^ 
 
 TRUE TALES ABOUT 
 A CHINESE BOY AND HIS FRIENDS
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 IRVINE 
 
 EX LIBRIS 
 
 HORACE YEH 
 
 3G60
 
 MOOK. A TRUE TALE.
 
 This is Mook
 
 MOOK 
 
 3^ 
 
 TRUE TALES ABOUT A CHINESE 
 BOY AND HIS FRIENDS 
 
 BY 
 EVELYN WORTHLEY SITES 
 
 Introduction by 
 FRANK M. McMURRY, Ph.D. 
 
 TEACHEKS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITT 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 THE CENTRAL C0MMITTP:E ON THE UNITED 
 STUDY OF FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 WEST MEDFORD, MASS.
 
 Copyright, 1918, 
 
 BY 
 
 EVELYN WORTHLEY SITES 
 
 Stanbope iprcss 
 
 F. H.GILSON COMPANY 
 BOSTON. U.S.A. 
 
 THE VERMONT PRINTING COMPANY 
 BRATTLEBORO
 
 TO THE BROWNIE TWINS 
 BETTY AND FRED, 
 
 AND ALL OTHER GIRLS AND BOYS WHO CAN 
 
 STRETCH OUT THEIR HEARTS TO TAKE 
 
 IN THE CHILDREN ON THE OTHER 
 
 SIDE OF THE WORLD
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Paqb 
 
 Introduction 11 
 
 Chapteb 
 
 I MooK 13 
 
 II Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl, and Cross- 
 
 Patch 29 
 
 III Pltjm Blossom's Granny 51 
 
 IV Ten-Cent Sister 69 
 
 V Dai Kai 87 
 
 VI Three Golden Wishes 103
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 jyfook Frontispiece 
 
 Facing Page 
 
 Boys and Girls Welcoming You to China 14 
 
 A Cabin on the Mountain 20 
 
 Farmers Threshing 21 
 
 The House That was Just Like Heaven 22 
 
 Mook with Guenivere 23 
 
 The Box-full of "Jesus Birthday Gifts " 24 
 
 Mook Watching the Opening of the Box 24 
 
 Mook's First Christmas Present 25 
 
 Mook on the Front Seat Looking Happy 26 
 
 The Comfort Dolly 28 
 
 The Overland Express 30 
 
 The Bed, Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl Had 33 
 
 Getting Ready for Worship Day 34 
 
 The Procession on Worship Day 35 
 
 Four Girls Whose Feet were Set Free 37 
 
 Girls Learning to be Home -Makers 38 
 
 Heavenly Ability Taking Tea '. 39 
 
 Washing Under Difficulties 40 
 
 An Out-Door Study Hour 41 
 
 Learning to be Athletic 42 
 
 The Three Teacher-Sisters 46 
 
 Malea's Smile 47 
 
 Girls and Boys Who Have Never Been to School. ... 50 
 
 Girls and Boys Who Have Studied for a Year 50 
 
 Children Out of School 52 
 
 One of the Grannies 53 
 
 7
 
 8 List of Illustrations 
 
 Facing Page 
 
 A House Like Plum Blossom's 55 
 
 Women and Girls Learning to Read ,. 59 
 
 A Morning Ride 62 
 
 Plum Blossom Coming to School 66 
 
 Summer Brook 67 
 
 The Home on the Raft 71 
 
 The Sampan House 72 
 
 Little Folks in the Kindergarten 76 
 
 The Big Boat That Went up the Shining River 80 
 
 The River Bank 81 
 
 The Temple with Dragon-tail Roofs 81 
 
 Big Boats Tied up for the Night 82 
 
 The Wiggs Estate 83 
 
 Mrs. Wiggs and Ten-Cent Sister 84 
 
 'Twasn't My Fault 85 
 
 Not Ten-Cent Sisters 86 
 
 The Bridge Where Dai Kai Sat and Begged 90 
 
 The Boys m the Bhnd School 99 
 
 The City of Lingering Peace 113 
 
 Sound Virtue 114 
 
 Mook in the School-Room 115 
 
 Mook Looking Down on the Shining River 116 
 
 The City of Happy Valley 117 
 
 The Fine High School Mook Wished to Attend .... 118 
 
 The Boys Mook Taught in Sweet Cane 120 
 
 Mook's Friends 121 
 
 The School-Girls from Abiding Joy Grown Up 123 
 
 The East and the West 130
 
 Dear Boys and Girls: 
 
 Once upon a time I knew six little American children 
 in China. They were nearly always upside down; they 
 would only sit right side up to eat their dinners and to 
 listen to stories. And whenever their mother began to 
 tell a story they would say : " Mother, is it true ? " They 
 didn't want to Usten if it wasn't true. 
 
 I know that every story in this little book is true, 
 because I was right there and I saw the things that hap- 
 pened with my own eyes. 
 
 Evelyn Worthley Sites.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The main effect of this book is to impress one with the 
 Umitless possibilities for good, if proper help could be 
 extended to the Chinese. At least that is the principal 
 impression I have received after reading it in manuscript 
 and again in proof. 
 
 Much the same impression is likely to be made upon 
 children. The tale is primarily intended for them, 
 having been written from the point of view of children 
 and deahng largely, though not wholly, with them. 
 
 The means by which this effect is assured shows a high 
 degree of educational skill. First of all, the facts pre- 
 sented are vital. The poverty and suffering of the masses 
 in China, together with their superstitions and injurious 
 customs, are dealt with at length. Abstractness is 
 avoided, however, by presenting these always in their 
 personal or individual setting. Along with such matters 
 are included the hopes and ambitions, the energy and 
 skill of the Chinese children, and their keen appreciation 
 of favors and of opportunities for improvement. The 
 outcome, for the reader, is not only sympathy, but a high 
 degree of respect for the Chinese. They have ability; 
 what they need is opportunity. The sense of obligation 
 toward these people thus produced is followed up at the 
 ends of the several chapters by suggestions of things that 
 might be done for them, such for example, as the sending 
 
 11
 
 12 Introduction 
 
 of pictures, toys, money, etc. Even these suggestions are 
 offered in a most attractive way. In fact, this feature 
 possibly shows most fully the skill of the author. 
 
 This kind of literature is of special importance at the 
 present time. Owing to recent events we comprehend 
 far better than formerly the worth of mutual understand- 
 ing and sympathy among the different peoples of the earth. 
 And educators now realize that extensive attempts in this 
 direction should be made with children. Their attitude 
 toward foreigners is a very large factor in the total alti- 
 tude of our society. 
 
 School text-books have heretofore accomplished very 
 little in this respect. Most geographies and histories, for 
 example, give remarkably little space to China; and the 
 effect of the statements they do contain often tends more 
 toward contempt for these people than toward sympathy 
 and respect. Granting that each nation has many virtues, 
 indeed, superiorities over others, we must find space to 
 present these qualities. This book is a real contribution 
 in that it leads in this direction so successfully. 
 
 F. M. McMURRY 
 
 Teachers College, New York City 
 Dec. 24, 1918
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 MOOK. 
 
 18
 
 THE LOVELIEST LAND I KNOW. 
 
 i 
 I 
 
 Come draw up close, and I'll sing you a song \ 
 
 Of the loveliest land I know, 
 
 Where sweet birds carol the whole year long, : 
 
 And there never is ice or snow; 
 
 Where hillsides blossom with posies gay, 
 And brooklets laugh in the merriest way, j 
 
 'Tis just a beautiful place to play — 
 The loveliest land I know ! ' 
 
 i 
 
 There are sturdy lads who will welcome you ,] 
 
 To the loveliest land I know; j 
 
 They will show you things that are strange and new i 
 Wherever you choose to go; 
 
 There are girls as winsome as girls can be ^ 
 
 Who will curtsy shyly and bring you tea; ; 
 
 Oh, don't you want to go home with me j 
 
 To the loveliest land I know? | 
 
 I 
 
 14
 
 These are the boys and girls welcoming you to China 
 Avilh pretty China flags. The little girl in front seems to 
 be dressed like a boy, but you mustn't mind that; it is 
 their custom. You see she has a flowered dress, while 
 the boy's suit is plain. She is a very womanly little girl; 
 and they're all most lovable children!
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 MOOK. 
 
 Little Mook sat up on the bed and stared in 
 terror. 
 
 He wanted to cry — it was such a strange 
 Creature ! Was it a man or a woman — or one 
 of the terrible devil-ghosts his uncle talked 
 about? But then the Creature smiled and 
 looked kind — surely the Creature would not 
 eat him! 
 
 He held on steadily until the Creature went 
 away and then he cried — not aloud ; he was 
 not a baby. He heard the Creature saying 
 strange words in another room; he could not 
 understand them, but these were the words: 
 
 "There's a child in the cook's bed-room. He 
 is scared to death; I wonder who he is?" 
 
 Strange things had happened of late; and this 
 was the very strangest! First his kind father, 
 the big man who used to give him cakes, was 
 sick with a disease that made him cough and 
 cough, oh, so hard! And when he coughed his 
 body ached, and little Mook brought him tea 
 
 .0
 
 i6 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 in a big cup. He was a tiny fellow then, only 
 up to his daddy's knee. And then one day 
 the Chinese doctor came, and brought medi- 
 cines, — shining black beetles, with long funny 
 horns. He wanted to play with the medicine- 
 beetles, but they cooked them to make medi- 
 cine; and yet Daddy had coughed just as hard 
 as ever. And after that he could not go in to 
 see Daddy, and Mother and Auntie had bought 
 incense — oh, so much, and put before the big 
 idol, and begged him to make Daddy well. 
 Mother had walked a long way with the in- 
 cense, and beat her head on the stones before 
 the idol, and yet the big idol did not make 
 Daddy well. They took Daddy away one day, 
 with gongs and music and fire-crackers; where 
 he had gone no one quite knew; but no matter 
 how long you watched for him or called his 
 name, he never would come back ! And Mother 
 had cried, oh, so long and so hard; he had 
 brought her tea sometimes, and patted her 
 cheek. 
 
 But then the Five Rulers had brought the 
 deadly plague — sickness. The Five Rulers, 
 Mook was told, were devils who send diseases 
 to people. They had been carried in sedan 
 chairs through the streets, looking very awe- 
 some; and you could see them, — big, ugly
 
 Mook 17 
 
 idols — only one must be very careful to bow 
 low and never smile when they passed! Then 
 came the Tall Brother, the pale white devil, 
 ever so high — he stood away above men's 
 heads, and rolled his eyes about and worked 
 his jaws — probably he just loved to eat little 
 boys! After him came a big drum; and after 
 the drum came the black squatty devil, with 
 gaping mouth and a tongue that wagged out; 
 but he was not quite so dreadful as the Tall 
 Brother. Had they not carried these fierce 
 beings around the streets day after day to keep 
 the plague demon away ? And one night they 
 gave the Five Rulers a theatre in the temple; 
 Mook had run in to see the strange actors; and 
 a big feast was given — so many, many good 
 things to eat, and yet the plague demon did not 
 go away ! Mother had given money to help pay 
 for the theatre, and the family went without 
 rice that day in consequence. Then suddenly 
 Mother was terribly sick, and they took her 
 away, and she had never come back! 
 
 Just as he was thinking all this. Uncle Ding, 
 who did cooking, came in with his basket. 
 Uncle Ding had been kind to little Mook. 
 Uncle Ding loved him and gave him nice rice 
 and fish and cakes. He wished he could stay 
 with Uncle Ding always.
 
 i8 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Next day little Mook thought he would ven- 
 ture into the house where the strange Creature 
 lived. She had smiled at him; maybe she 
 would not harm him. He crept to the door 
 and peeped in. 
 
 What a wonderful house ! There were beauti- 
 ful things hanging on the wall. It was such a 
 white, clean wall! There were rows on rows 
 of shining books, and another strange creature 
 sat on the floor, wiping these with a cloth. 
 They were talking together and laughing most 
 merrily — clearly they would not eat little boys ! 
 Perhaps he could help wipe the books. After 
 two or three timid advances and retreats, little 
 Mook slipped in and held out his hands for the 
 cloth. The lady smiled — they were both 
 ladies, he had learned — and spoke kindly to 
 him; and he began to feel a little bit at home in 
 the wonderful house. Every morning after that 
 he came around to the door and waited till he 
 was beckoned in to help. One day he was asked 
 to take a letter across the fields to another 
 house. There are terrible devils who meet you, 
 right in broad daylight, when you cross these 
 paths. The other uncle, the old one, with 
 the big frowning eyebrows, had told him all 
 about it, night after night, and little Mook had 
 wept when he heard. Should he try this peril-
 
 Mook 19 
 
 ous errand? He set his teeth, gripped the 
 letter, and started out as fast as his brown legs 
 could carry him across the fields. In fifteen 
 minutes he came flying back; and nothing had 
 caught him at all! 
 
 When summer was over, the strange ladies 
 went away, and with them kind Uncle Ding 
 who gave him nice cakes and rice. Little 
 Mook wanted to go too, oh, so badly! The 
 ladies wanted him to go, because he had learned 
 to do so many helpful things. He could dust 
 the shelves, and clear the table, and carry the 
 dishes away; and he could peel potatoes for 
 uncle in the kitchen. He loved to do these 
 things. He did not want to go back to the old 
 uncle with the big frowning eyebrows; he did 
 not want to listen to his tales of the devils who 
 stand in the corners of the road, waiting, even 
 in broad daylight, to jump out and grab little 
 boys. These stories made him cry. But the 
 frowning old uncle said he must go back home 
 with him; and he was only six years old, so he 
 went. 
 
 It wasn't at all nice at the old uncle's house. 
 It was a very crowded house to begin with. 
 There were scarcely board beds enough for all 
 the family to sleep on; and under the beds were 
 chickens and sometimes a pig. The room that
 
 20 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 should be the parlor, where everybody ate, was 
 cluttered full of farming tools. His auntie had 
 grown very unhappy living with the uncle who 
 had the cross eyebrows; there were a good many 
 little children to be taken care of, and there did 
 not seem to be any room or any rice or any 
 clothes or any love left over for little Mook. 
 Many times the cross uncle beat him, when he 
 had done nothing wrong at all! 
 
 By and by winter came, very cold and biting 
 for bare, brown feet. Every night Mook crept 
 away under the corner of the ragged coverlet, 
 on the bed where the other children were sleep- 
 ing, with tingling fingers and toes, and thought 
 of the dreadful devil-tales the cross old uncle 
 had told them, and wished he could have more 
 supper, and wept softly while the others were 
 asleep. Some nights he would hear a tiger roar 
 in the mountain jungle. Every morning he 
 went about the yard when the sun shone, with 
 the baby on his back. The baby was big and 
 heavy, oh, so heavy! Many days little Mook's 
 back ached with carrying him about. If only 
 the strange plague-devil had not come to take 
 Mamma away! But he loved the baby dearly 
 — loved to comfort him when he cried, and 
 even loved to carry him, though baby did grow 
 so very heavy. For Mook, you know, though
 
 This is a cabin on the mountain where the houses are 
 small, and made of stone lest the typhoons should blow 
 them to j)ieces. Do you see the Shining River in the 
 distance?
 
 These are the farmers, hke Mook's Uncle, threshing 
 the rice. A matting is placed around three sides of the 
 box to keep the rice from blowing away. Behind is the 
 village at the mountain's foot, with fine big houses, having 
 curved roofs. Can you see the stacks where the rice 
 straw is kept?
 
 Mook 21 
 
 he was six years old, was not so very much 
 bigger than a baby himself! 
 
 One very cold rainy morning something won- 
 derful happened! Kind uncle, who had gone 
 away so long before, came to see little Mook. 
 He had such a happy smiling face, with two 
 rows of white shining teeth, and so many pleas- 
 ant things to say ! Mook's little heart leaped for 
 joy, and he ran to his uncle as fast as he could 
 — you can't go very fast with a big, big baby 
 on your back! The uncle had come to say that 
 those foreign ladies wanted Mook to come down 
 the mountain-side, and sail down the Shining 
 River to Abiding Joy, where they lived. They 
 promised that he might go to school, and said 
 he was to earn his living by waiting on the table. 
 Mook was seven now. Seven years old is a 
 pretty early age to begin earning your own liv- 
 ing, don't you think so.^ But up in the cross 
 uncle's home he had been earning his living 
 without really getting it, for never, since he 
 went to the cross uncle's, had he had quite all he 
 wanted to eat. 
 
 So it was a very thin little figure that stood 
 that night inside the door of the foreign ladies' 
 dining-room, clad in an ancient coat of his kind 
 uncle's; the coat came quite to his brown feet, 
 which was good, because he had no shoes; and
 
 22 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 the long sleeves drooped far down over his 
 hands. In spite of it all, Mook stood up just 
 as tall as a very small boy can stand. Besides, 
 he was not afraid; for had not the tall ladies 
 been kind to him all summer .^^ 
 
 Next morning he began to learn his work in 
 serving the table. Uncle Ding, the friendly 
 cook, showed him just where to lay everything. 
 It is very queer, the ways of these foreign 
 people! They eat with swords and spears; and 
 though these weapons are so barbarous, they 
 are most particular just how they are placed 
 upon the table. Mook noted every motion of 
 his kind uncle with keenest interest, and im- 
 itated these motions exactly; and very soon 
 he could serve the table as well as Uncle Ding 
 could. Every room of the house was a new 
 marvel to him. Indeed it was a marvel to all 
 the people round; for never in all their lives 
 had they seen such a clean and beautiful home. 
 They call the house "Tieng dong" which 
 means Heaven; and they came limping on their 
 tiny feet for miles and miles to see the house 
 that was just like Heaven. 
 
 Mook, who had not begun his school work 
 yet, was always glad to serve these visitors tea, 
 and help show them about the house which was 
 just like Heaven. In this house there was a
 
 This is the house the neighbors said was just Uke 
 Heaven, because it was so high and broad and clean. Did 
 it ever occur to you that the house you are hving in today 
 would seem like Heaven to half the people in the world? 
 This house is on a green hill in the city of x\biding Joy. 
 The two lady-teachers lived in this house and opened a 
 school for girls. It was here that Mook came to help 
 with the work and go to school. 
 
