84
ments were quick and graceful. His
hands were neatly gloved. He was evi-
dently a gentleman. In a few minutes
the boat was under way. A little out of
breath, the late comer applied at the
office for a berth. There was none va-
cant.
"Is there no one with a stateroom who can be persuaded to share it with me?" asked the gentleman, with an ac- cent that made the purser look at him attentively. He had a clear olive com- plexion, very dark eyes and straight black hair, worn quite short. His deli- cate lipwas adorned with a small mous- tache, and his teeth were very white.
"He's ^ good-looking fellow," mused the purser, **but Til be darned if I didn't think at first he was a Chinaman. You don't see a Chinaman dressed like that, though!"
This proved that the purser was a man of limited experience, but that does not signify.
"I don't know," he said, dubiously. 'There's a Chinaman on board. He's
^^^^__
a clean sort of a chap. Per- haps you wouldn't mind. He's got a whole state- room for himself and his coffin."
The gentleman laughed a little.
"There he comes now!" said the pur- ser, indicating the fisherman, who was walking forward, his line wrapped around his hands, and under his arm a pretty fair sized wooden box, very tightly bound with brass.
- Hello, John!" exclaimed the gentle-
man, aflFably. **I haven't any bed. Will you sell me one of yours ?"
The Chinaman looked at him phleg- matically for a moment or so, as though weighing the case.
"All lite!" he said, presently. "You sleepy here!"
He opened the door of his stateroom and the gentleman went in with him.
"Darned if I'd do that!" said the steward. "I wouldn't sleep with a Chi- naman: I'd sit up all night first!"
This was the last seen of the gentle-
man. The Chinaman, whose name was Hi Suie Long, was rapped up after the boat left Fairhaven. He was going to Seattle.
"You want supper. Long?" asked the steward. Hi Suie got up, sleepily.
"Where's the other man ?" asked the steward, peering into the stateroom^ where the coffin was resting undis- turbed in the upper berth. The brass- bound box had been placed on top of it.
"Whatcom," said Long, briefly.
"Whatcom!" exclaimed the steward. "I thought he was going to Seattle! What did he want a berth for?"
"Dam fool!" observed Long, suc- cinctly. "He change his mind."
The journev of the Dode was with- out incident beyond a slight commo- tion caused by the handling of Suie Long's coffin. There was a light wagon at the dock, driven by a Chinaman, who helped lift this odd bit of baggage. Hi Suie Long got up on the seat beside the driver and the vehicle disappeared up Yesler Way.
The following week there was an advertise- ment in the "P.-I." an- nouncing that the Sou
Chong Company had opened a Chinese
tea house and curio store on Second
avenue, near James street.
It was a handsome store, fit- fitted up with teak wood and ebony, and lighted by old metal lanterns. The floor was covered with a beautiful mat- ting and silk rugs of a kind never be- fore seen in Seattle. There were great bronze flower vases flanking the door- way, and huge metal statues of nonde- script animals, with here and there a rare piece of ivory, a gold Buddha in a shrine of satin wood, magnificent em- broideries, tea tables set with rare china, Satsuma vases, old blue Canton porcelain — in fact, it was an ideal curio store, fitted up more like a drawing- room than a shop. The whole place was perfumed with a rare kind of incense.
