Your most grateful obedient Servant,
AH LUM.
P.S.--May I venture once more to commend the works of Li T'ai-poh to
your august attention?
"Thanks!" said Brin, handing the letter back. "I am ver' much
interested. The English is good, hein? In the idiom of Oxford? Permit
me to make a copy for my book that will appear at early date,
_L'Ascension de la Chine_."
Meanwhile Humphrey Brown had gone to the window, and stood with his
hands in his pockets looking into the crowded street. A cab rattled up
to the door of the hotel.
"I say," said Humphrey, "here's a funny old guy. Come and look, Agnes."
"I prefer to listen to the conversation," said Agnes, a self-possessed
girl of thirteen.
"All right, grumps! But it would make you laugh. He's coming into the
hotel. My eye!"
Not two minutes later the door opened, and there entered a portly figure
in light-striped flannels; a pink cummerbund showing beneath the vest;
gold-rimmed eyeglasses fixed somewhat awry on his broad nose. He stood
at the door for a moment to choose his table.
"By George!" exclaimed Jack, springing up; "it's Schwab himself."
He went towards the door.
"Good-evening, Herr Schwab!" he said, holding out his hand.
The German turned and stared.
"Ach! I haf not ze honour, unless--who do you rebresent, sir?"
Jack smiled. Schwab instantly seized him by the hand.
"Du meine Guete! I abologize. I know you now. Nefer before did I see
you in ze evenink dress. How are you, how are you, how are you?"
"Jolly glad to see you," said Jack. "Come and be introduced to my
father, and mother, and the rest. You know Brin. We were talking of
you only a minute ago."
The introductions were made. Humphrey turned away to hide his laughter
at the German's elephantine bows.
"I abologize to ze ladies for my so unbecoming addire, but ven I
egsblain zat I haf shust gome from ze station----"
"Say no more," said Mr. Brown. "Very unfortunate I couldn't meet you in
Moukden, Mr. Schwab."
"Ach ja! Bermit me to ask, haf you seen ze evenink baber?"
"Not yet."
"Vell, I haf vun. I bought it at ze station; ze baber boys zey should
be made to keep change. I haf only a benny, ze boy he haf no ha'bny--I
muss vait five minutes till anozer gustomer arrive. Zat is not
business. Ven I read ze baber, I see a baragraph vat I zink interess
you. I read to you. 'It is announced from St. Betersburg zat ze
rebresentations of ze British ambassador in regard to ze extraordinary
case of Mr. Brown of Moukden haf at last been crowned viz success, and
orders haf been issued for Mr. Brown's immediate release.' Zere is
somezink I do not understan', since already Mr. Brown is here."
"Ah! You're not a diplomat, Mr. Schwab," said Mr. Brown, laughing. "It
is a little funny to know that three months after my escape, and when
Sakhalin is in possession of the Japanese, I am graciously permitted to
regain my liberty."
Jack gave Herr Schwab a brief account of the final scenes of his quest.
"Zen for how much is your claim?" asked Schwab of Mr. Brown at the
conclusion of the story.
"What claim?"
"Vy, your claim for gombensation--for intellectual and moral damage.
Business are business. As business man, I advise downright zumping big
claim."
"Well, Mr. Schwab, I've been turning over the matter, and really I think
I'll let things alone. You see, Sowinski is dead, poor wretch! and
Bekovitch is degraded, and if the account were properly adjusted, and
Jack's damage to the Siberian railway put on the debit side, the balance
might turn out against us after all."
"Ach! zat is anozer matter--ja! you muss gonsider ze balance-sheet. Zat
is business."
"You are still in business?" said Jack.
"I am in business forever. It is ze bress of my nostrils.
Vargorresbondencephotography, zat is not business; it do not bay
egsbenses. I am now in beacephotography. I gome here, rebresentative of
Schlagintwert, to make bicturebostcardphotographs of ze French and
English entente. And zen I return to ze Baltic to make photograph of
our Kaiser ven he velgome ze British fleet."
"He!" cried Brin with a chuckle. "Welcome! It must be
snap-shot--prestissimo! When your Kaiser welcome the British fleet
there will need a good camera, and exposure--one-millionth second. Ho!
ho!"
Later in the evening Schwab took Jack confidentially aside.
"Mr. Brown, my frient, I have somezink to say. It has been gonfided to
me zat you gondemblate a gondract."