 The left part is the school-house part. Do you see the 
 big yard for the girls to play in? And the fine line in 
 front is really the road that the neighbours walked on 
 when they hobbled into town on their tiny feet to see the 
 house. There are purple lilacs growing on the green hills 
 in winter, and scarlet azaleas in summer. Do you see 
 the carefully terraced gard*>ns in front? Those are rice- 
 fields.
 
 This is Mook with his kind Uncle Ding, and the queer 
 big drab cow, Guenivere, with the httle calf Naomi, 
 Mook's pet. Guenivere is a kind of cow called a caribou, 
 or water-buffalo. She doesn't like to be milked, because 
 Chinese boys and girls never drink milk, and so Chinese 
 cows are not accustomed to be milked at all. Often the 
 milkman has to allow the calf to begin the process, and 
 then slyly slip in and finish the milking himself. If he 
 doesn't have a real calf, he will use a stuffed calf, and 
 bump the cow until she lets down the milk! 
 
 Guenivere has to soak in black muddy water every day 
 to give white milk. Can you explain that? I can't! 
 The white milk gives white butter. Would you like it? 
 It looks funny at first, but it's really very nice!
 
 Mook 23 
 
 pretty green parlor, and a red dining-room, 
 which the Chinese ladies loved, because they 
 said it was the bride's room; and there was a 
 brown study and a little hall. On the floor of 
 the parlor was a cloth that people walked on, 
 just as if it did not matter! They would go 
 round and round these four rooms two or three 
 times, and each room was so wonderful to them 
 that when they entered it a second or even a 
 third time, they exclaimed with delight, think- 
 ing they had never seen it before! What they 
 loved to do most of all was to bounce on the 
 spring beds, and then go home and tell all their 
 neighbors about the bouncing beds and invite 
 them to come and bounce too. 
 
 One day Mook was helping in the kitchen and 
 he heard a great shouting of men outside the 
 gate. He ran to open it, and in came four men 
 straining under the load of a huge, heavy chest. 
 It was so big that even Guenivere, the huge 
 buffalo cow in the yard who terrified everybody, 
 galloped away in fear, with her little calf Naomi 
 leaping at her heels. Behind these men came 
 two other men, carrying a second chest. Mook 
 followed the boxes in, his eyes big with wonder; 
 then he quickly ran for the hammer to help 
 open them. 
 
 They said the boxes were full of "Jesus'
 
 24 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 birthday" gifts for the school girls. Mook did 
 not at all understand what Jesus' birthday was, 
 but truly it must be a very grand event ! Trem- 
 bling with excitement he took out the nails — 
 would they never come out? And there, care- 
 fully packed in straw, lay the most wonderful 
 toy people! There were dolls of every shape 
 and size, — dolls with brown hair, dolls with 
 golden hair; dolls in pink and blue and gorgeous 
 red garments; dolls with real shoes that come 
 off! And there was one radiant creature with 
 lustrous golden curls that could actually "niak" 
 its eyes! Mook had never seen anything in all 
 his life so marvellous as this toy person which 
 could wink its eyes! He heard the tall teacher- 
 ladies tell Uncle Ding that some girls in America 
 bought these toy people, and even sewed all 
 the beautiful clothes for them, on purpose to 
 make the school-girls happy on Jesus' birthday. 
 Truly the American children were good to love! 
 Most thrilling of all, in the second box there 
 was a picture-book all for Mook himself, sent 
 away across the ocean just for him. Mook's 
 little heart leaped within him as he took the 
 book. It was the gladdest thing that had eyer 
 happened to him in all his life. • .; 
 
 The lovely dolls were hidden carefully away 
 until Jesus' birthday should come, and Mook
 
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 1 
 
 Tliis is the box-full of "Jesus birthday" gifts for the 
 school girls, and Mook taking out the nails. His fingers 
 are pretty trembly. It seems to him the nails will never 
 <-ome out! 
 
 Mook is trying very hard '.o cover u|) his excitement 
 as the box is opened. J)o you know how he feels?
 
 This is the picture-book that came all for Mook him- 
 self. It was the gladdest thing that had ever happened 
 to Mook in all his life. 
 
 Can you remember the very first Christmas present 
 you ever had? Why can't you? 
 
 Why was it that Mook had never heard of Jesus' 
 birthday before? 
 
 Did you know that half the children in the world have 
 never heard of Christmas yet? Why is that?
 
 Mook 25 
 
 was warned not to tell even a whisper about 
 them to the thirty bright-eyed girlies in the 
 school room. No, he would never tell! Then 
 other mysterious things began to happen. 
 Someone was sent to the hillsides to bring a big 
 evergreen tree. This tree was put up, mind you, 
 right in the house! Mook himself helped to 
 put it up, though for the life of him he could 
 not imagine why people should plant a tree 
 in the house! It was planted only in a box, 
 and anybody might know that a tree in a box 
 with stones around it would never grow! And 
 then they began to put things on the tree, and 
 Mook helped. There were handkerchiefs, and 
 towels, and lovely big picture cards,^and, last 
 and best of all, the dolls were brought from 
 their hiding place and tied on the tree. And 
 then the doors were tightly locked, for it was all 
 to be a great surprise. 
 
 Early in the morning on Jesus' birthday the 
 guests began to arrive. The tall teacher said 
 that never in all the ages since Jesus' real birth- 
 day, nineteen hundred years ago, had there been 
 a Christmas tree in that town. Every little 
 girl was resplendent in the best dress she had 
 or could borrow, with her hair neat and shin- 
 ing. Old men came, and crooked, hobbling 
 grannies, on tiny stumps of feet, with black-
 
 26 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 eyed children clinging to their skirts. The 
 school-house was thronged; and the school-girls 
 sang and recited and served the guests, with 
 pretty courtesy, to oranges and cakes and tea. 
 Then the big doors were pushed open, and for 
 the first time in all their lives the people of 
 Abiding Joy beheld a Christmas tree. Their 
 admiration knew no bounds. For each school- 
 girl there was a doll; and for every guest there 
 was perhaps the prettiest thing he ever had pos- 
 sessed — an exquisite Christmas card. And for 
 Mook, too, there was a doll! You see, he was 
 only seven. It was the most wonderful day in 
 all his little life, — the first Christmas day he 
 had ever known. 
 
 When the school-girls went home for vaca- 
 tion, each girl carried in her hand her doll. 
 They went to many villages; and wherever a lit- 
 tle doll went, she took with her a message of the 
 love of Jesus Christ in the hearts of American 
 children. So when school opened a month later, 
 forty girls came up the long hill, instead of 
 thirty. Among the new girls were Moon Fairy, 
 Moon Pearl and another little girl with snap- 
 ping, flashing black eyes whom I shall have to 
 call Cross-patch. Being a very little girl, she 
 sat on the front seat, and Mook, being a very 
 little boy, was seated beside her.
 
 Here is Mook sitting on the front seat and deciding 
 that he is very happy. It isn't Cross-patch beside liini 
 in this picture, but Golden Gem, the tiniest girhe in 
 school. 
 
 At the back are the three "teacher-sisters." What is 
 the map on the wall.'
 
 Mook 27 
 
 There was no other boy in the school except 
 Heavenly Ability, the matron's little lad of five, 
 who looked very grave, sat very straight, and 
 tried to make himself seem twice as big as he 
 was. 
 
 Mook looked around the pretty school-room, 
 looked at the bright-eyed school-girls, and de- 
 cided that he was very happy. He looked at 
 Cross-patch and smiled and she smiled back 
 just a little; and so his school career began.
 
 28 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 THINGS FOR THE CHINA CLUB TO DO. 
 
 Don't you think it would be fun to have a 
 China Club? You would want to choose a 
 President, and a Secretary, and a Treasurer, 
 and a Kindly Adviser. The Kindly Adviser is 
 a grown-up person to help keep the Club from 
 getting tangled up. 
 
 Wouldn't it be fun for the Club to start right 
 out now for China ? Do you think of China as 
 a stupid yellow map ? It is not a stupid yellow 
 map at all, but a most delightful country. How 
 would you go to find Foo-chow, or Happy Val- 
 ley, and the Shining River, the Min ? 
 
 Wouldn't it be fun for every member to keep 
 a China Book, and put all the interesting things 
 you can find about China in the China Book.^ 
 
 And would you like to make Christmas happy 
 for some girl or boy who never had a Christmas ? 
 Do you know any missionary in China .^ The 
 Club could vote to send her a Christmas box. 
 Let the Secretary write and ask her what you 
 can send to make some children in China happy. 
 You can begin right away to collect pretty cards 
 and dolls and really good toys. The little 
 Chinese child does love a toy that is perfect! 
 And at some Club meeting you can pack the 
 box!
 
 THE COMFORT DOLLY 
 I'm only a golden-haired, At last one 
 
 blue-eyed doll. 
 All ruffled in ribbons gay; 
 I crept down into a Christ- 
 mas box 
 And merrily sailed away! 
 
 We sailed, and sailed, and 
 sailed, and sailed; 
 
 The ocean is wondrous 
 wide ! 
 
 'Twas lots of fun in the 
 C'hristmas box 
 
 With all of us tucked in- 
 side! 
 
 day — - oh, a 
 queer, queer day. 
 
 When our long, long trip 
 was o'er, 
 
 We all awoke midst the 
 strangest folk 
 
 Who never saw dolls before ! 
 
 The little girls seized us in 
 
 eager arms, 
 And danced up and down 
 
 in glee; 
 The grown-ups came over 
 
 hill and dale 
 
 Oil purpose to look at me! 
 
 If you are a golden-haired, blue-eyed doll, 
 All ruffled in rii)l)()ns gay, 
 ^OuM better creep into a Christmas box 
 And merrily sail away!
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MOON FAIRY, MOON PEARL 
 AND CROSS-PATCH. 
 
 29
 
 LITTLE GIRLS JUST LIKE ME. 
 
 They say that there is a wonderful land ] 
 
 Over the shining sea, ,1 
 
 Where little girls live in houses grand — ! 
 
 Little girls just like me ! ; 
 
 And they can run and laugh and play, i 
 Happy and strong and free, 
 
 Because their feet do not ache all day — ' 
 
 Little girls just like me ! i 
 
 i 
 
 Oh wouldn't it be the nicest fun i 
 
 To sail o'er the shining sea, J 
 
 And watch those happy girls laugh and run — i 
 
 Little girls just like me ! - 
 
 30
 
 Tliosc are girls arriving at the school. The one in front 
 had bound feet, so she came in the sedan-chair, borne by 
 two strong men. How would you like to ride that way? 
 It is February; but flowers are blooming in the yard. 
 Why? 
 
 The express train is coming behind, bringing the trunk 
 and l)undle. That is the kind of express-train usod in 
 Fukien Province, where there are no steam cars, and few 
 horses, and roads are only a yard wide! 
 
 This school is the only one for girls among as many 
 people as are in the state of Maine. Some ladies in 
 America sent the lady-teachers to carry on this school.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 MOON FAIRY, MOON PEARL, AXD CROSS- 
 PATCH. 
 
 Perhaps it wasn't fair to call her Cross-patch, 
 for it wasn't really her fault. But how else can 
 I make you see the deep, deep wrinkle between 
 her eyes, and the ugly droop about the corners 
 of her mouth? How else can I show you how 
 her black eyes snapped and flashed when any 
 little girl came near her? Still it isn't quite 
 fair to call her that hard name, because reallv 
 and truly it wasn't her fault. All her life, since 
 the day when the plague devil carried away her 
 mother and her father, she had lived with a 
 grumbling old grandmother, and the grand- 
 mother had beaten her, and scolded her whether 
 she did wrong or whether she did right. And 
 when you get beaten no matter what you do, 
 one might as well do the wrong thing as the 
 right thing. I am afraid that little ]\Ialea nearly 
 always had done the wrong thing. 
 
 For her real name wasn't Cross-patch at all; 
 it was Malea, which is the Chinese word for 
 
 31
 
 32 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Mary, and is a very good name indeed. She 
 came one rainy morning in midwinter from the 
 big city of Foochow, or Happy Valley, down the 
 Shining River to the school in Abiding Joy. 
 With her came Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and the 
 Duchess. 
 
 The Duchess was Miss Harwood's serving 
 woman; but she was a very grand lady. She 
 could easily have commanded a regiment. She 
 marched into the big school gate that February 
 morning with a most imposing air, while the 
 wind howled about and the rain came down in 
 heavy gusts. Behind her walked the two big, 
 timid mountain girls, and at the end, dressed 
 in a flopping garment made of a bed-quilt, came 
 Malea, very cross and bedraggled. 
 
 The Duchess sat down and began to tell her 
 story in excited tones: 
 
 "Ai-yah! But I have eaten great bitterness 
 to bring these girls to this place. Malea, she 
 was to be sold for four dollars, because there 
 was no rice for her to eat. But just in the nick 
 of time the lady-teacher in Foochow, Miss Har- 
 wood, saved her, and here she is. Moon Fairy 
 and Moon Pearl, they are girls from the moun- 
 tains, a great, great distance! They were en- 
 gaged when they were little to two of our college 
 students. These students are to be preachers.
 
 This is the kind of bed Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl 
 had when they went to school. How would you like to 
 sleep on boards, with a little wooden pillow? There is a 
 piece of matting, something like floor-matting, over the 
 boards; and in the winter, a thin mattress of woven rice 
 straw. 
 
 Sometimes the pillows are little wooden or leather boxe^ 
 prettily painted; and the girls keep their jewelry locked 
 up in these boxes at night.
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 33 
 
 For preachers to have ignorant wives, Ai-yah, 
 that is not good! 
 
 "So Miss Harwood sent me to bring these 
 girls to school. I walked three days to Moon 
 Fairy's home to get her. I walked over the 
 wild mountains where tigers live! One day a 
 snake met me in the road, and stood up on his 
 tail to look me in the face. I said to the snake, 
 'Do you dare to hinder me when I have come 
 to save these girls .f^' And the snake, he was 
 ashamed, and crept away." 
 
 The Duchess drank some tea to clear her 
 throat, and then went on: 
 
 "Ai-yah, but these girls were hard to get! 
 I talked three days and three nights, beseeching 
 their parents to let them come. Moon Fairy, 
 she was afraid; she hid under the bed. But 
 after three days and three nights they were will- 
 ing. So we came down the Shining River. 
 The wind raged, and the rain beat upon our 
 boat. But God protected us, and we are safely 
 here!" 
 
 Then, with many groans over her woes, the 
 Duchess went away; and the three strange girls 
 stood in the door of the big pretty school-room 
 and stared. Never in all their lives had they 
 seen a house so spacious and so beautiful! The 
 gentle teacher-sisters received them warmly.
 
 34 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Even dignified Mr. Pang, who taught the 
 Chinese classics, made them a courteous bow. 
 The matron served them steaming hot tea, just 
 as if they were great ladies, and took them up- 
 stairs to the neat bedroom where they would 
 sleep. By evening they had begun to feel at 
 home a little, as they crept under the cotton 
 covers. 
 
 Next morning when they awakened forty girl 
 voices were chattering like magpies, and the sun 
 was beaming gayly all over the green hills. 
 They were shown the wash-room, where merry 
 girls were bathing their faces in hot water, from 
 a row of bright basins. The big girls made up 
 their minds that it was a very jolly place ! After 
 breakfast, Malea ventured out into the yard to 
 see what the other children were doing. 
 
 It was Saturday. Many little girls were 
 washing their clothes in tubs on the ground, 
 others were stretching their coats to dry on long 
 bamboo poles; and still others were folding the 
 dry blue cotton coats very neatly and pressing 
 them, ready to put on freshly for Worship 
 Day. Malea did not understand very clearly 
 about Worship Day; it seemed to be a great 
 occasion for which all were preparing. Some 
 were drying their shining black locks in the" 
 sunshine out on the court. Malea was taken
 
 This is what Malea saw that Satu-rday morning when 
 she went into the yard to see what the girls were doing. 
 They are getting ready for Worship Day. The wash day 
 is a real holiday for these girls and they love it. 
 
 Do you see how nicely bamboo poles are used instead 
 of clothes lines? The girls with the tubs are washing, 
 and those with the basins are starching. Can you wash 
 your own clothes? 
 
 Why did not Malea know what Worship Day was? Did 
 you know that half the world never know it is Sunday 
 when Sunday comes? 
 
 Wouldn't il l)e lovely if all your clothes would hang up 
 straight by the arms!
 
 It is Worship Day, and the school procession is making 
 its way, two by two, down the hill to church. Can you 
 find Mook? In front of him is little Heavenly Ability, 
 trying hard to be tall. The fifth pair from the front, 
 dressed just alike, are the two funny little girls who were 
 called the Twinnies 
 
 Do you notice how neat their hair is? Unmarried 
 girls in South China wear a bang, and when they are 
 married, the hair is coiled neatly back. Even the poorest 
 women always have their hair very neat. They do not 
 like fluffiness about the hair. They think it very untidy. 
 
 Moon Fairy's hair was a little curly, and she tried so 
 hard to straighten it all out ! 
 
 If you are a girl with fluffy hair, and you should go 
 to China, you would be asked politely, "Do you ever 
 comb your hair?"
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 35 
 
 to the wash-room, and given a thorough intro- 
 duction to tar soap and warm water, and some 
 beautiful, fresh, clean clothes were provided for 
 Sabbath morning. When Worship Day ar- 
 rived, she sat, very neat and trim, with all the 
 other little maids, waiting for the morning ser- 
 vice to commence. On bright days the school 
 procession made its way, two by two, down the 
 long hill to church, but this was a rainy day; 
 and so they held church at the school. 
 
 Alas for the starched clothes and the tar soap ! 
 They can make a small girl over on the outside, 
 but not on the inside ! For when the hymn was 
 announced, and all the children began to sing, 
 Malea opened her mouth and tried to sing too. 
 But Malea had never heard a song in her life; 
 much less had she learned to sing one. So what 
 came out of her wide open mouth was, "Wow, 
 wow, wow!" in a high-pitched piping voice; and 
 when the other children smiled — for a saint 
 could not help smiling — a thunder-cloud came 
 over Malea's pinched little face, and a naughty 
 anger came into her snapping black eyes, and 
 she doubled up her little fist and gave her next 
 neighbor a vigorous punch, right in the midst 
 of the hymn! 
 
