She took a long breath and began, about the "Flowery Kingdom" with the fragrance of tea and the perfume of the kiang-long flowers the ladies' hair with spices and camphor wood and incense thrown in for good measure. Every few minutes shed stop and say impressive-like "Of course Shanghai is not China'? but she never told us what it was really. Another favourite remark was: Perhaps these things might not be noted by the superficial observer, but—" or else, "As one caves the beaten trail of the ordinary tourist.* She seemed so impressed by the peace and calm of China that I was thinking she couldn't have had as many invitations out as you have, but maybe I'm wrong because she talked about being entertained at the beautiful American Consulate set inside high walls in the centre of a regular park with great stone elephants and lions and statues all up and down the driveway!
T asked her who was the Consul when she was there. not that T cared so much but I was trying to make intelligent conversation and live up to your reputation. "T can't be sure, but I think it was the Honourable Mr. Jardine Matheson, she said. "So many people entertained us in Shanghai."" "Oh what enjoyable evenings T'vo_ spent at those two beautiful hotels the Bund and the Plaster!"
"Did you dance much?" I asked just to show her that I knew what was what. "O no,' she laughed lightly, "Shanghai people are all such earnest thinkers, rea} savan' if you get what T mean, and their favourite form of amusement was discussions, What I learned about polities,—such te secrets "Perhaps after all you've misjudge ed' Shanghai people, Phyllis. It's probably that your younger: set hasn't settled down to serious things yet.
She told how pretty it was when their boat came in, all the coolies and amahs coming out in their little taipans to board the ship with iheir wreaths of flowers, so. anxious to sell them that they got into regular tiffins (little quarrels) over them. All the soochow and amoys were drawn up in hae on the wharf, and as the steamer docked they shouted "Nah Sunny Gab!" their* rational expression for "Happy to meet you." It was most interestxg to ride in a cumshaw drawn by a maskee up and the narrow pagodas shopping for wonderful Tks which didn't cost, anything ut all. Everybody began to ask her to send some home to Iowa Center, but she hastily said that prices had risen even in China and even at that time it was only the influence of certain high officials that saved her from paying ten
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.