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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1897)
12 THE DAILY BEE : SATUBDAY , DECEMBER 25 , 1807. "SEEYUP. " lly WHET HAUTE. ( C-opyrlRht , ll . t-y llrct llnrtt. ) | I don'-t euppose his proRenltors ever gave him thpt name or , Indeed , that It was a name at all but It was currently believed " " It meant that that -as pronounced "Sec Up" IfftlriR of the outer angle o ! the eye , common to the ( Mongolian. On Uio other hand , I had teen told that there was an old Chinese ens- torn of nfflxlng some motto or logsnd or even ft sentence from Confucius as a sign above their shops , and that two or more words , which might bo mejoly equlvaCont to "Vlr- tuo Is Us own iroaard , " or "Illches are de ceitful , " .was 'believed by the simple Callfor- nlan miner to be the name of the occupant himself. Hoiwbolt , "Sco Yup" accepted It with the smiling patience of his race and never went "by any other. If ono of the tun nel men always addrosswl him as "Brigadier general , " "Judge" or "Commodore , " It was understood to be only the American fondncjs for Ironic life , and was nev r ueed except In personal conversation. In appearance he looked like nny other Chinaman.wore the ordinary 'bluo ' cotton iblouso and white drawers of the I3anipan cootie , land , 'in tpltc of the apparent cleanliness and freshness of these garments , always exhaled that singular medicated odor tialf opium , half ginger which we recognized as the common "Chi nese smell. " Our first Interview was characteristic of fats patient quality. He Jiad done my washIng - Ing foj several months , but I had never seen him yet. A meeting at last had become nec essary to correct his Impressions regarding "ibuttons" > wlilch he had seemed to consider ns mere excrescences , to bo remove ! like su perfluous dirt from soiled linen. I had ex pected him to call at my Icdgtngs , but he had not yet niado an appearance. One day , dur ing the noontide recess of the llttlo frontier school over which I presided , I returned rather cntly. T.wo or three of the smaller boys , who were loitering about the schoo' ' yard , disappeared with a certain guilty pre- clpltaticn that I simpectc-iJ for the moment but which I presently dismissed from my mind. I passed through the empty school room to my desk , sat down nnd began to prepare pare- the coming lessons. Presently I heard a faint sigh. Looking up , to my Intense con cern , I discovered a solitary Chinaman whom I had overlooked sitting In a rigid attitude on a bencli with his back to the window. He caught my eye and smllci sadly , bJt without moving. "What are you doing here" I naked sternly. "Mo washce shllts ; mo talkce 'buttons. ' " "O. jou'ro 'Seo Yup , ' are you ? " "All eamc. John. " "Well , come here. " 1 continued my work , but ho did not move. "Come here , hang 111 Don't you under- ntnnil ? " "Me shabbee , 'comma yen. ' But mo no shabbeo Melllkao boy , who catchou me , allce EQir.e. You 'corao yea , ' you siiabbee ? " Indignant , but believing that the unfortu nate man was .still In fear of persecution from thcfio mischievous urshins whom I had evi dently just Interrupted , I put down my pen and weal over to him. Here I discovered to my surprise and mortification that hlu long pigtail was held hard and fust by the closed wli.i'.ow behind him , which the young rascal1 ? had shut down upon It. after having first noiselessly fished It outside with a hook and lino. I apologized , opened the window and released him. Ho did not complain , although ho must have been fixed In that uncom fortable position for some minutes , bu * . pluoged at once Into the business that brought him -there. "But why didn't you come to my lodgings ? ' I asked. Ho smiled sadly , but intelligently. "Mlshtel Bally ( Mr. Barry , my landlord ) ho owco mo flvo dollee for wnsliee , wasliee. Ho no payee me. Ho say ho knocke liellec outco mo allo time I como for payee. Some mo no come housee , mo come schoolee. Shin- nee ? Mclllkan boy no good , but not so bli ? as Mclllknn man. No can burtee Chinaman BO much. Shabbeo ? " Alas ! I knew that this was mainly true. Mr. Jamis Barry was an Irishman , whope finer religious feelings revolted against payIng - Ing money to a heathen. I could Hut find It In my heart to say anything to See Yup about the buttons ; Indeed , I epakr in compli mentary terms about the globs ot my stilrts , and I think I meekly begged him to como again for my washing. When I went homo I expostulated with Mr. Barry , but succeeded I AbLOWBD I'D STUFF IN DOWN HIS THUOAT IK HE DIDN'T TELL only In extracting ( ram him the conviction that I 'V ' > as ono ot "tlilin black republican fellyu that uoTBhlpped nayKura. " I had limply made e < n enemy ot him. Hut I did not knov ; that at the tame time I had made a friend ut Sco Yup I I