The bells of the blue pagoda; the strange enchantment of a Chinese doctor

Front matter

'i-i;t. BELLS OF

COGttRAN

THE STRANGE ENCHANTMENT OF A CHINESE DOCTOR

Introduction

IT is no easy task to portray the life of a foreign land; with all the will in the world the writer is an outsider and often fails to realize the significance of some time-honored custom. All that the author can do is to try to catch the spirit of the country as best he may and the only recipe that one can give to him is that he should love the people and the country; otherwise he is doomed to failure. In this love there must be no lack of sincerity and one must endeavor to draw his characters as true to life as he would in writing of his own people.

This story is an attempt to catch the atmosphere and some of the poetry of China; for that reason the author has adhered to the Chinese custom of calling the characters and places by the picturesque names given as a matter of course in that country. Little Small-Feet, the Great Helpful Lady, and Old Scarred Face are examples of this. A book could be written on the artistic strain running through all Chinese literature that seems to prove China the most truly poetical country in the Tvorld.

Although the adventures of Little Small-Feet are imaginary, many of the incidents related were described to the author, who treasured up these events and wove them into one complete narrative. In China the occurrence that sounds the most improbable is the one of all others that is most apt to be true. In closing the writer would like to pay a tribute to Dr. Ida Kahn, Dr. Mary Stone, and many other Chinese women who are to-day the hope of their country in the self-denying, constructive work which they are doing. If anyone puts down this volume with a doubt as to the delightful, sterling qualities of the average Chinese man or woman, this book has failed to reflect the author's real feeling and purpose. She has endeavored in all that she has written to keep before her the ideals of one very near and dear who willingly laid down his own life that China might have light.

February 1, 1922. J. C. C.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

IN publishing this story the author wishes to acknowledge the kindness of Dr. Isaac Taylor Headland, who has allowed her to quote in full the poem, "Little Small-Feet," from his "Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes." Gratitude is also due to Dr. Headland for the material on Chinese training from his book, "Home Life in China," of which it may be said that there is no more amusing or instructive book on Chinese family hfe and education. His book on "Court Life in China" is a veritable classic on the subject and has been freely referred to in regard to funeral rites and ceremonies. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the courtesy of the publishers, Frederick A. Stokes Company, in granting permission to use, at the beginning of many of the chapters, lines from the poem by Alfred Noyes, "The Flower of Old Japan." The name, "Creeping Sin," was suggested by the character of that name in the same poem. Some of the photographs used are published in Shanghai by A. S.

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Watson and Company, and were taken by D. Mennie. Mr. Mennie's artistic photographs of China are a joy to all those who know the picturesque bits of the "The Flowery Kingdom," or, rather, "The Flowery Republic." Acknowledgment is also given to T. Hobbie for the use of a photograph.

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Contents

PAOB

Intkoduction V

I The Bells of the Blue Pagoda ... 1

CHAPTER I THE BELLS OF THE BLUE PAGODA O^ many a milk-white pigeon roams

The purple cherry crops.

The mottled miles of pearly domes.

And blue pagoda tops.

The river with its golden canes

And dark piratic dhows.

To where beyond the twisting vanes

The burning mountain glows.

— Alfred Noyes.

THE clusters of plum and cherry trees that covered the slopes of the little hills were a sea of bloom; Spring's dainty finger tips had run softly down each tender twig and tapering branch, and when she raised her hands, behold, in every place that she had touched there shone a blossom. Her little breezes, too, had played around the pomegranate thickets and turned them a deep red, and then had wandered away to tease the junks upon the river, at one moment blowing great gusts and the next leaving their sails hanging dejected and empty. These pranks were wanton mischief, for the truants knew very well that at this hour they were due at the old pagoda, to ring the fairy bells that hung from its carved balconies, and thus assure the anxious mothers who dwelt in the great walled city that the evil spirits were being frightened away and that their children would come to no harm.

Early in the morning, gentle Spring had warned the madcap breezes to be on the alert, and never to drift far away, for when green things were growing there was danger of spells and witchcraft and what was the use of building a pagoda on enchanted ground, if the bells were not kept constantly tinkling?

Certainly everything was auspicious so far as time and weather were concerned and yet there was trouble in the noble family of Chang. Could it possibly be that the little breezes were to blame? Old Wang Dah Mah, the amah, always maintained that if the pagoda bells had rung at the moment when Little Small-Feet was born, the baby would have been the much desired son, instead of a third unwelcome girl.

