Page 128 - Adventure Magazine, 1921, July 18th

Sorcery and Everhard 123

"I repeat, sir," he said slowly, perhaps It is nonsense about the Chinese having
impressively, "what do you want?" all the wisdom in their heads, ancient lore
I remarked that I had explained that a and a terrible understanding of human na-
sufficient number of times to various other ture, and such fictional tradition. They are
servants that evening, and suggested that it no more dangerous than anybody else who
was not likely that I would have been doesn' t hesitate to kill and has patience, and
brought so far into the house without some uses a lot of tricks.
authority from Sin Chang. Little Miss Plum-Blossom, or whatever
"I, " he said slowly, "am Sin Chang--' 1 her name, was a small, dainty little maiden,
He held it on a rising accent for a moment. highly painted, with her Qlack hair drawn
It was quite cleverly done. But seeing that tightly back and t;he head decorated with
I knew better he put a possessive on to ornate pins and fresh flowers. The almond
Chang, and added- eyes were accentuated by the lines of her
"-Chang's representative." blackened eyebrows.
A very subtle gentleman, up to cun- Her feet were the smallest things that
ning tricks, and quite Americanized. A ever upheld a woman, or that I had ever seen
big Chinaman, too. I remembered that under a woman. Hers were the first bound
somebody had told me the big Chinamen feet I had ever seen, and gave her a sort of
were Cantonese and Manchus. But it graceful awkwardness-if there can be such
.. made no difference. I did not care where he a thing; and there was in her case-for she
was from. "I have a message and gifts moved with ease, taking little, tiny steps,
for Sin Chang," implying that they were and almost fluttering.
were not for his representative. She had on a sort of long-blouse, with
It may seem that I was not diplomatic, or wide sleeves, of yellow and purple satin,
scarcely polite. I was not. Had I been which was richly eIIi.broidered. Her trou-
there would have been no reason for not giv- sers were of purple, and she --wore ankle
ing the alleged message-and the alleged · bangles. Her fingers were covered with
gifts-to him. Also I was quite sure that rings. She was the sort of little thing that a
he was not looking for trouble until he had butterfly collector might net and put under
found out what I did want. glass.
He rewarded me with -a steady, evil Her voice was sweet, thin, tinkling-but
stare and some moments of silence. I ac- when /one considers that that girl had been
cepted it all without visible anxiety. Two taken when she was five or six years old,
automatics were in my side pockets and herded in with other girls of the same age or
four filled clips also. I was rather heavily thereabouts, and from that almost baby-
weighte d, in fact; and since, more or less, I hood trained in nothing else than to please
had come expecting trouble I saw no reason males, instructed in all the graces and arts
for being timid when a large, strange China- · that would sooth and bewitch them,_one
man chose to be rather offended because his may have more sympathy and less ad-
personality was not impressive enough to miration for her. A friend who knows
satisfy his vanity. more about China than I ever want to
He withdrew slowly, almost motionlessly, know, but who may have the travelers
maintaining his stare, and no doubt expect- weakness for telling what isn't so says
ing me every moment to call that I would that girls are of ten taken as young as
tell him whatever he wanted to know; for by three years.
withdrawing in silence he gave the impres- Anyway her voice was sweet, thin, tink-
sion that nothing more would be done for ling, ·and she could not speak Engli h very
me, that I had had my chance and lost it. well; but she spoke it charmingly, which is
Very-apparent it was that he and I would more than mo t women do who are born
have some difficulty in being friends. with English, that is al o to say American,
Again I waited, but not long. tongues in their mouths. I have nor ason
A sweet and gentle apparition appeared to feel that I can phonetically convey her
noic;;elessly, and through another door. Her curious pronunciapon, but I may sugge tit
smile was bewitchingly pleasant, disarming a little.
in fact-only I never am disarmed in the "Lou come see Sin Chang?"
presence of a woman. Something perhaps Her little eyebrows were arched inquir-
my Chinese host did not know. ingly.

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