The Chinese New Year.
The New Year came and found Hongkong in festal array. All the Chinese
houses were decorated with plants and flowers, and from long cords
stretched from house to house, and diagonally across the streets, were
suspended hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns of various colors. At the
first peep of day thousands of people, dressed in holiday attire, began
to throng the streets and crowd into the great open squares, where
eatables of all sorts were to be had. Here were tables loaded down
with all kinds of Chinese delicacies, many of which, I fear, my little
readers would not find palatable. For example, there were sugar-coated
worms, preserved red snails, trepang,--a kind of sea-worm,--and putrid
doves' eggs in an unspeakable sauce. The cakes made of honey, sugar
and rice-meal, I am sure, would have been much more to your liking.
Each hour the crowd increased, as the people poured into the city from
the villages on the island of Hongkong, and from neighboring places.
It was a general reception day. Whenever a Chinaman met an
acquaintance, putting his hands in the wide, flowing sleeves of his
gown, he greeted him with many bows, wished him a happy New Year, and
invited him to have a cup of tea or saki. Even the poorest people had
saved up enough to take part in the celebration. All over the great
city joy reigned.
The missioners, glad to give their pupils English as well as Chinese,
all the pleasure they could, always celebrated the New Year by having a
more elaborate supper than usual, and taking the boys to see the
brilliantly lighted city and the puppet shows. For weeks beforehand
all looked forward to the great holiday, and could hardly wait for the
time to come when the city would be in holiday attire, and the
fireworks and puppet shows in progress. On this night supper was over,
the bell had rung, and the boys were in a double line ready to start on
their little excursion. At the head of the ranks stood young Peppo,
the leader, in a state of subdued excitement. He was anxious to see
the beautiful lights, and also hoped to find his little companion,
Willy, at the puppet show, where he knew he would be, if possible.
Just as the happy band was about to start, Father Somazzo called Peppo
back, for it occurred to him that perhaps the man, who had a few days
previous to this so impudently demanded possession of him, might try to
kidnap him.
"Peppo", he said, addressing Lihu by his Italian nickname, "Peppo, you
know that I mean well by you."
"Yes, Father," answered the boy impatiently, "but please don't keep me
now. We are going to the city and I am to be the leader of the ranks."
"Peppo, not very long ago you said that you were willing to make a
great sacrifice to God, because he saved you from death, and permitted
you to be baptized, and because you are soon to receive your first
communion."
"Yes, Father, I did, and I will willingly make a sacrifice, but let me
go now. Brother Onufrio has already opened the door."
"Peppo, would it not be a beautiful sacrifice for you to give up going
to-night?"
"O Father," stammered the child with tears in his eyes, "no, I don't
want to. I will make a sacrifice, but not to-night. I want to see the
fire-works and the puppet show. And Willy will be at the puppet show,
I want to find him, too. He will go if he can, for he knows that every
New Year's night we boys go. Please, Father, do not keep me. I will
willingly live on rice and water for a month rather than stay home
to-night."
"Poor child, you do not know what is for your best good," answered
Father Somazzo. "I wanted you to look upon this as a sacrifice which
you were willing to make, but since you will not, I command you to
remain at home, for a reason which I cannot tell you. Come, Peppo,
into the class-room. You may take my big picture-book with all the
pictures of European cities and churches, ladies and gentlemen in fine
clothes and battles and ships. The time will pass quickly. Come and
win the reward of obedience."
"I don't want to, I won't go!" cried the boy, crying at the top of his
lungs and stamping his feet on the floor.
"What? What? Such a thing as this from you? That is no way to
behave. If you do not come with me willingly, you shall not have the
pretty picture-book."
With these words Father Somazzo led the weeping child into the
class-room, while he went to get the promised book. Totu, the servant,
who was standing near the door at the time, was a witness of the scene.
His plan was to seize the boy at the puppet show, when the attention of
all the by-standers was on the stage, fasten him to himself by a
cunningly contrived chain and belt, so that he could not possibly
escape in the crowd, and deliver him over to his uncle. When he saw
that the boy was detained against his will, the sly fellow changed his
tactics.
"Ha, ha," said he, "this is much easier for Totu," and hurrying into
the garden, stationed himself under the window which opened into and
was on a level with the garden. As soon as Father Somazzo left the
room, Peppo went to the window to watch the sky rockets that every now
and then went shooting into the sky, and to listen to the shouts of the
merry revelers in the streets.
