Evening Star Newspaper, July 31, 1927, Page 80

HE widow of Hung Gow was marketing when the overtook her house. gone to her task light-hearted- 1y, thinking how best to plense her fastidious son. Would he find a smoked duck to his taste, or a bit of crisply roasted pork? Or might ‘handful of dried shrimps content him? Ah, these men! What sources of genial worries they were! Who ever heard of disturbing one's mind over a daughter’s fare? Assuredly. it was «mscant satisfaction to serve feed of any wort to a woman. She, with three daughters, did she not know? But to minister to the appetite of a male—ah, that was different! Even his disgusts were lively, putting one on edge to please him. As a bride, how she had thrilled to her husband’s mealtime ardors! For Hung Gow, in his day, had been as lusty a diner any. gunman in ‘breadth of San Francisco “hinatown. And he had lived lustily, too, in the end paying the price of certain philan- dering with his life—a pointless enough matter beside the fact that he had been to his wife, Wan Lee, not only a male, but a mate worth feed- ing. Which made her loss the greater at his untimely taking off, and her pleasure in her son's desires the more profound. Happily for her, she thought, this mon of hers was more the connoisseur and less the gormandizer. That he ate gravely and without haste was to Wan Lee a circumstance by no means as unsatistying as it seemed. Thus, she argued, would he live—calmly, mod- - erately—to a ripe old age, blessing her ~with many grandchildren, or, to be| precise, many gransons to feed. However, she had a suspicion that her husband would have found little satisfaction in the studious decorum of his son, in his distate for gun-play, 4n his pronounced econtempt for all melodramatic flourishes. But, to re- peat; all this filled the matronly Wan Les with a large content. Effect, to her simple reasoning, bore a close relation to cause: Did one gather . nettles from plum boughs? »Then could violence spring from tran- quillity?, As with us all, the wish was father to the thought; and Wan Lee, being passionate to have her son, built up a wall of reasoning for his preservation. In: short, she wrapped herself so stightly in her security that she drew the attention of the gods. And they Jaughed, which brings us the more s@peedily to our tale. * K kK I T was just the day for marketing— day with a crisp <warmth wherever the sunshine fell, but harboring - shadows too cool for loitering, and with the New Year a quarter of a moon distant, the choicest -of wares on display, and everywhere the contagion of holiday bartering. - Wan Lee explored a fish shop first, but found nothing that intrigued her except. a devilfish which proved quite out of reach of her purse. Smoked duck was equally -an - extravagance, thanks to the holiday demand, and ~dried shrimps of poor quality. But in the meat stall of Yoke Moy she came upon such a crisp and freshly roasted :pig that she threw all thrift to the ‘wind-and demanded the choicest cut ible. Yoke Moy smiled blandly: ““The choicest cut! he echoed. *‘Per- haps you have guessed that meat such’ as I sell brings a fair price?” To which she replied vigorously: “Think you that I have lived to my g‘ ‘without knowledge? The widow of »#Hung Gow is no twittering fledgling.” ‘He poised the wide blade in midair. *“The widow of Hung Go he repeat +ed. “You have a son, have you She drew in a breath of pride. “For ‘whom else do I purchase the choicest morsel your shop affords? I have a ~#on, in sooth, and if the gods be kind, ¥ shall contjnue to have him until my days are accomplished.” Yoke Moy looked away, intent upon the pig’s quartering. “This son of yours—is he a Suey Sing? “As his father was befo hazardous affiliation ‘Yoke Moy, “from all reports. “By ‘what token?"” “Have you so soon forgotten your ewn ‘widowhood?” “Nay, but the worthy Hung Gow ‘was cast in a reckless mold. His son is of a more even temper. He goes not 1o extravagant lengths to provoke en- counters.” Yoke Moy continued to cut with vig- orous. strokes. “I have yet to learn that a timorous hare gains the consid- eration of foxes because of its gentle- ness.” “Two spots burned upon Wan Lee's eheeks. “The son of Hung Gow has naught in keeping with cowardice,” she flared. “So much the worse,” replied Yoke Moy Then he lapsed into a eryptic and soul-chilling silence. Coming out from Yoke Moy's shop into the slanting sunlight, Wan Lee found the street curiously emptied of 4ts hollday throng. Ten minutes be- fore, what had been a scene of cheer- ful barter was now a dreary prospect, ‘with here and there a few belated souls scurrying to cover. Even the keepers of the street stalls