"A contract, Herr Schwab?"
Schwab guffawed.
"Zat is my shoke--a madrimonial gondract."
"Who has been telling you that?"
"Ah, I haf it in gonfidence from your sister. Already is she a frient.
She tell everybody in gonfidence."
"Then you can contradict it in confidence, Herr Schwab. There is no
foundation--that is to say, nothing is settled."
Schwab looked sly.
"No, not settled, of course--but gondemblated."
"Really, Herr Schwab!----"
"Yes, yes, I understan'. Shust so. I also have affair of ze heart."
He sighed deeply. "I can symbazise. But viz me it is different. You
are lucky dog--ze Fraeulein Walewska is kind; vile I am in ze depss of
desbair: Madame Bottle--ach, she is gruel. I sigh, she smile; I groan,
she laugh; I even make bresentation, she decline vizout zanks. Ah! Mr.
Brown, you do not know vat it is to be gross in lov."
Jack looked as sympathetic as he could, while Herr Schwab, laying his
hand lightly on his waistcoat-buttons, continued lugubriously:
"Ach, truly it is a terrible zink to lov vizout return. It break ze
heart; it shpoil ze digestion;--it is bad for business. No longer can I
gif sole attention to ze interest of Schlagintwert. Vy, it is only a
few days since I take order from Robinson & Robinson in London;
yesterday Schlagintwert return ze order. Vat haf I written?--'Subbly
Mrs. Bottle, 68 Crutched Friars, London, 50 casks botato shbirit, last
quotation, f.o.b. Hamburg.' Zere is fipence vaste in bostages. Zat
show you!"
"Yes, very amusing," said Jack absently. Gabriele had just come in with
Mrs. Brown, and Jack was on thorns lest the German's by no means gentle
voice should reach the ladies.
"Amusink!" cried Schwab. "Schlagintwert do not see ze shoke. Vy----"
"Of course, I meant annoying. But, Herr Schwab, if you will----"
"Yes, yes," said Schwab, noticing how Jack's eyes strayed to the other
end of the room, and how he fidgeted with his watch-chain. "Yes, I see.
Only vun moment, Mr. Brown. Ze business I shboke of. Already I mention
it to ze young lady----"
"Upon my word, Herr Schwab!--
"Vait, I egsblain. Zere is nozink fix--not nozink at all. Ze Fraeulein
vill say nozink. She blush; zen she ask me to tell her about my
ancestor, Hildebrand Suobensius. But zis is business."
"Well, what is it, Herr Schwab?"
"It is an obbortunity--an obbortunity for Schlagintwert and for
yourself. Our firma establish a new branch--bon-bons, gonfectionery.
Zey vish to open accounts in zis gountry: you understan'?"
"Understand?--what?"
"Vy, zis--here is ze obbortunity. Schlagintwert zey require
advertisement: zey shall make you ze vedding-gake--_costprice_!"
About six weeks later, Mr. Brown was looking over his copy of the
_Shanghai Mercury_ which had come by the morning post.
"Here, Jack," he said, "this paragraph will interest you."
Jack took the paper, and read:
"One of the results of the treaty of peace recently signed between
Russia and Japan is that the famous brigand, Ah Lum, has been summoned
to Pekin. The military ability he displayed in his operations in
northern Manchuria has been recognized by his appointment to a high post
in the Board of Civil Office."
There is shortly to be started, in Hong-Kong, a new firm of produce
brokers under the style of Brown, Son, & Co. Brown we know; Son we
know; Co. at present consists of Mr. Hi An-tzu. Whether it will by and
by include Mr. Hi Lo-ch'u depends on that young man's business aptitude:
Son thinks it very probable. Brown is to be the sleeping, or as he
prefers to put it, the consulting partner. Son will manage the London
house; while Mr. Hi in Hong-Kong will open accounts with respectable
Manchurian farmers, of whom one will undoubtedly be Mr. Wang.
Some of Brown's friends took him to task for lifting his former
compradore from his lowly station to the equality of partnership. To
their remonstrance Brown replied with a morsel of political philosophy.
"It's all very well," he said, "to sneer at the 'heathen Chinee', and
look upon him as fit for nothing better than to smoke your opium and do
your work in South African mines. Believe me, John Chinaman is not so
very heathen; and he is waking up: and when he does move he will hustle.