 That was the beginning of lonely days for 
 Malea, for she was nobody's friend. Whenever
 
 36 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 the other children tried to play with her, she 
 quarrelled and fought. We must not be too 
 hard on her, because she had never known any- 
 thing but harshness, and so she had never tried 
 to be anybody's friend. Every day the same 
 report came to the tall lady teacher, that Malea 
 had not done her sweeping, Malea had not tried 
 to learn her lessons, Malea had quarrelled. 
 Every night, on the lowest step of the long 
 stair, sat a little disconsolate blue cotton bundle, 
 marking figures on a slate. She didn't care to 
 play with anybody; and now everybody was 
 afraid to play with her. It was Malea. 
 
 One night the tall lady teacher came down 
 the stairs, and seeing little Malea sitting there 
 on the lowest step marking figures on her slate, 
 looking so aloof and alone, she just picked her 
 up in her arms and gave her a warm loving hug. 
 Do you know, it was the first time in the world 
 anything like that had ever happened to Malea! 
 For a long time Malea sat still on the stair — 
 quite still, with a bright, broad beaming smile 
 shining all over her face. Now the next morn- 
 ing a strange new thing happened — Malea 
 swept the floor without being told! At night 
 they said Malea had done one of her sums right; 
 and all day long she had not quarrelled once. 
 Malea had begun to try.
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 37 
 
 Every time the tall lady entered the room 
 after that, Malea beamed with a blissful smile. 
 And more and more she smiled at other times. 
 She did not change into a perfect child all at 
 once, oh, no! But it made all the difference in 
 the world because she was trying to be friendly. 
 Very soon the other girls began to play with 
 Malea. One whom she loved was a merry 
 little girl called Sunburst. And as the nice 
 white rice began to nourish Malea's thin little 
 body, her mind became clearer, and she could 
 get more and more of the examples right. The 
 child she liked best of all was Mook; he was so 
 kind and so bright. He would get all the exam- 
 ples right! Before the summer vacation, Malea 
 was one of the sweetest children in school. 
 
 All this time Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl 
 were learning new things as well as Malea. 
 What a wonderful place the school was! Forty 
 bright, neat, beautiful maidens, all so busy and 
 happy! Some of the little girls were having 
 their feet unbound, for their poor toes had been 
 tied up tight when they were tiny children to 
 make their shoes only three inches long. Moon 
 Fairy and Moon Pearl were sorry for them, for 
 their own feet had always been bare and free. 
 The girls were so happy to get the cruel bind- 
 ings off forever! But there was one funny little
 
 38 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 girl named Fragrant Tree who was proud of her 
 tiny feet and did not want them to be unbound. 
 After it was done, she sat down on that lowest 
 step where Malea used to sit, and there Fragrant 
 Tree rocked back and forth weeping and saying 
 aloud : 
 
 "I am not brilliant, and now I am not beauti- 
 ful; who will marry me ? " 
 
 Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl watched them 
 all with intensest interest. At first they felt 
 very conscious of their own untidy appearance 
 in the presence of these trim school girls, for 
 people up in their mountain village thought very 
 little about clothes and baths. 
 
 There was more need of tar soap for those 
 two girls than for little Malea, for they were 
 big and tall and were fifteen years old. It was 
 a very grateful pair of girls who sat, clean and 
 neat for the first day in their fifteen years, on 
 that Worship Day morning. 
 
 School was a strange place to them after 
 fifteen years in the open. Moon Fairy would 
 climb straight over the desks in the midst of 
 the school session, without a thought that she 
 was doing anything unusual. One morning 
 Moon Fairy astonished everybody by yelling 
 to her friend upstairs, right in the middle of the 
 class hour, "Moon Pearl, bring down my wash-
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 39 
 
 cloth!" They sat in the class rooms and simply 
 stared at the books and pencils and sums. 
 These girls were not in the least bit stupid; but 
 they had never seen the inside of a school-house 
 before and had not the slightest idea what it was 
 all about. 
 
 But as the days became weeks, their brown 
 hands reached out for the pencils; they began 
 to try the sums and found that they understood. 
 When summer came these mountain girls were 
 among the brightest in the class. And they 
 had learned many things besides sums. They 
 had learned quiet womanly ways, they had 
 learned to keep their rooms neat and beautiful, 
 and they had come to have a big company of 
 loving friends. They loved Perfect Flower, so 
 gentle and winsome, and Loving Kindness, who 
 always knew her lessons; and Fragrant Tree, 
 who never knew her lessons, but was always so 
 courteous to everybody. They loved the mis- 
 chievous Twinnies, who pretended to have a 
 stomach-ache one day, and stayed in bed for 
 fun! But when they found it wasn't fun and 
 wished to get up, then they were made to stay 
 all day! Like all the rest of the girls. Moon 
 Fairy and Moon Pearl petted Golden Gem, the 
 tiniest girlie in school. Of course they liked 
 Mook, — everybody liked Mook! And all the
 
 40 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 girls took turns in caring for little Heavenly 
 Ability, aged five, who sat very straight, looked 
 very grave, and tried to make himself appear 
 ever so much bigger than he was. 
 
 They adored Beautiful Ruby, and thought her 
 the loveliest child they had ever seen. She 
 had come in later than they, and wept when 
 she saw her father go away down the long hill. 
 But when she was taken to the pretty green 
 parlor and the comfort dolly was laid in her 
 arms, then a dimpled smile broke through her 
 tears, and like the children in story books, she 
 lived happy ever after. 
 
 When the four o'clock bell rang, out went 
 Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl with these new 
 playmates to the big yard, and had jolly games 
 together. Strangely enough, these merry girls 
 had never learned how to play! Life in their 
 mountain home had had lots of work in it, but 
 very little fun. 
 
 A great event happened before the school 
 broke up for the summer, It was a rag-bag 
 party. Were you ever at a rag-bag party .^^ 
 Mook was the liveliest person at this one, though 
 he uttered not a word. 
 
 It came about in this way. The tall lady 
 one day chanced to put some scraps of cloth 
 into the school waste-basket. In a moment a
 
 They kneel down to wash because their feet are not 
 yet wholly unbound, and it's hard to stand on aching 
 feet. Beautiful Ruby is the girl at the left. 
 
 How would you like to wash with feet all crumpled up?
 
 This is an out-door study hour. 
 
 Boys and girls in China love to study. Most of them 
 have had no chance to go to school before and they are glad 
 of a chance. Do you see Mook's smile? 
 
 They love to study so much that the teachers had to 
 establish a six o'clock rule in Abiding Joy. that no pupil 
 should study before six o'clock in the morning. Do you 
 have to have a six o'clock rule?
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 41 
 
 dozen little black shiny heads were crowded 
 about the waste-basket, and a dozen excited 
 voices were chattering like merry birds over the 
 scraps. An hour later the tall lady passed the 
 school-room, and here was one wee maid sewing 
 a bit of blue calico patch on her cloth shoe; 
 another was decorating her Sunday coat with 
 a fine blue cambric collar ! 
 
 So the tall lady planned a beautiful game for 
 after school. It was a fishing game. Stealthily a 
 big basket was brought down stairs and placed be- 
 hind the school-house wall, with Mook as guard- 
 ian. Then the tall lady invited all the children 
 out into the yard to fish. The tackle was a long 
 bamboo pole, with a string attached, ending in a 
 safety pin. The string would swing with a flour- 
 ish over the high wall; Mook would attach an 
 appropriate "fish" to the pin, give a big jerk to 
 the line like a real fish, and then stand on his 
 head in glee as with a merry chorus of shouts the 
 fish was hauled in! Perhaps the catch was an 
 old shoe, a long stocking, or a strip of faded 
 ribbon, or an ancient picture book; but all 
 these things were useful and precious to chil- 
 dren brought up in want. Malea drew a plain 
 empty box — the choicest possession she had 
 known in all her life. She went around all the 
 evening holding the poor little box clasped in
 
 42 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 her arms, with a smile that seemed to fill the 
 whole room. 
 
 Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl and little Malea 
 were just ]) rimming over with the happiness of 
 knowing all these new friends. Best of all, they 
 were learning about the Great Friend who 
 guides and keeps us always. 
 
 Just before school closed the girls were asked: 
 
 *'How many of you would like to tell what 
 you have learned about Jesus to the people in 
 your homes .f^" 
 
 Instantly Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl were 
 on their feet. 
 
 Closing day came at last, and Moon Fairy 
 and Moon Pearl said good bye to all their merry 
 girl friends, and went up the long mountain road 
 to their homes. It was a very excited group of 
 village people who watched for these girls as 
 they came up the road that summer morning. 
 The women rushed out to meet them. "So 
 white, and so fat!" they cried. They saw the 
 plump round arms ; they pushed up their sleeves 
 to see if the fair sound flesh went all the way up 
 — and sure enough it did go all the way up ! 
 Certainly the school was a wonder that could 
 make two rough big girls over into beautiful 
 creatures like these! The next fall Moon Fairy 
 and Moon Pearl came leading a company of
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 43 
 
 seven others down the mountain road, to enter 
 this marvellous school! 
 
 That summer Mook spent on the mountain, 
 not at his cross uncle's, but at the home of the 
 lady teachers, helping Uncle Ding, the cook. 
 One day his uncle went away for all day. It 
 was a very hot day, for Happy Valley is as far 
 south as Florida. 
 
 "I shall have to go and cook the dinner," 
 said one of the lady teachers, and started for 
 the kitchen. 
 
 There by the kitchen range stood Mook. He 
 was just about as tall as the range was; and be- 
 tween his breast and the range was a huge sweet 
 potato, which seemed half as big as little Mook 
 himself! Vigorously he was struggling to pare 
 the potato, while the perspiration dripped off 
 his chin. He looked up with a red face and a 
 serious air of responsibility. 
 
 "Shall we have that meat heated for dinner.'^" 
 he asked. He jumped up nimbly on a stool, 
 and brought forth from the cupboard a dish of 
 meat. He was too small to reach the cupboard 
 without a stool. 
 
 "I think so," she answered, and went into the 
 house to hide her smiles. Mook was still so 
 little, and the sweet potato was so big! 
 
 "We have a cook," she announced: and they
 
 44 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 waited to see what would happen. And what 
 do you think happened ? At the dinner hour in 
 came Mook, hot but triumphant, bringing the 
 dinner, perfectly prepared, and served it per- 
 fectly. He had done it all himself; and Mook 
 was seven years old ! 
 
 All that summer Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl 
 had told to their neighbors what they knew of 
 the beautiful Friend who makes life over for all 
 who are willing to trust Him. As the months 
 rolled by, they learned more about that Friend 
 — of the wonderful things He said, and the 
 loving things He did. They had felt the change 
 in their own lives; and they had seen the little 
 girls who came to school with feet all cruelly 
 bound and crippled, freed from those dreadful 
 bands and enabled to run and play like them- 
 selves. They were sure it was all true about 
 this Jesus, and they were learning to love and 
 trust Him and timidly to pray to Him every 
 day. 
 
 In fact, the school-girls were learning to 
 pray quite naturally about everything. They 
 prayed for help in getting their lessons. One 
 evening they prayed about a show they were 
 going to give. Why not.^ Do you suppose 
 Jesus likes us to share all our work and troubles 
 with Him, and never to share our f im ?
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 45 
 
 They had been all atingle during the day 
 with whispered plans, but when night came, 
 before the show began they held the customary 
 evening prayers. Me Ing, "Beautiful Radi- 
 ance," led the prayers. She was really very 
 beautiful with her fine dark eyes and rosy 
 cheeks. At the close of the hymn she bowed 
 her head and said: 
 
 "Now, Jesus, we're going to have some fun 
 this evening. We pray that we may have a 
 good time, and that every, thing we do may 
 please Thee! Amen." 
 
 It was a wonderful show! One little city 
 maid pretended she was a fisherman's daughter 
 who had come in to see the school for the first 
 time. She had a basket of crabs tied around 
 her waist, and every minute or two she would 
 suddenly snatch at the crabs which were run- 
 ning down her bare legs, and put them back into 
 the basket. Everybody thought she had real 
 crabs in the basket, she did it so cleverly! But 
 she hadn't at all! 
 
 Fragrant Tree played she was a Chinese for- 
 tune-teller, and went into a trance; she did it 
 so well that the teachers were alarmed! An- 
 other little girl played she was a Bible woman, 
 and came to reason with the fortune-teller, be- 
 cause fortune-tellers are not good people in
 
 46 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 China. Then Fragrant Tree came to, and con- 
 fessed to her visitor that it was all a pretence, 
 this fortune-telling business; and promised never 
 to do it again ! The show was a glorious success 
 and everybody went to bed laughing and happy. 
 
 One lovely Easter afternoon Miss Ling, the 
 sweet head teacher, gathered the girls together 
 for a special service. Moon Fairy and Moon 
 Pearl loved Miss Ling, she had been so very 
 kind to them in all those first days when they 
 were so new, and she never had allowed the chil- 
 dren to laugh at the awkward things they did. 
 Like all the other children, they were her devo- 
 ted slaves; and once last term when she was so 
 terriblv ill, and had to be cared for in the school 
 because there was no doctor, and because there 
 was no hospital within twenty miles, they helped 
 to keep the little children absolutely quiet, so 
 that she would not be disturbed. All the chil- 
 dren hung on her words; so they all were eager 
 to hear what she had to tell them today. 
 
 What Miss Ling told them was made so 
 simple that even little Sunburst and Malea 
 could understand. Mook sat on the front seat 
 also, intently listening. She talked about hav- 
 ing Jesus as a close, loving Friend, who lives 
 right within our hearts, instead of staying away 
 off in the heavens.
 
 These are the three teacher-sisters whom the school 
 girls loved so dearly. The one standing behind is sweet 
 Miss Ling, who gave the Easter talk to Moon Fairy and 
 Moon Pearl. Wouldn't you like her for a teacher? 
 I would. 
 
 Chinese boys and girls are very respectful of their 
 teachers. They would think it very rude to throw chalk, 
 or whisper in class, or do anything else to annoy a teacher. 
 
 The Chinese are very patient and able as teachers. 
 "Jieautiful Radiance," the teacher at the left, had charge 
 of the .Vrithmetic, and Afiss Ding laugh! Music and 
 ( liincse Literature.
 
 Do you see little Heavenly Ability, looking very grave, 
 and trying to be twice as tall as he is? He stands beside 
 the organ. Moon Fairy is the smiling girl who looks as 
 if she had something funny on her head. It's just some- 
 body's dumb-bell — do you see? 
 
 Malea is the girlie with the white coat and broad smile, 
 right in front of the teacher who is standing. Can you 
 find Cross-patch anywhere? 
 
 Do you see Beautiful Ruby's dimples? It is Perfect 
 Flower who is smiling down at Heavenly Ability. 
 
 What difference does it make to these children that 
 there is a school at Abiding Joy?
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 47 
 
 "If Jesus should come to that door, and your 
 eyes could see Him standing there, what would 
 you do?" 
 
 "Chiang E dea" — "Invite Him in," they 
 said. 
 
 "Now Jesus does stand here today, just as 
 truly as if our eyes could see Him. He is stand- 
 ing at the door of your hearts. What would 
 you like to do.f^" 
 
 "Invite Him in," they said softly. Malea's 
 eyes were very wide and earnest. So were Moon 
 Fairy's, and Moon Pearl's, and Mook's. Even 
 little Heavenly Ability, sitting very grave and 
 straight on the front seat, imderstood. 
 
 "If we invite Him in, will He come?" 
 
 "Yes." They were sure He would. 
 
 "How many of you would like to ask Him to 
 come in now?" 
 
 Moon Fairy and Moon Pearl were on their 
 feet in a moment, and so were Malea and the 
 rest. 
 
 "Now we will kneel down, and each one shall 
 say for herself: 'Jesus, forgive my sins, and 
 enter my heart.'" 
 
 So they knelt down, and each little girl softly 
 uttered for herself that prayer. They were very 
 earnest prayers that the loving Master heard 
 that day, and I believe He answered every one.
 
 48 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 When they rose from their knees there was a | 
 beautiful light in the faces of Moon Fairy and 
 
 Moon Pearl. ; 
 
 "Now, who can believe that Jesus really did | 
 
 come in? Will you rise and thank Him?" / 
 
 Promptly but very reverently, Moon Pearl i 
 
 rose and bowed her head. I 
 
 "I thank Thee, Lord Jesus, that Thou hast ! 
 
 come into my heart," she said. I 
 
 Moon Fairy followed, and, in sweet piping i 
 
 tones, Malea. As I looked at her dear little j 
 
 face that day, and for many days after, I knew j 
 
 that into her heart indeed the loving Lord Jesus | 
 had come. 
 
 That summer we heard something very i 
 beautiful about Malea that made our hearts 
 glad. We learned that the cross old grand- 
 mother wondered what it was that made Malea \ 
 so obedient. And we heard that she got the ' 
 children of her neighborhood together, and told ' 
 them the things she had learned in geography, i 
 and taught them to play the games she knew. 
 Everybody loved Malea. ; 
 
 Please forget that we ever called her Cross- i 
 
 patch! I can scarcely remember how Cross- , 
 
 patch looked; for she is gone forever, and dear j 
 
 Malea, everybody's friend, has come to stay. !
 
 Moon Fairy, Moon Pearl and Cross-patch 49 
 
 MALE A. 
 
 She had cross little eyes, all flashing black, 
 And cross little brows that frowned. 
 
 And a cross little mouth that was all awry, 
 And her voice had the crossest sound! 
 
 But Love one day came where she sat. 
 And smiled in her cross wee face; 
 
 And the angry lines all smoothed away. 
 And a smile came in their place ! 
 
 49
 
 50 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 A PLAN FOR THE CHINA CLUB. 
 
 I know some boys and girls in America who 
 gave up their Christmas gifts and brought the 
 money to send a little girl to a school like the 
 school in Abiding Joy. Wouldn't the Club like 
 to give some boy or girl a chance ? 
 
 If you have never said for yourself the prayer 
 Malea said, would you like to do so today ?
 