Lord Chang, the little girl's father, was the most bitterly disappointed of all the family. To have no heir to offer sacrifices before the family ancestral tablet was worse than unfortunate; it was a calamity. Nevertheless he allowed no sign of the storm of rage that shook him to appear on his immobile features ; he could never forget the dignity that befitted him as a gentleman of rank.

"What use have we for another girl? I shall be ruined by all these marriage portions ; we had better put her away," he exclaimed in a hard voice, and at the same time broke the fan he was holding into bits between his long, slender fingers.

"Ah, no, only the very poor should employ those methods!" cried his wife. "Give my baby to me." Poor Lady Chang! Added to her own sorrow was the realization that she was considered at fault.

Little Small-Feet herself, cuddled up warm to her mother's side, was absolutely obhvious to the coolness of her reception to the land of apricot blossoms, yellow dragons, and blue pagodas.

Only in the servant's quarters was the matter longer discussed. Long ago the ever wily Lord Chang had forbidden mention of the term "boy" in the house, for fear that the hovering, mahgnant spirits would come to realize on what his hopes were builded and out of sheer malice keep the longed-for heir away. But now among the iinderHngs Wang Dah Mah aired her views very freely, and all her friends agreed wdth her that the silence of the pagoda bells boded no good to anyone.

"If only those bells had rung, things would be different in these courts to-day," Wang Dah Mah would shake her head and say. "No one would listen to me, however, but that is always the way — great people need no advice." Which was really scarcely fair, as Wang Dah Mah had never thought of suggesting such an expedient until Little Small-Feet had uttered her first cry.

Under old Wang Dah Mah's blue cotton coat beat a w^arm, motherly heart, and she looked after the little newcomer's welfare so carefully that the baby throve like the spring flowers on the mountain side. Out in the courtyard, where the flowering almond scented the air, by the miniature pond where goldfish played, the faithful amah would sit by the hour with her charge in her arms, croning nursery rimes in a cracked falsetto voice. One song, above all others, seemed to attract the baby's attention, for she would coo and laugh when it was sung:

"The small-footed girl

With the sweet little smile.

She loves to eat sugar

And sweets all the while.

Her money's all gone

And because she can't buy.

She holds her small feet

While she sits down to cry."

When it was ended the little one gurgled and smiled and, as she grew older, tried to hold up her tiny toes for inspection in such a knowing manner that then and there Wang Dah Mah began to call her Little Small-Feet. It made no difference that the baby's parents had chosen the name of Kwan Yin — Bright Mercy — as a pretty compliment to the Goddess of Mercy; that was soon forgotten and Little Small-Feet the baby became.

Spring's mischievous breezes had swept the last pink petal from the plum and peach trees and were rippling the soft, green sea of rice, when the first great event happened in Little Small-Feet's life. One April morning there was a stir and bustle in the women's court of the Chang palace. Caterers had been busy for days making toothsome dainties, salting almonds and watermelon seeds, and sugaring ginger and slices of oranges, not to mention the weightier matters of digging up long-buried eggs from their hidden stores and stewing shark fins and slimy sea slugs, in preparation for a formal feast that was to celebrate the day when Little Small-Feet was one month old. The excitement had spread beyond the walls of the palace of the Changs, over curved tile roofs and through circular doorways, into other palaces and homes, where official wives and ladies of high degree were all busy making ready to do honor to the occasion by their august presence. Seldom have been seen such reds and blues, and satins that would stand alone, stiff with the most gorgeous embroideries. There were long chains, and rings and pins of jade, and gay head ornaments, and tiny, beautifully embroidered shoes that were to adorn their "golden Hlies." A feast at the Changs' was an occasion indeed and not to be entered into without much thought and many flutterings.

For the third time the runners had been sent out to summon them, and now at length the guests knew that the time of the feast was truly upon them and they must go. So each lady, supported by the hand of a maid, toddled on her tiny feet to her waiting chair and was duly assisted to enter by her attendants. The shades were nicely adjusted so that the luxurious passenger could see out, but with care that no curious eye could peep in upon her, and then the order to depart was given.

Sedan chair after sedan chair of the most gorgeous appearance was carried through the wide-open gates of the Chang palace. Little Small-Feet's mother, as gay as any butterfly, stood to greet her guests at the exact spot in the court that etiquette demanded and, bowing deeply, conducted them to the reception room. All was smiles, good cheer, and politeness, though somewhere in the background of each lady's mind ran the refrain: *'It should have been a boy! It should have been a boy!"

"Such a fuss over the 'little happiness' of an unwelcome girl," whispered shrewish old Li Tai Tai to a neighbor when the hostess could not hear. "They never would have had this feast — I know old Chang too well — had it not been that the presents more than compensate for the cost of the feast. He has never wasted a cash; every one he spends brings in two at the very least."