were clear- ing their counters. Wan Lee, casting about for .an explanation of this change, lifted her eyes to the sky—not & vestige of a cloud. Obviously, then, the weather was in no wise responsi- ble. for this abrupt inanimation. * ok x % “A LMOST as her mind fluttered to- ward an alternative, she saw a *squad of blue-coated policemen swing into view. Further speculation was useless; Wan Lee had lived through t00 many such situations to misread the signs. A vivid remembrance of the day which had accomplished her widowhood flashed over her. She recalled clearly how the quarter warmed with police after Hung Gow's death; even in her first grief ;#8he had felt pride at this evidence of her husband’s importance. Yet, with all the law's vigilance, eight lives had been snuffed out before the bloody war between the Suev Sings and the See Yups had been halted. She was won- dering what tongs had lined up for battle today and whether a toll 6f life already had been taken when she saw 1the figure of the noseless Shoo Shee pushing toward her. Ordinarily, so worthy a matron as an Lee would have ecorned such an infamous old hag, but curiosity arose -above respectability. Who could gain- say this venerable hag’s capabilities in the direction of the latest news? Thus it was that Wan Lee met the villain- ous Shoo Shee's smile of greeting. “It seems that there is naught but shuffiing old women abroad. Can it be that the n have lost all taste for adventure”” A curious look came over the face of Shoo Shee, and her usual smile ©f derision was missing, as she Answe o “Surely one 8o concerned as your- self must, by this time, have heard the reason for so much scurrying to cover; within the hour, the Suey Sing: «and the See Yups have opened fire. ‘Wan Lee sald, with a show of scorn, *That circumstance is as far removed from my concern as any 1 shall ever know.” “And yet,” -said Shoo Shee, “your husband was a Suey Sing.” “To my -8Orrow. 8hoo Shee took breath. “And your son?” 5 b in a fluttering “ | all the length and | rice Bereft Widow of Hung Gow By Charles Caldwell Dobie A Fitting Revenge for a Great Wrong Is an Object Which Presents the Problem That She Was Obliged to Solve. Wan Lee felt, resentment, and the defense that had answered a challenge less than ten fore leaped to her lips re not the wi < her. He is schooled in tran- quillity. “Which,” replied Shoo Shee sagely, “is as thin a cloak against violence as any known.” Wan dee felt herself trembling with anger and fear. Why had she thus bared herself to the shafts of derision? Yet a certain pride held her to this encounter, and she asked, as calmly as she could: “Know you the cause of this out- break?” : “The usual cause—a woman!" “A bird of brilliant plumage?” “None other than the distracting Yat Gee. for whom alveady five men have died. She was stolen from her ster under cover of last night's rkness.” “As I thought!" replied Wan Lee bitterly, “It is for such empty- headed dolls that we wives are widowed! And has toll been taken?” “‘Aye, a Suey Sing has answered for the theft of Yat Gee—a young man, it would seem, as innocent of her abduction as the mother he leaves bereft.” Wan Lee felt her palms grow sud- denly moist. “A young man, said you? “A young man.” “Who leaves a-mother bereft?" “Who_leaves a mother bereft.” Wan Lee put out a hand to herself. “Heard you his name “It has escaped me. But I knew his father before him. Shoo Shee paused, and her cracked voice softened. “A youth, according to report, schooled in tranquillit: * ok ¥ K BLINDING flash of realization swept Wan Lee. She could feel her eyelids fluttering as she drew back from Shoo Shee's instinctive gesture of commiseration. Shoo Shee sprang forward, en circling Wan Lee with her thin, spent arms, and thus came the widow of the illustrious Hung Gow to the threshold of sorrow. There were those who said that no woman ever had borne grief as light- ly as Wan Lee. Outwardly, not even the serenity of her market hour seemed ruffled by the murder of her son. But, it this unnatural placidity oc- casioned remark, what could one say for her sudden friendship with old Shoo Shee? It was not enough to meet the old hag among the bazaars, but every night, at the appointed time, the cautious tapping of Shoo Shee came at the wicket, sending the three daughters of Wan Lee scamper- ing. To any who might have listened to the conversation, the secret of this strange association would have been half solved. For did not Shoo Shee bring gossip from the covert streams of life which could undermine what or whom it would? And Wan Lee was filled with a vaguely destructive urge as she contemplated the un- revengad havoc which the gods had wrought for her undoing. ... ..... Assuredly, justice moved slowly in these days. Within twelve hours her husband’s murder had been met with equal violence, while now three days had passed without so much as a finger lifted in the defense of her household’s honor. “Were there no males in the mighty See Yup' Tong worthy of sacrifice?” 