Laura Liaohsien comes to Shanghai but once a year, usually when it is most inconvenient to take her about. While Laurence, her husband, (whom she hectored into a premature grave), was alive, she had two annual glimpses of Paris onthe-Whangpoo, and sometimes three. Laurence' would bring her with him on his business trips, turn her over to our chaperonage, and then disappear for the bulk of his days and nights here. It was his only way of getting a holiday, poor fellow. Laura naturally concluded that we were the only reliable guide to this sink of iniquity, (her words), and still looks upon us as such, However, Laurence and ourself were loving brothers in. the great Husbands' Protective Association: besides which, there: is entertainment of a kind to be got 16. Export and sending abroad of obligations of state loans of the USSR. is allowed only under permits issued by the People's Commissariat of Finance of the USS.R.
17. The People's Commissariat Finance of the U.SS.R. will issue! permits indicated la paragraph 16 hereof in the following cases: (a) when obligation was bought in the USSR. and paid for by remittance from abroad or by paying order on abroad in foreign currency; (b) when obligation is exported or sent abroad by state or cooperative institutions oF enterprises or limited lability companies with mixed capital," to serve as security for credits opened in their favour by banks or firms; when obligation is exported or sent abroad by concessioner for account of export of foreign currency within limits stipulated in concession agreements, (4) when obligation, exported for account of limits of export and sending abroad stipulate fed-in paragraphs 1, 2 and 9 here-out of Laura, "Young! man,". (she persists in addressing us that way despite the fact that she is at least 15 years our junior), "Young man, this place is going to the dogs."
What's your objection to greyhound racing?" we asked, thinking that of course she meant this.
know nothing whatever about greyhound racing." she snapped.
am the mother of five, thank you."
We gently reminded her that there was not the slightest occasion to thank us, and inquired as to what Jhad upset her ao early in her visit.
"I understood that you had a board of film censors here," she explained with fire in her eye. We sought to reassure her, telling her that such is the case "What was the offending picture?" we asked, curiously. She fairly glared at imagine that I've been to Supplementary Certificates 18. Obligations permitted for export of sending abroad are fur-'There was nothing for it but to fyahed with supplementary cars Beaten, of the fe, Sole Dank of the accompany her to the object of her ae, to" settle. the foreig hold-'Rot suppress raw. wrath. When rar it, we could Readuys what your objection %6 a ent of all payments stipulated by Chinese advertisement of a well-anything could, the love of the little Liao ly beamed. bird when Amelia is out of the. Seat a eet, Sonny she went on to 'Do take me to the 'Pickled Piske Porpoise,' to-night, that old dear.
In vain we protested that we had never heard of the place. She would guide us to it. And a!
Mentor was of the party. had retired with a headache, en-Joining him to be nice to Laura.
would do his best, he had promised, Wo wonder how ho will wangle the household accounts cov his expenditure on a night that must go down in the annals as tone of the very stormiest on the" Pacific.
We saw Laura safely aboard ship. We were proud to do it, the more 39 as we overheard a distant acquain~ ince ask, bitterly, "Where did the, old fossil pick her Laura vows that she will the children to school, and cor Shanghai to live. Her last act was to wave a copy of the "American Mercury'
Be careful, Laura," we shouted, "Bumechowfu is not Shanghai!"
"Good old Mencken! Tell Dfen. ter,..." The breeze bore the rest away from us.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.