger and the other smaller as the day wore away; but Choy Suey never saw the pile at the left entirely disposed of, for this happened long after she had lain 15 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS down on some old bedding in the corner and gone to sleep. So, little petting and few amusements fell to the lot of Choy Suey. The neighboring roofs shut off the view from the window. She was not permitted to go out of the bare room, whose only ornament was the "Joss." This was a doll- like figure of a god, in a box with a glass front. It stood on a shelf at one end of the room, and before it were some incense-holders; occasion- ally a stick of incense smoldered there and added to the closeness of the garret. Choy Suey often longed to have the Joss to play with. She particularly wanted a plaything one warm afternoon, when the sun shone on the roof and turned the garret into an oven. Ging's bun- dle of sewing was unusually large; so large that as she sat at the machine she could not see the door, which she had been obliged to open for air. Choy Suey wandered to the opening. The sound of shuffling footsteps and sing-song voices coming up the long stairway from the 16 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS street fascinated the lonely child. She darted out of the door, and sat down on the top stair. The rumble of the cable cars and the clang of the bells as they neared the street-crossing added to her desire to see what was going on in the strange outside world. She put her feet on the third step, and moved her seat to the second. In this way she descended the long flight, and found herself at the street-door. She crouched at the foot of the stairs and peered out at the wonderful sights. Soon her attention was attracted by a little bundle lying on the sidewalk in front of her. Watching a chance when no one was passing, she went slowly and hesitatingly out of the door, seized the package, and hurried in again as fast as she could. She sat on the stairs, and took off the string and paper, revealing an object of marvelous beauty. It was only a cheap little doll, lost by some careless child, but Choy Suey thought it far handsomer than Joss; for it had lovely red cheeks, charming blue eyes, and long, '7 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS soft hair. Then its clothing was so fine! Choy Suey laid it down to examine the shoes and stockings, and oh, wonder! the eyes closed and the doll was asleep! Choy Suey lifted the strange creature, and it awoke immediately. This was repeated again and again; the child was oblivious to all but the doll. She forgot the people in the street; forgot the garret room and Ging at her sewing-machine; for her the world consisted of a doorstep and a little doll. The afternoon slipped away, the fog rolled in from the ocean, the draft up the stairway was cold and damp, and Choy Suey was thinly dressed. At dusk she fell asleep, and the passers did not notice the small shivering heap. At the usual time for the evening meal, Ging rose wearily and looked around for the little girl. To her amazement she was not there. Ging went downstairs, found the baby, carried her up, and laid her in a corner. Then she hastily ate some food, and resumed her sewing. 18 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS After a couple of hours Choy Suey began to toss and moan, and soon her choking, gasping breath made itself heard above the noise of the machine. Ging went to her, took her in her arms and tried to quiet her; but the choking grew worse and Ging was alarmed. She went down to the drug-store, where she bought some dried lizards, a sure remedy for sore throat. Even this did not help Choy Suey. As she lifted the child from one arm to the other, the mother felt a hard lump under the little calico apron. She drew it out, and found it was a doll, dressed in foreign clothing. She snatched it away in horror. Some "white devil" had given the child this thing to make her ill and perhaps kill her. She placed the doll on the shelf before the Joss, hoping by his influence to counteract the evil, but she grew more and more anxious, for Choy Suey was breathing with so much diffi- culty that it seemed as if her strength must soon be exhausted. 19 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS Ging began to carry her up and down the room, for she appeared a trifle more comfort- able when she walked with her. A few steps took her the length of the room; then she turned, and continued her march back and forth. At one of the turns, before the Joss, Choy Suey, unseen by her mother reached out her hand and took the doll. Then she rolled over and nestled her head against her mother; presently her breathing became easier, and she fell asleep. When Ging, after carefully arranging the old blanket, placed the baby on it, she saw the doll in the wide sleeve, where it had caught when the little hand relaxed in sleep. Here was a wonderful thing! What did it mean? It was evident that the god was not angry, for he had cured the child. But how did it happen that the doll that Ging had offered for him to wreak his vengeance on was now in the loving embrace of Choy Suey? And as she worked far into the morning hours, to make up for lost time, it seemed to Ging that the clatter- 20 THE DOLL OF THE WHITE DEVILS ing machine took up the question, and asked of her, of Joss, of all within hearing, "What does it mean? What does it mean?" The question was never answered, and Choy Suey is looked upon with awe by the mothers of the Chinese Quarter, as the child for whom Joss worked a miracle. 