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jl' H® jr I ft”lWrlh'Wil
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VOL. XXVIII.—KO. 3.
CLARENCE.
BY BRET HARTE.
Author of “The Luck of llonring (.nini>,” “Two Men of Sandy Hnr,"
Copyright. ISM, by Bret Harte. ?
PART 111.—VHAl’TFIl TH t’ON'Ci I'SfON |
Although Brant wa convinced as soon as |
he left the house that he could not accept ,
anything front th* B>.<wrn»<inter influence, j
and that hi.* interview with Busy was fruit- |
l*:S he kn»w that he must temporize. I
While he did not believe that his old play- |
n ate would willingly betray him. he was '
uneasy wh<n he thought of the vanity ami
Impulsiveness which might co.npr- «u*se him !
or of a. p-».-«i1.1.* jealousy that might seek '
izvenge. Yet Le had no r- ,in>n to believe •
thrt Susy's niture v.is j-al-us, or that j
she was likely t<» have any cause, hut the
fact was that the climax of Miss Faulkner’s
r* appearance when th--y were together af
fected hint m -re strongly than me real
climax of his interview* with Str-:• -which
u.«s her offer. Once out of the a trues, here
of that house, it struck him, too, that Miss
Faulkner was almost as notch of an alien
t<- It as himself. lln wondered what she
1a 1 i» n *i«»,: :• there. « < til I it be p ssible
that she was tbtainlng inform ti*»n for the
F* u«h? But he r*.-Je« *«*J the i-t »a as quickly j
as it had OCiunul to him. Perhaps there
could be ro stronger proof of the uncon- -
scious influence the young girl already had I
ever him.
He rent* nhre! the liveries of the diplo- !
nu.tie carriage that h.t I I- rr her away, •
and ascertained without difficulty that her j
sister hhd had married one of the foreign ■,
ministers. and that she was a guest In h*s !
house. But he was the more astonished |
to hear that she aud her sister were con-
'X .
?--Z
t m
*; / c /
!/ \\
b«*/t ‘A •
S, ' F i
r . i <Z : I z j
IM THE CONSERVATORY.
rsderel to I- mh-rn »n: • i-ts. .■< t w.re
1., n»ant an d” ..1 in the -late •'• p.eVn-ui. i
... I tl.it M s Mi’hildt t ht h»v. L—u
:\oid.4 I.U » -’“VmTin
of the war. f r the swK-rs td ‘it »> r
the confederate tarvi.e. but i. at • h.-d
•
i . nth. “lor. - h- at: • « ” il ’ I ’ v
whit, hoti.-e for the ’ *• tiro- l’*» w.-ek, |
and il • y say th» pi- '■ i t ‘<kv<l more to .
her ti.au to anj other w man . 1
The •»■! rUMII- >• >■-- 1!l "'" ,h
this Simple mfetn don t l-r.u . ari .xi
Pin- more than tm n it < >. I. »■>. J' .
rat.Vtru t,am - ir lb*.cable «tml - j
«l him. He t.’-ti: I lb- auliui.r, al
rio.-l I”- _•• 1
to !-■ equally c* mrs'« t w t i tm truth <■! j
w..at h- had Jv-t ?. tri. or tm m nstrous ;
tr.-mh.ry a.tl devil : vi h »• miehi i
...pat.lv. Even »-w S‘«- >:>• <••■ **’ •* *
«!• nt's family; R- ”• ‘ * ' r -
reivpondenve with some U ,. mi. K-.m j
n- inter cli.|-p. =mi 1 t in .-* ■ e •
*i,jy the r. ui •’■ •> ’• •' •_ '. ,
i.j’ain. shv mt'hi I •' • ’ t -v u '
li.r . it »'«r«’ < * . i 1-ai‘d ,
only his r. «.l, u-u < .- tm- -- -i« -
tween - .
Fi-mptlons were n< •u. e • vnh l.» r • <<>i- |
«.i t in th- <• -f' ' •• ’ i.o : iio-
j- ssiMe tint this impulse, w »m m, . i;,ahle ,
, f doing what h- !» ihi t I ki, wn In . to I
do. and equally s-i.-it;. • t • th. shame or |
joy of such impute-s, si.-.rild be th>- sap.e I
heartless wom-n •*’ - ty v.!i . I i s*o |
tol-iiy r.*. -m'-’i •' 1 part, i from him.
But »t.-■ ini’ v;»i •: ■'•l was Iran-itory.
The next day he r. •••n i a«! pat< h from
•he war departns-nt «< bum; han t. p>rt
himself ft duty at - . Vi.m a t. ating
heart he hum. 4 r th.-• -r-tary. But that ■
official had m «Ij i-1: a memoraa-huu
with his as -istant, <>>:<• -tills Ge-.- rai Brant
to accompany x-n.e fresh Rvies to a. camp
of occujiaVt.n rear the fr nt f-r "ors*. iza
tien " Brant i. It a <-!iill of dirapp* intment.
bhtties of thi.s xiud hud l»-—n left t > dubious
regular army veterans, hurtle lly displaced
f neral Ils * .t 1 favor. I detrlne-ntaJs.
