The eyes of the miniature savage were apparently frozen wide open in an instant, while paralysis made him utterly stoic and dumb. The Chinaman's basket had a shallow tray in the top filled with beets; then an inside receptacle, also shallow, filled with celery. Below this last were cabbages, down in the bottom. These extra insides the negro quickly lifted out with his unemployed hand; then a couple of the cabbages, as large together as the wee pappoose, came forth with a jerk. In a second more the silent Indian baby had been dropped within the basket, the various trays had been properly replaced, and the darky had rapidly hopped through the open door with his cabbages, doubling himself like a nut-cracker and stretching his face in violent but silent laughter. Out came Wong, beaming with the radiance of tea well swallowed. He rearranged his pole, bent his stout Mongolian back, straightened up, lifting his baskets, balanced them neatly, and trotted away with the frightened baby Indian, but quite oblivious that such a lively vegetable ever was grown. Wong went singing up the street, or rather humming away about a "feast of lanterns," and he thought on how soon he would be enabled to purchase a wagon. "Good-molling," he said, as he stopped at last at the rear of one of the most imposing houses. "Velly fine molling." "Good-morning, Wong. It's a little bit chilly," said a gray-haired woman wearing glasses, rubbing her hands. "Oh yeh, him feel lill bit chilly." "What you got this morning?" she inquired. "Oh, for callot, for cell'ly--velly nice for cell'ly--for turnip, for squash, any kine." Then, as she hesitated, "potatoe?--for ahple?--for cabbagee? Oh, lots um good kine, I tink." She took a squash. "Did you say cabbage, Wong?" "Oh yeh." He began at once to lift the tray. Next he hoisted forth the shallow inside basket and reached for a cabbage. [Illustration] "Ki! yi!" he yelled. "Sumin--ah--got, yu nee mah! Kow long hop ti! Ha! What you call um? Hi! for Injun debbil!" And he lapsed again into awful Chinese exclamation points, and danced a fan-tan dango in a wonderful state of excitement. "Hi! What you call um? Sumin-ah-got, no belong for Wong! Huh!" Nerving himself for the fearful ordeal, he lifted the squirming baby forth and dropped it quickly to the ground. No sooner did the wild little thing find itself released than it scrambled to its feet and ran at the skirts of the elderly lady--the only thing it recognized--and clung there like a prickly burr. "Mercy!" shrieked the lady. "Mercy! Where-- Wong, where did you get this child--this savage child?" she demanded. "Sumin-ah-got, no sabbee," said the terrified Wong, gathering baskets and mats in a desperate haste. "Plitty click for whole lots um for Injun come for nis one. Wong no takee. No see some nis one for baby befloh. Somebody makee for tlick--you sabbee?--makee velly much tlouble. Kow long hop ti! Yu nee mah!"