21 The Exiles ANTON was awakening. On the river the boat people were bestir- ring themselves; in the city the gates had been opened, and from one house after another came sounds of the be- ginning of the day's work. In a little shop, quite undisturbed by the noise of his neighbors, an old man was waiting for the happiest moment of his day. His gar- ments were of faded blue cotton; his hands, face, and shaven forehead were like an old ivory carving; his expression and attitude were full of peace and dignity. In some strange way a ray of sunshine managed to struggle down be- tween the buildings through the dark street into the little shop. Then Wong Yuen uncovered the cage of his pet lark, and as the bird, in the 23 THE EXILES feeble sunlight of the city, swelled its throat and sang of the country warmth, the pure air, and the perfume of flowers, he was no longer an old man, a seal engraver of Canton, but a boy who roamed the fields of his native province, listening to the larks as they arose singing from the grass at his feet. The song continued joyously, and he was a young man, watching the coming of the proces- sion bringing to him his bride. The sunlight glittered on the red sedan-chair as it was borne along the road, and mingling with and sweeten- ing the wedding music was the song of larks. Louder and happier caroled the bird, and the old man smiled, and bent his arm as if it felt again the weight of his little son as he carried him out of doors to see the larks. How the child laughed with delight, and put out his baby hands to catch them, as they took flight, singing as they went! The sunlight crept away, the song grew sad, and the old man saw an angry river overflowing 24 THE EXILES its banks and destroying all in its path. He saw hunger come to his home, and when, after a long fight, it was driven away, he saw another pro- cession with its escort of lanterns and banners. Again he heard music, funeral music, again she who had come in the gay red chair was car- ried along the road, again the larks sang sang at her grave. Softly sang the bird, almost a whispered song, for it was of the love of the old man's son for the beautiful Pearl, and of his sorrow, for the beautiful Pearl could be won only by a man of wealth and position. Into the soft song came a note of pain. A father and son were parting, for the son was to study for literary honors, while the father, who was skilled in carving, worked for money in the distant city. With a bird in a cage he began his journey, and soon the lark country was left behind. To the exiles in the little shop in Canton came mandarins and merchants whose seals must be engraved, and fame and money followed their visits. With 25 THE EXILES the work of the old man's hands weighty docu- ments were signed. The bird sang to the man, the man read letters to the bird, letters which told that all was well. The song became loud again, and very sweet, and ended gloriously. The old man roused him- self, and took from his sleeve the last letter, the one which said that the first degree had been taken, the money had been counted, and these things being satisfactory to the father of the beautiful Pearl, she had been promised to the writer, the old man's son. Wong Yuen smiled, but the eyes behind the big round spectacles grew dim. " The gods are good," said he as he rose feebly, "they do not forget. And neither do you and I forget, Sweet Throat; we think of the land of the larks whence we came. Try your wings, my treasure, for the gods have promised that we shall return. Perhaps it will come soon, the dream, for our work here seems almost done." While the bird flew around the room the old 26 THE EXILES man began to work, but even in the best light and through the big spectacles the seal looked dim and far away. He put down his tools, and placed food in the cage, and when the bird went back after it he shut the door. " To-night, Sweet Throat, you will sing at the temple. After the festival I shall pray for the dream; the god has said that he will send it in time. He will not forget that we have offered him sacrifices and song through all the years." Then the old man set resolutely to work on the seal. He must see more clearly, his hands must steady themselves, for it might be the last work he would do, and it must be good. All day he engraved the lines, slowly, carefully, with never a slip, never a false cut. At evening he laid aside the seal, and, as was the custom, went into the street and burned candles and incense to- the god of wealth, who sat enshrined in a niche outside of the shop. The ceremony over, he took the lark in its covered cage and started for the temple. As 27 "HE TOOK THE LARK IN ITS COVERED CAGE AND STARTED FOR THE TEMPLE." THE EXILES he approached he saw others, evidently on the same errand, and when they entered there were still more who had preceded them. Hundreds of cages hung on bamboos around the brilliantly lighted room, and those of the later arrivals were added to the number. From the altar the god smiled through the incense smoke on his worshipers; that he had helped