The Yellow and White Agony. 347 



asked me if I was "missus"; he told me he wanted to take 

 Chinamen to Kootenay for Mr. Gloman, and if I would make my 

 husband employ him, and let him provide rice (he pronounced it 

 lice), he would give me five per cent, cash on every Chinaman, and 

 on all the rice he sold. " No ? Six ? No ? Oh yes ; I no tell 

 boss, he can't know ; you buy plenty things with money." 



The whole experience was so novel that I laughed aloud. " Oh 

 yes, I see, you takee." And a very much disconcerted Chinaman 

 left the place when he found that I " no would takee." 



The way some of the white " Hoodlums " of the town behaved 

 to the Chinamen was disgraceful. They frightened my man so 

 much, that, for some time he scarcely liked to go outside the gate to 

 pass a large vacant place close to us which the boys of the town had 

 made a playground of. One day they knocked him off the side- 

 walk, and at the same time cut his head so badly with a stone that 

 he rushed home to me, and I had to plaster and bandage his head 

 and eye. I telephoned at once to the police station. The 

 conversation I hac? was somewhat characteristic of the happy-go- 

 lucky colonial way of doing things. 



"The boys on the green opposite my house attacked my 

 Chinaman, who was going into town ; they have knocked him 

 about very badly. As they are still playing on the green the man 

 is afraid to go out. Send a policeman up." 



" Well, take the names of the boys and send them to us." 

 " I can't go out and catch them, that is your business." 

 " See if there ain't a policeman on Douglas-street, and put him 

 on to them." 



"I can't see one my end of Douglas-street; what is the man 

 to do?" 



"Well, I guess, if he is scared he best stop at home; or you 

 could walk down the street with him a bit, they won't go for 

 him if you are there ; we are too busy to look after every Chinaman 

 that has a stone thrown at him." 



Cool, but as there seemed that no more help was forthcoming, 

 J did accompany Gee past the dangerous playground. 