But it it w.is pot n -toration, it was n.i
I ng»-r inar.i- n, nd it was at least a release
from Washington.
It wa-. also, cvl.lcntly th- result of s »me
influence, but hardly that of the B»-m
--icmtrrs. for he knew that Susy wi-hed to
keep him at the capital. Was there an
other i--».r at work to s«-i: l him away
fre tn Washie-i-»nT His pr« vi-.u, siispi-i. ns
return 1. N r were they di Mp-ited
vlun the ch;-1 of the bureau pla. -I a let
ter Im for*» him with tin- r-mark that it l-rol
Im-c- <i.tri sted to him b> ■« lady, with the
request that it should be d.-liver. d only
into h.s own hands. 'She did n->t know
your h t.-l address, but as. ertained you
were to call h re. She said it was • f iin
portanc-. There Is r » mystery about it, |
peneral.” continued th<- official with a mis
chievous glance at Brant’s hamlsome, per
plex* I fn«*c. “although it's from a very
pretty worian-whom we all know.”
••Mrs. B «»mp int. suggested Brant ]
with affected Hehtness.
B was a m tladr-.i* speech. The ofliclal’B
f a < dark •- •’ have n-1 yet tm. it
p. stal •!•;- riment for the Bo mpointets,
general.” he *■.••<l. dryly, “h w< iw groat
their Influ* r. « elsewhere. It was from
rather a different style of woman—Miss j
Faulkner. Y u will r ec’vo yonr papers I
later at your hotel and leave tonight.”
* Brant's unl’i" i y w.-.s still potent I
enough to divert the .41:. Mi's attention, * r i
1.. »oiiM have notice.! the change in his
vi-it”t s fa- e and the abruptness of his de-
in the street, Brant t-.re off the en
ve| .p*. Ft t le tlh it w..s an'dh.-r, on
which was written in a delicate, r.-iim-d
ban i. ‘‘i'b *“•' *• ’ r,f ” oP eR *• is until you
Then she km w he was going! And this
I was her influence! All his suspicions egaln
returned. She knew he was going near the
j lives, ami his very appointment, through
her influence, might be :t plot to serve her
and the enemy. Was tiiis letter which she
, was < ntrusting to him the cover . f aims-
I sive to her southern friends, which she < x
| pe. ted him to < arry as a r> turn for her own
' act ->f : vlf-saeritive? The perspiration stood
in bi-eds on hit forehead. What di-fec* lay |
! l-.i 14.-r: in his nature that seemed to make
< him an easy victim of th--se intriguing w '
' intn? ll<- had not even the ex. nse of pal
‘ lantry. L- s susceptible to the potencies •
of the sex than most men, he was still I
c< ;np< lh-1 to b*ar that reputation. He re. I
memliered his coldness t > Miss Faulkner •
in the i-rst days of their me. ting, and her i
effe t iil' ii his subalterns. Why had she ;
s> b-. te-l him from among them, when she '
»<>ult hut.- mod.-hd tlie oth-rs like wax :
to h< r jrurpos.-s? Why? And yet v.ith the
question camo a fossible answer that he
baidiy dai.-d to thick of: that in its very* |
vagi ,m ss s< me<l to till him with a stimu- ’
j luting thrill and ho|M-fulness. He quicken-
ed his pace. 11- would take th • lett- r. and j
! yet be master of himself when the time ,
I came to open it.
That time came three days later, in his ;
! tent on Three Fine crossing. As he broke
. open the envelope he was reli.-ved to And
i that it contained no other enclosure, and
1 s. im-d intend ■! only for himself. It began
I abruptly:
“W hen you rend this you will understand
why I did u t speal to you when we met
last night; why i ev-n Iro.i i-4 that you
might s|» ak to me, knowing what 1 ought
to tell you even at su.-h a place and mo
ment—s« mething that you could hoar from
me alone. I did not know you w.-re in
Washingt n. although I km w you were
relieved; I had no way of s<-. ing you or
sending to you In-fore, and 1 only came to
Mrs. Boompiiuter's party in the hope of
hearing news of you.
“You know that my brotht was captured
by your pkkvts, in company with another
ollie, r. He thinks you stisjM-etid the truth,
that Im and his friend were hov.-rlng near
j. ur lit;, s to effect the es. ape el the spy.
But lie says tt at alth-.ugh they failed to
help her the *l:4 ..-•■ap.-, or was passed
tl.r mgh the lin. s by your emmivam-. . He
Fays that you seem, d to know her; that
from what I: >s*-, the mulatto w - in in, told
him. you and she w.-n- evidently old
iriends. 1 would not spate of this nor in
trude upon your private affairs, only that I
think you ought to know that 1 had iiu I
knowledge of ji when 1 was in your house, j
but believed her to lie a stranger to you. i
You gave tm no intimal, -n that y u k ■ w |
i h»t, ..nd I l>-heved that you wvr, fr: ; t
with me. But I should not speak of this
at all. for 1 b Ikve that it Would have I
•' - enee i•> me in i pjAring the
wr.-ng that 1 thought I had done you; only' !
that as I am forced by cireumstanee t> ,
t* 11 you th.- terrible ending of this story you *
ought t<> know it all.