"What, little Lihu, are you not going to the celebration? Why, down in
the marketplace there is the finest puppet show that was ever seen or
heard of anywhere," said Totu in a sympathetic tone of voice.
"I can't," said he, "Father Somazzo is an old tyrant. He wants me to
renounce this pleasure, to make a sacrifice to God to-night by staying
at home."
"Oh, nonsense!" answered the tempter. "You come with me. I'll take
you down into the city, and to the puppet show, and the fireworks, and
everything else. We'll be back in an hour, and Father Somazzo, who is
saying his prayers, won't even know you've been away."
"He has locked the door, and will be angry if he finds me gone," said
the boy, half ready to yield to the tempter.
"He won't find it out. Quick. Climb up on the window-sill, I'll lift
you down, and in a moment we'll be out through the little gate in the
wall, for I have the key that unlocks it. We've no time to lose.
Don't you hear the drums and tomtoms in the market-place? The puppet
show is beginning."
Little Peppo's conscience told him that he ought not to go, but his
anger at what seemed to him an unjust command, caused him to give no
heed to its dictation. "Well, anyway, when Father Somazzo shuts me up
for punishment, I'll have seen the puppet show and the fireworks," he
said, climbing up on the window-sill, and the next moment he was in the
garden. Taking Totu by the hand, he slunk along in the shadow of the
wall to the little gate, and soon the two were with the crowd out in
the brilliantly lighted street.
Father Somazzo was detained a short time, and when he returned to the
classroom was dumbfounded to find his favorite pupil gone. He went to
the window and called "Peppo, Peppo", but received no answer. At first
he could scarcely believe that the boy, who had always been so
obedient, could be guilty of such a grievous breach of discipline; but
as calling and searching proved of no avail, at last, with a heavy
heart, he had to admit that even good little Peppo had yielded to
temptation.
"Lord, deal not harshly with the erring," sighed the missioner, and
then he prayed: "Let not his disobedience cause him and us too much
sorrow, Blessed Virgin. Take the poor child to thy motherly bosom, and
bring him back to us in safety. Thou knowest we have great hopes for
him."
Father Somazzo could do no more than this, for he could not leave the
house alone; and, even if he had been able to do so, his attempts to
find the child in the crowds that thronged the streets would have
availed nothing. Hoping that Peppo would join his companions and
return with them, the good Father waited, but in vain. He neither came
with the boys, nor later by himself.
On the following morning Father Somazzo received a visit from Mr.
Black, the lawyer, whom he had consulted concerning the guardianship of
Willy. He came to report that he believed he had sufficient proof to
ask the court to take Willy away from John Brown, and also to cause his
imprisonment. He had through agents sought out the sailors dismissed
from the "St. George", and from them not only learned of the life of
John Brown in Dublin, but also of the peculiar circumstances attendant
upon his brother's death at sea. Mr. Black asked whether he should
prosecute, adding: "Whatever is done, must be done quickly, for I am
told that the 'St. George' will sail to-morrow morning, or the morning
after at the latest, for Australia with three hundred Chinaman on
board."
Father Somazzo signed the necessary papers, then told of little Peppo's
disappearance, and his conjecture that he had been carried off by a
Chinaman named Lihoa, who claimed to be a relative.
"I'll wager ten to one, this Lihoa is one of the greedy Chinamen who is
going to sail on the 'St. George'," said Mr. Black. "Let's go down to
the office of the Chief of Police, and, if my conjecture is true, we'll
find the people we want on board the 'St. George'--'kill two birds with
one stone', as the old saying has it. Be quick, Father, get your hat
and walking stick and come with me. We haven't a moment to lose."
The two men hurried down to the harbor. The Chief of Police received
them in a friendly manner, but when they laid their case before him, he
shrugged his shoulders and said: "I am very sorry, indeed. You have
come just eight hours too late. The 'St. George' sailed this morning
at two with the tide and a favorable wind."
"What is to be done?" questioned the Father.
"We will send your papers to Melbourne and Sidney and have the Captain
and Lihoa arrested when they put into port. That is all that can be
done," answered the Chief.
Matters had to be left thus. Mr. Black returned to his office to make
out the necessary documents, and Father Somazzo to the College to
commend both boys to God and his ministering angels.