became aware ot this a few days later , by the appearance on my desk ot a small pot containing a specimen of Cc.mclUn Japan- lea in flower. I knew the echool clillJivn were ? In 'the habit of miking presents to me fn Ihls furtive fashlcci leaving tholr OA-II nodcgayt of wild flowers , or perhaps a cluster of ros from their patents' gardens hut J nlBO knew that thin exotic was too rnro to como from them. 1 remembered that See Yup had a Chinese taate for gardening , and a friend , another Chtnitman , who kept a larRo nursery In thp adjoining town. Dut my doubts wcro set at rest by the discovery of a small roll of red rlco paper containing my wattling bill , fastened to the camellia utalk. It was plain that this mingling of IniBlncza and delicate gratitude was clearly See Yup's own Idea. As the finest flower vtaa the topmost oao , I plucked It for wearIng - Ing , when I found , to my a&tonlshment that It was simply wired to the stalk. This led me too look at the others , which I found also wired ! Moro than that , they seemed to be an Inferior flower , and exhaled that cold earthy odor peculiar to the camellia1 even , OH I thought , to an excess. A closer exami nation resulted In the discovery that , with ( ho exception o ( the first flower I had plucked , ( hey wcro ono and all Ingeniously constructed 01 tiuii slices or potato , marvciously cut to Imltato the vegetable waxlness and formality of the real flower. Thp worH showed an In finite and almost pathetic patience In detail , yet strangely Incommensurate with the result admirable BO U was. Nevertheless , this was also llko See Yup , Dut whether bo had tried * - to dtcelve me , or whether he only wished V tan to admire his aklll , I could not say. And OB his persecution hy my scholars had left a faalanco of consideration In his favor , I sent lilm a warm note of thanku and said nothing of my discovery. As our acquaintance progressed , I became frequently the recipient of other small pres ents from lilm ; a pot of preserves of a quality I could not purchase tn shops , and whose contents-In their crafty , gingery UUslimtlit OT I co defied definition , that I novcr knew . ' whether tliey were animal , vegetable , or min f fl eral ; two or three hideous Chinese Idols , ' 'for lu'ckeo , " and a diabolical firework with an Ir- \ \ \ regular spasmodic/activity that would soma- : ! rncs bo prolonged Until the next morning , In return , I gave him some apparently hope- ess oral lessons In ISngllsh , and certain sen tences to bo copied , which he did with mar- velouo precision. I remember ono Instance when tliln peculiar faculty of Imitation was disastrous In result. In setting htm a copy , I , had blurred a word which I promptly erased , | and then traced the letters more distinctly over the scratched surface. To my surprise , I See Yup triumphntly produced his copy with j the craston Itself carefully Imitated , and , In fact , much moro npally done than mine. | In our confUentlal Intercourse I never seemed to really get nearer to him. His sympathy and simplicity appeared llko his flowers tobeagood humored Imitation ot my own. I am satisfied that ha ! particularly , soulless laugh was not derived from any' amusement ho actually felt , yet I could not , My It was forced. In his accurate Imitations' I fancied he was only trying to evade any , rcHionilblllty of his own. Tt'at devolved unon his task master. In the attention he | displayed when new Ideas were pre/jented to him them was n sllR'.H condescension as If ho wcro looking flown ui.ion them from his three thouaiihd vcars of history. i "Don't you think the electric telegroiih wonderful ? " I asked one day. "Volly good for Mclllcan man , " ho said , with his aimless laugh , "plenty ir.akce him , Jump. " | I'never ' could tell whether he had confounded It with clectro-galvanUm or was only satir izing our American haste and foverls'iinesfi. Ho was capable of either. For that matter , wo know ttwf the Chinese themselves p s- scsscd some , means of secretly aud quickly communicating with each other. Any news of good or 111 Import to their race was quickly disseminated throughout the settlement be fore wo know anything about It. An Innrcent basket of clothes from the wanh , sent up from the river bank , , betame In some way a library of Information ; a sltiglo slip of rice pcpcr aimlessly fluttering In the dust of the read had the mysterious effect ot diverging a whole gang of coolie tramps away from our settlement. When See Yup was not subject to the per secutions of the more Ignorant col brutal , ho was always d source of amusement to all , and I cannot recall an Instance when he was over taken seriously. The miners found di version even In his alleged frauds and trick eries , whether Innocent or retaliatory , and were fond of relating with great gusto his evasion