 Here are some girls 
 and a boy who never 
 went to school : — 
 
 and here are some 
 who have been to 
 school for a year 
 or two. Can you 
 see any difference?
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PLUM BLOSSOM'S GRANNY. 
 
 61
 
 DEAR LITTLE CLOUD. 
 
 Dear little cloud in the sky so wide, 
 Can you see the houses, and trees and brooks, 
 And know all about how the big world looks 
 
 'Round on the other side? 
 Can you see the children who dance and shout 
 And play together when school is out? 
 In the North and the South, the East and the West, 
 Which little children do you love best ? 
 
 52 \ 
 
 i
 
 I 
 
 Here are some of the children 
 "Who (lance and shouL 
 
 A.nd pla\' together when 
 School is out. "
 
 This is one of the Grannies. The Strange Being found 
 hundreds hke her. In all their lives they had never heard 
 a single beautiful song, nor had one happy day; and never 
 had they once heard the name of Jesus.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 PLUM blossom's granny. 
 
 Down over the hill from the big school build- 
 ing lived Plum Blossom. 
 
 She was just a little blue and white calico 
 bundle, with a pair of very rollicking black 
 eyes peering out of one end of it, and a pair of 
 very brown bare feet pattering out of the other. 
 Her mother and father had died long ago, seized, 
 I suppose, by the plague demon. But Granny 
 loved her, as well as she knew how; and it may 
 be that was just the reason why the brown feet 
 had not yet been squeezed and pinched to fit into 
 tiny, little shoes, though she was seven years 
 old. She lived alone with Granny in a funny 
 old house, which was more like a shed than a 
 house, so filled it was with great rice tubs and 
 dusty farm tools, and pigs and chickens and 
 dogs. You would wonder where there was any 
 room left for Plum Blossom and Granny to five! 
 But somehow they did; and the wee girlie loved 
 her cross old Granny with all the love of her 
 hungry little heart. 
 
 63
 
 54 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Plum Blossom had never been to school; in 
 fact, she didn't suppose little girls could go to 
 school and read books like the proud boys who 
 made themselves so disagreeable when they 
 went shouting by in the morning. Every day 
 after the rice was eaten for breakfast and 
 Granny's errands were done, she ran out into 
 the street to avoid the frequent scoldings that 
 used to frighten her so; for though Granny had 
 a warm heart, her life had been full of hard, 
 hard trials and they had left her with a very 
 bitter tongue. There were plenty of other little 
 girls to play with, and they got on happily, 
 except when they quarreled; but I am sorry to 
 say they quarreled pretty often. Plum Blos- 
 som never troubled to wash her face or comb her 
 stiff, black hair before going out to play, nor 
 afterward either, for that matter; but then, 
 every other little girl was just as dirty and just 
 as ragged as she; in fact, she had never seen 
 a clean child in all her seven years, so she was 
 not at all ashamed. 
 
 One day a wonderful thing happened. As 
 Plum Blossom was playing jackstones in the 
 street with Pearl and Lily Bud, a Strange Being 
 came by and spoke to her. She was so fright- 
 ened! But she held Pearl tight by the hand 
 (Pearl was two years bigger than she) and to-
 
 This is a house very much hke Plum Blossom's, and a 
 Strange Being is telling the people wonderful things out 
 of her Book. The Book is the Bible; they have never 
 heard of it before.
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 55 
 
 gether they followed the Strange Being into a 
 neighbor's house, — a little shed house much 
 like Plum Blossom's — much like every house 
 in town, in fact. The remarkable creature 
 seemed to be a person, like Granny and the 
 rest, but so different! She wore a long garment 
 that came away down to the ground, and a 
 pretty scarlet coat, and a queer, queer thing on 
 the top of her queer, queer hair. She must be 
 very old indeed to have hair all faded out like 
 that! Yet she seemed able to laugh and talk 
 just like anybody else. Plum Blossom edged 
 a little nearer. Then she suddenly thought of 
 Granny. Surely, she must come to see, too! 
 She didn't like to go away, she was so anxious 
 to see what would happen next; but she must 
 fly home and call Granny. 
 
 Plum Blossom's grandma had had so many 
 disappointments in her life that she had got all 
 over expecting anything nice or different to 
 happen; but when the little girl came running 
 in all out of breath and told her to come quick 
 and see the Strange Being, she was just as ex- 
 cited as all the other people, and ran as fast 
 as the stiff old knees and hobbled old feet would 
 carry her. And when she got to the neighbor's 
 crowded little house everybody got up and gave 
 her the best seat, because the Chinese people
 
 56 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 always pay great respect to the old, however 
 poor or ragged they may be. This pleased 
 Granny immensely, and Plum Blossom too, who 
 squeezed up close, and held her grandmother's 
 hand very tight, and never took her snapping 
 black eyes for one instant off the Strange Be- 
 ing's face. 
 
 And what queer, new things they were saying 
 to Granny — this wonderful creature in the scar- 
 let coat, and the Chinese lady who was with her: 
 that the idols were only wood and earth, and it 
 was useless to worship them; and that there is 
 only One in heaven or earth who can forgive our 
 sins — Jesus, the Son of God. They said, too, 
 that there is a beautiful home where God lives, 
 to which those who love Him will go by and by, 
 — a place where Granny might forget all her 
 troubles, and never be lonely or ill or hungry 
 any more. Plum Blossom's eyes danced and 
 glistened, and she resolved in her little soul that 
 if there was any way to help Granny find that 
 happy place she was going to do it. 
 
 Now poor Granny had never been to school a 
 day in all her life, nor to church, nor to a lecture; 
 she had never been taught anything in all these 
 years except how to cook rice, and bind her feet, 
 and sew. That is how it came about that she 
 at seventy knew very little more than Plum
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 57 
 
 Blossom knew at seven. But Granny did know 
 one thing which many finely educated people 
 do not know — she knew that she w^as a sinner. 
 She knew that she got passionately angry and 
 scolded her neighbors, and that she was not fit 
 to enter that heavenly home where she so longed 
 to go. She had tried offering sacrifices to the 
 idols; she had tried hiring priests to pray for 
 her; but it was all of no use, and every day she 
 was haunted by the horror of an evil death. 
 All this she told the Strange Being, with tears 
 streaming down her wrinkled old cheeks; and 
 little Plum Blossom's heart thumped so loud 
 she could hear it, and she squeezed Granny's 
 horny old hand in both her chubby ones. Then 
 they told the poor old lady that if she would 
 but ask Jesus to do it, with a true and honest 
 heart. He would forgive her sins. 
 
 The little girl couldn't tell exactly what hap- 
 pened next; but she saw the Strange Being in 
 the scarlet coat cover her eyes with her hand, 
 and the Chinese lady also; and they talked with 
 Somebody about Granny. And then the dear 
 grandmother covered her dim old eyes with her 
 hand in the same way, and talked to Jesus — 
 yes, that was the name — and said, in a very 
 trembling voice, "Lord Jesus, forgive my sins." 
 And after that they all opened their eyes and
 
 58 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 looked glad, and talked a great deal to Granny 
 about this Jesus — how good He was, and how 
 much He loved everybody, even little Plum 
 Blossom herself; till by and by even Granny's 
 sour old face looked happy just a little. Before 
 they went away they told her that she must 
 remember and pray to Jesus every day, and 
 must never worship the silly idols any more. 
 
 "Lord Jesus, forgive my sins. Lord Jesus, 
 forgive my sins," said Plum Blossom to herself, 
 over and over, as they went back, her small 
 hand in Granny's big, hard one, to their own 
 home. She hardly knew what it meant, but 
 she knew her grandmother must remember to 
 repeat it; and she knew, too, that the dear 
 grandma could hardly remember the words till 
 she reached home, however honestly she might 
 try. So the little girl decided to do the remem- 
 bering for her. 
 
 In the dark that night, as the poor old lady 
 crept into her hard wooden bed with Plum Blos- 
 som, the little girl whispered softly: 
 
 "Granny, have you said your prayer?" 
 
 "No, I have forgotten," said Granny. 
 
 "Jesus, forgive my sins," said Plum Blossom. 
 Granny repeated the words after her. 
 
 Next morning early Plum Blossom asked 
 again, "Have you said your prayer .f^" and when
 
 This is a class of women and girls learning to read, in 
 the village next to Plum Blossom's. This girlie in front 
 learned to read the Bible in a month! Her mother 
 thought the girl's tiny bound feet were more valuable than 
 learning to read books, so this dear little girl was not 
 allowed to go to school.
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 59 
 
 Granny confessed that she had again forgotten 
 it, Plum Blossom taught her again. After three 
 mornings and three nights Granny could say it 
 quite by herself. 
 
 Soon after that the Strange Being came again, 
 this time to Granny's own house. The old lady 
 met her with a shining face. 
 
 "Mother Pan, have you peace .f'" 
 
 "Indeed I have peace! Jesus has forgiven 
 my sins ! I can eat two bowls of rice at a meal ! " 
 Granny's heart had been so burdened before 
 that she could not eat. 
 
 "Did you remember your prayer .f*" 
 
 "No, I forgot it. I'm an old w^oman, and 
 my brain is bad. But my little grand-daughter, 
 she taught it to me three mornings and three 
 nights, and now I can say it myself!" 
 
 After that the Strange Being came very often 
 to Granny's house. She was not really strange 
 any more, because Shining Lotus, one of Plum 
 Blossom's little friends, was going to the big 
 school on the hill, and the Strange Being was 
 her teacher. There was a road that went off 
 across the green rice-fields which passed Plum 
 Blossom's house. Many a morning she saw the 
 Strange Being riding along in her sedan chair 
 or walking upon that road to tell these new 
 beautiful things to other people's grannies; and
 
 6o Mook, a True Tale 
 
 at night, when she came back through the rice- 
 fields, she would stop in at Granny's for a little 
 visit. Plum Blossom would come close up and 
 put her arms tight around her, and sit very still 
 while she talked with Granny, for she did not 
 feel shy any more. Sometimes when it was 
 getting dark she would see a little lad coming 
 down the hill with a lantern to meet the Strange 
 Being. It was Mook. 
 
 One afternoon, after the Strange Being had 
 said good bye to Granny and Plum Blossom, 
 and was climbing the hill to the school-house, 
 she noticed a strange flag flopping in a tree 
 yonder. The sun was just setting, and a golden 
 glow shone over everything. 
 
 The flag proved to be a towel; and the sig- 
 naller was Mook. He had climbed the tree 
 to watch, and was waving for his uncle-cook 
 to bring the picnic supper out! Mook man- 
 aged to get fun even out of his tasks; and he 
 loved more than anything to help at picnic 
 suppers. 
 
 In fact, the Strange Being and the tall teacher 
 found it would be hard to get on without Mook. 
 Whenever anything was lost, the first suggestion 
 was "Ask Mook," and he would fly upstairs, 
 and from some unknown corner produce the 
 missing article.
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 6i 
 
 One day the lady-teachers suddenly found a 
 centipede in the dining-room. 
 
 "Call Mook," they both exclaimed. Mook 
 looked at the ugly black wriggling worm, and 
 without an instant's hesitation seized it and 
 throttled the life out of it. 
 
 On a certain very busy day guests were 
 announced, who were to arrive in an hour for 
 tea. These were not Chinese, but American 
 guests. The cook was away, and there was 
 nothing suitable for them to eat. This time 
 the lady-teachers called the washer-man. He 
 was a very new man and knew nothing of cook- 
 ing. 
 
 "Can you make a cake.''" they asked. 
 
 "I think so," he said. 
 
 There was nothing to do but let him try, and 
 go on with their teaching. 
 
 In an hour Mook slipped into the door bear- 
 ing in both hands a beautiful chocolate cake. It 
 was in layers, with frosting between the layers, 
 and a delicious chocolate fudge over the top and 
 sides. 
 
 "The washer-man asks if this will do ?" Mook 
 said modestly. 
 
 When they cut the cake they found that it 
 tasted even better than it looked. 
 
 "I'm sure the washer-man could not make a
 
 62 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 cake like that," the tall teacher said. "I be- 
 lieve Mook made every bit of it." 
 
 "Let's ask him," 
 
 So they called him in. 
 
 "How much of the cake did the washer-man 
 make.'^" they asked. 
 
 "He beat the eggs," said Mook. And Mook 
 was nine years old ! 
 
 Often, as the Strange Being went across the 
 fields to tell the Jesus teaching to other grannies 
 like Plum Blossom's, Mook went with her to 
 carry her books and umbrella and to help her. 
 He was always quick to see quiet ways to be 
 helpful. One evening they were climbing a 
 hill which looked out over the sea. A great 
 silver moon flooded the mountains and plains 
 and the sea with glorious light. Usually Mook 
 walked behind her in silence; but tonight he 
 spoke : 
 
 "Lady-teacher," said he, "does the moon 
 shine in your country, in Great America, as it 
 shines in our country .f^" 
 
 "Yes, it shines in America as it does in your 
 country; but when the moon shines here the 
 sun shines in America, and when the sun shines 
 here the moon shines in America." 
 
 Mook was silent for a moment. 
 
 "Lady-teacher," he asked, "when you first
 
 This is Mook at the time when he made the chocolate 
 cake; and the man standing is the washer-man who beat 
 the eggs. Do you see the washer-man's queue, tied round 
 his head? At this time Mook wore his hair in a queue, as 
 the Chinese were obhged to do when China was governed 
 by a Manchu emperor. But in 1911 there was a Revo- 
 hit ion, and China became a repubHc. Since then the 
 Chinese boys have been free to cut their hair as American 
 boys do, and they hke it \ery much. 
 
 Wouldn't you Hke a ride on Guenivere?
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 63 
 
 came to China — the first few days — weren't 
 you sleepy in the daytime?" 
 
 Another evening when the moon was not shin- 
 ing, the Strange Being came to Granny's house 
 to call. There was no light in the house, and 
 she thought Plum Blossom and Granny were in 
 bed, but she could hear them talking inside the 
 house, so she knocked at the door. Granny 
 opened the door, and there they were, talking 
 in the dark! She found that all the neighbors 
 were doing the same thing — sitting in the dark ! 
 The reason why they were sitting in the dark 
 was not because there are no lights in China. 
 In Happy Valley there are electric lights; and 
 all over China there is kerosene to be had, if 
 people can afford it; and most people use 
 candles. But candles cost one cash each, and 
 Granny and Plum Blossom were poor. It takes 
 ten or twenty cash to make an American cent. 
 And because they did not wish to spend the 
 money, they sat and talked in the dark. Plum 
 Blossom hastened to light a candle, and re- 
 ceived the Strange Being with all the gracious 
 courtesy which even the poorest Chinese peo- 
 ple know so well how to show, and they talked 
 over all that had happened to Granny since 
 they had met before. Granny's dear old face 
 smiled all over when she saw the Strange
 
 64 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Being; but it wasn't unusual now to see 
 Granny smile. 
 
 For things were very different now for Granny. 
 Before she had heard of Jesus, she was wretched 
 all day because she was afraid. She was afraid 
 of the dark. She was afraid of the demons, who 
 lurked everywhere. But now the loving Mas- 
 ter had heard her prayer, and taken her burden 
 of sin away, and she was not afraid any longer. 
 The hideous idols were put away; she did not 
 have to spend money to buy offerings of idol- 
 paper inoney and incense for them, as she had 
 done for so many years. Every morning and 
 night she and Plum Blossom repeated the prayer, 
 "Jesus, forgive my sins," and they said it 
 always when they ate their rice, for it was the 
 only little prayer they knew. And if they were 
 very hungry, and forgot to pray until they were 
 nearly through eating, they would put the 
 prayer in at the end of the meal. 
 
 That night Granny told the Strange Being 
 how she had been out telling the neighbors 
 about the new joy that had come to her; but 
 they said she was getting old and wrong in her 
 mind. So she prayed for them; she had her 
 petitions counted off on her horny old hand; 
 she repeated her prayer over to the Strange 
 Being to see if it was right:
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 65 
 
 "Jesus, forgive me, Pau Mil's sins." 
 Here she turned down her stiff old thumb. 
 "Jesus, forgive Teacher Wor's sins." 
 This was the Strange Being. With this prayer 
 she bent down her forefinger, 
 
 "Jesus, forgive Teacher Ning's sins." 
 This was the tall teacher. The third finger 
 was bent down. 
 
 "Jesus, forgive the old lady's sins." 
 This was a dear old woman of ninety-six, who 
 had just begun to believe. 
 
 "Jesus, forgive all my relatives' sins. That's 
 all!" 
 
 And what do you think .^ The same thing 
 that happened to Granny had happened to 
 Pearl's grandmother, too. One Sabbath after- 
 noon the two ladies sat together with the sun- 
 light pouring down on their white heads, and 
 talked of the beautiful Home to which they 
 were soon to go. 
 
 " We have it all planned ! " Granny said to the 
 Strange Being, "we are going to sit close beside 
 the gate of Heaven ; and when the Lady Teacher 
 is a hundred years old, and comes to Heaven, 
 we're going to run down the path, hand in 
 hand, to meet you, just like this!" The two 
 old people ran off as fast as their hobbling feet 
 would take them, to show how it would be done.
 
 66 Mook. a True Tale 
 
 Over the way lived the Chinese lady who had 
 talked on that first day to Granny. She came | 
 
 now very often to Granny's house to talk with I 
 her about Jesus, and with her came Shining I 
 Lotus, her little girl. Shining Lotus told won- i 
 
 derful tales about the happy school on the hill, 
 and merry little Mook, and the fishing party; ; 
 
 Plum Blossom wanted to go! And one day a i 
 lady in Ameri'ca sent some money so that Plum j 
 Blossom could join the happy group in the ■ 
 school on the hill. 
 
 So Plum Blossom trudged off with Shining ' 
 Lotus up the long hill to school, and Granny j 
 
 was left alone. But she was not truly alone ; 
 ever any more, for the dear Master made Him- i 
 self very real to Granny. Besides, she hadn't a 
 harsh tongue any longer, and all the neighbors ' 
 
 loved her. I 
 
 One day Granny fell very ill. The neigh- 
 bors did their best; but there was no doctor to : 
 be called ; the nearest hospital was twenty miles ; 
 away, and it takes a day or two to go twenty 
 miles in that part of China. But though there ! 
 was no doctor, God sent a shining angel to lead ' 
 dear Granny home to Himself. ; 
 
 So in the Master's crown Plum Blosson has i 
 
 already placed one lovely white star, which 
 stands for Granny. ; 
 
 i
 
 Do you remember your first day at school? 
 