' ily broth, i- wrote to me that the even- i
in. .;ft.r you l-ft. the burying i irty pi. i». 4
i up th- body ~f what they I . li. v- 1 to be a I
mulatto woman lying on tin- slope. Il '
I «. - lilt Itos,, but the body of that v«-ty !
■ woman the real and only spy whom you '
' : ad pa>;. d tho ugh th- hit. s at daybreak. !
I My brother thinks she was accidentally I
kill. ! .ii the Inst atta.-k upon you by h--r ■
I own frl.-n and so fell a dotil.le martyr. 1
j But only my brother and his tri. nd recog
j niz.-d h< r tin..ugh the loackem d face and
d: aaiis. , and on the plea that she was a j
| servant of on. ol their friends, they got |
i p.-rmission from th** division <*ormn:tm!< r
1 to :ak>- h. r away, and she was buried by ■
t.<r Iri- ii-- ami among h- r p«.ipl<- in the
: Mtie v. n -t.-ty vt ’llit- - Plie s Crossing.
’eit far from wh- re you have gone. My '
1.i.-sh-r the ight that I o.:ght to tell you i
tin ; n > ms that he and his friend had a
• st rang-■ sympathy for y.,u in what th-y .
:-.pp ar to know or guess of your relations I
with tl .it woman, and I think he was |
■t- a-h. d by v.hat h - thought was your j
i.indm s.s and chivalry to him on account
jof his sister. But Ido inn think he ev.-r j
| km-w, «,r will know, how gn at is the task
i that he Ims imposed ujk-h me.
•‘You know n.«w, do you not. why I <ll-1
I not sp.-ak t*» you when we first tn< t. it i
j s*-- ii:- 1.-■» impossible to do it in an atmos- !
I ph. !•■ and a f. sii vit y that v<as . a h.-ongtu. i
' ous to th. dr. a-t’iil m--ssa«e I was charged
1 with. And wi.. n I ha-I to tm-. t you later •
' I : ‘ • l- W o-.,...j \.. i but it j
js* < m«-d to m. that you were so pr.-oecupi-d !
j and int* rested with other thing , th.it 1 i
might perhaps only be wearying you wit!i i
d t'-’3
. v - . I , % j dA V- ,
: ■ , • >. -/ < r y? ■
v» ,'v x- I 7 f •» v \ •
■ "J i -M ; :\ \
V: A X
' ft 6 i
!
AND HE WENT AWAY TO A SEPAK 'TT TON THAT HE NOW KNEW WOS FOR
ALL TIME.
something you card little for or perhaps
already knew an i had quickly forgotten.
••I had 1» on wanting to say something
•Is to you when I h.:d - >t rid of my dread
! ful message. 1 •!<> not know if you still
ran* to hear it. fat you were once gen
. :o is enough to think that i had d *n<* Ji u
a s. rvi* e in bringing a letter to your com
mander. Although I know better than
any one eb-. the genuine devotion to your
, duty that made .mi a- ■•• pt my poor service,
from ail that I can hear you have never
had the <re lit of it. Will you try in
' again? I am in more favor here, and I
! might yet be more successful In slowing
I your super! rs how true you have been to
your trust, even if you have little faith in
your friend Matilda I aulkncr.
Eor a long time he remained motionless
with the l<tter in his hand, then arose, or.
deml his horse and galloped away.
There was little ditlieuity in linding the
cemetery of Three Innes Crossing—s hill*
ATLANTA, GA., MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 1895.
side slope, hearsed w ith pine and < ypress.
nml starred with white crosses, that in
the distance looked like flowers. Still less
was there in tinding the new. r marble
shaft among the older liehen spotted siab-’,
which bore the simple words, “Alice Ben
ham, Martyr." A few confederate sol
diers, under still plainer and newer wooden
lit oilstones, carved only with initials, lay
at her feet. Brant sank on his knees b<-
side the grave, but he was thrilled to sea
that the base of the marble was stain. 1
with the red pollen of the fateful lily,
Whose blossoms had la-en heaped upon het
mound. but whose fallen petals lay darn
and soddi -i in decay.
How long he r< mained there lie did not
know. \nd then a solitary bugle train the
camp seem.-1 to summon him us it had
one.- sumom-d him before—and he w< nt
away—as he had gone once before to a
separation that he now knew was for all
i time.