of the "forclp.i minars' tax. " This was an d nresslvo measure , aimed principally at Ihe Chlne&e. wtis humbly worked the worn out "tailings" of their Christian fellsw miners. It was stated that See Yup , knowing the difficulty , already alluded to , of Identity- Ing any rartlcu'ar Chinaman by name , ccn celved the additional Idea of confusing recog nition by intensifying their motionless facial expressions. Having pa'd ' his tax himself to the collector he at once passed the recclpUio his fellows , so that the collector found him self confronted In different parts of the set tlement with the receipt and the aimless laugh of , apparently , See , Yup himself. Al though wo all knew that there were a dozen Chinamen or more at work In the mlne.i , the collector never was able to collect the tax from more than two "See Yup" and one "Seo Yin" and s-t great was tliclr facial re semblance that the unfortunate ofliclal for a leng tlnfo hugged Ulnvolt with the convic tion that he had made "Sec Yin" oay twice , ami witnnciu tne money irom tile govern ment. It Is very probable ttat the Callfor- nlan's recognition of the sanctity of a Joke , and his beljef that "cheating the government was only cheating himself , " largely accounted for the Bjmpathlcs ot the rest of the mlnpra. But these sympithl.s we-o net nlwayo unanimous. One evening I strolled Into the barrocm of the principal ' "saloon , " which , as far as mere uph'olslery and comfort went , was a'so the principal house In the settlement. Trie first reins had commencjd ; the windows ware open , for the Influence of the southwot trades penetrated even this fjr-cft mounts 11 mining settlement but odd'y enough ther > was a lire in the large cenfal stive , a-ou id which tlio- miners had collected with th ! steaming boots elevated on a projecting Iron railing that encircled it. They were not at tracted by the warmth , but the stova formed a social pivot for gossip and suggested tint mystic circle dear to the grsgar.'o-e IrHtlnct. Yet they were decidedly a tlojpsndent group. For some moments the sl'ence was only broken by a gasp , n sigh , a muttered oath , or an Impatient change of position. There was nothing In the fortunes of the settlement. nor In their own Individual affairs to sug gest this gloom. The singular truth was that they were , ono and all , suffering from the pangs of dyspepsia. Incongruous as euch a complaint might seem to their healthy environment their outdoor life their dally exercise , the healing balsam pf 'tho mountain air , their enforced temperance In diet and the absence ot all enervating pleasures It was nevertheless the Incontestlble 'fact. ' Whether It was the re sult of the nervous , excitable temperament which had .brought them together in this feverish hunt for gold ; whether It waa the quality of the tinned meats or half-cooked provisions they hastily bolted , begrudging the ttmo it took to prepare and consume them ; whether they too often supplanted their meals by tobacco .or whisky , the singular physiological truth remained that Cheso young , flnelysclccted odvanturers , living tha lives of the natural ; aboriginal man and lookIng - Ing the picture of health and strength , actu ally suffered moro from Indigestion than the pampered dwellers of the cities ! The quan tity of "patent medicines , " "bitters , " "pjlls , " ' "panaceas" nd "lozenges" sold In tbo settle ment almost exceeded the amount of Die tegular provisions whoso effects they were supposed to 'correct ' , , The sufferers eagerly scanned advertisements and placards. There wcro occasional "runs" on' now ' . 'specifics , " and general conversation eventually turned Into a discussion of their respective merits. A certain childish faith and trust In each new remedy was not the least distressing and pathetic symptom of thea ; grownup , bearded men. "Well , gentlemen , " said Cyrus Parker , glancing around at his fellow sufferers , "yo kin talk of your patent medicines , and I've tackled 'em all , but only the other day I struck euthlu * that I'm goln' to bang to , you "And I didn't get It outer advertisement ! ) nor oft of circulars ! I got It outer my head , Just by solid thinking , " continued Parker. "What was It , Cy ? " said one unsophisti cated and Inexperienced' sufferer. Incrtoad of replying Parker , like a true artist , knowing he had the ear of his audi ence , dramatically flashed a question upon them : "Did you over hear of a. Chinaman having dyspcpsy ? " "Never heard ho had sabe enough to bev enythtng , " said a scorner. "No , but did > o ? " Insisted Parker. "Well , no , " chorused the group. They were evidently struck with the fact. "Of course you didn't ! " eald , Parker , tri umphantly. "Coa they ain't. Well , genl- mun , It didn't seem to mo the square thing that a pesky lot o' yellow-skinned heathens should 