many of them might be seen from the numerous gilded tablets which the grateful ones had placed on the temple walls. His devotees had planned this festival to do him honor. When all was ready the cages were uncovered, and the birds, at the sudden change from darkness to light, began to sing, and a marvelous concert was the result. No wonder the kindly god appeared to smile as he listened! When the songsters' voices gave out, the cages were covered and taken away by their owners. Old Wong Yuen was very tired when he reached home, but very happy. The next day, after the lark's morning song, the old man worked again on the seal, and in 29 THE EXILES the evening he took the bird to the temple. On the third day the seal was finished, and after the songs of the third evening the festival came to an end with a procession in honor of the god. Wong Yuen carried the lark home, but re- turned alone to the temple, now quiet and dark. He lighted the candles and incense he had brought with him, and prostrating himself be- fore the god offered his prayer. "Oh, beneficent one! when this poor man came to gain wealth that his son might have his heart's desire, a great god promised that here he should not die. Beneficent one! the man grows feeble, the land of the larks, which his eyes would see once more, is far away. Has not the time come when the promised dream may warn him to set forth?" The prayer ended, he lay down on the floor before the altar, and soon fell asleep. The candles had burnt out, but the incense still smoldered when he awoke in the gray light of the morning, his old face illumined with happi- 30 THE EXILES ness. The dream had been given him. From a dim corner of the temple had come a bat, a good omen, a "rat of happiness," and circled around the altar. The god raised his hand, pointing, and as the bat flew out of the door Wong Yuen understood that he was to follow. So, lying there on the cold floor, the old man dreamt that he followed the bat as it fluttered ahead of him and led the way to the land of the larks. The bat dropped to the earth, and from the spot a lark arose, and Wong Yuen watched it dis- appear, a speck in the sky. Then he seemed to see the god again, and still the finger pointed to the old man to follow. Wong Yuen thanked the god with many pros- trations. Then he hurried back to the shop where the lark awaited his coming with little cries for food. After he and the bird had break- fasted the old man set the small room in order, and prepared for the journey. The customer came for the seal; Wong Yuen went out and settled his affairs; but it was yet morning when THE EXILES he and the bird left Canton. For several days he traveled, sometimes by boat, sometimes on foot, resting at night where he found shelter. His strength grew less, but he was happy; had he not the promise of the god that he should see his home again? There was no need to notify his son of his coming, for it would be the time of the festival of the dead, and he would be at the old home to offer sacrifices at the family tombs. At last they came to the land V ^%f the larks, and the pris- oner in the cage answered the songs of his kindred. "Ah! ._**--*' Sweet Throat," said the old man, "may your freedom seem good to you. As good as mine will be to me, for "SLOWLY HE CLIMBED THK HILL." THE EXILES it is coming soon to us both." Slowly he climbed the hill, knowing well what he should see from the top. In the old days it had never been so steep; he was tired, and the cage felt heavy. At the crest of the hill he seated himself; the way had been long, but he had reached home, for there before him was the country where the hap- piest part of his life had been passed. There was the road along which the little bride had come, there was the house in which she had lived, there, just over the top of the hill, was the tomb where she was buried. He would go there first, and rest before he went on to the village. The weeds had been cleared away, from the grave, and it had been made neat in preparation for the festival. "The boy is faithful," thought Wong Yuen, "my spirit will not be neglected." The larks were singing as he approached the tomb and leaned wearily against it. He bent his forehead to the ground. "I thank the gods that I am here," he said. Then he sat quietly think- ing and listening to the larks. 33 THE EXILES The shadows were long when with a trem- bling hand he opened the door of the cage. "The time is here; go, Sweet Throat," he said. The bird hesitated, then darted through the door, but after a short flight returned to Wong Yuen, and perched on his hand. The old man smiled. "Let us go together, then," he said softly, and as the lark flew singing to the sky, the old man's head fell on his breast, and his soul rose to wander among the genii. When the son of Wong Yuen went to sacrifice at the tomb he found there the body of his father and the cage of the lark, from which the gentle spirits had gone. See Wah's New Year LITTLE See Wah lay on the ground in the shadow of a mat fastened to a low wall, while out un- der the merci- less sun his father and elder broth- ers were de- stroying the only home he had ever known; they were tearing down the mud brick walls to obtain the timbers which held them together. His mother was picking up small splinters, and put- ting them under the kettle where the