I Th. n followed a month of si:pi rinten
dem-c and drill, and the Infusing into the
little camp under his instruction th'- spir t
; which seemed to he passing out ot his own
I life forever. Shut in by alien hi'!: (l n th
! bord.-r land of the great strupgl-, Irani
' time to time reports reached n!m ot the
' bitt.-r fi.Ming and almost <li: 'straus su>-
i cesses of his obi division < ommand. r. Ur
' d.-is came from Washington to hurry the
i preparation of his raw levies for the ti.-hl,
atid a faint hop, sprang up in his mind.
But following it came another dispatch
! ordering his return to the capital.
lb- i. ich.-d it with neither hope nor fear,
so bcnumbe.i had become his spirit un<l‘’r
' this last trial, and what se; med to be now '
I the n.oek. ry ol his last saerifiee to bls I
! wife. Though it was Uo longer a question |
of her life and safety, he knew that he .
n uld still pres.-rv. her memory from stain
by keeping her secret, even though its di- |
viilg.-n. o might clear his own. For that i
reason he ha 1 even hesital-d to inform
Su.-y of her death, in the fear that In her
thoughtless ii r<- ponsil.ility ami impulsive
ness she might be tempted to use it in his
fav-.r. He had made his late appoint
ment a pica for withholding any present
efforts to assist him. H<- ev n avoided
the 1 ioompoint ers* house, in vvha: he be
lieved was partly a duty to th- memory
< i his wife. But he saw no inconsistencies
in oe -m ionallv . M. tiding his lonely walk to
th-- vic-nity of a foreign legation, or in be- I
ing lifted with a c. rtain exp- etation at |
th.- sight of its liveries on the avenue. |
There was a craving for sympathy in his I
h.art, which Miss Faulkmr’s letter bad.
awakened.
Meantime ho had report ■! 1 pcsc! .< r
duty at the war d.-p.irl m-nt. w-»i bttle
l-.ope, however, in that formality. l-ut the
was surprised the next day wnen h< cunt
of th<- bureau informed him that h*s < '• -nt
was before tlie president.
“I was not aware that I iiad pr-'.. <rted
any claim." he sai-l, a little n.c. rntily.
-ii
il r Tbi U’l-et, pati t. r ' jod
. , i .-.! ■< puzzled him 11 I '-1 gra
**■
>m St
"I <: ! , 1,-, in tbit .1 Ii ' - 11 i V er %
; ,!• < <ft ii <1- ''l■ Ht -ti I'■ - T’- ’ '
her . I: -W ant before," ' 'L. ** li
-
I s'loabi imagi"- it was no > 1 • du P-fft a
, .-,bji- r to <p. -tion then-, 'v'li i I iff Y a
I ‘claim’ <>r a ‘case" wonbl im'-iv.
1 H-- h.ul no i ien of taking U>i« atti’ulo
' before, but the disapp.iinl m-ats -,f th- pa.-1
I month, a Id- I to thi> lirst ot' lai untie*- <H
ur- dWgra -e, had brought f rc.-ti ag; in
■ that do;:m-d, n ■ kh-.-', y. t i al:'it'll f 111 de
! termination that was part h s --.itii-e.
i The otlieial smiled. “I mil ;'O v e, "• >" u
nt<- v aitinv to hear from the pr-.-si I nt,"
■ he said, dryly.
"i am waiting orders ftoni the depart
ment.'’ return.<l lit.mt, •t'.i.-gly, ’tut
whether they originate m .h- president or
tii. e, tnniamier in-cliief, ar »ct, :t docs lot
. s* . in tor tm- to inquire.”
Ev.-n wh ii he reached his hotel ( |ds b.alf
i savage indifference which had taken the
piaee of h. - torn'.- r ince.- 'i* ilo h-. i 1 1 t |
' changed. It se.-ni. .1 to - mi that be ). -1 i
| lea-bed th-- <-r;:--s of his life >vli -.-e he was
- tm longer res|»onsib!e. out i.-übi wilt >u- ,
1 j-rio- alike to effort <-r - x->.-. tatimi. And i
it was with a mt rely dispassionate *-uriosity I
! that h*- found a note tlie next morciig j
t from tin- president's p.-ivaie s* crelary in- -
• forming him that the pies.-b-n; w.-jll ftu
• him early that day.
, \ t vv Ii- ii lat- i In- was ■ here'! thro, gh
tip- public rooms of the vv.ii'v huu.“'* to a. I
< m- re sei-lu.led part of I'm .'muse’e-l-t. "be
I me; -• liger stopp- 1 h. !■ i',- a li. I- I di'<:r ; nd
kn< k- . It w m opened by a t;:ll ligilie, ;
i the president himself. 11l- r .- -il - l Hit a ;
liu .- .r;n r Hr.ii. win . i I; ■ u.-i: > I
<oh the thu xhoiil. grasp. 1 ; han I. an Il<.! !
him into the room. It had a single large i
i el.■ borately drapetl window and a ma? mi:- ■
! cent medallion.- I earpi t. vvii t e ntr:i“te.l I
with the otherwise almost appallmg sim- |
pli< ty the furniture. s-ng.- plain, ;
i angular di - k with a biot:ing pad an 1 a it w '
- r-"FT"*; Z 1.-UIC I- ITT -■
sheets .f largo foolscap paper upon it, a i
. w.*<te paper basket, and four plain r.rnt !
| eaairs, completed the interior, v.ith a ten- i
| trust as simp!;* and hum ly tu its lei g- I
| limb*-I. black ->ated o. eupant. Releasing ;
th. hand et tie* general i.» shui the laei, 1
wi.s’i • j.et.ed in;., anothir aparinent, the i
i j ■ < -i*|. nt shoved an arnt'-hair toward Hrant !
an I .ink som wha t wearily into .un.i.i-r .