'bo built different to a white man , and never know the torture that o Christian feels , and one day after dinner , when I was Just a-lyln' flat down on tbo bank , equlrmla' and clutchln' the short grass to keep from ycllln' , who should go by but that plzonous See Yup , with a grin on his face ? " 'Melllcan man plenty playeo to him Jor& after eatlii' , ' eez he | 'but Chinaman eniollcc. punk , allco Eamc. and no hab cot. ' "I know the slimy cuss was just purtendln * ho thought I was prayln' to my Joss , but I waa that weak 1 hadn't stren'tb , bojs , to licavo a rock at blm ! Yet It gave tne an Ideal" "What waa Itf they atked e-Jgerly. "I went down to his shop the next day , when he was alone , and I was feeling mighty bad , and I got hptd of his pigtail and I al lowed I'd stuff It down bU throat If he didn't tell me what It meant. Then be took a piece of punk and lit It and put It under ray nose , and dura my ekln , gentlemen , you mightn't believe me , but In a minute I felt better , and fitter A whiff or two I was all right. " "Was U pow'ful etrong , Cyt" asked the Inexperienced one. "No. " said Parker , "and that's Ju t what'B got met It was a uort o' dreamy , tplcy smell , Itko < a hot night. But as I couldn't go 'round 'inane you boy * with & lighted piece o' punk In my hand , cz If 1 was scltln' oft Fourth of July firecrackers. I asked him If he couldn't fix me up tuthln' In another ahapo that would bo barrflrr to u c when I was took bad , ondi I'd reckczi to pay him for It like cz I'd pay for tay other patent medicine. So he fixed mo up this ! " Ho put his * * ind In Jilu ipockct ard drew out a small red raper , which , when opened , disclosed < i pink .powder. It was gravely passed around the'group. "Why , It emells and tastes llko ginger , " said one. " " said another icotn- "It la only ganger , , fully. "Mebbo It Is , and mebbe It lrn' < , " re- turno' ' Cy Parker stoutly. "Mcbbe ut's only my fancy. But If It's the sort o' stuff to bring on that fancy , end1 tfcat fancy cures me , It's all the same ! I've got about $2 worth of that fancy , or that ginger , anil I'm going to stick to It. You heir me ! " lArnl ho carefully put It back la his pocket. At 'Which criticisms and gibes broke tor h. If he ( Cy Parker ) , a while man , was go'.na to "demtan hlnuclt" by consulting a Chinese quack.sho'd better buy up a lot o' Idoia and stand 'em up around hip cabin I U he hid that sort o' confidences with See Yup , he ought > to go to work with him tn 'lU cheap ti'llliiRg , mil ho fumigated all at the same time. If ho'd been smoWng i opium pipe , Instead of pmclllng punk , ho ought to be man cn-ough to confess HI Yet U was noticeable that they wcro all very anxious , to examine the picket again , but Cy P.irktr was allko In different to demand or entreaty. A few "O'j-o later I saw Abe Wjnford , one of the party , com'.tig out of See Yup'a wasi- house. Ho muttered something In rasi'lng ' about ' ! ho Infamous delay -In sensing iimc his washing , .but did not linger lng In con versation. The next day 1 mot another miner nt the washhouse , but ho lingered to lojg on fiomo trifling details Mat I finally left him there alino with Sco Yup. WCicn 1 called up Poker Juck of Shatla there- was a singu lar smell of loccnse In l.ls cabin , which he attributed to the \ery resinous quality ef the "O , It ain't anything about symptoms , Doc , and there ain't anything the matter with me. It's only Just to ask ye If yo happened to know anything about the medical practice of these yer Chinamen ? " "I don't know , " said the doctor bluntly , "nnd I don't know anybody who dees. " There was a sudden silence In the bar , and the doctor , putting down his glass , continued with slieht professional precision : "You sec , the Chinese know nothing of anatomy from personal observation. Autop sies and dissection are against their supersti tions , which declare the human body sacred , and are consequently never practiced. " There was a slight movement of Inquiring Interest among the party and Cy Parker , after a meaning glance at the others , went on half aggressively , half apologetically : "In course , they ain't surgeons like you Doc , but that don't keep them from having their own llttlo medicines , jucit as dogs eat grace , you know ! Now , I want to put It to you , as a falr-mlndcd man , If you mean tcr say that Jest because these old women who B a I've out yarbo and spring medicines In fam ilies don't know anything of anatomy , that they ain't fit to give us their simple and nat'ral medicines ? " "But the Chinese medicines are not simple nor natural , " replied the doctor , coolly. " .Not elmple ? " echoed the party , closing hart ono and all , secretly nil unknown to each other , patronised him. there w s no doubt , but , at the isnino time , as they evi dently were not uro that