last food they had was simmering, try- ing meanwhile to quiet the fretting baby 35 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR who toddled after her. There were not enough splinters thoroughly to cook the food, and there was not nearly enough food to satisfy See Wah when it came his turn. His share was the small- est, for the famished little baby and the elders who were able to work must be fed first. He, stronger than the baby, yet not big enough to work, could have only enough to keep him from starvation. But even this small allowance was a comfort, for it enabled him to fall into a troubled doze, half waking, half sleeping. He wondered how it would seem to have enough to eat. His oldest brother could remember when it had rained, when the sun had not scorched every growing thing, when there had been plenty of rice and millet, and occasionally even pork or chicken to eat. Then, to See Wah, food seemed to come: delicious sprouted beans, rice, chicken, pork, bean-cakes, tea a feast! But even the dream-feast was snatched from him by a new sound, different from the crumbling of the bricks, and the low-spoken words of his 36 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR parents and brothers the voice of a man. He opened his eyes, and saw a neighbor, Chan Yee, approaching. "Ah! venerable elder brother," said the new- comer, bowing and clasping his hands, "what do you to your honorable mansion?" "My miserable hut contains wooden beams," said the father, "and the beams I sell for food, lest I and my sons become immortal, and none be left to worship the ancestors and the gods." "To teach your honorable eldest son to wor- ship the ancestors is good; but the gods have failed us. Either the god over there in the tem- ple is deaf, or he thinks we deceive him. For, notwithstanding our prayers, the sky is cloudless, no rain comes, and we starve. To-day I eat the food bought with my door, which was of good wood and strong; to-morrow I shall eat the beams of my house, as my venerable brother does now; for the day after there is nothing. Let us therefore go to the temple, and carry the god from the cool shade out into the sunlight. Let 37 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR him feel the burning rays, and know whether or not we lie !" See Wah listened while Chan Yee pleaded and threatened, and at last persuaded his father. His mother ventured a word of protest, but her husband would not heed. And, with a beam over his shoulder, he started with Chan Yee for the village, to bring the god to his senses, and to buy food for their families. No sooner had they gone than the poor woman threw herself on the ground, terrified at their impiety. "Kwan-yin," she cried, "spare us! Goddess of mercy, listen to a woman's prayer! If the men anger the village god, do you, Kwan- yin, merciful to women and children, save us from his wrath. Kwan-yin," she moaned, "oh, Kwan-yin!" "Who calls on Kwan-yin?" To the frightened woman it seemed that the goddess herself spoke in answer to her prayer, and she knocked her forehead on the earth, not daring to look up. 38 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR "Look at me, little fool, and you will see that I am not Kwan-yin," said the voice. "Truly," said the mother, whose children crowded around her, pulling at her blouse to make her rise, "truly, Kwan-yin speaks hot Cantonese." The stranger replied: "Why not the dialect of Canton as well as yours? Yet, if a manner of speech could make a goddess, then might I be Kwan-yin; for, as your ears tell you, I can speak as do you. But look, little foolish one! I am but a mortal, called Chang Foon. Was ever goddess pockmarked as I?" The mother at last raised herself, and beheld a woman with a pitted, ugly face, but who was fat and well dressed from which it was evident that she did not belong to the famine-stricken province. The stranger saw in the situation the opportunity she sought, and continued: "Sit here, little one, and listen, for Kwan-yin has sent me. both to give and to receive help. I have money and food, but I am poor; you hunger, 39 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR yet you are rich; for you have husband and children, while I am a childless widow. I have crossed the ocean to bury my husband, he was of Canton, and hearing that famine was here in the province where I was born, I have come to buy a child to be his son, that he be not neg- lected in the spirit world. Give me one of your boys, and I will give you silver. Let us make the exchange, little one, and thank Kwan-yin that each can supply the other's need." The mother drew See Wah close to her. "Across the ocean?" she said. "Yes," said the stranger. "Across the ocean there is silver and gold, and one never starves. In the midst of the foreign devils' city there is a little Canton, and from there the smoke of the sacrifices goes up the same as from the Flowery Land. There we will stay, the boy and I, until we have gold and silver to last us always ; then we will return, he to marry, and I to spend my old age with my rich son and my beautiful daughter-in-law." 40 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR The stranger paused, well pleased with the effect of her story. If part of it happened to be fiction, what was the difference, so that it served her purpose better than