• I'eiiue the *! ■ k. lint only t>r a :u<.uent; I
th. long, shambling limbs dm in... s**em to
ist th< nisi Ives easily to the i had . the 1
i high, narrow shoulders drooped to inn a I
* more conifot-ialdi* lounging attitude shifted I
from sid* to side, and the* I n-g l< i ,*>v. I '
dis[ ersedly. Y< t the face that era - .mo d !
tow aril Brant was humorous am irar.., .it. i
“f was told I should have to set d I< r
you if I wished to see vou,” ho sat I, smil
ingly .
Already mollified, and per laps again fall- I
Im under the previous i’lllu'i *es if this i
i lngttl.T ma: . Brunt begin muni what hesi- I
tatingly to explain.
•‘You don’t understand. It was something I
Continued on Second Piwa.
I BUSINESS IN COREA.
THF! STORES ANTt SHOPS OF THE
QUEEREST CITT IN THE WORLD.
THE MERCHANTS’ UNSONS ANO TRUSTS’
I
Corenu Money ami Ilin W inter Safe I»epo»lt».
A I iinli at tl « Itazaar*. Tlia Largent
Book Store in Seoul—Other Notes.
Copyrighted by Frank G. Carpenter,)
The city of Seoul is now tilled with Jap
| am-sc troop.;, and .Japanese nierclvints are
j preparing to open stores and go into busi
ngs,. The whole country is to be reorganiz
ed on a modern basis. Other merchants
will soon come in. and the business methods
of the *'ol- ins will be changed. They are
theq ueerest business men of the vvorl-l,
and their shops and stores are like nothing
else on tin- face of the globe. I spent many
<l. ys in going through th* m last summer,
and in chai ting w ith the merchants. They
I are the gaudiest merchants on the planet.
They keep their horse hair hats on when
in their stores, and instead of standing up
behind the counters, they squat eross-leg
g'-d on the flour and smoke 1 mg pipe., while
they talk to you and about trade ami of
fer Jolt goods, often they squat outside
I their and both stores and merchants
, are so unlike anything in America that it
i is hard to describe them. The stores are
I located on the three main business streets
of the i-ity. These ar.' dirt roads about as
I Wide as Pennsylvania avenue in Washing
i t ni. They are lined with mud huts thatch-
I r-4 with straw, to the front of which there
is often a framework of liooth-iike awning,
widen juts over the street, ami in which
on b.iards are spread out the goo Is they
have 1 r sale. Here and there little tents
hav,- been built up in the streets, ami there
are hundreds of big-hatted, white-gowned
squ liters, who have planked themselves
down on the road, with their goods spread
out b<-foro them, ami who soberly smoke
as they wait for their customers. There
are hundreds of boys who part fheir hair
; in i n- middle, and who look 'ike girls in
I their long gowns, going about peddling
: candy and chestnuts. They have a kind
I >f i box vvhi.-h is swung from their should
er-- an I which rests on their chests, ami
j tl • candy peddlers carry scissors and cut
<iC their long strings of taffy into such
‘A* <4
w- \ST
w.' i 1 A
BW
'j
A PHYSICIAN.
sticks as you want. These boys yell out
that they have taffy for sale. They are
shrewd little fellows, and they ply their
business in all parts of the city.
Tlie < oreait Itit/.iiurs.
i Seoul is, you know, a city of 300.000 people,
ami it covers about three squar-i miles.
i Right in tin- center of the city ther is a.