Dr. Duchesno bad not honxe < l them In regard to the quality ot See Yup's medicines , they fcnew that an attack on the unfortunate China man would In either case reveal their secret and Mpoko them to the ridicule of their brother miner * . So the matter dropped , nnd Sco Yup remained master of the situation. Meantime ho was prospering. The coollo gang ho worked on the river , when not en gaged In washing clothes , were "picking over" the "tailings" or refuse ot gravel left on abandoned claims by auccemful miners. As there was noitnore expense attending this than In ctonobrcaklng or rag picking , and the Iecdlngi of the coolies , whltli mas ridiculously ohonjv there was no doubt that Sco Yup was reaping a fair weekly re turn .from It ; butim ho sent his receipts to ? an Francisco through coollo managers , after the Chlnenotcustom. * nd did not u.io the regular cxprcit company , there was no way of ascertaining the amount. Again , neither" Sco Yup' nor his fellow-countrymen ever appeared tonhave- any money about them. In ruder -times and more reckless camps raids were otten made by rufllans on their cabins or ilhelr traveling gangs , but never with any pqaunlary result. This con dition , however , It seemed , was destined to change. Ono Saturday EeoYup walked Into Wells , Fargo & Co.'s rocprcaj office with a package cf gold dust , which , when duly weighed , was valued at $500. It was consigned to a GilntBO company In Sso Francisco. When the clerk handed Sco Yup a receipt , ho re marked casualty : "Washing ceeimvto W. See Yup. " " \Vashco velly good puy. You \\aotee washcc , John ? " said See Yup , eagerly. "No , no. " stld the clerk , with a laugh. "I was only thinking ? 500 would represent the -washing of a good many flhlrts. " . "No leplcsent woshee shirts nt all ! Ite i 1 A SELECT COMMITTEE OK THE ' MEN 'WAS ALLOWED TO EXAMINE THE PROPERTY. n fir logs toe wao burning. I did not attempt to probe these mjo'.cries by any direct np- lpcal to See Yup himself ; I reapscteJ his . eti- j conce ; Inded , If I bid not I wa.i . quits ! satisfied that he would' have lied to me. I Eaough ttat Ms washhruse was well j pi'trculzeJ , anil he was decidedly "getting . on. " I It might have been a mnth afterwards that Dr. Duchesne was setting a broken bona in the ccttlcment , and after the opeia- tlon was over had enrolled Into the Palmetto saloon. Ho was an eld army sturgeon , much ! respected . ad loved In the district , although perhaps a llttlo feared fcr Wie honest rougli- uess and military precision of hla specon. After ho had exchanged silutatlon.i with the mtnerj In his usual hearty fashion , and accepted their Invitation to drink , Cy Parker , with a ccrtuln affected carelessness which did net , ibcwever , conceal a singular hcslta- tlen In his speech , began "I've been waltln' to ask yo a question. Doc a sort o' darned fool question , yo know nothing in the way of consultation , don't you see , tho' It's kinder In the way o' your purfcshun. Sabe ? " "Go on , Cy , " said the doctor good-humor- edly. "this Is my dlspansary hour. " "I don't mein to say , " continued the doctor , glancing around at their eager , excited faces with an appearance of wonder , "that they are positively noxious , unless taken In largo quantities , for they are not drugs at all , but I certainly should not call them 'simple. ' Do you know what they principally are ? " "Well , no , " said Parker cautiously , "per haps not exactly. " "Como a llttlo closer and I'll tell you. " Not only Parker's head , buttlio others were bent .over the counter. Dr. Du dice no uttered a few words In a tone inaudible to the rest of the company. There was a profound sl- lenco , broken at last by Abe Wynford'a voice : "Ye kin pour rno out about three fingers o" whisky , ( Barkeep ! I'll take It straight. " "Sumo to me , " said the others. The men gulped down their liquor ; two of them quietly passed out. The doctor wiped his lips , buttoned his coat and began to draw on his riding gloves. "I've beerd , " said Poker Jack of Shasta , with a faint fcmtle on his white face , as bu toyed with tbo last drops of liquor In his glacs , "that the darned fools sometimes smell punk as a medicine , eh1 "Yes , that's comparatively decent , " said the doctor , reflectively. ' 'It's only sawdust mixed with 'ft. little gum and formic acid. " "Formic acid ? Wot'a that ? " "A very peculiar acid eecretcd by ants. It Is supposed to be used by them offensively In warfare Just as the skunk , eh ? " But Poker Jack of Shasta had hurriedly declared that hewanted to speak to a man who was passing , and had disappeared. The doctor walked to the door , mounted his horeo and rode away. I noticed , however , that there wag ajjllght smile on his bronzed , Impassive face. This led mo to wonder If ho was entirely Ignorant of the purpose for which