13be Conservative.
of the faithless one. But Fny Leo had
first laughed iiproariously at what she
considered a joke , and later , believing
the tale a malicious lie , had turned her
sister Celestial out of the house , with
calmly expressed convictions as to the
fate in store for liars and scandal
mongers who could lift tongue against
such an honorable and noble man as her
lord and husband , Sing Low. "Wherefore
Ah Toy had departed , giving expression
to many naughty words , and tearfully
saying just as a civilized woman might
have done , under similar circumstances
"The next time she meddled in the
attempt to open a deceived wife's eyes "
Placidly indignant , yet somewhat
amused , Fay Lee went back to her em
broidery and a
Number Two. . , , .
fresh cup of tea.
The incident did not seem of enough im
portance to repeat to her husband , and
it soon escaped her mind. That any
one should dare to tell such things of
her most honorable and faithful lord ,
expecting her to believe them ! She did
believe , however , when very late that
same night Sing Low came home , not
alone , and much the worse for liquor.
He had brought his new wife , Felipa , to
her home , ho stated , with drunken
dignity , and Fay Lee must wait upon
her , and see that she had what she
wanted. For she ( Felipa ) was to be the
honorable mistress of the house , and
Fay Leo and the servants must bear
themselves accordingly.
Your Chinese wife is no creature of
high tragedy , and Fay Lee acted under
all circumstances as a well-behaved
Chinese lady should , placing perfumed
water and powders and silken appparel
for the new wife. No attentions were
neglected , though Sing Low watched
vigilantly for them. And only when
her services were no longer needed did
the supplanted woman go forth , full of
murderous fury and hate , from the
house of her husband. She had a cousin
who was a high official in the secret
society ; to him she went. Not that
there is any recourse for a Chinese wife
ft !
if her husband wishes to take unto him
self a number two spouse , for it is
according to the law. But all things ,
naturally , should be done in order , and
the law of dignity and self respect had
been transgressed by Sing Low , who
had not even advised Fay Lee of his
intention. It was an insult to her and
all her family , which the cousin was not
slow to realize. But insults are not a
prison offense , and must bo avenged
privately , wherefore the cousin and Fay
Lee said nothing , but bided their time ,
having in mind a way in which they
could bo more than avenged.
For quite a long time , as much as a
month , Sing Low was exceedingly happy
with his pretty young wife. But Folipa
was a young woman of much sprightli-
ness. and she had not married the portly
old Chinaman for the sole purpose of
kow-towing to him , and embroidering
his clothes and waiting on him hand
and foot not a bit of it. And so she
emphatically stated. On the contrary ,
she wished many friends , and pretty
costumes , and boxes at the bull-fights
and the one small theatre that Madre de
Dies possessed. She had no intention
of being any man's slave !
And so began the tormenting of poor
Sing Low. He soon learned that in the
bewitching Felipa
Torment. , , , , ,
he had caught a
veritable Tartar , and that , unless
humored , she could and would make his
life a torment to him. Wherefore , like
a wise man , ho promptly gave in to her ,
and humored her in all things that is
in all things but one. Despite her every
endeavor she could not make him tell
her what went on at the meetings of his
secret society. On that one subject
alone Sing Low remained mute , and no
cajolery or blandishments could move
him.
him.As
As time went on , and the influence of
his Mexican wife told on him , Sing Low
High low. began . to sink lower
and lower , both
morally and physically. He drank
steadily now , and more and more of the
"black smoke" became necessary often
ho would spend entire nights in his
opium-house and even the apple of his
eye , his restaurant , with its American
pies , began to be neglected. So that
many whisperings and reports got about ,
and more than one high official of the
secret society murmured distrust.
Meanwhile , a worn and aged woman
( hardly to bo recognized as the portly
Fay Leo of yore ) watched and waited ,
eager for revenge. And in the secret
society of the ' -Sous of the Silver Land"
one of the high officials went about
stealthily spreading reports that a traitor
was among them ; that important secrets
had more than once been given away ,
and that , if not located and dealt with ,
the traitor would soon accomplish the
ruin of the society.
All this came to a head one night ,
when the most important meeting of the
m , , , . . . , . year was held.
The Initiated. „
For more than an
hour the rooms of the secret society had
been filled with an ominously quiet
crowd of Chinamen , who were awaiting
in perfect stillness the return of one of
the officials who had gone to fetch their
erstwhile head , Sing Low. For the
first time in twenty-one years ho had
failed to appear at the meeting of the
society , and , more than that , all the
private records and documents of the
"Sons of the Silver Land" had been
stolen. No wonder there was perfect
stillness in the secret rooms , and that
over in the corner one Chinaman waited ,
holding a huge razor-edged sword.
These things are dealt with quickly
among Chinese guilds.
They brought him in presently , the
cousin and another society member car
rying him , for the honorable head was
too much overcome with the mixture of
opium and bad cognac to walk of his
own accord. He was dropped limply
into the corner where the Chinaman
and his sword waited , and to a malig
nantly quiet set of members the cousin
showed the precious papers and records
bhat he had just taken from Sing Low's
silken vest. The man had been found
dead-drunk , in a low cantina in the
Mexican part of the town , while the
society papers and records had access
to only by two men , the cousin and
Sing Low himself were dropping un
heeded to the cantina floor , to be seen
there of all who might care to read.
And , but for the cousin , who had found
them in time , the papers would have
been distribxited far and wide before the
setting of tomorrow's sun , and the
society , "Sons of the Silver Laud , " with
all its important secrets , would have
been ruined , and many of its members
implicated in all sorts of crimes and
given up to prison cells , or perhaps the
gallows. The sin of Sing Low had been
a tremendous one , for which no atone
ment could be made , and there was but
one thing to do , as far as his punish
ment was concerned.
The meeting lasted a long time , and
finally Sing Low was released from the
hands of his torturers , far more dead
than alive. His drunken stupor had
lasted but a short time under their
hands , and , in a frenzy of terror , he
awaited what he knew was still to come.
The room was very still now , and you
could have heard a pin drop as the
wretched man was placed on his knees
just in front of the masked Chinaman ,
who held in both hands the great , sharp
sword. Another man , the cousin of
Sing Low , knelt very quietly in front of
him , and drew his bared head and neck
down and forward so as to meet the up
lifted sword. Then there was deathly
quiet as , the huge blade ascended. It
made a circle and a whistling sweep in
the air before it descended slowly , and
touched the neck of the condemned.
There it stopped. No blood came , and
there was no cry or moan from Sing
Low , for the reason that the blade had
just touched his flesh , and no moro.
Then the cousin stood up , faring the
judge , and the executioner did likewise ,
holding the sword erect , as he annouced ,
solemnly :
"Honorable judge , this man is dead 1"
Five minutes later , the Chinamen
were all hurrying from the hall. Sing
Low had been dragged , still on his
knees , from the room , and flung into the
narrow , weed-choked street outside.
He had endeavored to beg mercy , but
his lips wore stiff and dumb. Then he
had clung to the judge's knees , jabber
ing hysterically , only to be cast aside
like a truly dead thing , for a Chinaman
lost to caste and his secret society is
0 fijfj