"No, Wong. Maskee short pants, think so-no wantehee this yea:
Wong regarded us severely Hhrough the only effective eye the sage of time has Jeff him. Only the, other day, after we had had a ented argument on the subject of the enormous increase of the household bills he had wound up his a3- generations of complete innocence in the matter with the remark "My always. look see ploper. Your money. belong all same my money,"
which the careful observer will Perceive two meanings, the least patistactory being probably the ruth.
"lit Las' year you hab buy. You wear two month; maybe three month: how fashion no wantchee this year? Can wear plenty time: only -wantehee make wash."
With that he hauled out the garments in question and held them Up for us to inspect, "S'pose you no wantchee pants, must get new flousers. I talked tailor to-mellow. Hab' got small boy homeside, pants belong very good for he."
"He no can have just now, Wong. S'pose my wantehee go holiday, can use." use Shanghai? How 'The loquaciousness of an idle moment led us to explain to an attendant ear the difficulties created in Hongkong by the objection of certain lady who had written to the newspapers about the rented by mere man' an expanse of bony knee.
The further the explanation progressed the higher Wong's nose Rose in disdain and the more we floundered in an attempt to elucidate the matter before the fey stillness of open contempt.
"Man no can show lo uh? Mus! fear coat, S'pose very hot no can take off. You think so belong ploper? My no think so. One missee lite chit newspaper side every man no Mus' wear shorts, any man no can, Shanghai man no can, wh?'
We endeavoured to explain to ong that if the wonring of shorts the exposure of bony knees did ion distress to ladies of mathetic tastes, it was the duty of and a gentleman to suffer the inconvenience of a torrid summer and got back into trousers.
"Uh. I think so belong dam foolishness. Any missoe she wear short.
"Skirts, Wong," we interjected.
"Skirts."
"Skirts! Any missee she wear short skirts can show plenty leg, uh? Man no can, Bisseo no wantehee seo knee "hab got very hard. My subec! Man can fix."
"How can fix, Wong'
"S'pose man wear silk stocking all same missee no can see knee, missee no blong angry, wantchee lite chit newspapers id Wall, it was a solution of the difficulty, but we pointed out that silk stockings wore a trifle expensive, indeed they would coat more than the shorts themselves.
"Daskee any man hab got wife can hollow."
"But, s'pose no have got wife, Wong?
"Hab got fen.'" Was the terse answer, The idea of some of our acquaint~ ances prancing round town in a Pair of opera lengths and shorts was a little too much for us; we gave ourself over to risible emotion {and the more we laughed the more Wong became indignant, until in a Durst of wrath he spluttered:
'All lit' You think 80 belong funny. You no wantchee wear short pants, no wantehee pay my for small boy. I think so.more Detter you sell that missee hab Titee chit newspaper."
'And with that he' stalked out of the room, Tae local "Kuomintang proposes to conduct a propaganda. programme for the transformation of soldiers into labourers. This, it is said, is essential in view of the fact that civil warfare has ended and that there will be a_generat re-
Auction in the army. The Kuomintang suggests that soldiers should tse4 im connection with th jovernment's road-building: por Feramme and other. cousheustive work,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.