ho had been questioned aud tbo effect , of hla Information , I was confirmed In the belief by the remarkable clrcumitaut CCB that nothing more was said of It ; the In cident seemed to hayp terminated there , and the victims made no attempt to re venue themselves on Bee Yiip. That they Catcheo gold diut when wAshee' talllns" . The clerk did "shabbec , " and lifted his cjebrows. Ino next fcalurday * See Yup ap peared with another package , wcrtn about $400 , directed to the tame consignee. "Didn't pen out'quite so rich this week , oh ? " sa-ld the clerk , engagingly. "No , " returned" Sec Yup , Impassively ; "ne t tl mo.ie payee more. " When the third Saturday came with t'he ' apptan.nce of See" Yup and ? ! EO worth of gold dust , the clerk fcH he was no longer bound to keep line secret. He communi cated it to othcrs.vand lit twenty-four hours the whale wttloment knew that See Yup's cello coirtany were taking out an average cf $400 per wedofrom the refuse and talllr.js ot the old abandoned Palmetto claim. The aytcas'ment ! of the settlement was profound. In earlier days Jeulousy and In- dlgnat'Ion at theslicces , ? of thcae degraded heathens might have taken a more active and aggressive stupe , and It would have fared 111 with See Yup an ! his companions. But the settlement had become moro pros perous and luw-abrdlng. There were cue or two eastern families and some foreign capi tal already there , and Its jealousy ci'd In dignation was restricted to severe Investi gation and legal cfltlclsmi Fortunately for See Yup , U was an old-established mining law that an abtudonsd claim and Its tailings became the property of whoever chrae to work It. But It 'was alleged that the See Yup company had In reality "rtruck a lead" discovered a h'Jtherto unknown voln or original depoelt of gold not worked by tbo previous company -and , having failed legally to declare It by pre-emption and public reg istry. In their fcollsh desire for secrecy , had thua forfeited their right -to the property. A surveillance of their working , however , did not establish this t.ieory. The gold that See Yup had seat away was of the kind that 'might ' have been found In the tailings overlooked by 'the late Palmetto owners. Yfct It was a very large yield for mere refuse. ' 'Them Palmetto boys wete mighty kee-rlesa after they'd m'id'3 ' their big 'strike' and got to work on the vein , and I reckon tney threw a lot of go'.d away , " said Cy Parker , who re membered their large-handed rccklecsae.is In the "Jluth days. " "Only that wo didn't th'nk ' It was white man's work to rake eve an other man's Icavln's wo < mlght hev had what them derncd Chinamen hov dropped Into , Tell ye what , boys , wo'vebesn a llttlo too 'high and mighty , ' and we'll bcv to climb down. " At last the excltemeut reached Its climax and diplomacy waa employed to effect wh-it neither Intimidation nor espionage could se em e. Under the pretense of desiring to buy out See Yup's company , a select committee of the miners were permlttoj to ex.imlco the property and Its workings. They found thn great hank of stones and gravel , represent ing tbo caul-out debris at tlio old claim , oc cupied by See Yup and four or flvo p'.oddlng automatic coolies. At the c-nd of two hourn the committee returned to the saloon burst ing with excitement. They spoke under their breath , but enough was gathered to satisfy the curious crowd that See Yup's pile of tail ings was rich beyond their expectations. Tlio committee had seen with their own eyes gold taken out of the wind and gravel to the amoust of $20 In the two short hours of their examination. And * the work had been per formed In the stupidest , clumsiest , yet pa tient Chinese way. What might not wtiito men do with better appointed machinery ! A syndicate was at dnco formed. Sco Yup waa offered } 20,000 If tie would sell out and put the syndicate In possession of the claim In twonty-four hours. The Chinaman received the offer atolldly. As ho seemed Inclined to hesitate , I am grieved to say that It was In timated to him ttbat If he declined the might be subject to embdrracalng and expensive Ic. gal proeecutlcna to prove hla property , and that companies'would be formed to "pros pect" the ground ran either side of his heap of tailings. SedTfup at last consented , with the proviso that .tho money should bo paid In gold Into the"hands of a Chinese agent In San Francisco on1 the day of the delivery of the claim. The symllcato made no opposition to this characteristic precaution of the Chi naman. It was llko them not to travel with money , and the .implied uncomplimentary suspicion of dangar'from the community was overlooked. Seto Yup departed the day the syndicate took -possession. He came to see me- before he went. I congratulated him upon hU good 'fortune ; at the same time I was cmbarmecd