Old Li Tai Tai had spoken truly, for Little Small-Feet was showered with gifts, all of them handsome and costly. There were solid silver and gold ornaments, embroidered coats, and many other things too nmnerous to mention.

When everything was ready for the ceremony Little Small-Feet was divested of her swaddling clothes and dressed in a bright-red dress, while an admiring group of ladies watched and commented.

"Ah!" exclaimed a guest, "I think she will be very beautiful. See how tiny her hands and feet are, and how her eyes sparkle."

"Yes," repUed old Lady Li, who was wont to take a gloomy view of things, and who prided herself on her knowledge of proverbs and wise saws, "but the saying is, *The beautiful bird gets caged.' "

"That's the reason, I suppose," tittered a pretty young wife in an aside to another, "that Li Tai Tai is so free to go back and forth at will; no one would think it worth while to cage her."

Unfortunately Li Tai Tai heard this remark and the black scowl she gave threatened a terrible storm, but at this moment Little Small-Feet began to scream herself, which diverted the old lady's attention. Thus far in the ceremony the baby had submitted with a good grace, but when these strange elders of hers started to shave her head, she felt that this was one thing no selfrespecting infant could stand, and she objected with the whole force of her young lungs. If Little Small-Feet had arrived at years of discretion she would have realized how futile such a protest was; the heads of baby girls had been shaved for several thousand years and could she, the daughter of the great Lord Chang, hope to escape?

Old Li Tai Tai tried to quiet her by tactfully singing,

"We keep a dog to watch the house, A pig is useful, too ; We keep a cat to catch a mouse. But what can we do With a girl like you ?"

Little Small-Feet, as if she realized that she had been insulted, cried louder than ever at this noise and the dreadful grimaces the old lady made, and refused to be comforted until old Wang Dah Mah had given her a stick of barley candy which she peacefully sucked. The shaving was then completed, and the usual two tiny tufts of hair were left on the top of her head to guard against the evil eye.

At this feast, too. Little Small-Feet was formally given the name Kwan Yin. This to be sure was only a milk name, to be changed later on in life, but in reality it was used only by Lord Chang, when he was particularly disagreeable. This happened frequently for he never could be brought to smile with favor upon his youngest daughter.

The months rolled peacefully by for Little Small-Feet in spite of her father's frowns. Irises followed the earlier blossoms, and then came the peonies with their long satin petals; after them came the roses, making the courtyard a veritable bower, and, when the heat was most intense, the lotus flowers bloomed in the ponds of the gardens. The courtyards and gardens of the palace formed a world in itself beyond which the women of the family seldom strayed, but they were content with their gilded cage.

The City of the Blue Pagoda was situated south of the great river, among beautiful mountains and fertile valleys with lovely groves of bamboo trees. Even in winter roses and violets bloomed, birds came down from the north, and herons, wild geese, and pheasants added to the picturesqueness of the landscape. The city was the birthplace of Lord Chang, and whenever he fell into official disgrace at court, he would retire thither until his misdeeds were forgotten, or until he could buy his way into some more profitable employment. His family resided here almost constantly, as his positions were usually of short duration and traveling took many weeks of dis- . comfort and expense. At the time when Little Small-Feet came, her father was under a cloud because of some very shady transactions as governor of a province; these things were not done "in a comer" and the long-suffering people finally arose in their wrath and demanded his removal. All this had certainly not helped Lord Chang's disposition, and to soften his disappointment over these misfortunes he resorted to his old friend, the opium pipe.

The family enjoyed their home much better when official business called the gentleman of the household away. But for the first years of Little Small-Feet's existence he was constantly at home. The baby could not understand why he was the only one of the household from whom she could never win a smile, but it did not trouble her very much so long as all the rest of the world responded so eagerly.

Before the lotus blossoms began to fade on their long stems and the rice was garnered in from the hillside, Little Small-Feet had learned some very interesting things ; one was that if she screamed long enough, doubled up her fists hard enough, and grew red enough in the face, she could have almost any mortal thing she wanted. Having learned these facts she very seldom failed to put the knowledge into use, and if it had not been for the natural sweetness of her disposition, she would have been terribly spoiled in a few years. Old Wang Dah Mah aided and abetted these practices for she was never known to refuse the child any desire.

"Little Small-Feet wanted it," was surely excuse enough.