truth? The mother sighed. "The oldest and the youngest cannot go; it must then be See Wah," and again she caressed the child. "Will you go?" she asked, as she held him. "Does it rain there?" questioned the boy; "and can I feel the drops fall?" "You shall go out in the rain every day," re- plied the stranger. "And I shall always have plenty to eat?" "So much that your arms will be tired bring- ing it home to be cooked." "Then I will go," said See Wah, standing up very tall and straight, for he felt the envious eyes of his brothers upon him. "And the venerable father," said the stranger, "will he give permission?" "Ah. gladly," sighed the mother, well know- ing that he would eagerly seize the chance to SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR rid himself of one hungry child, with the addi- tional advantage of providing for the others. "He has gone to punish the village god. When he returns I will tell him what Kwan-yin, the merciful, has done for us." The stranger opened her bag and shared her repast with the mother and the little ones; and when the father and Chan Yee walked back, tired and hot, they were surprised to find such a contented group. The stranger stated her case, and the men went off to consider it. "Of course all this talk about Kwan-yin is woman's nonsense," said Chan Yee, "but the price she offers is good, and my venerable elder brother has other sons. And even if we do suc- ceed in making the god send rain, he will some- time forget, and there will again be famine. Let the child go; he can be no worse off, whatever happens." "My honored friend speaks wisdom. Let us tell the women we have settled it," said the father, who was a man of few words. 42 SEE WAH'S NEW YEAR So little See Wah went away with the stranger, Chan Yee being witness that she had adopted him as her own son. They journeyed slowly, to Canton, the woman, Chang Foon, becoming harder and sterner to the child as the distance lengthened between him and the home he had left. She insisted that he should learn the dialect of Canton instead of his own, and when at last they were on board the great steamer the reason for this was explained to See Wah. He was to be smuggled into the land of the "foreign devils" as Chang Foon's own child, who had been born there, and he must learn, in Cantonese, a cate- chism which should prove the truth of their story to any "foreign devil" who might question his right to land. But if the child should fail, the "foreign devil" would kill him at once. No wonder that, under such threats, poor little See Wah was diligent, and repeated "Califo'nia, San Francisco, Dupon' Stleet," until he knew them perfectly. Then he learned on which streets the 43 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR cable cars go uphill, and on which they go down, and other details calculated to make the "white devil" believe that See Wah had seen these things with his own eyes, instead of through the eyes of Chang Foon. After many days the jar of the steamers en- gines ceased, and See Wah was told that the time of his ordeal had come. Being anxious to keep the breath of life in his little body, he heard nothing, saw nothing, of the excitement of going ashore, but fixed his mind on his lessons, to the exclusion of all else. A "foreign devil" ques- tioned, not unkindly; and See Wah answered creditably, and then he was in a wagon with Chang Foon, rattling over the cobble-stones of Chinatown. The wagon stopped in a narrow alley, the woman and boy took their bundles and entered a house. Up they went, climbing stairway after stairway, dark and steep. Finally Chang Foon opened a door, and went into a small room. She seated herself, and addressed See Wah. 44 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR "All this trouble and expense to keep the soul of a man in good humor! I bought you to wait upon your master, who is dead, and upon me. You know nothing; here is your teacher," and she took a stick from a corner and struck the child. "Has that taught you enough to go out and buy something to eat?" See Wah, astonished and in pain, started for the door. The woman added some directions, and gave him a little money. He was fortunate enough to do the errand as she wished, and after the meal he was permitted to go to bed on a pile of rags. The next morning the instruction be- gan again. See Wah learned to work, to run errands in all weather, to wait on the living, and to burn incense and sacrifice to the dead. There were just two pleasant things in his life the glimpses from the balcony into the alley, and the fact that he had enough to eat, for Chang Foon kept her word in that respect, and though the food was plain the child was never hungry. 