by the conviction that be was unfairly forced Into a sale of bis property - erty at a figure- far below Us real value. I think differently now. At the end of the week It wan cald that the DOW coiracy cleared up about J300. Tula wee not as much as the community had ex pected , but the syndicate was apparently satisfied , and the new machinery was put up. At the end of the next week the syndicate won silent as to their returns. Ono of them made a hurried trip to San Francldco. U was wld tt-at ho was unable to see cither See Yup or the agent to whom the money was cxiltl. U was also noticed that there was no Chlcaman remaining In tlio settlement. Then ho fatal secret was out. The littip of tailings had probably never yielded the See Yup conHwny more than $20 \ week , the ordinary wage of such ft com- xiny. See Yup had conceived the brilliant dco of "booming" It on a borrowed capital Jt $500 In gold dust , which tie openly trans mitted by express to hi ? confederate nnd creditor In San Francisco , who In turn secretly sent It back to See Yup by coollo ncsaongeM. to bo again openly transmitted o Ssn FranclMO. The package of gold dust R-as thus passed backward and forward be- wcen debtor and creditor , to the grave cdlfl- . atlcw ot the cxyrcas company and the fatal curiosity of the settlement. When the syndi cate had gorged the bait thus thrown out See Yup , on the day the flelf-lnvlted com- nlttco Intnected the claim , promptly "salted" he tailings by conscientiously distributing , ho gold dust over It BO deftly that It co- lieared to be Ita natural composition ctid yield. I have only to bid farewell to See Yup and close this reminiscence ot a misunderstood man by adding the opinion ot an eminent Jurist In San Fianclsco , lo whom the facto wcro submitted : "So-clcvcr wis this alleged fraud that It Is extremely doubtful It an action would lie agalust Sco Yup In the premises , there being no legal evidence ot the 'salting , ' and none \vhatc\cr of his actual allegation that the gold dust was the ordinary yield ot the tailings , tint Implication resting catlrcly with the committee who examined It under falae nretensc. and wtio subsequently forced the sale by Intimidation. " Coats more worth moro. bicauso pure Wright's pure old-fashioned buckwheat Hour. Tin : r.vnniju i > isio1101. . ; , . More roiixloiicr * Thau There Arc \rluiil SurvIvorH of ( InViir. . ' In iin 'clxhausUve review ot the pension question tlio New York Sun shows how the Slon rolls havu been Increase ! until tliero arof-tnow moro pensioners than "actual sur- .vlvors" of the war. Thcro are , according to the Sun , 187,500 people drawing pensions w > ' : o tave no legal claim to them and there are thousands moro who are clamoring to be let In. In the face of all the talk of deficiency < < nd Inability make the revenue of the govern ment equal to the cutgo , this statement .ot the pcnslcu matter Is particularly pertinent. No country In the world Is s ? generous In rewarding 'its old Midlers aud no nation rajs otu such vast sums every jear for services received. - ' But the liberality of Uncle Snm has been grossly abuaiM ted the * ni.ntca greed of lfLtti politicians who care nettling for the deserving old soldier or his widow or chil dren has nichcJ the public pockctbook until It Is now fiat. A glance at the follcwlng table tells the story of fraud and greed : Actual survivors of the war 727,122 "Survivors" drawing pensions 733,527 Survivors demanding- pensions Ib7j00 Widows , drawing pensions 213o2 : ! Widows * demanding- pensions 10I.9.1S Pensioners demanding Incieate 2."o,849 Total lebe.lion penMoncrs on rolls. . . t > ! 7,523 Total survivors or widows getting or demanding pensions 1.139,317 Ono 'Interej'tlng Item Is the number of pen signers demanrttagcir Increase 255,849. Tnc-se arealnndy drawing millions a year , but they are not satisfied. They are llko the "daughter cf the borso leach" forever cry ing : "More ! More ! " Last year thirty-two years atlcr Wio close of I'he ' war 54,072 naw pensioners were added to the rolls. Mere are getting in cvciy ( Jay. They como regularly through the pension to.1ice3 and they como by "special bills , " pasiied without Investigation or pretei se at U. It la estimated that 9,000 clew pension- grabbers ahow up every week. Since 1S93 , during a period of fourteen yo-.rs. . the pension rolls hive been steadCly growing. In spltu of deaths which have deci mated uho ranks of tfte survhors of the war the rollo have continued swell. Here Is tlio record. NUMBER OK PENSIONERS. S83 303K8,1Sil ! 070,100 US4 322.75C1S02 S7G08 ? lb3 i 345.12SIH93 9CfiO2 ! ISMi 3C5.7S3IS94 09511 1SS7 40G,0071813 | ! 970,521 18SS 452G371S9S | ! P70,07S ISM 4-9,7:51SS7 ! 