At other times the baby would be smiling and winsome, her black eyes snapping, and she always had a gleeful laugh for anyone who played with her. When Wang Dah Mah dressed her in a bright-blue silk coat with little green trousers and hat and shoes embroidered in butterflies, she was such an entirely adorable infant that the little breezes could scarcely be persuaded to play anywhere but in the Changs' courtyard. They would blow softly over the poppies and the lotus ponds, making the flowers dance and bow just for the sake of hearing Little Small-Feet shout and clap her hands with glee, and of course they forgot entirely that the pagoda bells were hanging silent and that every mother's heart in the city was beating anxiously.

One day, however, when Little Small-Feet was two years old, gentle Spring made a great discovery. In the corner of the Changs' garden, on a hill which overlooked the city wall, the river, and the pagoda, was a beautiful tiled pavilion. Among all the haunts in the garden, the baby hked this spot the best, because from it she could watch the stately junks with their fanlike sails, the pranks of the little breezes, and last but not least the blue pagoda, which she liked far better than anything she had ever played with; there were numberless stormy scenes because Wang Dah Mah would not give it to her as a toy.

Now gentle Spring discovered that Little Small-Feet fairly screamed with delight whenever she heard the music of the pagoda bells, so of course the friendly dame imparted the good news to her breezes and from that day forward the pagoda bells were ringing constantly.

Sad to confess. Little Small-Feet was very slow in learning to walk; it was so much easier to be carried around in the arms of the faithful Wang Dah Mah that probably she would never have attempted to use her own small feet had it not been for the delightful games which she saw her two older sisters playing. After watching them and their companions sitting in a circle, with their hands together in a fascinating game called "water the flowers," or happy over "flower seller," she wanted to join them, and at length she began to stand alone. And very soon her toddling steps led her into much mischief.

Slowly Little Small-Feet grew out of babyhood to girlhood, and all the time she was absorbing and learning, but not from books, for Wang Dah Mah was her chief teacher and she did not know the character for "man" from the character for "happiness." The amah taught her charge other things, however, such as respect to parents, how to bow to ladies who came to visit her mother, and countless polite sayings which it is necessary for girls of high rank to know. She was taught that the harm in lying lies in being found out, and to be careful never "to lose one's face." All these things the pupil picked up only too quickly. One point was often discussed between them, and that was about the pagoda;

Little Small-Feet wished to go there but for once Wang Dah Mah absolutely refused to take her; instead she tried to frighten her out of her desire - by horrid tales of evil spirits and demons. Wang Dah Mah absolutely believed these tales herself, and nothing would have induced her to visit the haunted ground on which the pagoda stood.

One beautiful autumn day when Little Small- Feet was four and a half years old, she sat in the pavilion, listening to the pagoda bells, and watching a flock of wild geese arriving from the north for the winter. An overmastering longing to see that beautiful blue tower nearer at hand came over her; she must know how the bells sounded outside the city wall. Her heart began to beat wildly. Should she run away to the pagoda just for a short time? No one would miss her. Clutching a little toy she was playing with tightly in her hand, she slipped down to the other end of the garden, through the reception room where her father received his guests, through another court and still another. For once the usual wellthronged house was empty; stranger yet, when she arrived at the great entrance gates, they stood a little ajar. On reaching the street she saw the reason for all this lack of runners and attendants ;

half a block away a group of strolling players were performing, and all the available population were gathered around intent on watching the actors.

Now that the moment of freedom had come. Little Small-Feet was rather embarrassed to know what to do; but as all her acquaintances were on one end of the street, instinct told her to turn the other way. Never before had she been on this path alone, or on foot, and the sensation was truly novel. The shops, the street signs, and the vendors were most fascinating, and she often stopped to look and listen. The thought of the pagoda, however, drew her ever forward, and by sheer chance she took the few turns that led her to the great city gates set in the massive walls. This place was truly alarming, for beasts of burden, carts, and wheelbarrows were passing in and out in an unbroken stream. Little Small- Feet shrank back, thoroughly frightened, and was just in the act of turning and trotting home, when through the arch, a half mile or so away, she caught sight of the pagoda. Her courage and resolution returned, and keeping close to the wall, she slipped through the traffic and started out toward the alluring landmark.

By the time the last step to the pagoda was taken, Little Small-Feet was weary enough, and climbing up two flights of the steep stairs to the corner of the carved balcony, she curled up in a heap to listen to the bells and enjoy the sight of a fleet of beautiful ships in the river. The breezes must have realized that they had a guest that day, for they swung the bells back and forth with a will and to the sound of their silver tones she fell fast asleep.