 This is Pkun Blossom just coming into the school 
 yard, led by Bright Lotus. She has all her outfit in the 
 bundle. There is another dress for every day wear. For 
 she has her Sunday frock on; there is a pair of shoes with 
 thick wooden soles to wear in the rain; and there are two 
 old suits of clothes to wear at night. When school girls 
 roll up in their cotton comforts at night, they wear old 
 faded day-time dresses, all clean and whole, instead of 
 frilly white nighties. Besides these things she has a 
 comb, and a towel, two handkerchiefs, and a bit of soap. 
 These arc all the things she owns.
 
 SUMMER BROOK 
 
 Down where the suininer brook 
 
 Leaps in the dell. 
 There lives Bright Lotus 
 
 And I love her well. 
 
 Scarlet azaleas 
 
 Gleam bright on the hills, 
 Dragon-flies hover 
 
 And dart o'er the rills; 
 
 Under the boughs 
 
 Of the big banyan tree 
 
 Violets are blooming 
 For Lotus and me. 
 
 Down where the summer brook 
 
 TiCaps in the dell. 
 There lives Bright Lotus, 
 
 And I love her well!
 
 Plum Blossom's Granny 67 
 
 SOMETHING ELSE FOR THE CHINA CLUB 
 
 TO DO. 
 
 I know a Club in America who got together 
 once every month and prepared cards to hang 
 up in houses like Granny's house. They took a 
 stiff mounting paper, and pasted on a picture, 
 leaving a space for a Bible verse, and tying a 
 piece of ribbon in the top to hang it up by. If 
 the picture was a red rose, they put in a red 
 ribbon; and if it was a girl with a blue dress, 
 they put in a blue ribbon. And they sent them 
 all to China for women like Granny to hang in 
 their homes. 
 
 Now when these women like Granny got the 
 pictures they were wonderfully happy and hung 
 them up and showed them to all the neighbors; 
 and they were very grateful to the girls and 
 boys who prepared them so tastefully. 
 
 Can you find cards that will make some 
 Granny happy ? And can you, at some of your 
 Club meetings, arrange them nicely to hang up, 
 as that Club did ?
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 TEN-CENT SISTER. 
 
 69
 
 BAD LITTLE CLOUD. 
 
 Bad little cloud, go back to bed ! 
 You should not be out after candle light 
 
 Roaming around in your night-robes white. 
 Our play is over; our prayers are said; 
 
 Bad little cloud, go back to bed ! 
 
 7C
 
 This is Mrs. Wiggs and Ten-Cent Sister, sitting in 
 front of their raft house. They are enjoying the morning 
 sunshine on their front door-step, also having their pic- 
 ture taken for you! 
 
 The chickens are also having a sun bath in their airy 
 house. Can you see them, in the basket? 
 
 When the Chinese children want to call the chickens 
 they never say "Biddie, Biddie" as we do. They would 
 say "Whoop!" and the chickens come. And if they 
 wish to call a cat they never say "Kittie, Kittie!" They 
 say "Mee-mee, mee-mee!"
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TEN-CENT SISTER. 
 
 a ' 
 
 Dear me! Five cents at one gulp!" 
 ^Irs. AAiggs's face fell sadly as she looked at 
 Little Brother. But Little Brother sat on the 
 edge of the boat wearing a gleeful grin. The 
 bun was good; the bun was his; why not take it 
 down in one blissful gulp ? You can't ask a lad 
 of four to know just how hard five cents comes. 
 The bun had been earned last Sunday by 
 going to church. Mrs. Wiggs-of-the-Sampan 
 had promised to go, had combed her shining 
 black hair to the perfection of neatness, had 
 borrowed a clean garment, and was ready; but 
 Little Brother had refused. And Little Brother 
 was too mischievous to be left at home. He 
 was only four — quite below the age when 
 clothes matter in China. Yet Little Brother 
 objected. He refused to go because he had no 
 pants. 
 
 It was a blistering summer day, but Mrs. 
 Wiggs, ^who was always ready to meet a diffi- 
 culty, brought forth a long, wadded coat be- 
 
 71
 
 72 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 longing to Big Brother, and I told the little lad 
 that if he would button this coat down to his 
 ankles he would be quite proper, and he should 
 have a luscious bun as a reward. So he went 
 — unwilling, perspiring, tearful, and today the 
 dreamed-of bun had come — and gone! 
 
 Ever since I left the dear school on the hill- 
 top and had come to the big city to live, I had 
 loved Mrs. Wiggs-of-the-Sampan and her merry 
 brood. Many a laugh and many a heartache 
 had I known as she rowed me across the river 
 in her humble craft and I learned the story of 
 the week. On lucky days, her fares for taking 
 passengers across would come up to ten cents, 
 and there were six mouths to feed. Father had 
 been taken by the cholera-devil, the summer 
 before. When storms or floods beset them, 
 there was no dinner. The astounding thing 
 was that Mrs. Wiggs and the whole troop seemed 
 to take poverty gaily. My supreme distress was 
 for a frail little waif, a child who was not 
 her own, who lay cold and miserable and half 
 fed in the boat day after day. She was one of 
 two infants girls whom Mrs. Wiggs was under- 
 taking to look after, beside her own eight months 
 baby. One day I found that at three o'clock 
 in the afternoon this little waif had not been 
 fed.
 
 This is the sort of Saini)an house the Wifigs family Wvvd 
 in, and rowed j)assengers across the Shining- River. When 
 there was good hick, Mrs. Wiggs got ten cents a (hiy, and 
 when there was a flood, she got nothing! How would you 
 like to li\-e on a Sampan?
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 73 
 
 "Chaste Pearl," I cried, using her name, for 
 we are friends, "you do not love this child!" 
 
 "Love her? Indeed, I love her! But there 
 are so many of them the love wont go round!'' 
 
 The week after the bun incident, I came to 
 the Sampan home to find Mrs Wiggs jubilant. 
 
 "We've got another baby!" she announced. 
 
 "Another baby!" I was in despair. "What 
 in the world do you want with another baby.^" 
 
 "WTiy, to be Little Brother's wife when he 
 grows up. And she's so pretty ! Only ten cents ! 
 Go and get your little wife and show her to the 
 lady!" 
 
 Little Brother sat erect on the boat-rail, 
 resplendent in a pair of new pink pants he had 
 just achieved. If he was to move in high social 
 circles he must have pants! And by dint of 
 some scrimping and much labor the demand had 
 been gloriously met. It was with great dignity 
 that he roes and went to the stern of the boat 
 to bring forward the little stirring bundle. 
 There he stood, aged four, holding his wee bride- 
 to-be, aged seven days! It would be hard to 
 tell whether pride in the pink pants or the new 
 bride thrilled him most. 
 
 "Isn't she pretty.'^" Mrs. Wiggs ran on in 
 glee, "for only ten cents? She'll stay in my 
 boat and grow up by me, and be my daughter-
 
 74 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 in-law; and I shall love her, and she will love 
 me, and by and by Little Brother will marry 
 her and she will live with me always. Think 
 of it! Only ten cents!" 
 
 She was a pretty wee morsel as she lay in my 
 arms in the coarse blue clothing — undeniably 
 pretty. But look — wasn't there something 
 strangely familiar in that tiny oval face ^ I was 
 sure she was that sweetest one among the three 
 I had seen the Thursday before, being peddled 
 on the street, like cabbages. We had heard 
 cries coming out of a basket and made the man 
 stop, and had found three thrown-away girlies 
 lying in utter neglect, two days old. It made 
 something pull tight and hard within me to let 
 that basket go on. I think those baby cries 
 will hurt my heart in heaven. 
 
 "The parents pay him ten cents to take them 
 away," my companion had said. "Didn't you 
 see him a week ago with two under his arm?" 
 
 "What will happen to them.'^" I managed 
 to ask. 
 
 "Oh, he will sell them, if he can, as slaves; 
 or they will cry themselves to death. Most of 
 them do." 
 
 So this wee one had found her way into Mrs. 
 Wiggs's hospitable heart! In spite of her other 
 three babies and the love that wouldn't go
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 75 
 
 round, I looked at the little darling and was 
 glad. 
 
 Summer passed, and I came to see how the 
 Sampan family was thriving, and to get Little 
 Brother into kindergarten. I found them all 
 shockingly thin; Ten-Cent Sister, as they called 
 her, was little more than a wistful, wee shadow; 
 but they were all as irrepressibly hilarious as 
 ever. 
 
 "What is the matter with you all V I asked. 
 
 "The typhoon," said Mrs. Wiggs. 
 
 "The typhoon.^" That seemed a queer an- 
 swer! But it wasn't. 
 
 "The flood was on three weeks, so we just 
 starved," she answered merrily. 
 
 Little Brother's entrance into the kinder- 
 garten was planned for next Monday. Bright 
 and early Monday morning I came with a 
 troop of small neighbors to fetch the new 
 pupil. His face had been scrubbed until it 
 was well nigh unrecognizable, and his cotton 
 coat was clean. The glory had long since de- 
 parted from the pink pants, and most of the 
 pants with it; but instead of trousers, an an- 
 cient straw hat gave dignity to the hour. As 
 we were starting, a chorus from the neighbor's 
 children threw a temporary chill over the 
 Sampan :
 
 76 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 "Where's your handkerchief? You can't go 
 to school without a handkerchief!" 
 
 This was a bolt from the blue. Never in 
 its most extravagant days had the Wiggs family 
 been guilty of a handkerchief! But there was 
 the family towel. It was a yard long and grimy. 
 Wiggs history was written large upon it. But 
 Mother Wiggs soused it in the river, wrung it 
 out, and brought it to Little Brother; and thus 
 fitted for society the young hopeful started up 
 the ladder of learning. Behind him came 
 Mother Wiggs, carrying Ten-Cent Sister, and 
 all were introduced together to the fascinating 
 delights of the kindergarten. I could scarcely 
 say which was the more entranced, the young 
 student, his mother, or the bright-eyed wee 
 maid in her arms. 
 
 Shortly after this I started a mothers' meet- 
 ing in our home. The first to arrive was Mrs. 
 Wiggs with Ten-Cent Sister. 
 
 The subject was "cleanliness in the home," 
 and my own house had been specially polished 
 to serve as an example. Mrs. Wiggs and the 
 baby girl went all over the house with cries of 
 delight. Two days later I found the sampan 
 scrubbed until it glistened, and a bit of an old 
 yellow time-table showing a map of the United 
 States, fastened to the wall for decoration. I
 
 Here are some of the little folks in the kindergarten. 
 
 Do you see the stool made into a chair for baby when 
 you tip it on the side? Baby can't get out or fall over. 
 
 The Chinese are most ingenious. These stools are 
 made of bamboo. See how many uses of bamboo you 
 can find in this book. 
 
 These little folks are in the kindergarten learning the 
 same pretty games and songs that we teach children in 
 America. 
 
 In the kindergarten where Ten-Cent Sister went with 
 Mrs. Wiggs are many other wee ten-cent sisters. .Vren't 
 you glad they are there? 
 
 Sometime, when all the Chinese people know how lo 
 worsliij) (iod instead of their great-grandfathers, there 
 will l>e no ten-cent sisters left.
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 77 
 
 had sent some cakes wrapped in this torn bit 
 of map to the other children. And here it was 
 — Maine to Kansas — upside down, yellow, and 
 very greasy, but beautiful, adorning the wall. 
 
 "We are going to have it just like the Lady's 
 house," she said with modest pride. The 
 mothers' meeting had struck in! 
 
 Later on I missed the yellow map. 
 
 "We've put it away to keep till Christmas," 
 they explained. 
 
 Christmas brought honors to the young stu- 
 dent; he had made a fine record, and won a 
 gorgeous big picture for the sampan. It also 
 brought a shining round Mexican dollar, worth 
 fifty cents in our money, to Mrs. Wiggs. Joy 
 in the sampan knew no bounds. 
 
 "How did you spend it.^" I asked her after- 
 ward. 
 
 "I didn't dare use it all," she confided, "for 
 when the March floods come there will be no 
 money. I spent twenty cents for Christmas 
 and have put thirty away till flood-time." 
 
 Wise Mrs. Wiggs! 
 
 One day I was crossing the river with Nurse 
 Blake. We had been to see an old blind lady, 
 to persuade her to come to the hospital and 
 have the little white thick places removed from 
 her eyes, so that she could see. As we landed
 
 78 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 on the bank, frightful screams were coming from 
 the sampan. Big sister had got a fish-hook 
 right through her thumb, and as she jerked it 
 about, it ached more terribly; and it ached so 
 terribly she could not keep it still. 
 
 Nurse Blake knew just what to do; she 
 grasped the aching hand firmly in one of her 
 hands, and in a moment the fish-hook was out. 
 Oh, but the Wiggs family were grateful ! 
 
 "That child looks ill," said Nurse Blake, 
 looking at the frail little waif, who had never 
 grown strong enough to stand, and lay, white 
 and limp, in the boat. "She needs nourish- 
 ment. She needs care. Bring her with me to 
 the hospital." 
 
 So off they went to the beautiful clean hos- 
 pital, Mrs. Wiggs carrying the little waif in her 
 arms, and Ten-Cent Sister trotting by her side. 
 It was a big, clean, open, sunny place, oh, so 
 different from the cramped little houses on Salt 
 Depot Street! Mrs. Wiggs sat and looked about 
 at the kind nurses in their neat uniforms, and 
 the fresh white beds, and thought it might be 
 worth the trouble of being sick, if she could 
 stay in a place like this! Everybody looked so 
 spotless and so comfortable, even the people 
 who were bandaged, and everybody looked 
 happy. There was a lovely Chinese lady who
 
 Ten-Cent Sister yg 
 
 met each one who came in, and found out all 
 about her, and told her about Jesus. After she 
 had been given the medicine for the little waif, 
 Mrs. Wiggs was loth to go away! 
 
 There was one day when I found the sampan 
 family, and even Mrs. Wiggs herself, looking 
 blue. I had come to invite her to a gospel 
 meeting. 
 
 "Have you eaten dinner yet.^^" I asked. 
 
 Mrs. Wiggs evaded the question. 
 
 "Tell me truly. Have you eaten dinner.^" 
 
 Mrs. Wiggs lowered her voice. 
 
 "When there is no business, there is no din- 
 ner," she said. 
 
 Then she asked me to come and sit in her 
 boat, while I waited for the gospel meeting to 
 begin. After we had been talking for some 
 time, while the little children sat quietly in the 
 bow of the boat, I noticed a passenger pushing 
 off in another boat. I wakened to the fact that 
 he would have taken her boat if she had not 
 sent him away. But she had done it so cleverly 
 that I had never known it. And the children 
 had remained perfectly quiet and had let him go! 
 
 "Chaste Pearl, how could you!" I cried. 
 "These children have been waiting all day for 
 some dinner! How could you let that passen- 
 ger go, just because 1 am on your boat.?"
 
 8o Mook, a True Tale 
 
 "Oh, Lady, that is a very little thing!" she 
 said. "I go to the Lady's house, and you give 
 me beautiful cakes and tea; but you come to 
 my boat, and I give you nothing, because the 
 money is eaten up clean and there is nothing to 
 give. It is a very little thing if I sit quietly on 
 my boat and talk with you!" 
 
 After that we went to the gospel meeting. I 
 was sick at heart, because, without knowing it, 
 I had cheated those poor hungry children out 
 of a dinner! After the meeting I noticed Mrs. 
 Wiggs stagger as she came down the stairs. 
 
 "Chaste Pearl, you look ill!" I said. 
 
 "There has been no food for two or three 
 days," she whispered. 
 
 And yet those children had been so polite 
 that they never said a word! 
 
 You may be sure there was a good dinner in 
 the sampan that night! and for many a day to 
 come. 
 
 And where, all this time, was Mook ? 
 
 Away up the Shining River was a city called 
 Lingering Peace. Mrs. Wiggs had never ven- 
 tured so far up the river, oh no! Her little 
 sampan would have been wrecked on the rapids 
 if she had ever tried it, for there are a hundred 
 furious rapids between Happy Valley and Lin- 
 gering Peace. In this distant city there is a
 
 This is the big boat which took Mook up the Shining 
 River to the City of Lingering Peace. The man on the 
 back is the captain. He has to be a very skillful man, for 
 there are many dangerous rapids in the river.
 
 Here is the temple, with dragon-tail points on the 
 roof, which Mook passed; and here is the big bamboo 
 raft, with a hut to live in. Wouldn't you like to sail 
 down the river on a raft like that? 
 
 INlook loved to look up at the high river banks, 
 never had known the world was half so beautiful ! 
 
 He
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 8i 
 
 school for boys; and when Mook was ten years 
 old, and too big to be in school with little girls, 
 he was taken in a huge boat up over the swirl- 
 ing rapids to the school in the city of Lingering 
 Peace. 
 
 All the long journey up the river was full of 
 new wonders for Mook. He sat very still in 
 the boat, and watched all that happened with 
 eager eyes. The river was terribly swift. The 
 boatmen had to labor against the wild waters 
 with might and main. Twenty-four men pulled 
 the craft with a long rope made of bamboo, for 
 bamboo will almost never break, however hard 
 you may pull it. The captain would stand on 
 the high bridge at the back of the boat, and 
 guide it with his long oar, and shout orders to 
 the sailors as they clung to the bank. Some- 
 times, when the current was terrific and the 
 boat could not make headway, the captain 
 would yell: "Buy your coffins!" Then the 
 men would make a mighty effort all together, 
 and the boat would bound up over the rocks. 
 