8he msked Shoo Shee repeatedly. Shoo. Shee’s replies were not altogether reassur- ing; from the meetings of the tongs came tales of difficulties. indecigions, differences of opinion. And Shoo Shree heard subterranean rumblings filled with portent. If, her ears did not deceive her, the storm would gain violence by very virtue of this prolonged calm. Thus for three .days ran the burden of Shoo Shee's encouragement, and on the fourth evening she came with con- ! eady .| irmation. “The man who must pay the pen- alty for the murder of your son has been picked.” Wan Lee simulated a dignified calm. “Why, then, do you not name him?” she asked coldly. ‘“‘Because ‘my breath was, for the moment, ; spent with the haste of bringing such joyous news to you. Before the week is out the honor of your husband’s house will be satisfied. The .name of him who has been chosen {s none other than On Yick, the son of On Wo Low. What think you of the choiee?” ‘Wan Lee stiffened with importance. “I'think it could not be matched with- in a hundred miles of this city. And were you a messenger from my hus- band’s tong, I should send back word sayinj ‘Of a truth, the humble Wan Lee is this day honored above all wpmen! That night, sitting upon her bal- IF THE GODS BE CONTINUE TO HAVE TIL ‘MY DAYS ARE PLISHED.” ACCOM- cony, she saw this On Yick pass, and 'her satisfaction grew: a tall, upstand- ing youth, who almost equaled this son of hers. A youth, if memory served her, who in his boyhood had romped with her first-born in the 1 cobbled streets. She felt no personal hatred, but she was schooled in matching suffer- ing with suffering. Had not this On Yick a mother? Let her feel the lash of bereavement. And, besides, what woman, being human, could have gainsald the honor of having eo mighty a family chosen to wipe out the memory of the See Yup's last insolence? ¥or On Wo Low was their P | “Is it bought the I most distinguished member, and, by the same token, his fir ful branch, ripe for plucking. And this son’s mother? Wan Lee smiled when she thought of her—a woman with lily feet, mincing be- tween her daughters-ina of circumstance, a won a woman to be envied, and, 3 woman as vulnerable to sorrow the humble widow of the Hung Gow. Is it to be iwondered, then, that Wan Lee was shaken with | gusts of satisfaction? For, of a_truth, one must feed upon cold comfort if the fires of happiness have burned to ashes. And when, an hour later, she heard Shoo Shee again pattering up the stairs, she thought: “Can it be that the®honar of my husband's house has been so swiftly accomplished?” But her hopes were premature, Yet Shoo Shee brought gossip of even greater import. Most extraordinary news had seeped through the wail of secrecy with which the Suey Sings hedged in all proceedings of import. It seemed that, on the morrow there ‘an Lee a messenger whose duty to ac- quaint that matron with certain tong secrets. And, having fulfilled thig part of his mission, to take counsel with the widow of Hung Gow as to the best line of action. ' * ok ok ok LL that night Wan Lee lay wide- “Xeyed on her couch, shaken with misgivings and reassurances, rising with the dawn to set her house in order for her visitor She had expected a vencrable mes- senger, but, when her glance rested upon the figure of a man midway be- tween youth and middle age she had a sinking of heart. This man was not intent on carrying formal honors to her house, 3y the time he had reached the meat of his argument she had almost anticipated it: Would a goodly sum from the coffers of the See Yup tre ury serve the honor of he hou lustily as the death of On Yic felt her c! “Does my hu the honer of Hang Go be bought like a bolt of To which her visitor ilk?" ade answer: beca currency be blood The question rallied quickly. “The currency been fixed by custom. Who am 1 to gainsay it? Are there no more men among you that you must shift the burden “upon the shoulders of a cenfusing, but sh The messenger bowed, a question- | able suavity in_his voice. “We thought_the shoulders of compassion broad. Men are not versed in mercy. But they have often great knowledge of expediency. And yet expediency is a weak thing in itself. Is it so vile to call pity into counsel?” “Pity!" she sneered. ‘Wi that widowed me? And pit reft me of a son? There s it pity that be- is .. , if you but knew