THE SOUL OF THE CAT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 5, 6 November 1891, Page 21

THE SOUL OF THE CAT.

(By Feed A. Wilsok in the New York Evening Sun.) Yeb Sam Ling waa a lonely on?. He had friends in plenty and relatives toe, for that matter, but Ling had hia own views on matrimony and he didn't believe anybody could be happy without a wife. It waa strange why he had so suddenly taken on that belief, for hadn't he lived 15 years away from his own Flowery Land. Of course be had.

He cams first to the Golden Hills and went to work in the mines, but he couldn't stand it, for he used to feel the strange white devils at night punching him in the back. So he gave his claim in the Golden Hills to a relative and travelled across the continent to New York, curled up like a mink on a seat of the smoking car.

He waß idle for a while and then started in to sell soap to the laundry men, until finally he got enough of the American man's cash to rent a store. He put out hia red sign, with the fluttering rad streamers on it to keep the evil one 3 away, and he became a merchant. Every night for years he had crawled into hia little bunk curtained off at the back of the store, and after comforting himself with the opium he loved so well he had fallen to sleep, to dream of pretty Chinese girls tottering on pink clouds across the water and stretching their arms out to him.

Ec often thought of China and the home life there, and he used to count the money in hia trunk and wonder when he would have enough to go back and buy a koonfoo's rank and wear a cap with the red button of the third degree. Then he thought he would buy with some of his money the prettiest girl in the province, and she would have feet so Bmall that she couldn't walk at all unless she had a strong servant holding each hand.

He often played the lottery in the hope that he would win, and he burned prayer sticks before his kat god that he might have luck, but be might just as well have saved the sticks, for luck never came. So persistently did he lose that more than once he was tempted to let one of the burning prayer sticks fall over agaiost the god and burn it, but he was afraid lest the deceit should be discovered and the god seek a just revenge. One day there came into his store a white girl who lived on the top floor of the tenement around the corner. She had Lair like the wong shik gold he used to dig out of the Golden Hills. " Say, John," she said, " me mother's run out o' sope, and Bhe's up to her neck in washin. Gimme a bar I" Ling was smitten with a great love. He remembered having seen this girl go paßt his store many times, but he never had Buch a chance as this to speak to her, " You mommee want sope?" he asked. " She washee? 1 ' " Yes ; I want er bar, an I want it quick.' " Alle lite," gaid Ling, «nd he clattered behind the narrow counter and pulled out from a shelf two bars of soap. " You takkee two," he said. "No n'gant'sin, you takkee ; you sabe ?" and ha pushed the soap and the five pennies she had laid down away from him. Then he went on : " I hkkee you ; you heap nice ! Lat you name ? " " Gee what graft !" said the girl, " so I get de Bope for nuttin do I, John 1 Well, me name's Maggie Smith, if yer wanter know.' 1 Ling looked at her with admiring eyes. Then he pointed to the soap and pennies and said simply :—: — " You takkee. I heap lakkee you, sabe ? You clum 'glain ?" '• Yes, I sabe, John," said the girl, " an I come again." So she went away and Ling went to the door and looked after her until she had disappeared around the corner. Then he went back behind the narrow counter aud sat down on a stool. He rested his elbows on a pile of paper, sudL his chin into his hands and thought very hard. His thinking amounted to something, for he went to the little cubby room curtained off at the back of the Btore, and out of the big camphor wood chest he pulled some careful y folded clothes. He was a new man when he came out into the store again, and a couple of his countrymen who had dropped in to have a friendly chat and smoke began to chafE him. The old cloth blouse, witn the shiny place on tbe back where his well oiled cue had huog, lay in a heap on the floor with his old pow tail and coarse trousers ; instead he wore clothes of brocaded dark blue silk and his sandals wore like those of a koonfoo. A cold wind was blowing up the street. It made him smver, but he stood hia ground and watched for the coming of Maggie SmitD. Every day for a week he watched, until on the eighth day he saw her running by with a shawl over her head and a pitcher in her hand. '' Hi-lo," he cried, " b>lo, Maggie Smit' I you com' nichue ?" " Hello, John ; how's things ? I'll see yer when I get th' old man's beer," and she dashed on while Ling went in and waited. After awhile she came in with a rush. -x-^ <> You lakkee Caina candy ? ' began Ling before she could say anything. " Heap good !" and be shoved a queer little box full of keung toward her. '' I lakkee you," he continued, while he picked at the gilt buttons on hia blouse. " I bling you nice close, heap nice,

you sabe ? Makkee you nice close, you dless heap nice, sabe ? You mally me, you hab heap money."