 Every moment thrilled with excitement for 
 little Mook. He loved to watch the skillful 
 seamanship of the captain and the crew. When 
 a difficult rapid was passed safely, and the crew 
 rowed on in quiet for a time, there were inter- 
 esting new things to see at each turn of the
 
 82 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 winding river. There were great mountains ris- 
 ing green and dark away up to the skies; there 
 were wonderful birds darting overhead; once 
 there was a silver waterfall, leaping ever so far 
 down the hill. Mook had never known the 
 world was half so beautiful! Once, upon the 
 bank, he saw a magnificent temple, with curi- 
 ously curved dragon-tail roofs. 
 
 Often there passed him a long raft of logs, 
 with a little hut on it to live in. What fun it 
 would be to board that raft and sail down 
 river, and sleep in the little hut! One day he 
 saw a man out on a queer raft-boat made of 
 long bamboo poles. The man was fishing, — 
 only he wasn't doing the work himself, he had 
 four big birds to do it for him. Mook thought 
 this the funniest kind of fishing he had ever seen 
 in his life. The Wiggses saw this cormorant 
 fishing every day, but it was all new to Mook. 
 
 The thing he loved best of all was to lie in 
 the stillness of the moonlight night, when every- 
 one else was asleep, and look up at the soft 
 white clouds, and listen to the song of the dis- 
 tant sailors and the soft music of the water be- 
 neath the big boat, and dream, and wonder. 
 Where was he going? And what would life be 
 like up there in the school for boys ? Would 
 they be kind to a strange boy.^ Softly he
 
 Here are the big boats tied up for the night, Hke the boat 
 Mook loved to He in, and hsten and dream and wonder. 
 Wouldn't you love to go u]) tiic Shining River in a boat 
 like this? They are kept sj)oLlessly clean by the sailors. 
 You would go up to Lingering Peace in a week, and conic 
 down over the rapids in one day. 
 
 You would come with your heart iu your mouth all the 
 way, but it would be the most thrilling exi)erience you 
 ever had!
 
 This is Mrs. Wiggs having her picture taken on piggie's 
 raft. Do you see the eye on the big boat behind? The 
 people think that eye helps the boat go safely. 
 
 Do you see the neighbors watching while the picture 
 is being taken?
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 83 
 
 prayed in the moonlight that the Heavenly 
 Father would care for him, and make him a 
 good man. 
 
 And what about Ten-Cent Sister? 
 
 Today she is a bonnie maid of six. The 
 Wiggs family have come to possess a small bam- 
 boo hut on a raft, with even a tiny piggery on 
 its own wee raft, containing a pig. Last spring 
 I rejoiced the family by photographing the en- 
 tire estate, while Mrs. Wiggs held piggie in full 
 view by the ear. 
 
 The outlook is brightening for the Sampan 
 family. This winter a little girl in New Jersey 
 sent a dollar she had earned by learning the 
 Ten Commandments to buy Ten-Cent Sister a 
 coat; and now she has a beautiful warm coat 
 to wear when it is bitterly cold in the raft-hut. 
 For winter is a bleak time for the Sampan 
 people. One of Mrs. Wiggs's neighbors told me 
 that twelve of her children had died of exposure 
 on the cold river, leaving but one wee maid of 
 eleven. To this little girl I once gave a doll, 
 and found her months afterward with only the 
 body of the doll and one leg left, but loving it 
 rapturously still! 
 
 Mrs. Wiggs will never forget the kindness 
 which sent Ten-Cent Sister that coat. And 
 Little Brother now has a future; for eight little
 
 84 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 girls in a certain Sunday School class in America 
 have earned each a dollar by washing windows 
 and doing other real work; and they are sending 
 Little Brother to school. By and by he will 
 provide a home that is better than a raft for 
 Ten-Cent Sister and Mrs. Wiggs; and they 
 won't have to go without food when the March 
 floods come; and it will be all because some 
 little girls in America had hearts that would 
 stretch out wide enough to take in children on 
 the other side of the world! 
 
 THE JOLLY WIGGSES. 
 
 Down on the Shining River, 
 The jolly Wiggses dwell; 
 
 Just how they live so merrily 
 I really cannot tell. 
 
 They have no coats in winter time. 
 Nor shoes upon their feet, 
 
 And scarcely one day in the year 
 Is there enough to eat! 
 
 And yet they laugh and skip and sing 
 And play that all is well. 
 
 Just how they live so merrily 
 I really cannot tell!
 
 Here are Mrs. Wiggs and Ten-Cent Sister standing by 
 the Shining River. They have not forgotten their shoes. 
 The boat people never wear them. Do you see that Mrs. 
 Wiggs's dress is quite different from that of the people 
 that live on the land? She has on a thick wadded inner 
 coat to keep warm, and wadded trousers. jNIrs. Wiggs 
 loves Ten-Cent Sister dearly. The Chinese are devoted 
 to children. Then why are there ten-cent sisters in China? 
 Is it because mothers do not love their baby girls? No, 
 it is because the Chinese worship their dead graridfatluMs 
 instead of w()rshij)piiig (Jod. They think it i.s neces.sary 
 to give rice and money and clothes to their dead ancestors.
 
 T'WASN' TMY FAULT 
 
 'Twasn't my fault I was only a girl. 
 And Daddy was poor as poor could be, 
 
 And there wasn't food in the whole round world 
 For a useless wee mite like me! 
 
 'Twasn't their fault that they did not know, 
 When they sent me away with hearts so sad, 
 
 That to sell their own little baby girl 
 Was wicked, and wrong, and bad! 
 
 But somebody knew, and somebody cared. 
 And gave me comfort, and clothes, and rice. 
 
 And made me happy the whole day long — 
 Oh, don't you think that was nice?
 
 Ten-Cent Sister 85 
 
 FOR THE CHINA CLUB. 
 
 Don't you think it would be nice for the Club 
 to begin a China Cabinet for the Sunday School 
 or the Church? Many people are not inter- 
 ested in the children of China because they 
 know so little about them. The Club can help 
 interest other people by putting things that 
 come from China right where they can see them. 
 If you ask your missionary to send some things, 
 and if you send some money to pay the expense, 
 she can get you some things right from China 
 for the Cabinet. And you can begin right away 
 to mount pictures of things in China for the 
 Cabinet. I'm sure many of the Club mem- 
 bers can draw well. Some one might draw a 
 sampan, or make one of wood, like the Wiggses', 
 for the Cabinet; and somebody else could make 
 a nice map, showing Happy Valley and the 
 Shining River and Abiding Peace.
 
 These are children in Cliina, but they are not Ten-Cent 
 Sisters. Just how much do you suppose their price 
 would be? What would your parents take for you? 
 What makes the difference?
 
 V 
 
 4 
 
 4
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 DAI KAI. 
 
 87
 
 THE SHINING RIVER. 
 
 What does the Shining River ] 
 
 Sing as it whirls along ? 
 
 I sit all day and listen — i 
 
 Listen to that strange song; j 
 
 And when my heart is happy 
 The river's song is glad; ] 
 
 But when my heart is heavy ' 
 
 The song is very sad ! 
 
 88
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 DAI KAI. 
 
 "Save life! Save life!" 
 
 It was the old man who sat bumping his 
 head on £lie hard stones of the Bridge. Dai 
 Kai had heard the hoarse whine many times, 
 had heard it all afternoon, as he felt his way up 
 and down, timidly holding out the little basket 
 to passers-by. In the basket was a tin can, 
 and in the tin can were copper cash — only 
 eighty-six. Let us see — were there not eighty- 
 seven .^^ Dai Kai counted them over with his 
 numb little fingers — ten, twenty, thirty, forty, 
 fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, eighty-six, — only 
 eighty-six. ^las, he was not mistaken! Dai 
 Kai could not see the cash, for he was blind. 
 
 Only eighty-six! And it must be getting 
 dark, because men were tramping back and 
 forth, so many of them, on the Long Bridge. 
 Soon there would be fewer; and no more cash 
 would come dropping into his little tin cup! 
 Eighty-six now — one hundred and fourteen 
 more to get before he could venture home ! The 
 
 89
 
 go 
 
 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 stones of the bridge were very cold; if he should 
 have to sleep out of doors again, he would try 
 to find some corner where the rain did not come. 
 He could not go home; that was out of the 
 question, for the Beggar Chief would beat him 
 if there were not two hundred cash! The Beg- 
 gar Chief would beat and curse! Even the cold 
 stones and the rain were better than the beat- 
 ings of the Beggar Chief. 
 
 It had been a long time since morning — since 
 he had eaten the bit of sweet potato that was 
 his breakfast. Blind Mammy had cooked it 
 over the little mud stove; she was deft at cook- 
 ing, though she was bhnd. She was kind to 
 him, and so was blind Daddy, who begged all 
 day on another street. They would give him a 
 corner of the straw bed and a bit of ragged 
 covering, and a little supper, if he could only 
 go home. One hundred and fourteen more to 
 get! If he could only shout "Save life," with 
 that loud whine like the man who bumped his 
 head, perhaps some one would notice a little 
 blind boy. But the voices of those who tramped 
 by were loud, and some laughed. What was 
 there to laugh at on a cold hungry night? 
 And no more copper cash dropped into the 
 little tin can in his basket. Would blind 
 Mammy save him a bit of supper?
 
 This is the end of the Bridge where Dai Kai sat and 
 begged. Do you see the great stone piers? Can you see 
 the great stone beams, thirty feet long and very thick, 
 uniting these piers? How do you suppose they were put 
 in place? Many people have discussed this question, 
 but they do not really know how it was done, the bridge 
 was built so very long ago. The tide rises here every 
 day. Some think these stones were lifted on rafts by the 
 tide. 
 
 It is called the Bridge of Ten Thousand Ages and must 
 be very ancient. The river rushes down with such 
 terrific force that it sometimes breaks even these great 
 piers. 
 
 The little shed on the bridge was built as a shelter for 
 sick beggars and strangers, that summer when the plague 
 took away Mook's mother, with so many other peoj)le.
 
 Dai Kai gi 
 
 Of course, Blind Mammy was not his very 
 own Mammy. If she were, it would all be 
 different. His own Mammj?^ and Daddy had 
 been very kind, and had given him white rice, 
 and sometimes luscious pork! Those were 
 happy days, when he was a little, little boy — 
 when he could see. And then the dreadful 
 plague devil had come, and had snatched away 
 his real Mammy and Daddy; and he was sick 
 after that — he could not just remember how it 
 was. But when he waked from the strange 
 sickness his eyes could not see any more, they 
 only ached. Then the rough Beggar Chief had 
 sent him to Blind Mammy and Blind Daddy. 
 Oh, but those had been happy days long ago, 
 when his true Mammy had taken him on her 
 lap, and had given him nice white rice, two 
 bowls — full, heaping bowls, and even pork; 
 and once, on a feast day, a little piece of chicken ! 
 
 The tramping feet became fewer; the laugh- 
 ing young men had gone; even the old man 
 with the hoarse voice who bumped his head and 
 whined ''Save life!" had given up the whine 
 and shuffled off to his hovel. Would he have 
 any supper ? Though it was surely a mistake 
 to sleep, still it made one forget the ache in 
 one's feet, and the empty, empty hungry place 
 that seemed to ache too —
 
 92 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 "Clink!" What was it! Dai Kai sat up 
 quickly and opened wide his sightless eyes. 
 Yes, it was — a silver dime! The numb little 
 fingers felt it over and over — it was a dime, 
 one hundred cash all at once! Oh, that was 
 wonderful! Surely he was a kind man who 
 had given so much ! Maybe he was rich; may- 
 be he had a little boy at home! Dai Kai 
 struggled to his feet. One hundred; and he 
 had eighty-six already; with one hundred, there 
 were one hundred and eighty-six. Only four- 
 teen more! He would start on the long journey 
 into the city. Perhaps he would meet some one 
 else who would give a little on the way, though 
 it was very late — 
 
 Suddenly he heard a most unusual sound. 
 
 "See! It is the same child!" 
 
 They were strange words to Dai Kai's ears, 
 and he could not understand them. It was a 
 woman's voice. He clung to the tin cup in 
 terror. Would they take it away, with his 
 precious earnings ? 
 
 "It is the same child who sat there at six 
 o'clock as we passed, and now it is ten. Poor 
 little thing! Where is he going ? " 
 
 Dai Kai trembled from head to foot at the 
 queer English speech, and gripped the tin cup 
 in despair.
 
 Dai Kai 93 
 
 "Don't take it," he gasped, "don't take the 
 money! He will beat me ! " 
 
 "No one shall take your money," a kind 
 voice said in his own Chinese words, words that 
 he knew. It was a man who spoke. Dai Kai's 
 teeth still chattered with fear, but he was com- 
 forted. 
 
 "What is your name?" the lady said in the 
 Chinese tongue. 
 
 "Dai Kai." 
 
 "Dai Kai, would you like to go to school.^" 
 
 Dai Kai felt himself shaking again. "I 
 have to support my parents," he managed to 
 say. 
 
 "And where are your parents?" 
 
 "They live in the city. They are blind." 
 
 Many men had gathered about; but nobody 
 tried to take the money. If he could only get 
 away! The lady was talking about a strange 
 thing — a school for the blind ! 
 
 "Blind men can read?" a big man asked. 
 He knew it was a big man from the big heavy 
 voice. 
 
 "Yes, blind men can read. There are books 
 with letters lifted from the page. Blind men 
 put their hands upon the letters, and they can 
 read words. And they learn to make many 
 things — matting, and string, and rugs; and
 
 94 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 they can earn money. And they learn to play 
 beautiful music, and sing." 
 
 "Blind men can learn to read.^ That is a 
 miracle." The men all gasped in wonder. 
 
 'T shall be beaten!" cried little Dai Kai. 
 The terrible Beggar Chief loomed up angrily 
 before his mind's eye. "If I do not have two 
 hundred cash I shall be beaten!" 
 
 The kind man had been talking to the rest 
 about this wonderful school. "The police 
 would take him there," someone said. 
 
 And soon a strong, big friendly man stood 
 beside him, and told him to come with him. 
 
 "Don't take the money!" he pleaded. 
 
 "No one shall touch your money," the big 
 man answered. "Come and have some sup- 
 per! 
 
 Dai Kai's fears fell away in the dream of sup- 
 per. He heard the strange man with the lady 
 promise to send a letter — a letter to the blind 
 school; but what was a letter when there was a 
 blissful, present possibility of supper! Sure 
 enough, here it was, steaming hot rice like what 
 the rich boys eat, with juicy strips of pork and 
 even sauce — tasty chili sauce to dip it in ! 
 Dai Kai ate as if he had never eaten; ate until 
 he was full to the tips of his chilly toes; ate 
 until he almost ached, and then ate some more.
 
 Dai Kai 
 
 95 
 
 Then he rolled up in a big warm coverlet, oh! 
 so comfortable and so warm! If only Blind 
 Mammy could have one like this ! — and slept 
 and slept and slept. 
 
 "The new student has come! The new stu- 
 dent has come!" 
 
 This was the cheery voice that greeted Dai 
 Kai the next afternoon, as, after a long, long 
 walk with the friendly man who had given him 
 that royal supper, he came into a sunny yard 
 from the damp chilly street. After the cosy 
 sleep under the warm coverlet, there had been 
 breakfast, — such a breakfast as^ one would 
 never forget — steaming hot rice and salt fish; 
 more than that, the man had stopped at the 
 street cafe on the way into the city, and he had 
 sat up on a stool just like rich boys, and had 
 had a luscious dinner of vermicelli and clams. 
 Truly this was a wonderful day, a day unlike 
 any other since the Plague Devil took his true 
 Mammy and Daddy away. 
 
 "The new student has come! Here, take 
 away the beggar bowl and the long stick! He 
 won't need these any more." 
 
 Suddenly it dawned upon Dai Kai that he 
 was the student! And a happy little boy came 
 and took him away to be washed and dressed;
 
 96 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 and a gentle motherly woman brought him 
 clothes — yes, whole clothes! Two bigger boys 
 helped him through the strange new experience 
 of a bath. There was warm water, and real 
 soap, nice smelling soap — oh, he was very 
 clean! Not since he was a wee boy and his real 
 Mammy had bathed him on her lap had he 
 been so clean! And there were fresh smelling 
 clothes, real clothes that fitted a little boy, and 
 there were shoes! Soon many boys crowded 
 around and talked in happy voices, and showed 
 him where to go to find the kitchen, and the 
 dining place, and the bed, and the school- 
 room. For it was actually true; blind boys 
 could learn to read. Then there was supper, 
 another dream of bliss! Dai Kai ate very fast, 
 lest he should wake up all • at once and find 
 the food had vanished! He could not quite 
 believe there would ever be another wonder- 
 ful day like this day, now that he need not sit 
 on the cold bridge any more with the tin cup 
 in his basket, waiting; nor that he never, 
 never again would be beaten by the Beggar 
 Chief! 
 
 After supper the most marvellous thing hap- 
 pened of all this marvellous day. The little 
 boy who had led him in at the first and had 
 called him the "new student" brought him to a
 
 Dai Kai 
 
 97 
 
 big room where many sat together, and then 
 they began to play the most beautiful music! 
 There were many kinds of sweet instruments — 
 not like the hoarse banjo his Blind Daddy 
 strummed when he was begging in the streets. 
 And they sang the most rapturous song. Dai 
 Kai's little heart swelled as he heard it — it 
 was as good as the supper, to hear this song! 
 It was all about Somebody named Jesus; he 
 had never heard the name. And after the song 
 a lady with the gentlest voice in the world 
 talked with Somebody she called her Heavenly 
 Father, and asked Him to take care of them all 
 — yes, to take care of little Dai Kai and make 
 him happy. And then the boys led him to the 
 room where many boys slept on clean, clean 
 matting, under clean, clean covers. And he 
 went to sleep and dreamed of eating a bowl of 
 rice as high as a mountain, while a hundred 
 boys sang the sweet song about Jesus. 
 
 "My little fellow, that eye is of no use to you, 
 and is only giving you pain and making you ill. 
 I will put you to sleep, and take it away, and 
 then it will never make your head ache any- 
 more." 
 