it! Tam the father of a first-born son, and I know that the lives of 50 such would not add one jot to my happi- ness were he taken from me.” She looked at him scornfully, steel- ing her heart. “And yet,” she an- swered, *) that ‘men are not v, but they can make even mercy serve as a cloak to cowardice. And so you come fawning for justification to the widow of the boldest man who ever graced your tong, that you may say: ‘Wan Lee, the widow of Hung Gow, has per- suaded me against our inclination. Having been bereft of both a hus- band and a son, she ,has need of money; the father of On Yick is rich. In such a dilemma we have no choice but to accede to her wishes! It is lhI‘xfl that the tale will run, will it not?” The messenger looked at her with admiration. “You have guessed it. You are wise, Wan Lee. This is why it you but cast yi in the direc- tion I point, u cannot fail to dis- ern the truth.” Her sneer continued. “A drawn closer to your eyeglasses of expedienc He bowed very low. “The short- sighted take whatever means is near- est to clear up their infirmity. What does it matter how the blind are made to see, so the miracle is accomplished? However, one but muddies the pool with constant stirrings. Let us per- mit the issue to scttle. I shall go back to my brothers and say that the widow of Hung Gow is undecided.” “You will go back, then, O crafty messenger, with a lie!” “What would you have me sa Wan Lee cried no quarter? 'l shoulders of compassion are shrunk- en? Are you ready, Wan Lee, to send a bullet speeding toward the heart of truth that t the On Yick? You have but to command it, and it shall be done!” And thus he departed, smiling. For hours after, Wan Lee was shaken with fury. Was it possible that she had ever fancied that the great house of On Wo Low had been marked for her honor? An unquali- fied contempt for all males possessed her. A woman admitted to the de- liberation of the Suey Sings? Sugar for the trapping of even so wary a female as Shoo Shee! What would that toothless old emissary say when she heard the truth of the matter? But Shoo Shee knew not only the truth, but mugh more. She EM heard as | intrepid | not | money en?ugh in all the world to re-| | | a | | 2" She | ivor burn with the heat nr]klmlvd. r seat, | hurtl g think that | mi house is to | toward her window, and she withdrew pressures had been brought; interests were to be served; vhat precedents were to be estab- lished by Wan Lee's inspired decision to renounce vengeance for cash. For the powerful merchants’ organiza- tion, the Six Companies, had given their word to the city government to rid the quarter of all communal strife, and, when the Six Companies spoke, there were many attentive listeners. S0, continued Shoo Shee, the Suey .and the See Yups had met in counsel, and, with On Wo Low’s con- sent, had chosen his son for an empty gesture toward satisfaction. “For,” said the sagacious in both camps, “we shall have the widow of Hung Gow to Justify us and thus save our reputa- tion for vanance!” Fine specimens, an Le levolence. eyes narrowed with ma- ‘And if 1 decide not to | justify them?” she inquired. “In that case, they must put through their program. Not even x Companies can make the Suey the jest of the market-place!” We shall see, then!” exclaimed Wan Lee. And at that moment the vision of her son came to her—the vision of her &on as they had carried him in on that day when her bitterness had been accomplished. EE R D,\\'s passed, and still Wan Lee dal- lied with her decisfon. Nay, not the decision, hut its confirmation. Did pity or cruelty lie back of this inac- tion? Did she watch the graceful figure of On Yiek, swinging by her latticed window, dovelike, or with the eyes of a hawk? ' In either manner, perhaps, according to her mood. But to be truthful, it was mostly as a hawk. She grew to know every curve in On Yick’s supple body, the tilt of his head, the flexible slant to his snour- rs. Her eyes devoured his slender strong in their tapering grace, apricot tint in his cheeks, the gleam of his teeth, when he Once she sent a lily blossom ing down upon him, so that she read his upward glance. He kenly tossed an amorous 1oo ders might quickly, shaken with sardonic laugh- ter. How confidently he tramped the streets, secure in’ the power of his father's gold! The honor of Hung Gow’'s house to be bought as easily as a wanton's virtue! And a foreign government, and the Six Companies, and her husband’s tong itself hang- ing upon the decision of one lonely woman! Did we say that pity at intervals stirred within her? Only to die again, leaving a cold serenity. Had not her son walked in like confidence and grace, unsuspecting? And