45 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR The time passed, until came the Feast of the Three Beginnings of the year, the months, and the days. See Wah watched the prepara- tions with interest, and did the marketing with all possible speed that he might have time to linger on the streets, where little stalls were being set up along the edge of the sidewalks, for the sale of sweetmeats, oranges, and the beau- tiful yellow and white narcissus, which seemed too pure a thing to have grown in Chinatown. The merchants were busy settling accounts, and decorating the fronts of their shops with the large New Year's lanterns. Everything was made ready, and the population of the Chinese quarter, augmented by every Chinaman in the city or surrounding country who could leave his work, began to celebrate the great holiday. New Year's Eve was given to worship, and then commenced a festival of several days, during which no business was transacted, little work done, and men, women, and children, dressed in their best, devoted themselves to pleasure. SEE WAH'S NEW YEAR As there was no work, Chang Foon sent See Wah out on the balcony while she gossiped with her neighbors and smoked cigarettes, and drank samshu. The child spent the day peering into the alley. He studied the balconies below and the adjoining houses as he had never had time to do. before. He felt very lonely, for the sight of the gayly dressed children, carrying their New Year's presents, sent his thoughts to his home, where, if there was lack of food, there was also a mother to be sorry about it. At dusk the lanterns were some company. It was cheering to watch them blaze out, one after another, into spots of red or white light. Then the firecrackers began to snap and rattle, and the musicians at the theatre on the street opposite the entrance to the alley tuned up, and the horns tooted, and the fiddles squeaked unceasingly. See Wah thought it might be possible to enjoy the New Year if one did not belong to an ill- tempered, ugly-faced woman, and if one could live in a room where there was no stick kept in 47 SEE WAH'S NEW YEAR the corner. If only he could run away! The boldness of this idea frightened him, yet he was fascinated by it, and thought and planned until he was tired. Then, realizing the hopelessness of it all, he leaned his head on the balcony rail, and cried softly, very softly, for was not Chang Foon just inside? Suddenly he raised his head to listen. What was coming up the street? The thud of a drum, the strumming of guitars, and singing. "Foreign devil's" music; yet the words of the song were Chinese, and it was all about being happy! See Wah could only listen, but the people on the street watched the little company march up the hill and take its stand at the corner of the alley. Chinese members of the Salvation Army they were, and when the song came to an end (to ears not Chinese it was painfully far from the tune and key), a young Chinaman began to speak. He was very much in earnest, and not to be discouraged by the jeers of his countrymen. He did not seem to hear the merchant who, as he SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR passed, said in English, "Lies, he talks lies!"- but he kept bravely on in the hope that some one might hear and be helped. "Come, ye that are weary, come and find rest. Come now, at the New Year. For the lonely, for the sad, there is comfort, there is happiness." To little See Wah, up on the balcony, it seemed that every word was meant for him. The voice continued, urging him to flee from evil (that was Chang Foon) and promising joy and a home. The child glanced into the room where Chang Foon had fallen asleep over the samshu, and turning to the balcony looked hesitatingly over it. He could climb down, he knew; he had studied it out that afternoon. But the house was high, the street was far away, and he was small. Again came the call: "Oh, my brother, do not wait; now is the time, now is the day!" Then, in See Wah's own dialect, the long unheard speech of his mother, the orator added: "Come, my brother, cornel" The child hesitated no longer. Over the rail 49 SEE WAR'S NEW YEAR he climbed, and swung himself upon the balcony of the next house. Fortunately, there was no one there. He drew a long breath, and started on the next descent. So he zigzagged back and forth until he reached the balcony nearest the street. One terrible moment, and, with the help of a leader-pipe, he was safely on the little porch over the door. From there he must drop to the street. He was lame when he picked himself up, but he limped to the corner, where the Sal- vationists were singing their farewell song. He touched the sleeve of the young man who had spoken, and gasped : "Venerable elder brother, I come! Hide me before the little pockmarked one awakes!" It was no new thing to rescue a miserable child from Chinatown, and the young man had long had his plans laid in case he should ever meet a chance to save one. Taking his knife from his pocket, he cut a long slit in the head of the big drum, and pushed little See Wah inside. Then, singing louder than ever, he gave the sig- 50 SEE WAH'S NEW YEAR nal, and the little band marched down the hill toward the barracks. At Kearny Street a close observer might have thought that the drummer was tired, for he carried the drum as if it were heavy, and, al- though his arm went through the motions, his blows were inaudible. Possibly the flag was in his way, for it drooped low over the side of the drum in quite an unusual manner. But the voices were triumphant, and the company en- tered the barracks singing a hymn of praise. And that New Year there was a fourth begin- ning the beginning of a new life for little See Wah. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY This book isJMJE on the last date stamped below NON-REN APRO OUE V 2WKSFROM MAY 06 1993 EWABLE 1993 )ATE RECEIVED UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORKIA AT LOS ANGELES LIBRARY