" Marry you, John ? Well, I guess not 1 Me old woman would pull the pigtail out of your head if she heard you makin any breaks like that "

" You mally me bimaby," said Ling, as though he felt sure ,he would win.

" So long, John !" she said, as she went out munching the candy. That was the first of the queer courtship. It strnck Maggie seriously, as thjugh she thought she might do worse.

" I don't know but what I'll marry the Chink," she said to herself, " I'll get all ther clothes an money I want an I'll be boss, you can bet 1"

There was a cat which used to sleep undea Ling's counter. She grew fat on the scraps of chow chop suey and chue yunk which fell from the table, and altogether lived a life of peace. But the day Ling proposed to Maggie Smith the cat's manner changed. Instead of sleeping under the counter all the day she took to walking on the counter, mewing uneasily in a wailing voice which filled the room with a distressful &ound.

Then she would pause in her walk, and sitting on her haunches glare at Ling with staring eyes. Once or twice he drove her away, but she came back and glared until her eyes turned from green to purple. Once he struck her with bis bamboo t'ung, and she retreated to a high shelf and watched him.

" The evil one possesses her," said Ling, and he burned more prayer sticks before hiskashat Joss, but the wailing of the cat never ceased. She crept under Ling's bed that night and scratched at the matting on the floor ; she paraded tbe little room, and her big shining eyes seemed to light up the dark place. Prom that night the cat was never at rest, and Ling became so stricken with a silent terror that he would go out into the street rather than cross her path.

He forgot about the cat a couple of days later, when Maggie Smith came in. Sbe was better dressed than usual.

" Hello, John," she began, " I had a row with the old woman, and I've dim out. I'm dead sick of gittin jumped on. Now, if you wanter marry me on therEquare, I'm with you, but I don't want any funny business in mine 1"

" You mally me?" asked Ling, while a smile crapt over hia face. 1 Allee lite, I mally you."

" But I'll tell you, John," the girl went on, " you've got to cut that pigtail oS and wear citizen's clothes. You got to be pretty near a white mm. You got to be w as white as clothes kin make you, an you got to treat me white, too, or I'll shake you 1"

Ling didn't want to lose his cue and he fought against what he considered a sacrilege, but he found Maggie relentless.

" I curl him up so," he said, as he twisted it about hia head ; '• 'n I puttee on hlat, so," and he pulled an old slouch hat down over his head, " n' noblody slee hlim, ha ?"

No, even that wouldn't do, and Maggie went away saying : " I'm goin up to a lady friend's o' mine ter stay ternite, John, an' I'll see yon tomorrer, and if ther pigtail don't go I don't git married, see ?"

Ling didn't quite see, but he thought a lot. He thought Maggie was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. There waa nothing ch'an about her. She had fine blue eyes, a trim figure, and a shock of golden hair that attracted the Chinaman. The old cat jumped on the counter and yowled and stared at him, and he went out to get away from those green eyes. He went to the Joss-house and burned thirty centB 1 worth of prayer sticks and paper. He made up hia mind quickly after that, almost ran down the dark, creaking steps and across to where the tai'-tau'-lo lived and did business.