had not his fingers been as beautiful and the bloom upon his cheek as. radiant? And, when he smiled, had ot his teeth gleamed like ivory pavilions in the twilight? And yet they had car- ried him into her, bied white of every charm. Aye, but she would have her toll and more, for she would worry them all in the bargain! But, if there was worriment, there was also gr capacity for conceal- ment. Outwardly, the quarter re- sumed its holiday gayety—proclaiming that animosities and feuds and ven- geances were to hang suspended until the New Year had been accomplished. Thus did the powers gild the ugly ilities behind Wan Lee's inde- old On Wo Low, himself, attended by his stalwart ‘son, making the rounds of ceremonial calls, clad In the glory of yesterday. With a redssilk button topping his shining hat, passing and repassing the screemed windows of Wan Lee. And, at the appointed sea- son, the women of On Wo Low's household, his wife, in short, sup- ported on either side by her daughters- inlaw, pattering up and down with the painful movement of bound feet, also intent on calls and ceremony. Can it be that they have halted by the greasy flight leading to the lodg- ings of Wan Lee, widow of the valiant Hung Gow? 1In.truth, and not only halting, but mounting the stairs, pre- ze;l‘vd by a serving woman bearing itts. No wonder that the heart of Wan Lee flutters midway between satisfac- tion and misgiving. _She sits motionless, a just ana ter- rible Wan Lee, while the wife of Qn Wo Low prostrates hterselt in all hu- mility before her. And presently the gBifts are spread upon the floor, as gifts are spread before a princess. The three daughters of Wan Lee stand upright against the wall, aping their mother's immobllity. Here is a. box of red lacquer, with carvings half ::lndm(-hl delep. ana afltmlz of azure silk, nd priceless tea, flav % S ored with jas. And the trembling voice of a woman my‘o“': rth d compasaic W “O worthy an jonate Wan Lee, behold, you are a savior of youth, a drier of woman's tears, a dis- penser of laughter! Truly, there is not enough treasure in the world to measure my gratitude to thee!” And another voice replying, cutting the air like a thin knife: “That being so, why trouble your- self with gauds and trifies? Nay, put up yourgifts!"” A movement of salicitation from the two_ fluttering daughters-in-law. “Nay, you but jest, .Ave mot the tarms agreed Upent” . Siali.p *Verily, between men. But, happily for the honor of my husband’s. house. I am not bound to their bargain. It seems at last that women are to have ‘a hand. Well, so be it!" “Shall they not do better, then, than the men before them? TLost you a husband, a son at a woman's com- but neither heard I a wom- ice plead for them.” “Just and relentiess Wan Lee, a stone cast in a pool sends out ripples without end. Thus will it be with you, whether you cast pity or destruc- tion.” “Whether I cast pity or destruction is beside the mark. Will pity bring me back my son? And will pity still the gossips of the market-place, say-| ing as I pass: “There goes the covet- ous Wan Lee, who for a bag of silver bartered away the honor of her hus- band’s house’?” “And does my son pay the penalty of gossiping tongues with his life?"” A silence, with the lips of Wan Lee curling insolently: - “Not If he is flet of foot, O timorous mother of On Yick! Tell him my purpose, and maybe he shall be swifter in his fight than the bullet that shall speed to- ward him!" The serving woman, gathering the gifts into a "kerchief, and the mother of On Yick answering proudly: “He shall be told, in truth. * ok ok % F' the news of murder and the gossip of the tongs flew on swift wings through the quarter, what could one say for the speed with which it was reported that the wife of On Wo Low had humbled herself before Wan Lee? The streets hummed with conjec’ ire, turning the shuffling feet of Shao Shee toward Hung Gow's household. Wan Lee met the old hag's question- ing with insolent pride. “And mark you.” she said, conclud- ing her description of the engounter, “how swiftly this swaggering cox- comb will vanish. Tomorrow he will not pass again below my lattice, as is his daily wont.” Shoo Shee lit a cigarette. “To stir a pheasant Into swift flight does not insure a feast,” she observed. Wan Lee's lips turned white. “One S i can slay much with ridicule,” she an.