For myself, I prefer a colleague to a competitor."
What Brown thinks to-day his business friends generally think to-morrow.
*Glossary*
C=Chinese, P=Pidgin-English, R=Russian. The Chinese substitute _l_ for
_r_, and add the terminations _-ee_, _-um_, and _-lo_ to many words.
_ach_ (R), oh, ah.
_allo_ (P), all, every.
_artel_ (R), a society of workers formed on co-operative principles.
_barin_ (R), lord, gentleman.
_batiushki_ (R) = By Jove!
_belongey_ (P), often equivalent simply to the verb to be.
_bimeby_ (P), by and by, afterwards.
_bobbely_ (P), noise, uproar.
_bottom-side_ (P), down, below.
_bozhe moi_ (R), good heavens!
_cash_ (C), small copper coins carried on strings.
_catchee_ (P), to get, have.
_ch'hoy_ (P), an exclamation.
_chop-chop_ (P), quickly.
_chow-chow_ (P), food.
_Chunchuse_ (more strictly _Hunhutze_: C), literally red-beard: the name
given to the organized bandits of Manchuria.
_compradore_ (Portuguese), superintendent of a European's native staff.
_da_ (R), an exclamation; literally "yes!"
_droshky_ (R), single-horse carriage.
_dushenka_ (R), little soul: a term of endearment.
_-ee_, a pidgin-English termination.
_eka_ (R), an exclamation: "there now!"
_Fa-lan-sai_ (P), French.
_fangtse_ (C), cottage.
_fan-kwei_ (C), foreign devil.
_fan-tan_ (C), a game: the players stake on the remainder when an
unknown number of cash is divided by 4.
_fan-yun_ (C), foreigner.
_feng-shui_ (C), the geomantic influences of the earth, determining the
luckiness or unluckiness of places.
_first-chop_ (P), best, excellently.
_flend_ (P), friend.
_fo'_ (P), four, for.
_folin_ (P), foreign.
_galaw_ (P), a common exclamation.
_gorodovoi_ (R), policeman.
_gospodin_ (R), sir.
_graf_ (R), count
_he_ (P), he, she, it, they, him, her.
_Ingoua_ (C), English.
_kopeck_ (R), silver or copper coin: 100 kopecks make 1 rouble.
_kow-tow_ (P), to bow humbly.
_li_ (C), a Chinese mile: about one-third of an English mile.
_ling-ch'ih_ (C), capital punishment by slicing.
_littee_ (P), little.
_look-see_ (P), look, examine.
_lowdah_ (P), captain of a junk.
_Lusski_ (P), Russian.
_mafoo_ (C), groom.
_makee_ (P), make, do.
_Melican_ (P), American.
_moujik_ (R), peasant.
_muchee_ (P), very.
_my_ (P), I, me, my, mine.
_nichalnik_ (R), station-master.
_no can do_ (P), cannot.
_nu_ (R), well!
_numpa_ (P), number: numpa one, first-rate.
_och_ (R), oh!
_one-tim'_ (P), once.
_ph'ho_ (C), an exclamation.
_pidgin_ (P), business: pidgin-English, English as spoken by Chinese at
the ports.
_piecee_ (P), used with numerals: _one piecee man_=a or one man.
_ping-ch'wahn_ (C), gunboat.
_plopa_ (P), proper: allo plopa, all right.
_rouble_ (R), the standard money (paper) of Russia: ten roubles=a
British sovereign.
_samovar_ (R), tea-urn.
_sampan_ (C), a Chinese punt.
_savvy_ (P), know, understand.
_side_ (P), place, direction: this-side, here; that-side, there;
what-side, where.
_so-fashion_ (P), in that way.
_suttingly_ (P), certainly.
_tael_ (C), a coin (rarely seen) worth 6s. 6d.
_that-side_ (P), there.
_that-tim'_ (P), then.
_this-side_ (P), here, hither.
_tim'_ (P), time.
_tinkee_ (P), think.
_Toitsche_ (P), _i.e._ Deutsche, German.
_too_ (P), very.
_topside_ (P), above, superior; in the head.
_troika_ (R), three-horsed vehicle.
_verst_ (R), two-thirds of English mile.
_vodka_ (R), brandy made of barley.
_wailo_ (P), away, to go away, run away.