 The doctor's voice was so caressingly kind 
 that the little lad would have yielded to any 
 suggestion he could make. So Dai Kai went
 
 gS Mook, a True Tale 
 
 over to the hospital with him, and let him put 
 him to sleep. In the days that followed he 
 learned many wonderful things. He learned 
 that the gentle doctor cured many people of all 
 sorts of sicknesses every day. They did not 
 need to pay great sums to the priest, nor hire a 
 man to run through coals in the streets as he 
 had known a man to do, nor to cut himself with 
 knives, in order to induce the devil to leave the 
 sick person. Perhaps it was all a mistake about 
 the devils; because the doctor looked at these 
 sick people and gave them medicine every day 
 and talked in a gentle voice to them, and bound 
 up their sores and they got well, without sajdng 
 any prayers to the devil or giving him any 
 pieces of fat meat. This doctor often talked to 
 the Heavenly Father as if He were very close 
 by, and asked Him to take care of the poor sick 
 people and help to make them well. Dai Kai 
 thought he himself would try to talk to this 
 loving Heavenly Father sometime, when he was 
 quite alone. So, after the motherly woman who 
 brought him food went away, he tried. He used 
 some of the words the doctor had used: 
 
 "Heavenly Father, take care of me, a blind 
 boy. Amen." 
 
 Then Dai Kai seemed to feel strong loving 
 Arms around him; he cuddled down into the
 
 These are the hoys and their teachers in the bhnd school 
 where Dai Kai Uved so happily. Do you see all the kinds 
 of things they are learning to do? They make fine straw 
 mattings for beds; they make verandah screens, and 
 baskets, and sandals, and string, and coarse bamboo 
 mattings; and they learn to play many instruments. 
 Some of them have fine voices too. 
 
 These boys would most of them be beggars on the 
 Bridge, or some street corner, if they had not had this 
 chance to go to school, opened to them by the gifts of 
 Christian people.
 
 Dai Kai 99 
 
 big, clean comfort and slept the happiest sleep 
 he had ever known. 
 
 All this was the beginning of a golden life for 
 Dai Kai, In the first place, there was enough 
 to eat every single day! For weeks when that 
 lady with the gentlest voice in the world met 
 him and said, "Have you peace, Dai Kai?", 
 he would answer with a radiant smile, "I have 
 eaten very full! I have eaten very full!" 
 
 By and by the long hunger of years was 
 satisfied, and delightful tasks with his school 
 friends filled his thoughts. There was string 
 to wind; he learned to do it very well; there 
 were exercises to perform; other boys taught 
 you the motions so kindly, and nobody laughed 
 if one blundered, for nobody else could see! 
 And these blind boys seemed too kind to laugh 
 anyway, even if they could see. Then there 
 was the music — the nicest thing of all ! The 
 day was filled with happy duties from morn- 
 ing to night; and of all that merry throng the 
 happiest lad was Dai Kai, once a little beggar 
 lad on the Long Bridge.
 
 100 Mock, a True Tale 
 
 DAI K.AI. 
 
 If you were a wee blind beggar lad, 
 And sat alone in the street, 
 And the chilling rain came drizzling down 
 And spattered your aching feet; 
 
 And somebody came along your way, 
 Who cared for a wee bhnd lad, 
 And led you to shelter and food and hope. 
 Oh, wouldn't your heart be glad ?
 
 Dai Kai loi 
 
 A PLAY FOR THE CHINA CLUB. 
 
 Wouldn't it be fun to plan a China Play? 
 AYliom do you know who would make a good 
 Moon Fairy? Who could be Mook? Who 
 could be Little Brother? Who could be Ten- 
 Cent Sister? What little fellow can you get 
 to be Dai Kai ? 
 
 You could make a little play with four parts: 
 one part about Mook; one about Moon Fairy 
 and Moon Pearl; one about Mrs. Wiggs; and 
 
 « 
 
 one about Dai Kai. You could practice it at 
 the club meeting; and then you might some- 
 time invite your chums and parents to see it. 
 Perhaps you could do it well enough then for a 
 bigger company to see, — maybe the Sunday 
 School. I know one Club that has given plays 
 and has helped children in a hospital by the 
 money people gave at the play. 
 
 In the hospitals in China there are children's 
 beds. For twenty-five dollars you can support 
 a child's bed for a year, and can give some little 
 boy like Dai Kai health and happiness. 
 
 You could give your little play and ask people 
 to contribute, and I think they would be gen- 
 erous.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THREE GOLDEN WISHES. 
 
 106
 
 GOLDEN DREAMS. 
 Oh, do you know the golden dreams 
 
 I dream when I'm alone ^ 
 
 Of sailing o'er the gleaming sea | 
 
 To a land I have not known ? 1 
 
 To a land across the gleaming sea | 
 
 Where noble cities rise, j 
 
 And young men look out into life I 
 
 With morning in their eyes ? '< 
 
 Young men of hope and faith and prayer 
 Who long to do great things — 
 
 Oh, when I think of that goodly land 
 The heart within me sings ! 
 
 Oh, do you know the golden dreams 
 I dream when I'm alone 
 
 Of sailing o'er the gleaming sea 
 To a land I have not known ? 
 
 104
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THREE GOLDEN WISHES. 
 
 The first golden wish was Fair Jewel's. 
 
 "Won't you come in and see Mama?" she 
 asked me one day. 
 
 She was a most charming wee maid, as she 
 stood in the doorway smiling up at me; the in- 
 vitation was quite irresistible. Besides, I had 
 come down the street for this very purpose, 
 hoping some one would ask me in. 
 
 Mama sat within her dark room, looking very 
 sad. It was a room that would make anybody 
 look sad; there were black walls, with cobwebs 
 high up, where you could not reach them; the 
 plaster was broken, and so was the furniture; 
 a few dingy idols were the only ornaments. 
 Precious Jewel was the one bit of brightness in 
 the room, until Big Brother came home from 
 his work. Big Brother was not so very big, 
 to tell the truth; he was only nine, and his 
 name was Faithful-and-True. 
 
 Mama was not disposed to talk much to a 
 stranger, so I taught the little children songs, 
 
 105
 
 io6 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 "Jesus loves me" being the unfailing favorite. 
 As they sang, Mama smiled and looked happier; 
 so we began to converse. I found that Daddy 
 had died last year of the cholera — the cruel 
 yearly visitor to Chong-Seng Street; and Mama 
 was trying to earn rice for the family by sewing. 
 But many days there was no sewing; and even 
 if she sewed very hard, she could earn not more 
 than ten cents. So the little man of the family, 
 Faithful-and-True, had to do Daddy's part, and 
 go out to split bamboo sticks for basket making. 
 If he went very early and worked very hard 
 he could earn five cents a day. On the best 
 days there was fifteen cents to buy rice for 
 Mama, and for Precious Jewel, and for brave 
 little Faithful-and-True. 
 
 The next Sunday I thought to myself, "If I 
 should go down there and ask Precious Jewel's 
 mother to come to church today, would she 
 perhaps come?" I decided to try it. Salt 
 Depot Street — for that is what "Chong Seng" 
 means — was a very busy place that Sunday 
 morning. The shops were open, quite as usual. 
 No one seemed to know it was Sunday. My 
 heart sank as I walked past the busy stores and 
 houses. Nobody had ever heard of the com- 
 mandment, "Remember the Sabbath day to 
 keep it holy!" I did not think a single person
 
 Three Golden Wishes 107 
 
 would go with me to church. Precious Jewel, 
 however, stood at her door with that same win- 
 some smile, and with perfect graciousness in- 
 vited me in. 
 
 "Yes, I will go," said Mama, "if you will 
 wait till I comb my hair." 
 
 Now combing the hair takes lots of time in 
 China, but I promised to wait. 
 
 "If the baby were not so mischievous I would 
 go too," said a neighbor, holding her lively little 
 two-year-old in her arms. 
 
 "Never mind, they're used to mischievous 
 babies," I answered; and so she brought out a 
 clean pair of flowered trousers and a little blue 
 coat and began to get the wee girlie ready. 
 Meanwhile another neighbor decided to join 
 the company, and stih another; and two 
 men in clean blue cotton coats dropped in 
 rather apologetically, and said they would go 
 along. Before Mama's hair was combed, 
 eighteen had joined the procession to go up 
 the long steps, many of them for the first time, 
 to church. 
 
 It occurred to me that since all these folk 
 were new to our ways of worship, and since the 
 service was now half over, I had better send a 
 group on in advance under the guidance of Pre- 
 cious Jewel, to make the confusion less when I
 
 io8 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 should come. So I planned, and they went on 
 ahead. 
 
 The two-year-old baby proved to be indeed a 
 very great mischief; for she smeared her face 
 with candies and distributed sticky bits all over 
 the fresh clean coat, till mother held her out to 
 me in despair. 
 
 "They're the only clothes I have," she said. 
 
 "Bring her as she is; it doesn't matter," I 
 answered; and off we started. On the way, 
 as' we were passing an open shop, a woman 
 threw out her wash water by chance right on 
 the fresh clean dress of the baby's mother; 
 and baby created a great excitement by seizing 
 some cakes from a vender's basket as we were 
 going by. But at length we reached the foot 
 of the long flight of fifty steps that led up to 
 church. 
 
 Alas for my well-laid plan! The first dozen 
 had not gone into the church at all. They were 
 all outside the door, and they were all shouting: 
 
 "Here they come! Here we are! We're all 
 here! We're waiting!" 
 
 My heart went down. What should I do.^ 
 On the way up the long steps I began to lecture 
 the children who were trudging along clinging to 
 their mother's hands. • 
 
 "Now when we go to church," I said, "we
 
 Three Golden Wishes 109 
 
 do not talk, we do not walk around, we do not 
 play. We simply sit still and listen." 
 
 ^Yhe^eupon the old folks in the party began 
 to repeat these instructions to the children : — 
 
 "When we go to church we do not talk, we 
 do not walk around, we do not play, we just 
 sit still and listen." And by the time we had 
 reached the first company who were waiting for 
 us outside, our whole group took it up: 
 
 "When we go to church we do not talk, we 
 do not walk around, we do not play; we just 
 sit still and listen." 
 
 And I must say it was a model company who 
 filed into the church, and sat in perfect order 
 through the service. They looked at me in 
 astonishment when some one else's child did run 
 around ! 
 
 I do not suppose they learned very much from 
 the preaching that first Sabbath, as most of 
 them had never heard the names "God" and 
 'Jesus" before; but they were greatly inter- 
 ested in seeing so many manly students and 
 winsome school girls, and felt sure it must be 
 something very important when these people 
 sat so long to listen. Precious Jewel saw a 
 whole row of little girls just her own age all 
 looking so neat and happy that it made a great 
 hungry lump come in her throat. She wanted
 
 no Mook, a True Tale 
 
 to sit with those Httle girls, and look happy and 
 neat and clean as they did. That was the first 
 golden wish. 
 
 After the service, Precious Jewel's Mama 
 came to my house, along with the naughty two- 
 year-old and her mother. They looked about 
 the house and thought it very grand and won- 
 derful. Precious Jewel's Mama was intensely 
 interested in everything. 
 
 "I have not been out of my house before for 
 eighteen years," she said. 
 
 After that, Mama came every Sunday to 
 church, and took off the painful tiny shoes; 
 and she went on Thursday afternoons to the 
 little prayer-meeting at the wood merchant's 
 house on Salt Depot Street. And when the 
 terrible battle day of the Revolution came, and 
 the whole city was in fear. Mama brought her 
 two white china idols and said she would not 
 worship them any more because they did not 
 help her in trouble; and that day she gave her 
 heart to Jesus. 
 
 Faithful-and-True had been many times at 
 our house. Whenever I asked him to do any 
 little task he did it so willingly and so well that 
 I told him he might wash the floor each morn- 
 ing and earn his way in school. Every morn- 
 ing after that he came early to the house; and,
 
 Three Golden Wishes iii 
 
 though he was only nine years old, he washed 
 the dining-room floor very clean, and then flew 
 off to his lessons. 
 
 That summer we came to America, and a 
 little American girl said to me: 
 
 "If I should give you a doll I have, would 
 you take it to China to some child who never 
 had one?" 
 
 I thought of Precious Jewel. How she would 
 love a doll ! When this American child brought 
 me the doll, it was so beautiful, with its big 
 dark eyes and real yellow curls, that I almost 
 wished I were a little girl again and could have 
 the doll myself. 
 
 When I got the doll to China, before I saw 
 Precious Jewel, Miss Blake, the nurse, came to 
 our house and saw the lovely doll. 
 
 "Oh, how I want it for the hospital children 
 to play with," she said. "I would be so glad 
 to buy it; and the money might send Precious 
 Jewel to school." 
 
 Soon after that Precious Jewel was up-stairs 
 helping Mama with the sewing, for Mama sewed 
 so neatly that I had asked her to come to our 
 house and do mending for me. 
 
 "Little Sister," I said, "a little girl in Amer- 
 ica has loved you so much that she has sent 
 you a beautiful doll."
 
 112 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Her eyes shone with joy. "Oh, she was ex- 
 ceeding kind!" she said softly. 
 
 "But someone here in China wants to buy 
 the doll for the children in the hospital. She 
 will pay seven dollars for it, and that will help 
 you study a term or more in boarding school. 
 Now I will show you the doll and you can de- 
 cide." 
 
 Then I brought out the wonderful doll and 
 handed her over to Precious Jewel. She held 
 her in her arms for a long, rapturous minute, 
 and looked down into her big dark eyes, and 
 all her little heart yearned to keep her always! 
 Then she looked up at me with something glist- 
 ening in her eyes, and held the doll out to me. 
 
 "I will go to school," she said. 
 
 So Precious Jewel went to school, as well as 
 Faithful-and-True. Every night she came 
 home to stay with Mama at our house, and 
 every night she had marvellous tales to tell of 
 what the girls had said and done. And every 
 night she cleaned the lamps, for fifteen cents a 
 month, to earn her school books. She was very 
 happy after her wise choice — happier by far 
 than if she had kept the doll. For had she not 
 longed, oh so many times and so eagerly, to go 
 to that beautiful school like the other girls, 
 ever since that first Sabbath morning when she
 
 This is the city of Lingering Peace, with the Shining 
 River flowing down the mountains. It was here Mook 
 went to the hospital and here he dreamed the golden 
 dream that by and by came true.
 
 Three Golden Wishes 113 
 
 saw them sitting so neat and trim in church, 
 and her soul had yearned to be one of them ? 
 And now this rosy dream was realized! The 
 first golden wish had been fulfilled. 
 
 The second golden wish was Mook's : — 
 
 Away up the Shining River, in the city of 
 Lingering Peace, a new world was opening to 
 Mook. He was a long way from his kind uncle 
 now, a long way from all the Chinese friends he 
 knew; he would have been very lonely, had 
 there not been so many thrilling things to think 
 about! Besides, one of the lady teachers had 
 come from the school in Abiding Joy to live in 
 the city of Lingering Peace; and he served the 
 table and helped in the kitchen to earn his way 
 in school. 
 
 "Mook," she said to him one morning, "I 
 have to go to Foochow to meet some guests. 
 We need to have the house entirely cleaned and 
 put in order; the curtains must all be taken 
 down and washed and starched and ironed. 
 You know that our two new men are just cow- 
 herds from the fields. They know nothing at 
 all about housework. Can you show them how 
 to do all this work ^ I shall be gone two 
 weeks." 
 
 "All right," said Mook: and he began at 
 once. It was funny to see the wee lad going
 
 114 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 about the house with the two huge, clumsy 
 fellows at his heels. 
 
 When the lady-teacher returned, the whole 
 house was cleaned and in perfect order. And 
 Mook was ten years old! 
 
 Going to school with boys was a great delight 
 to Mook. He loved the fine tall lads who were 
 bigger than himself, for still he was very little. 
 How strong they were — how swiftly they could 
 run! Mook went about his household tasks 
 dreaming of the time when he would be big and 
 strong as they were, and could do all the fine 
 things they did. Every day he would wash the 
 dishes as quickly as ever he could, and then 
 run over to school to be with these splendid big 
 brothers. 
 
 One very little boy, named Dust-pan, he liked 
 to befriend, because he, too, was so far from 
 home. For this school was the only good school 
 for boys in a place as big as the state of Con- 
 necticut, and Dust-Pan had ridden a hundred 
 miles on his father's back to come. Across the 
 way was a school for girls; it also was the only 
 girl's school in a district as big as Connecticut, 
 and little Chrysanthemum had come a hundred 
 miles to school on her father's back. The 
 place Mook liked best of all was the hospital. 
 It was a magnificent big building that looked
 
 This is Mook in the school-room, in the days when 
 Chinese boys wore queues. Mook is on the left end of 
 the front seat.
 
 This is Sound Virtue, the gate-keeper, who was saved 
 from opium in the hospital. What difference did it make 
 to Ilhistrious Light, his boy, who is now in college, that 
 the hospital was placed in Lingering Peace? 
 
 The lad called Dust Pan had that name because he was 
 a very precious boy, and his parents feared the devils 
 would take him if he had a good name. But when they 
 dare to, the Chinese parents give their sons fine names. 
 Sound Virtue is a Christian, and is not afraid.
 
 Three Golden Wishes 115 
 
 right down on the Shining River; and in it were 
 rows of neat beds, and sick people could come 
 there and be cured. There was Sound Virtue, 
 the gate keeper; he loved to tell how he came 
 to the hospital an opium wreck, and how the 
 Real Doctor had cured his body and the Great 
 Physician had cured his soul; how his wretched 
 household was changed into a happy Christian 
 home, and how even his old blind father had 
 crept to the church and was saved. Mook 
 loved to slip into the hospital and help; loved 
 to be allowed to give medicine to the sick 
 people; loved it best of all when the doctor left 
 some of the real care of sick people to him. 
 The patients called him "Doctor Mook," and it 
 made him very happy and proud, and his heart 
 swelled with hope that one day he might be- 
 come a Real Doctor, like this good man who 
 helped everybody so much. 
 
 Long ago, in the school on the fair green hill- 
 top in the city of Abiding Joy, Mook had 
 learned to talk everything over with his great 
 loving Friend; so now he brought this wonder- 
 ful new desire to Jesus in prayer. 
 