| swered. “Even desire. Take care, Wan Lee, that your vengeance feeds not upon | empty husks. Wan Lee was stirred to anger. “Permit me to order my conduct as I choose. If a pheasant in flight is| more to my taste than one brought | low, that is my concern!” | Shoo Shee coughed into her hand. | “Irritation,” she returned, with maleyv. olent sweetness, “is the sign of weak ness!” Saying which she withdre chuckling. space, V it possible that she had dallied so long, smacking her lips over | prospects, that her hunger had be- come dulled? Or had her perceptions become profound? Was there more satisfaction in_the laughter of the| market-place than in the grief of | women? A pheasant in full flight! Suppose the bird refused to wing to-| ward freedom? The alternative set | her .to shivering, and she knew in that moment where her hopes lay. Shé sat all next day behind the | lattice of her window, and he did not | pass. Hourly, her satisfaction grew Would her 'son have fled, | warned? |the coward? The question vague disturbed her, yet, for the most part, a weight seemed lifted from her heart. To hold out for the honor of her hus- band’s house and yet have Fate de- |cide the issue peacefully—after all, | that were the easier part. (es, she was old, and violence had lost its glamour. Bat pride still reign- {ed. What whisperings in the market- | place, when next she picked her way in quest of culinary inanities for her three simpering daughters! The pro- found Wan Lee, honored by the con- | sideration of her husband's tong,| whose word could spell destruction! The profound Wan Lee, before whom the lily-footed wife of the great On Wo Low had prostrated herself; who Ihml refused rich gifts and preserved her household’s Integrity! The pro- |found Wan Lee, who had sent a| powerful man's son scurrying to ex- ile! The profound Wan Lee, whose | {son was slain. Ave, always at the | bottom of the cup remained this dro of bitterness, i | thy mother has kept silent as to what But at twilight all her erstwhile conclusions came to naught, for who should swing down from the street but this same On Yick, a proud, up- ward thrust to his shoulders and the apricot bloom upon his cheek. Wan Lee felt sick and satisfied in turn. Satisfied? Did she still hunger for the blood of On Wo Low's firat- born son? but a pride stirred her uth who could flaunt lv. She knew now he wife of On Wo tween agony and ela- v upon the spectacle | of a son unafraid. For mothers are the world over. s t. now that she had drawn so close to courage, she trembled for . Well. the issue was still in her hand. But she drew back from her weakness, as one who comes suddenly to the cdge of a precipice. Drat the youth and his bravado! Could heroi give her back her son? my teadfast, even though had betrayed her Low, divided b tion, looked d hidden | g | withal, she did not surrender t hope, and so she sat behind | attice. When he passed in the treet below her at mi a he ight, she being | erept out upon the balcony and threw | Fess, the money to her is nausht but Would her son have played | him again o lily stem. This time he |@ Symbol of a slate wviped clean. | halted, and, seeing her, he smiled | insolently {his way had she not called softly: and would have been on ~O valiant On Yick, can it be that 1 purpose? with thee to be gone; woman, and 1 have been a mother, and I would preserve the honor of my house and thy life also.” He looked at her, pityingly, &~ he nswered. “Would you have me less courag- eous than thy son? Fled he from danger?” She bent lower, so that, not even night could hear her whisper: hey flee who are warned.” s he avas.” “What say you?” “Did not my own lips whisper the truth of what they purposed?” “Nay, that were not seemly. A ma does not betray his tong thus lightly, “I am of a younger generation. To me friendship comes first. And thy If not, then let me plead n | has been settled. COATED POLICEMEN SWING INTO VIEW. . . . A VIVID RE- MEMBRANCE OF THE DAY ‘WHICH HAD ACCOMPLISHED HER WIDOWHOOD FLASHED OVER HER. in s¢hool together? And share our coconut strips on feast days? How, then, should I let them plot his ruin unwarned?” “Why did you not come to me? Perhaps I could have persuaded him. He shook his head. “As my mother persuaded me? Nay, thy son was worthy of the mother who bore him “But you say: ‘I am of a youngeer generation?” What- to you remains then of alb this ancient folly?” “#ride remains, O worthy mother! Else you would not lean thus upor vour balcony to persuade me to cowardice for the hogor of thy house.” . he put her hand to her side. ay,” she cried softly, “pride is dead. And you have killed it! Thus am I, fow the third time, bereft”" The quarter humming with released tension. It appears that everything For has not the widow of Hung Gow three unwed daughters, and .is not money needful in her condition? So runs the official record. But, as usual, there are other whis- perings abroad, whispers that grow into loud confirmations. Wan Lee is at heart compassionate, a