“That this should happen on the day of the completion of the moon, when the guests from San Francisco are arriving with the gold coins. Verily, my son, your sister is possessed of a devil,” declared her father.
And her grandmother, speaking low, said: “’Tis fortunate the child is alive. But be not too hard on Ku Yum. The demon of jealousy can best be exorcised by kindness.”
And the sister of Ko Ku wailed low in the grass, for there were none to understand.
Note.—The ceremony of the “Completion of the Moon” takes place when a Chinese boy child attains to a month old. His head is then shaved for the first time amidst much rejoicing. The foundation of the babe’s future fortune is laid on that day, for every guest invited to the shaving is supposed to present the baby with a gold piece, no matter how small.
THE LITTLE FAT ONE
Lee Chu and Lee Yen sat on a stone beneath the shade of a fig tree. The way to school seemed a very long way and the morning was warm, the road dusty.
“The master’s new pair of goggles can see right through our heads,” observed Lee Chu.
“And his new cane made Hom Wo’s fingers blister yesterday,” said Lee Yen.
They looked sideways at one another and sighed.