070,014 1890 537,944 ] During the last thirty years the nation has paid out In pensions the enormous eum ol $2,178,755,269.68. The pension expense for the one year just closed Is reported by the secretary of the treasury to be $141,203,880. Th'.s Is mo're thcin It costs to sustain the entire etandlng army of any of the most powerful nations on earth , except Ru.ssla. The following table shows what a fighting army costs , as compared with aa army which fought thirty jears ago : Grcnt Britain $87,403911 Germany 110,187,020 France 118'J91.30 ! Italy . . . . : 51,778,040 Russia 17C.8I2.GOO Austria 07258,253 Pensions in rhe United States 141,203,810 The pension acts are supposed to provldo that no ccie shall receive the government's bounty unless he Is at present disabled In whole or In part and therefore to a degree dependent. Some figures gathered In 1890 show , how ever , that of the total number of 1.034.073 survivors of the war tliero wcro 'JG1,5S7 en gaged In occupations by which presumablj they earned their living. The same table shows the occupations of some of those who are supposed to need government assistance. A few Items arc In teresting : Clergymen G.H22 Farmers , planters and. overseers ? . " > 7,001 Agricultural laborers 3G.8S7 Dentists V-14 Physicians nnd surgeons 10.S03 Jouinallsts 1.G19 Lawyers 9.2 Government officials 11,215 Teachers i 2R > 9 Engineers nnd firemen ( stationary ) . . . . 105 ( I Hotel keepers i 4.431 Agents 13.0S8 Hankers nnd brokers 1,953 Clerks and copyists 13,445 Draymen and hackmen 10140 Merchants nnd dealers ( lutall ) 27,222 Merchants ( wholesale ) 1,613 Olllclals of banks , Insurance and trust companies -i'S5 ! ' The tables show ccncluslvcly that thou sands are drAwlng pensions who are not only self-supporting , but who are well-to-do and In many Instances wealthy ! , But they do not scruple to take the $6 or $8 a mcnth from the government , knowing that It Is an open and apparent fraud. To add to the evil , It Is known that In many cases those who are actually entitled to pensions do not get them. Sometimes .they do not apply , ibelog prevented by a keen sense of honor from accepting government charity unless compelled by dire necessity. "SOLID.-not liquid ! " A Screw Loose ! The queer mental attitudes we take are simply mild insanity nervousness. Dr. Charcot's are a speedy remedy for unhealthy fancies. They renew and strengthen the nerves and impel ( hem to vigorous action. They tighten "loose screws. " Dr. Charcot's Kola Nervine Tabletsluve no ' 'aftereffects" they produce permanent good , Witc fr | > rooff ol euro. We and II pjtlc je. Gtt them ol your drugc'utp or tidrcka Chemical ind Manufacturing Co. u la Ctoiii , Wi * . HARPER'S MAGAZINE JANUARY Roden's Corner a new novel by HENRY SETON MERRIMAN The location of the Thj illustrations story Is In London were drawn by T. and The Hague. It elc Tliulstrup , from is rich in incident studies made In Hol and character. land and London. The New Northwest By J. A. WHEELOCK " J'ionttr J'rtss" . J'aut , . ( Editor pf the of SI. Minn. ) A Group of Plnyers I Massni's Crooked Trail By Laurence Huiton. Handsomely ill'd. I Written and ill'd by Frederic Remington. SHORT STORIES The Sixth Sense , by MAUOARET Sun ON lluiscor. : Between the Lines nt Stone River , liy Captain V. A MirciirL ; The Blazing Hen-coop , by OCTAVI : THANTT ; The King of Beaver , by MAUY IlAimvni LA-iiinavoon ; Margrave , Bachelor , by CLAUA MAVNAUD PAUKKR ; A Holiday Episode , \ > y JOHN C. Ociiti.iRi.i : . 35 Cents n Copy ; $4 oo n Year. an 'a For Winter ALL HAIL THE T KING We're off for the aUatlngVcVc ! down the toboggan slide ! Gee ! But isn't it fun ! The Ice Carnival is on at the Ex position grounds. They charge 10 cents to get into the grounds , 10 cents admis sion to the ice and 5 cents for each ride down the toboggan slide. IF you will bring in two new sub scribers for the Daily and Sunday Bee for two weeks each , you can get a ticket to the grounds , an admission to the ice and four trip tickets for the toboggan slide , or eight tobggan tickets or four ice admissions. * ' IF you bring in one new subscriber to the Daily and Sunday Bee for three weeks , you can get a ticket to the grounds , an admission to the ice and two trip tickets for the toboggan slide ; or three ice admissions , or six toboggan tickets. IF you bring in more subscribers , or for a longer time , you can get tickets at the same rate for each Bona fide new subscriber that is , an admission to the grounds , or an admission to the ice , or two trip tickets for the toboggan slide , for each week paid in advance by the new subscribers you bring in. The more subscribers , the more tickets. A whole lot of fun for just a little work , None but bona fide new subscribers count , No subscription taken for less than two weeks. J Bring your subscriptions to the Circulation Department , Bee Publishing Co , ? Bee Building. > * % % % % % % % * % % % % % % % ' % % v5i