benefac- Do any doubt this? Then remember that she was the wife of Hung Gow and well trained in henor. The * story | leaps the confines of the quarter. Strangers applaud; the name of Wan Lee becomes, for a day. famous. A For T am n |Wwoman, singie-handed, routing tradi- tion! Streams of visitors appear, knock- ing at her wicket; emissaries from the Six Companies; an official from the foreign government; On Wo Low, him- self, concealing a fan in his old-fash- loned coat-sleeve; his. wife, teetering between her daughtef-in-law, bearing gifts, as before; Shoo Shee, smirking. But to none of thése does the door * fly open. Only when comes a slender figure up the stairs does Wan Lee so much as stir from her chair. Between the rifts in her lattice she sees youth tap- ping, and, at that moment, in the kind blur of dusk, it might be her own son beating against her heart for en- trance. And so she admits him. son was my friend. Did we not sit (Copyright. 1927.) Gross Exaggerations by a Lunch Wagon: It Gives Moe Mitzic a Low-Down by Yussle BY MILT GROSS. ISHIN’??? repeated Moe Mitzic, squinting down the length of his cigar in the La Parriesiene lunch wagon. Yeah, wunst I went fishin’; jist wunst! Bites??? Ha ha—them fish musta had a hunch. They sneak- ed up to me hook—removed me woims an’ swam away. Along about noon they begin complainin’ about the bait. 1 wuz thinkin’ of temptin' them wid a fried fllly of sole or roast Philadel- phia capon’when 1 git a bite!! Yeah— I caught one—Nope—didn't put up a wriggle! Never struggled, twisted, squoimed; no scene of any kind. Jist flopped into the boat an’ heaved a sigh of relief. Yessir, sigh of relief, 'at’s what it was. That fish just lay on that slimy deck in ‘that bleary ocean on that clammy mornin’—looked up into the faces of the 63 baloney benders— an’ heaved—a sigh of rellef- ‘What's ‘at??7? Fishes don’t heave no sighs of relief??? Don't they?? Well, I suppose the trained fleas in the flea colcus don't guess yer name if ya write it on a card neither—huh—well anyways—y’'know speakin' of fish somehow reminds me of last Tholsday. You guys ever hear of Yussle Gins- boig?? Well, last Thoisday was the foist mornin’ that Yussle Ginsboig wuzn't up at 5 a.m. worryin'—Why?? He wuz dead. Sure the M.D. said so—Huh??—I don’t know—enlargement. of the stipend or somethin'—Anyways, he had ceased to function as a human being and the foist thing y’know he’s leadin’ a procession of friends, rela- tives an’ lodge brudders includin’ me- self—down Koist avenue, past Ginny- town—throo de Bridge traffic over de Island—an’ out acrost Queens Bully- vara!!! ‘Time before he made that same trip, Yussle did, by subway, tube, trolley, bus an’ pushcart—him pushin’—This time he’'s got a automobile—huh— that’s the satire of it. Well, the cara- van finally pulls up by the little hole in the side of the white dotted hill which is to be Yussle's foist restin’ place. The 1908 machines spill out the mourners who walk kind of stiff after the long cramped grind—over to the spot where the human tear-bomb is waitin’ to deliver the elegy over the remains of the dear departed. They group around—heavin’ an’ puff- in'—with the strain of holdin’ in the hysterics they've been savin' up all the way out—an’ wait for him to begin. ‘Well, Mr. Mark Antony Goldfarb— one of the lodge brudders—takes his | place!! He's wearin’ a silk skull cap over a kind of a head wit a layer of blackish hair on it that runs down to a forehead big enough to hold at least which are spread on the ‘ground like 20 minutes after 8.° He makes noises wid his troat, counts the house wid one, takes a quick look at a few gatherin’ clouds outa the other an'— “Frands witt pipple witt fallow brodders from de lodge”—he starts off wid one finger up in the air~"“We are congested here to-gadder today on dees spot, wot its by itch one witt hall from us wulcanized de hearts to-gad. der like annytink in a common cuzz wot it conseests from a dipp driff!! Bounded in a bound from tsorrow!!! Fascinated to-gadder in woe!!! Mulded into a unity witt a solidarity from messfuttchin!!'—stending in conjonc- tion—itch one drum by a megnet wot its far from a plasure I assure you!! “Honly jost bot yasterday it riccived one from hour beluffed ones a sum- mons—!!! Not for spidding widd de mutter-car—A summons, mine frands, bickuss dees brodder decdn’t hed a mutter-car he should speeding in—:! Not for paddling wittout a license a | sommons—not fvvin for domping on | do sitewalk gobbidge a sommons—A far morr nubble sommons mine frands —to de front from de Great Jodge wheech its ompossible you should send- ing a attoiney he should paying for you de fine—odder he should pust- punning de caze. p “Honly jost bot yasterday was by oss de mambership in goot stending fife hondred witt feefty fife—— ; “Today is fife hondred witt feefty urr— “Here lies de rizzon—A dollink riz- zon!! A witt a wubby-gunn rizzon—a flower in de prime from blooming!