_wantchee_ (P), to want.
_what-for_ (P), why.
_what-side_ (P), where.
_what-tim'_ (P), when.
_yamen_ (C), mandarin's residence and office: yamen-runners, equivalent
to English bailiffs, but a very inferior class.
_yinkelis_ (P), English.
* * * * * * * *
*The Light Brigade
in Spain*
or
*The Last Fight of Sir John Moore*
*By Herbert Strang*
Author of "Tom Burnaby," etc.
With a Preface by Lieut.-Col. WILLOUGHBY VERNER.
_Illustrated by William Rainey, R.I. 12mo. $1.50_
"In 'Boys of the Light Brigade' Mr. Strang draws upon the resources of
the Peninsular War, and succeeds in extracting much freshness from
well-worn themes, as Moore's retreat to Corunna and the heroic defence
of Saragossa. The personal interest of the story is kept at a high
tension.... It is a book which no boy will be able to put down when
once started. The volume is provided with excellent maps and plans of
the scenes in which the incidents take place."--_The Standard_.
"This author has fairly earned the right to be accepted as the
legitimate successor of the late George A. Henty in furnishing
entertainment for youth. Like Henty, Strang manages to galvanize the
dry bones of history into a close semblance of glorious life.... The
present volume contains vivid and spirited descriptions of campaign life
in Spain ... with many rare and interesting episodes.... This is good
reading for young and old."--_Chicago Post_.
"The author describes graphically with truth to history the last fight
of the British commander, Sir John Moore. It is a stirring military
story in the manner of those written by the late George A. Henty, but
really with more authenticity."--_Philadelphia Press_.
"An interesting story, with extra good measure in its incidents and
character ... and with some pretty little love passages."--_Cleveland
Leader_.
*KOBO*
*Story of the Russo-Japanese War*
*By HERBERT STRANG*
Author of "The Light Brigade in Spain," etc.
_Illustrated by William Rainey, R.I. 12mo, $1.50_
"It is a dashing romance for boys, founded on the Russo-Japanese War and
worthy of the late Mr. Henty at his best. A story that every schoolboy
will enjoy and one that will be read with much pleasure and profit by
many older readers as well."--_Cleveland Leader_.
"The story throughout bristles with adventures, it is well written and
the author shows intimate knowledge of Japanese character and
customs."--_San Francisco Bulletin_.
"In one respect Mr. Strang's tale is even better than many of the late
G. A. Henty's. It has more dash and dialogue. These are strong points
in the work of this writer, who is destined to fill the place vacated by
the lamented author of 'Under Drake's Flag,' and 'With Clive in
India.'"--_The Dundee Advertiser_.
"For vibrant actuality there is nothing to come up to Mr. Strang's
'Kobo.'"--_The Academy_.
"A great amount of actual military history is incorporated with an
exciting and romantic plot."--_The Westminster Gazette_.
*The Adventures*
*of*
*Harry Rochester*
*A Tale of the Days of
Marlborough and Eugene*
*By*
*HERBERT STRANG*
Author of "Kobo," "Light Brigade in Spain," etc.
_Illustrated by William Rainey, R.I. 12mo. $1.50_
"A story full of thrilling adventure."--_Newark Advertiser_.
"Mr. Strang is a follower of Henty in writing adventurous historical
romances for boys, and does his work with even more spirit and vim.
This tale gives a good picture of the wars of Marlborough and William of
Holland against the French, with a clever and courageous boy
hero."--_Congregationalist and Christian World_.
"Three such successes as Mr. Strang has now achieved definitely
establish his position and should fully reassure those who despondingly
wondered when and where a worthy successor to Mr. Henty would
appear."--_Glasgow Herald_.
"Mr. Henty's mantle may worthily be worn by Mr. Herbert
Strang."--_Truth_.
"Told with a dash and vigor which mark him as Henty's natural
successor."--_Notts Guardian_.
*By ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS*
Historic Boys. Their Endeavors, Their Achievements and Their Times.
With 29 full-page illustrations. 8vo, pp. viii + 259.
Historic Girls. Stories of Girls Who Have Influenced the History of
Their Times. 8vo, illustrated, pp. viii + 225.
Chivalric Days and Youthful Deeds. Stirring Stories, presenting
faithful pictures of historic times. Illustrated, 8vo. $1.25