, point vvheit the three business streets come
j togeth r, nnd at this point there is a tem
j pie about t- big as a good-sized cowshed,
which holds the great bell, or town clock,
of the capital. This bell rings the opening
and closing of the t'oreaa day, ami its
kmdl sounds th*- b-ginning ami ending of
the day's work and business, it is rung
just at dusk, and at this time the gr at
gates of the city are el'isei. The stores
are supposed to shut up. and th* men to
go into th ir houses am! give th women
a chance to take moonlight walks iinmo
-- ste l. About this bell are the biggest
j busim s; establishments fcf Seoul. Th-y
ar.- in huge one and two-story buildings,
! which look a good deal like granaries and
I which are cut up into little bits of closets
: opt ning out upon halls. Each of these
j bail.lings is devoted to the s -Hing of one
kind of goods, and the leading merchants
who deal in them have each one of these
closets, ami th-y squat on cushions just
outsid • of them, ready to bring out their
goods when the customers come. Glass is
Lu lly known in Corea, and there are no
windows, and the closet is as dark as a
pocket. There is no display of goods, and
you ask for what you want and the mer
chant brings it out. On of the buildings
will have nothing but cottons, and there
may be fifty merchants, each owning one
of the closet-like stores within it. Another
building will contain nothing but silk, ami
others will be devoted to the selling of
hats and paper. Th merchants of differ
ent classes have guilds, and they lix the
prices. Every yard if solk and every
sheet of paper sold in Seoul has to pass
through the guild and pay its taxes be
fore it can be sold. There are six great
guilds, and each of these guilds pays a
good round sum to the government for
the controlling of its branch of trad-*. If
a retail d -aler is found with a piece of
goods which does not bear the stamp of
t'he guild, the guild can line and punish
him without refer nee to any other tri
bunal, ami all of the petty traders through
out Seoul have to buy through the guilds.
The six greatest guilds are those which
control th" trade In Chinese silk, cotton
Rgtpds. h mp cloth, grass cloth, Corean silk
inej paper, and It will be surprising to
1 Iftow that the whole of Corea is divided
q ’|P into unions, and that th.- porters have
I tvieir trades unions-, and there are peddlers’
I unions and ail sorts of working orgamza
i tions.
A Look Into a Corenn Store.
j The average Corean store is not much
j b'gger than a drj- goods box. and about
! this great b 11 there are courts surrounded
! by such stores, which open out on a ledge
i or porch about three feet wide, upon which
! th merchants sit. A merchant could hard
i Iv turn around in one of these stores, and
you would take a piano packing box
! ‘ ,,e with s h< ‘lves and run a board
'"‘ng in front of it about tw ■ feet from
1! ground you would have a Corean store.
chief business is in cloth, as the Co-
J g ris probably spend more on clothes in
* ,rt *ortion to their income than any other
“ 7, ’le in the world and the cotton trade
* En
is a big one. The common people all wear
cotton, and I was told that they like the
American goods much better than the
English, for the reason that they are better
made and that they are of finer
material. The Corean silk is fairly good,
and they use a good deal of China, silk. I
remember one fur store which I visited.
It was not more than five feet square, but
it was full of costly fur garments, which
the richer of these people wear in the win
ter. Among the curious articles which it
had for sale were frameworks of wicker,
which these people wear during the summer
inside their garments to keep them away
from their persons and allow* a thor
ough circulation of the air. There were
wicker skirts and wicker cuffs and wicker
frames whi-h fit out over the stomach,
all so light that, the weight of them would
be imperceptible and as fine in tiieir work,
manship as a Panama hat.
The ItiggcHt Book Stores in Seoul.
1 spent some time m going among the
book stores and pietur** shops, and I found
the im-rehants by no means anxious to
sell, especially when 1 had Genera! Bak.
mj interpreter, with me. I was warned to
pay for everything on the spit, and i
found that the nobility of Seoul and the
high officials, with whom I was supposed
to be connected, had a habit if taking
what they pleased and never coming back
to pay for it. i really believe this was the
way tiny looked upon me until 1 offered
them the money. They always askixl three
times as much as they expected to take,
ami everything is done by iliekering. I
bought for about 5" cents a book which
was first offered to me for $3, and this was
at the biggest bookstore in Seoul. The
books are all laid flat on the floor. They
have fiexiltle backs and are more like mag.
azines than books. Many of them look like
blank books and account books until you
open them, and you find them filled with
Chines*’ or Corean characters. The mer
chant keeps his account with a paint brush,
the clerks keep their hats on and tin- aver
age clerk Is satisfied if ho receives his
clo'hes and food for his family and him
self. I bought a Corean First Reader, and
later on 1 visited a Corean printing estab
lishment. There were no movable types,
and the pages which were to be printed
were engraven on boards. The printer laid
one of these txiards on two blocks of wood,
then mixed some lampblack an t water on
a flat piece of marble and smeared this
ovei the’page. He then lai-1 a proof sb* t
on it and pounded it down into the en
graved type, and this constituted the print,
ing.
One of the King’s I’erqulsltcs.
The king gels a big income out of Corean
pap.-r. JI- is nll made by hand, and it
brings about 5 cents a sheet, each sheet
containing about as much paper, 1 Judge,
as eight pages of this newspajier. 1 went
through a paper factory, which is just out
side of Seoul, along the banks ot a stream:
Some paper is made of bark reduced to
pulp, and f 11 the oil paji—r is work-ol over..
