"Him say two men come ’longside him, but I no see. Him talk velly
soft--say I come Chinatown, him makee me velly nice dless--get velly
fine house--find me velly good husband. I tell him go ’way, I too
muchee sabby him. One time I thlink him good man--now I heap sabby him
tell big lie--no got nice dless--no got fine house--no got good
husband--I all time stlay Miss Kenlick. Him get velly mad--him say
velly bad thling. Then him say I no go alongside him, two men come
takee me so--" and Moon Ying raised her pretty little hands and gripped
fiercely at the air, with the motion of one throttling a victim.
"What you do then?"
"I cly velly loud--likee so--" and Moon Ying let out a feminine screech
that caused Laura and Mercy to cover their ears. "Then Chung Toy
catchee me, so--," and she seized her arm roughly,--"put hand so--," and
she covered her mouth with her palm. "I cly one time again. Miss
Kenlick come. Miss Muh See come. One man come. Chung Toy him lun
away."
"Did you see him?" I asked of Laura.
"Indeed I did; and I could have caught him, too, if I hadn’t been such a
goose as to be scared into a graven image. But by the time I came to
life he was out of the gate. But it was the same man who was here last
evening; and if he had any one with him, they took precious good care
not to show themselves. He went in such a hurry that he left behind him
a peddler’s basket. It had a few silk handkerchiefs in it. I suppose
he was going to make them an excuse, if he had been stopped on coming
in."
"Where were my men? There should have been two of them on hand to stop
such fellows. I must look into this." And the spirit of judgment rose
stern within me.
"Well," said Laura, "there was one of your men here, and the other was
sick, so you needn’t look so cross. This one was at the front of the
house, and he ran around to the back at Moon Ying’s scream. When he got
there that awful creature was out of the yard, so I got him to help us
carry Moon Ying into the house. Then he went out the back gate, but by
that time there was no heathen in sight anywhere. But I’ve sent one of
the servants for the police and the doctor, and I want your miserable
Chung Toy put in jail where he’ll be out of mischief." And she gave her
head a determined nod, as though his fate were settled beyond recall.
"I’ll have a warrant out before night," I said, with anger tingling in
my nerves, "and he’ll be laid by the heels in the City Prison if he
dares show himself on the street."
"I don’t think jail is a very good place, even for bad people," said
Mercy, "for it makes them worse; but I shall feel easier if that man is
locked up. It is too dangerous to have him at large."
"I suppose you don’t need any instructions," I said, "but I’ll venture
to suggest that Moon Ying had better take the air from an up-stairs
window for a few days."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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