Suddenly, much later, the wanderer awoke with a shiver to find that night was coming on with swift, noiseless tread, and out of the dark, in the chamber of the pagoda, she saw two bright, cruel eyes watching her. The child started forward with a shiver of terror. She must go home, and to do so she had to pass those never- winking eyes. All the stories of demons and evil spirits which Wang Dah Mah had told flashed into her mind. What should she do? If she was to get into the city before the gates were shut, she must start at once. With a mighty effort of will, the child ran into the room, past the gleaming eyes and down the two flights of stairs, hearing soft footsteps following her, accompanied by low snarls and growls. This gave wings to her feet and, never heeding what direction she took, she ran as fast as possible toward the city wall. Unfortunately poor Little Small-Feet in her terror took a road leading to another gate farther down toward the city, and this mistake changed all the course of her future existence. Where were the little breezes now, and what kind of friends were they, to desert her in her hour of need? And all the time during the little girl's flight the horrid dog followed, yapping and snarling. The breezes might have learned a lesson from his constancy.

As Little Small-Feet approached the city she came up to a group of itinerating beggars who were going in the same direction. On catching sight of this beautifully dressed child they turned at once and surrounded her. With rough voices and coarse oaths they spoke to her ; too frightened to reply, she tried to hurry on. It was useless; dirty hands clutched and pulled her, and she was immediately threatened by a quarreling mob, more like a pack of dogs than human beings. One shrewish crone was the leader, and as the band seemed about to pull the poor child to pieces, the hag interfered :

"What stupidity is this ; shall we obtain money for these gay clothes if we tear them all to rags? They are worth several taels at the very least. We will take her and hide her for a ransom, which will come to more than a thousand suits such as this."

"Yes, Old Scarred Face, and never a cash of it shall we see, for you and Creeping Sin will pocket it all; *spilt water cannot be gathered up again'; let each take something now; I for one will have the coat."

At the name of Creeping Sin, Old Scarred Face turned livid with fear and rage. Had the connection between them been discovered? If so, a great chance for their profit was gone. "You cow," she raged, "if you all get fighting over the garments there won't be a thread to take to the pawnbroker's to sell; you know that without my help you would be in prison to-day, instead of the most prosperous band of beggars on this side of the Yang-tse-Kiang. I shall leave you all to make what you can without me," and she started to go.

Knowing that she spoke the truth, they would not let her go, but said that they would follow her advice. Thereupon she put the poor, terror-stricken Little Small-Feet in their midst, where she would be unobserved by passers-by, and hurried the party along to a group of dirty mat-shed hovels huddled at the base of the city walls. In this particular vicinity there were thousands of these huts, and he would be a brave man indeed who would dare to enter this district and search for anyone.

In all that vast city no heart was so desolate as Little Small-Feet's; instead of the rich fare of the palace, the dirty rice from a beggar's bowl was to be her portion. She could not even cry for Old Scarred Face told her that she would tear her limb from limb if she shed but one tear, and Little Small-Feet realized that silence was a necessity. No rich bed was her pallet but a bundle of loathsome straw, and worst of all there was no doting Wang Dah Mah to comfort her and quiet her fears. Surely her old amah had been right when she had told her charge that the blue pagoda was an ill place to seek.

Little breezes, little breezes, you may well ring the pagoda bells softly and sadly as if for a passing soul, for henceforward you will seek in vain for a playmate in the winding paths of the garden or by the pool of goldfish. ISTo childish hands will be clapped in glee at the dancing poppies and waving fields of rice for Little Small- Feet has turned into a somber highway, the road of tears and sorrow, the road down which many tiny, childish feet have trod and very few returned, the road to beggar land.

Chapter II

Because the white-faced mandarin Would dog our steps for many a mile. And sit upon each purple stile Before we came to it, and smile

And smile; his name was Creeping Sin.

His grin was very sleek and sly : Timidly we passed him by.

He did not seem at all to care : So, thinking we were safely past. We ventured to look back at last.

O, dreadful blank ! — He was not there !

— Alfred Noyes.

THAT night the sun dropped suddenly to rest in a heavy bank of gray clouds, and soon a violent wind arose, far different from the soft breath of the little breezes, and shrieked like a wolf through the streets of the city, tearing down signs and scattering loose tiles in every direction. Like frightened birds, the junks upon the river scurried into shelter, and the high waves beating against the shore threatened to sink them as they lay at anchor.

Late in the evening the rain began to fall in torrents, so that the frail walls of the hut where Little Small-Feet lay were nearly washed away. The water ran in a stream under the straw on which she slept, and the wind's wild wail was a startling contrast to Wang Dah Mah's crooning cradle song. It was no wonder that the lost one awakened from her troubled sleep screaming with fear. Fortunately for her, her jailers slept soundly, for had she aroused them, a speedy retribution would have followed.