It is ground up into a sort ot' a. mush, and
when it Is all in bits, a bamboo Irani.- is
thrust I > -ne in -.'!., B-i *.t n- - ** s : ti I: :
to the fi.im- makes a sheet ot paper. It'
is bleached in the sun. and is as strong as
cloth. Now, the king gets his percentage
out <>f the first sal*-, and he makes a big;
lot of money out of his examination pa
pers. All offices are supi>esed to be a var<L ;
ed by civil service examinations, and at
certain times of the year th- students, by;
the l iousand, come from all parts >•! th--:
country, each carrying two or three of;
these she'-ts of paper. They are admitted:
into the part ot' the palace grounds, and.
there squat down unde.* umbrellas which
they bring with them, and write essays in
poetry. They hive to wear a certain kind
i t a cap, known as a scholar’s cap. at this
time, and each essay covers i sb -et of this
paper. It must have just so many verses
ami just so many lines to tlie verse, amt
the students don't know what they are
going to write about until they get inside
the grounds. The subject is hoist* 1 up on
a pole lust outside of a pen in which the
king and the judges sit. After the writing
is through, each student f*'lds up his essay
in a peculiar way and throws It over the
fence of the pen. it is carried up to the
king and is spread out on top of a pile of
pa P> rs which grov sto large proportions be
fore the exa.miiiati.in is through. Only a
few pass at these examinations, and the
rejected papers are all sold by the king
or by his officials, and th-re are hundreds
of houses in Seoul which are carpeted with
these old examination papers. I wire a
raincoat mado of oiled paper which had
been originally us.-d by a. t''*r»-in stud nt
for on*- of these essays, and I trJtted about
through the streets with a lot of <’onfuclan
d«?gg*Ti-l on my back. The pap-r stores
are found in different parts of the capital,
and tiu-y da a big business. Tl’i pap r
takes the place of glass, and it forms tiie
window’ coverings of Corea.
The Shoe Mores.
One of the* larg- st of the guild halls about
the great bell is dev-*t*»*i to th*- selling of
shoes. These are of many varieties, and
; -
COREAN MONEY.
seme are quite "xponsive. These for the
ladies are made of pink, blue ai i red h ith
er. while the men usually wear black slip
pers with soles ot white wood about an
inch thick. The common p*ople wear
straw* shoes, ami these are n ade by the
bushel, and are earritd by porters all over
the country. I took a picture of one with
about 500 pairs on a pack on his back, aml
1 saw peddlers squatting down on th" r*-a*4
hero ami there with these shoe*? before
them. They cost about 1 eent per pair,
and are the cheapest article of clothing in
Corea. Most things tre extravagantly
dear. General Bak showeel me hats which
cost sls apiece, and he bought a new- gown
in order that he might go about with me
in style which cost him $lO.
Free I.<in*-lt Counters.
Think of free lunch counters in Corea!
Well, they have them in all parts of the
country ami there is many a dirty little den
in Seoul outside of which a. clay oven
is continually cijoking free soup and where
you can got a bit of dried beef or raw
turnip without charge between drinks.
The Coreans are less temperate than the
Chinese, and, I think, also, than the Jap
anese. They like intoxicating liquors, and
I met many reeling through the streets,
and now and then saw one asleep by the
roadside, dressed in his long, white gown
and looking for the world like a corpse
in a shroud. I saw a number of lights,
and General Greathouse rather too de
lightedly, 1 thought—once said to me:
"Why, these people azo just like our
peijile at home. They drink and they fight
and they go upon sprees. They have many
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
other things in common with us, and they
are decidedly human.”
There are many saloons and the sign of
these is a basket which is hung on a pole
above the door and which is of the kind
through which the beer and other liquors aro
strained when they are made. This basket
is usually about eighteen inches long and
r "l"
. -FA
lyw
w#
A MERCHANT.
eight inches in di imeter at: 1 ?’ u see th**tn
all over Corea.
The Drug- Stores.
The drug stores do not sell liquors and
they have very few liquids of any kind.
Their medicines consist of powders and
herbs ami patent medicines are as yet
unknown in Corea. I believe a great big
•
China by taking patent medicines oat there
and advertising them as w nd*-t!ul cure
alls, using the “before and after taking”
signs, especially. Th- field is a virgin one
and it ought to worked. 1 went into one
drug store in S< *ul, wh; h was walled
with cabinet drawers alioiit six imnes
square filled with all kinds of nanst-ous
herbs. There were bus's of tn* -ii- inc hang
ing from the roof and the druggist was
squatting on the floor with his baton, mak
ing more medicine. B -th the Chinese and
the Coreans believe in 1 •loses. They
don't think a powder is worih anything
unless it is big enough for a horse, and
their great cure-all i- gin.- ng. This we
consider a. wee*! in America, but it is on.t
of the most valuable pr- . ; t.- in <'r-re t
and th" king has the m >nop.-ly of it. He
has great farms, which r« watched at
night by men who sit on platfora.s which
have been built up in then:, i * keep the
people front stealing the *-r p. The roots
arc shipped off to China, where the king
has his own officials to w .ich (he sale
and see that he g* t s his shat- of the profit
It is, in short, worth almost -t weight in
gO! i Some of till h ;-■> . : . 1 ;'r :r-
Ann l< .i «»«■*:•*. t , "
.-is good as the Corean ginseng. Th* week
is used as a t ni* , an ! it is believed to
have wonderfully str< igthcning proper
ties.