" Take off this thing I" he said, when lie sat down on the stool in front of the little razors and scissors. " What 1" said the barber, " are you crazy, or have the foreign devils got you too ?" " Cut it off, I tell you I" Are you not here to do such work as this 1 " " No. Tint is wrong. I knew your mother. What would she say if I did it? Her curses would come to n\3 as well as to you, unworthy son." Ling ran out while bis courage lasted. He went to a Kwang-tnng man who lived near Pell street and had no cue. " Cut this thing off !" he said — he did not need to beg this time. " Ha, ha 1" laughed the Kwang-tung man, " you are going to be one of us ; good !'' and he picked up a big pair of shears. Snip I and Ling's cue was gone, cut close to his head. Out Ling ran, leaving his cue behind him. He went into his itore and sat down to think, when up jumped the cat. Her eyes were yellow this time, and she howled mournfully. " Get away, you evil thing 1 " and he pushed her off with a stick. He did not sleep that night ; he dreamed strange things, and saw strange sights ; be thought of hi? home in far off China, and his mother and the little Chinese maidens whom he had known before he came to the new country. He smoked, and saw faces in the clouds. In the morning hia eyes were heavy and red with the opium, and he let hia hired man do all the work, He lay in hia chubby bank and smoked

the opium until he heard a voice. It sounded as if it came from a great distance. It said : " Hello, where's the bo§a ? In the back room 1 All right ! " The curtains were pulled back, and Maggie Smith came in. " Hittin ther pipe, eh? Well, that's bad for the blood. How's yer pigtail ?" " I cut hlim. He glone," s-iid Ling, half stupidly. " That's good. I knew you'd come around. The Chinks allets do. Git up if yer Jjoing to get married.

Liog had a vague idea that he was very happy. The opium had brought a peaceful feeling, bat he was rather stupid. Maggie Bat 01 the edge of the bunk and the c»t walked across the room with stately tread, glaring at her. She paused at her feet, and at one bound was on her lap. " Hello, pussy I"' she said, putting her face down and Btrokiog the fur. Likj a flash a paw shot out ; five hooked, sharp claws were unsheathed and dragged across the girl's cheek. She gave afrigbtened scream, and when Ling looked he saw three red lines down her face, from which blood was dripping. And the cat walked slowly across the floor with the same stately tread.

" I've got a nice looking face now ! " said Maggie, " and I think I'll have that cat killed."

" Less," said Ling, " kill hlim," and he rose dreamily and tried to drive the cat out, but she wouldn't go. He gave it up and cursed the spirit which possessed the cat. " Some enemy of mine has died," bethought, "and his soul has gone into the cat.'* Maggie washed the blood from her face and put on three long strips of plaster, and then went around to the Five Points mission, where they were married. The minister, Mr Boughton, asked them both a great many questions, and sa'isfied himself that everything was all right. Before he dismissed them he said he hoped Maggie would be happy.

" I hope so, sir," said she, " an' they say the Chinks are good to their wimmen."

They went back to the Ftore th^n. There was a letter on the counter near the scales. It had coma from China and was for Yee Sam Ling. The cat sat near it and would not move. Ling pushed her away with a stick, but she came back. He was afraid to put bis hand out for the letter, so he pulled it toward him with his pipe. It wasfrom his native town.

" Your good mother is dead," it said ; " the scourge devil carried her away. It was her will that you return and marry the girl she has betrothed to you."

The letter fell from Ling's hinds ; he louked up and saw the cat etill starmg at him

" My mother'^ soul is there to curse me," ne whispere \ to himself, backing towaH the d or.

'■ It 19 she ! Sne. his come across the big water because 1 dil not return,' and hs kiot stepping bickward.

" The curse has comj upon me ! " And he felt for his cue. Then he louked at Macgie an i s\w the mirks of the caws. With a shriek he opened the door and rushed out !

"John's gone plumb crazy! ' said Maegie to the attendant, "Tt'a the opium, 1 r vets. It knocks 'em all when they get the hibit."

Ling Liver c-irne back, so Maggie patched a truce with her mother and went bick to tue tenem.n'. .No^ol} but the minister knows she is Mrs Yee Sam L'ng. and the new sign which swings over the door of the litt'c store tells everyone who looks up at it that Sun Quong seMs Chme=e groceries there. Suu Q long wss the attendant.