—a tree—a chomming one—a—a beautiful building—a gudgeous hedifice cott 18 wrinkles. His eyes is popped an’ his nose cleaves the air wid a swoop down over a smear of a moustache. What there is of chin to his face is kind of bluish in tint an’ he has jowls like the things where squoills keep their spare nuts in. A three-inch-high “gates-ajar” collar has him by the neck like a tin+band around a bale of cotton. He's wearin’ a dark gray coat wid satin stuff on the edges, over vests an' shoits an’ underwear an’ a set of m‘nu- plasters underneat, it ‘seems His : pants legs do.s ‘psrenthesis_sdown to his dogs gudgeous rizzon!—a westfovl rizzon, a sed huff grom oss in de cuss from constroctiofg Occurding to usual mine frands is de‘tneasurements from a hyk man bing two scurr years witt ten— Is no?? So you weel hesk me den why does it ewaporate gradually ay some pipple de axeestance by a hoily hage?? So I weel geeve to you mine frands a henswer wheech it is tenta- mount to-a hu‘»uhw.lon 80: Eef r a man—pure witt simple, grend wi sober witt staddy witt reli- able wot he's hable to foinish foist closs rafrances—eef he pays in lotch de dooz—eef he's from a nature mikk- itt a gantle deesposeetion— eef——he’s a beautifool building wot it's dere de breecks goot didds—eef it's | da still bimms courage witt welor—eef 's de fondation weem witt weegor vitellity—So I weel tal to you so | de axeestance sotch a man | idder by a hoily hage odder by a late | hage so is de same deeference. Is complitt by heem de life irrigoddless— Is complitt by heem in a shut time a | lung life. Jost like it is condansed wot | it stends a complitt human mashinery, witt no potts meesing insite from a meedget!!'—" . Here he halts an’ looks around the crowd fer comments, questions, criti- cisms or arguments—one of the ladies | aints. Then, havin’ exhausted all the stuff he copped outa the book he gits specific and lights into a biology of Y v, oh boy, there was the original Unhappy Hooligan. Accord ng to the dope_the orator spilled in between tears, Yussle was born wid hives, hang-nails, a bit tongue, tight shoes an’ a bad case of sunboin—He had two strikes on him from the start —if he wuz a buildin’, as the bloke said. he shoulda been condemned The bricks wuz tough breaks, the plaster wuz hard times, the founda- tion wuz flat feet,,the plumbin’ wuz operations an’ the roof rubber checks —He always got the paper label on his bread an' a busted spring under his theater seat. When the eighteen to forty-five Draft wuz declared, his two missin’ fingers started to grow back—When he wuz born he wuz one of them brats that can’t breade—the blacksmit who wuz a doctor on the side hadda swing him around to get some air into him— De rope slips and Yussle lands versts up on the Nevsky Prospect wid tree ribs outa joint just .as the Czar’'s car- riage is passin’ and his family gits sent to Siberia for trowin} bombs. His olly life was just one lo; Then he decides to banana boat by way of foot, hands, tight ropes, roller skates and pogo sticks. He puts in twenty-one days straight seasick an' lands in Savan- nah, Georgia, lookin' like a vertabrea wid a loose skin on—Some bums tip him offhow to hop a freight to New Yawk, but he gits on the cow-ketcher right in the path of the sparks from the engine—Fer 800 miles he's puttin’ out fives all over himself an’ when he gets booted off the train he lands on the platform witt nothin’ but a pair of sox, some trials an' a coupla spare tribulations, accordin’ to the orator dope. Then his troubles really start to begin. From then on his life up till last Thoisday reads like the sad examples urance companies use advertisin’. The bloke tells e had gone wild wid joy celebratin’ the Armistice, heavin’ pa: pers an’ contetty around, an’ dancin’ a jig in the street wid Mrs. Gorman, who had tree sons in de outfit—Den one night finds him sittin’ on the coib stone askin’ himself questions out loud an’ answerin' 'em. He's got a tele- gram in his hand from the War De- partment regrettin' the heroic su- preme sacrifice of Private Emanuel Ginshoig. After 1 hoid that an’ a few more de- tails of the time he had wid his wife after the blow affected her mind—an' they hadda steer her out to Farmizg- dale, T that the only tough break that coulda topped ‘em all would be for him to suddenly sit up— quiverin up and down—their souls tortured wid pain, misery, grief an’ wny—d;mun'. fillin* the sky witt