The Cabinet Shops.
The Coreans sum- very good cabinet
work, ami about th*- only things you can
huy in the country whi* it are worth carry
ing away are brass cooking uten-lls ant
bureaus. The brass in wonderfully line. It
shines like gold, and is made in little found
dries. which look more like blacksmith
shops thin bra.-s w rks. Everything is
done by hand. The bureaus are all trimmed
with brass and the funniest article of
household furniture is the Cor-an cash
box. Every man has his own bank of this
kind. It is often bound with brass, and it
is made of oak wood about two inches
thick, and the lock to Ii w« :ghs. several
pounds. The money is k- pt .ti box. and
is carried about on the ;>a-'is >f lies or
by servants, when a man goe - shopping,
and in th*- winter is ak?n and put into
the Corean safe dep sits.
The Corean >afe Deposit.
The Coreans have, perhaps, the best safe
deposit system in tlie world, but it is one
that works only during the winter. All
their money is in the sh .:-c f At’y’a cash,
which Is made in coins f copper ami bros
about as big as *u 01-i-f .io:;, d 1 cent,
with a -quare It- ’-- ;• i' ■ at*-r. It 'ak*-*
caoins. or ;:,<>••* <m i, t.> rr.ike an Ameri
can dollar, a 1 abo - ?_■■> a g "4 1 ad
for a man. and >;<• v. -u! 1 i*:-eak •: ov: a
’
capitalist lends b -- * i:*r 5 p r
cent and upward per m -nth v* - ■ i-i ii.-ious
ly pl.t<‘;t(g it In the w ;;>-. --. . a»-r. tio-'e
is liable to b- -Id an ! f i o ne. an ' it might
be stolen, oi his *!■ m miul.t :.-U l-e able
to pay, so as the i-i w* ..-;:• r aj pr-■ H-h—=.
he draws in his . i-h an I pins i- in.o h.»
safe deposit vault moil spring. Every Co
rean has his own vault. It i. usually his
front yard, v hi; -i is walk 4* off from the
street. He has his servant •• > dig up s
to a depth *>f ai* >ut eight ' et : t-; ri
the first cold, frosty night he spreads -*ut
his layer of this cish in the ho!*- ant
covers it with a coating of earth. He has
water thrown upon this, so that the cash
is embedded in mml. and it is watched until
Jack Frost ir*-t-z*-s it tight. The next night
there is another layer of cash and a
ond coating ot mud. This is frozen, and
s* it goes *>n until there is a solid frozen
mass of cash and mud. lying two or three
feet below- th" surface of the ground. On
the top of this the ground is also frozen,
and the winter is s-.i.-h that, th'- merchant
can sleep without fear until spring.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.
QIHK DEATH I’BI.I I HHED.
A S**lirn»kn < onple End Their Stiffer
ins* with a Rax*»r.
Paxton, Neb.. January 1 T-■> communi-
ty was startled yesterdav nn-ri;-.: c ly re
ports brought in by neig’-’*. is that 1 an
Harris ami his wife, Ida. w- • f- r 1 dead
at their home eight miles from here. Tle
coroner went at on e to th" place, wh- re
a horrifying spectacle was oi.-- I<j>- 1. Mrs.
Harris was lying on the oe.; witha-j* any
clothing, w ith her throat fr . a rar to
ear, and the bed clothing sa .*;it" 1 with
blood. John Harris, th- u I*. t.J was
found lying on the floor mar the foot of
the bed With his throat .-us.
The coroner impaneled, a iury ami made
an investigation. It apr- i" ■ i to a • i.--e
of premeditated suicide. Th" *!.-.-** were
done with a razor which was lying upon the
floor. It was discover 1 'hit s Harr’s
had partly given birth to a chi. t and *t
is supposed that Harris -*ave :'*-? tlie i .*e
witl* which she cut h-r th- at w.i.l-* I' ’--.;
on th,- bed. h" doing hk- wi * i ■ i <‘*-!y
afterwards. Harris had -vil’Tiv wi,L...
or crawled to the door and Stepp 4 outside
after cutting his throat. : s a l. „.<•* , ti.nl
was found on the door step Ihe loilowmg
letter was found written bj Harns in a very
clear hand: . . ~ , ,
• Bear Old Parents: V.e ve decided to end
our lives tonight. Ida took sick before
davligbt ami it ' s no " • o do. x. Ida cut
hLr throa* ami 1 am about to cut mine. 1
wrnul‘l give the world to see my poor old
parents. p>EM)VEP ciHLIMtEN.”
The motive of the deed was probably
their destitution, although they could have
gotten aid by asking. _ Paxton is a village
in the eastern part of R"tth county, ami ow
ing to some misunderstanding as to the
situation here the commissioners had con
siderable difficulty in gett.ng the supplies
they had solicited.