 "The thoughts of youth are long, long 
 thoughts," and many long, long thoughts came 
 to little Mook up in the city of Lingering Peace, 
 as he looked down on the Shining River that
 
 116 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 lay like a silver ribbon in the sun. Suppose — 
 oh, suppose he could one day sit in a big boat 
 and go spinning down the Shining River over 
 the rapids, and then on, on, on, across the 
 mighty sea to that great school where the 
 American Doctor studied, and could learn to 
 cure sick people as he did, and send them home 
 happy and strong! How wonderful that would 
 be ! Could it ever, ever come true ? That was 
 the second golden wish. 
 
 There came a day when he did spin down the 
 whirling rapids to Happy Valley. He had fin- 
 ished all the classes in the city of Lingering 
 Peace and was ready for High School. But 
 there was no money to go to High School; and 
 it costs money to go to a real High School in 
 China. Mook came to our home on the hill 
 that summer to help with the housework. Dai 
 Kai came also, borne up the hill in a basket 
 swung from a man's shoulder, with a stone in 
 the other basket for ballast. 
 
 Everybody worked at our house that summer. 
 Even little blind Dai Kai had his duties. He 
 would take the shoes out from the house and set 
 them in a careful row in the sun. He could not 
 always put the mates together, but that did not 
 matter. And then he would wipe them care- 
 fully, and take them back to their places. He
 
 And here is Mook looking down over the Shining River. 
 You cannot see the river; it flows in front of the sc-hool 
 building.
 
 Did you ever see a city with the house roofs so close 
 together? A cat might walk for miles over these roofs 
 and never need to touch the ground! 
 
 This is the city of Happy Valley and Happy District, 
 which Mook looked down upon from the mountain. Do 
 you see the tiny white pagoda in the distance? That 
 was built a thousand years ago. 
 
 There are said to be a million people in this city. 
 Thousands go to bed hungry every night. Yet the people 
 of the city spend about five million dollars every year to 
 frighten the plague demons away. The hospitals and 
 schools and churches are making this different; and people 
 are learning to use their money more wisely.
 
 Three Golden Wishes 117 
 
 was getting a little more sturdy now, after his 
 loving care in the hospital and blind school. 
 Many weird tales he had to tell, as the boys sat 
 together in the cool evenings looking down on 
 the lights of the city — tales of the old days 
 w^hen he was begging on the Long Bridge; 
 tales of the many times when he had stayed 
 out in the cold all night because the two hun- 
 dred cash had not come, and he feared the 
 beating by the Beggar Chief. He remembered 
 too, the early days when he was a wee, wee lad 
 and lived with his real Mammy and Daddy, 
 who had been so kind to him before the plague 
 demon took them away. They had much in 
 common, these three — Mook, who was growing 
 tall and manly now, and Faithful-and-True, 
 and little blind Dai Kai; for had not the cruel 
 pestilence left them all fatherless and penniless ? 
 The pestilence had returned that summer 
 with terrible power. Down from the moun- 
 tain where they sat in the evening talking, they 
 could see long, long processions of lights going 
 around through the city streets; and they could 
 almost hear the din of the gongs as the people 
 carried the Five Rulers about, preceded by the 
 Tall and Short Brother, hoping in their pitiful 
 ignorance that these would scare the cholera 
 demon away. Every day people came up the
 
 ii8 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 mountain and told of men who lay dying by 
 the roadside, with no place to go for help. 
 Nurse Blake was in the city; but what can one 
 nurse do among hundreds of people who are 
 dying every day ? 
 
 Mook told them it was all a foolish blunder 
 about the cholera demon, for the demon was 
 only dirt. His heart ached as he looked down 
 on the sad, useless processions, for which the 
 poor people were paying so much money, and 
 thought of his own dear parents who were 
 taken when he was little, all because folks did 
 not know how to care for their streets and 
 homes. And more and more in his soul he 
 prayed that some day he might be able to help 
 make these things different! 
 
 "Mook," I said one day, as he was filling the 
 water pitchers, "I have no money to send you 
 to High School. But we have not hired a 
 washerman yet; and if you are willing to come 
 to our house and do the washing and other 
 common work, I will give you the washerman's 
 wages and you can go to school." 
 
 Mook's heart leaped in his body. Oh, how 
 he had longed, dreamed, and prayed about go- 
 ing to that fine High School! He had learned 
 all about it; it cost seventy-five dollars a year; 
 and seventy-five dollars was a mountain of
 
 -mW 
 
 This is one of the big school ))uildings in the fine High 
 School Mook wanted so much to attend. It has a big 
 verandah, so that the school boys can keep cool in the 
 hot June days. 
 
 The boys in the High School study the same subjects 
 which High School boys study in America, and when 
 they finish they are prepared to enter college in America. 
 But instead of P^nglish literature they study Chinese 
 Classics, which are very deep and hard to learn. They 
 study their Sciences all in English. How would you like 
 to study Chemistry in (Chinese?
 
 Three Golden Wishes iig 
 
 money ! He turned a luminous face toward me. 
 
 "\Yilling! Indeed, I am willing!" he cried. 
 
 It did not matter to Mook that the students 
 in the Orient think it dreadfully common to 
 work with one's hands. He was earning his 
 way and he was not ashamed. Early in the fall 
 mornings he got up and drew the water, and 
 had the washing well under way before school 
 time. Faithful-and-True helped him, and 
 merry times they had over the tubs. Precious 
 Jewel was in school also, and came home every 
 night to trim the lamps, and to tell the delight- 
 ful happenings of the day. Little Dai Kai had 
 gone back to the merry, happy life of the Blind 
 School, 
 
 In spite of his washing, the finest youths in 
 the class became Mook's friends. One who 
 was especially dear to him was Hau Huang, a 
 class-mate. Hau Huang was the son of an 
 official in an inland city, but he had not yet 
 come to know Jesus as his Friend; for in his 
 city he had never heard Jesus' name. Many 
 times in the quiet of his room Mook prayed for 
 Hau Huang, and many times he talked with 
 him about the Saviour; but Hau Huang was not 
 convinced. Still Mook prayed and longed to 
 win him. That was the third golden wish — 
 the goldenest wish of all.
 
 120 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Another dear friend to Mook was Lik Diak, 
 leader of the Student Volunteer Band. Mook 
 had joined the Band; and together the two 
 boys went about on Sabbath afternoons telling 
 the story of Jesus to people in the city. Mook 
 also often went with us out into the villages to 
 preach the sweet message of Jesus. "Where is 
 that young man who came with you last time ?" 
 the women asked me once. "You can see the 
 lovingkindness shining right out of his face!" 
 
 Most of all jNIook worked to win the other 
 boys in his own class, especially Hau Haung. 
 Many of the students, like this friend of his, 
 came from wealthy homes, and it is very hard 
 for rich boys in China to become Christians, 
 because their parents are so unwilling. One 
 day w^e planned a party for them all at our 
 house. We told them beforehand just what it 
 was going to be; we would have a good time 
 first, and then a gospel message, and an invita- 
 tion to accept Jesus as their Saviour. W^e ex- 
 plained it all quite plainly, so that no one would 
 feel that he had been caught in a trap. Then 
 we went to work to plan the very nicest evening 
 possible. All afternoon the cook was making 
 cakes in the kitchen, with Mook and Faithful- 
 and-True to help. And I worked as hard as 
 ever I could thinking up jolly games. There is
 
 These are some boys Mook taught in the City of Sweet 
 Cane, wlien he went out to tell the Good News about 
 Jesus. These little lads would all love to go to school, as 
 Mook did! 
 
 Is it Fair that they should grow up iu iguorauce?
 
 These are some of the students of the High School, two 
 classes above Mook, when they had entered Fukien 
 Christian University. The boy at the upper right-hand 
 corner is one who played the clock game so successfully at 
 a party at our house; the second boy from him, beneath 
 the arch, is Mook's friend whom he knew in the school in 
 Lingering Peace. 
 
 These students will finish their college course and be- 
 come Christian leaders in China. 
 
 What makes the difference between these boys and 
 those in the city of Sweet Cane.^
 
 Three Golden Wishes 121 
 
 a way of telling the time, blind-folded, by listen- 
 ing to the ticking of the clock; nobody in the 
 world can guess how you do it! And after the 
 games were finished and Faithful-and-True had 
 passed the cakes and everybody was feeling 
 happy, Mr. Bruce gave a strong manly talk 
 about what it means for a boy to give his life 
 to Jesus and take Him for a Friend. Mook 
 was reverently praying in his heart with all his 
 might that Hau Huang and the other boys 
 would respond. Mr. Bruce used the words: 
 
 "Just as I am, young, strong, and free, 
 To be the best that I can be, 
 For truth, and righteousness and Thee, 
 Oh Lamb of God, I come! 
 
 And he asked all the boys who would like to 
 say those words for themselves to rise. Nine of 
 the boys got up, and I think the very first was 
 Hau Huang! 
 
 After the other boys had said good-night and 
 had gone home, these nine boys knelt around 
 our dining-table, and each for himself uttered 
 his first prayer. It was a very simple prayer — 
 the very prayer that Moon Fairy and Moon 
 Pearl and little Malea had uttered on that 
 Easter day long ago in the school-room in Abid- 
 ing Peace: do you remember? 
 
 "Jesus, forgive my sins, and enter my heart."
 
 122 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 Before they went home, each one of the nine 
 took another boy in his class to pray for and to 
 try to win. Some weeks later I met one of 
 these nine boys on the street. The most beauti- 
 ful light on earth or in heaven was shining in 
 his eyes. 
 
 "Jesus is in my heart, I know it!" he said, 
 softly. 
 
 Two years have passed since that evening 
 that was so supremely happy for Mook and the 
 other boys and for me. This year his class was 
 to graduate from High School. All the boys 
 had accepted Jesus except five. These five were 
 rich, brilliant, influential; every possible means 
 had been used to win them, but all to no avail. 
 One youth, Ming Tung, Mook had worked and 
 prayed for unceasingly, but he would not yield. 
 Suddenly, just before the graduation, every one 
 of those lads yielded his heart to Christ! The 
 goldenest wish had come true! 
 
 One day our household was saddened by 
 news from Dai Kai. But why should we be 
 sad? For Dai Kai was not sad. He was so 
 happy to go! We learned that even the good 
 doctor had not been able to build up his weak 
 body so that he could grow up, and at last the 
 time came when he had to go to the hospital 
 and creep into the clean bed and stay. He
 
 This is the group of school-girls from Abiding Joy 
 when they grew bigger, and went to Happy \'alley to 
 study in the High School and College. Which would you 
 choose to be your chum? The first one at the left at the 
 top is Loving Kindness, who got the doll that could " niak " 
 its eyes. The girl just in front of her is Shining Lotus, 
 Plum Blossom's friend. She has now graduated, and has 
 gone to the school in Al)iding Joy to teach. The short 
 girl in the middle of the back row is Perfect Flower, 
 the first girl to enter the school at Abiding Joy. Now she 
 herself is a most efficient and earnest teacher. The girl 
 on the end of the bench at the left is Golden Gem. Would- 
 n't you like a share in sending such girls into schools and 
 homes in China?
 
 Three Golden Wishes 123 
 
 wanted to be baptized with a new name, "Daik 
 Hok," which means "Received Blessing," for he 
 felt very sure the Saviour had accepted him and 
 forgiven all his childish sins. So they had a 
 lovely baptismal service all for him; and after- 
 ward, with a happy smile, he went to live with 
 Jesus for always. He thought it was the most 
 beautiful thing that possibly could happen, to 
 go and live with Jesus for always! 
 
 And what of Precious Jewel and the rest ? 
 
 Precious Jewel is now preparing for High 
 School. She is as pretty as a flower, and as 
 good as she is pretty. I hope she can go to 
 college some day! Many of the girls we knew 
 in Abiding Joy are already in college. And I 
 cannot help believing that a beautiful rich 
 future is waiting for Faithful-and-True, and for 
 little Brother of the Sampan, and for Ten-Cent 
 Sister, and for Heavenly Ability. He is now in 
 High School. He looks very grave, stands very 
 straight, and still tries to make himself a whole 
 lot taller than he is! The naughtiest Twinnie 
 is a sweet home-maker now; and Fragrant Tree 
 found a husband in spite of her tears! 
 
 And Mook — what about his radiant dream 
 of being a Real Doctor .^^ He has prayed about 
 it so long. Last year there seemed a fair hope 
 that he might come to America; but the hope
 
 124 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 faded into nothing, and I had to tell Mook it 
 was all a mistake; he would have to stay in 
 China that summer and cook. Mook bit his 
 lip a little, then he dealt with that disappoint- 
 ment as I saw him deal with the centipede when 
 he was a lad nine years old; he seized it by the 
 neck and throttled the life out of it! Mook 
 choked down the rising lump and went man- 
 fully to his cooking. 
 
 Last Easter Sunday in an American Sunday 
 School I told the children about Mook. Two 
 years of prayer, his prayer and mine, were be- 
 hind those simple words. At the close of the 
 Sabbath School, what do you think ? A gentle- 
 man stepped up to me and said he would give 
 Mook a ^college education in America ! 
 
 So the second golden wish is coming to pass, 
 and today Mook, once the little mountain 
 orphan, is the happiest boy in the world! 
 
 WHEN THE SWEET DREAM CAME TRUE. 
 
 When the sweet dream came true, Lad, 
 When the sweet dream came true, 
 
 I think that day the whole world was glad, 
 When the sweet dream came true! 
 
 And somewhere up in the Heaven, Lad, 
 Up in the Heaven so blue, 
 
 I almost know that an angel sang, 
 When the sweet dream came true!
 
 DEAD SECRETS FOR THE CHINA CLUB. 
 
 125
 
 Three Golden Wishes 127 
 
 . DEAD SECRETS FOR THE CHINA CLUB 
 
 Wouldn't it be fun to have a party for the 
 Club and invite others, and play the games 
 that Mpok's classmates played at their party? 
 There was the clock game, and "Thief Catcher'* 
 and "Royal Blood." You mustn't tell any- 
 body outside the Club how they are done, or it 
 w^on't be any fun at all. 
 
 To do the clock game, the two who play it 
 must learn: A stands for one o'clock, B stands 
 for two, C for three, and so on right up to L for 
 twelve. One of the two goes out, and asks the 
 company to set the clock at any hour they like, 
 but it must be set exactly on the hour. Then 
 he comes in blind-folded and listens very care- 
 fully to hear the clock tick. ' It is very much 
 harder to guess how he finds out the time if the 
 other boys and girls do not know who is giving 
 him the hint. 
 
 After he has listened a minute to the clock, 
 the rest will begin to talk, and then his helper 
 can say something without being noticed. So 
 he says a sentence beginning with the letter of 
 the alphabet which has the same number as the 
 hour shown on the clock. The sentence "Can 
 he really teh the time?" would indicate three 
 o'clock, because "can" begins with C, and C is
 
 128 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 the third letter. Or, if the time set were nine 
 o'clock, he could say: "I don't believe he can 
 tell it this time." And the boy listening to the 
 clock would say presently "It sounds to me 
 like nine o'clock ! " " I " is the ninth letter. If 
 the one who is giving the hint sometimes says 
 "Well!" or Oh! at the beginning, before the 
 real sentence, like this: "Well, I don't believe 
 he can tell it this time," it is almost impossi- 
 ble for the company to guess how the trick is 
 done. 
 
 The "Thief Catcher" is a great favorite with 
 Chinese boys and girls. One boy goes out and 
 leaves his watch or a coin, and afterward six 
 boys or girls are placed in front as the probable 
 thieves. One of these takes the coin. 
 
 Then the Thief Catcher comes in, and goes to 
 different persons in the company, putting his 
 hands on either side of the head of each person 
 and looking silently into his eyes. By and 
 by he will find the right person and will say 
 impressively "Ah! There is the thief!" though 
 nobody has spoken a word. 
 
 It is done in this way: the chairs in which the 
 thieves sit are numbered by the two people 
 who are doing the trick, beginning at the right, 
 from 1 to 6. Nobody else knows of this num- 
 bering. When the Thief Catcher comes to look
 
 Three Golden Wishes iig 
 
 in the eyes of his helper, he places his hands on 
 the sides of the helper's face, as he does to the 
 others, and looks steadily at him; and as he is 
 looking the helper bites three times, if it is the 
 third man, or four times if it is the fourth; and 
 the thief catcher can feel the bite in his temples. 
 He can bite without making his jaws appear to 
 move. If the company do not know which boy 
 or girl is giving the hint, it is very hard indeed 
 to guess how this game is done. 
 
 "Royal Blood" is very simply played, but is 
 hard to guess. One way to play it is this; a 
 throne and a crown are provided; one goes out, 
 and the rest choose a person who is to be King 
 or Queen, but they do not tell the King-maker 
 who it is. 
 
 Then the King-maker comes in, and the 
 leader points to some one's hand and says: 
 "Has this hand the royal blood .f^" The King- 
 maker inspects the veins very carefully and 
 says "No!" When at last he comes to the 
 right person the King-maker says slowly "Yes, 
 I see the royal blood!" and he leads the King or 
 Queen to the throne and places the crown upon 
 his head. Th^ hint is given in this way: the 
 helper points to many hands first, taking care 
 never to point to a hand wearing a ring until 
 just before the hand which is to show the royal
 
 130 Mook, a True Tale 
 
 blood. It can all be done silently sometimes, 
 and this is very mysterious indeed! 
 
 Don't you think it would be beautiful if 
 every member of the club would sometime say 
 for himself the words these boys said that night : 
 
 "Just as I am, young, strong, and free, 
 To be the best that I can be. 
 For truth and righteousness and Thee, 
 Oh Lamb of God, I come! 
 
 To know He is in our hearts as Kaik Hi knew it 
 — that is the most wonderful secret in the 
 world! And it is for any boy or girl to know, 
 who will say that prayer sincerely, as Kaik Hi 
 said it. 
 
 Would you like to take someone in China to 
 pray for every day? It might make life all 
 over for him, as Mook's prayer made life all 
 over for Hau Huang.
 
 ft^ 
 
 In the North and the South 
 And tlie East and West 
 
 AVhich Httle cliildren 
 Do vou love best?
 
 MAR 1 9 1992 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 r ^^ 
 
 ^ m 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 • 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CAYLORD 
 
 
 
 PRINTCOINU.SA.
 
 A/\ 000 661790 6