Little Sky-High | Page 4

wing himself in. A
beautiful fan was in his hand, which he very slowly waved to and fro,
as if following some custom. Mrs. Van Buren wondered if servants in
China came fanning themselves when summoned by their master.
Sky-High bowed and bowed and bowed again, then moved with a
gliding motion in front of Mr. Van Buren's chair, still bowing and
bowing, and there he remained in an attentive bent attitude. The kitten
leaped up from Mr. Van Buren's knee, then jumped down, plainly with
an intention to play with the tempting pigtail--but Lucy sprang and
captured the snowy little creature.
"So you are Sky-High?" said Mr. Van Buren. "Well, a right neat and
smart-looking boy you are!"
"The Mandarin of Milton!" said the glittering little fellow, bending.
"My ancestors have heard of the mandarins of Boston and Milton, even
in the days of Hoqua."
"Hoqua?" Mr. Van Buren looked at the boy with interest, "You know
of Hoqua?"
"Who is Hoqua?" asked Mrs. Van Buren.
Mr. Van Buren turned to her, "I will tell you later."
"Hoqua, madam," said Sky-High, bowing to his mistress, "was the
great merchant mandarin of Canton in the time of the opening of that
port to all countries."
How did a Chinese servant know anything of Hoqua? This was the
question that puzzled Mr. Van Buren. "Sky-High, how many people
have you in your country?" he asked.
"It is said four hundred million."

"We have only seventy millions here, Sky-High."
"I have been told," said Sky-High.
"And who is ruler over all your people?" asked Mr. Van Buren.
"The Celestial Emperor, the Son of Heaven, the Brother of the Sun and
Moon, the Dweller in Rooms of Gold, the Light of Life, the Father of
the Nations."
"You fill me with wonder, Sky-High. We have a plain President. Do
your people die to make room for more millions?"
"My people value not to die, O Mandarin!" said the boy.
"Such throngs of people--they all have souls, think you?"
A dark flush came upon little Sky-High's forehead. He opened his
narrow black eyes upon his master. "Souls? They have souls, O
Mandarin! Souls are all my people have for long."
"Where go their souls when your people die?"
"To their ancestors! With them they live among the lotus blooms."
"We will excuse you now," said Mr. Van Buren to Sky-High. "You
have answered intelligently, according to your knowledge."
The kitchen-boy bowed himself out without turning his back towards
any one, describing many glittering angles, and waving his fan. He
looked like something vanishing, a bit of fireworks going out.
As he reached the stair, the little white cat sprang from Lucy's arms,
and skipped swiftly after the curious inmate of the kitchen. The long,
swinging braid was a temptation. The last glimpse Charles and Lucy
had was of an embroidered sleeve as Sky-High reached backward and
caught the kitten to his shoulder, and bound her fast with his queue.
Charlie clapped his hands. He thought there would be fun in the house.

He knew he should like Sky-High. As they went up-stairs he said to
Lucy, "The little Chinaman was a heathen, and father was a
missionary."
Mr. Van Buren heard him, and called him back. "The little Chinaman
was a new book," said he, "and your father was reading. See that you
treat the boy well."

III.
LUCY'S CUP OF TEA.
Mr. Van Buren's home was on Milton Hill. It overlooked Boston and
the harbor. The upper windows commanded a glorious view in the
morning. Before it glittered the sea with its white sails, and behind it
rose the Blue Hills with their green orchards and woods. The house was
colonial, with gables and cupola, and was surrounded by hour-glass
elms, arbors, and evergreen trees. It had been built by Mr. Van Buren's
father in the days of the China trade and of the primitive mandarin
merchant, Hoqua.
Mr. Van Buren, a tea-merchant of Boston, received his goods through
merchant vessels, and not through his own ships as his father had done.
The next morning Mrs. Van Buren went down early into her kitchen to
assign Sky-High his work.
Nora, in a loud whisper that the birds in the apple-boughs might have
heard, informed Mrs. Van Buren that the new Chinese servant was "no
good as a sweeper," and asked what he did with his pigtail when he
slept. "It must take him a good part of to-morrer to comb his hair, it is
that long," she said. "And wouldn't you better use him up-stairs for an
errand-boy altogether now? Sure, you wouldn't be after teaching him
any cooking at all?" Nora was an old servant and had many privileges
of speech.
Mrs. Van Buren smiled, and arranged that little Sky-High should wash

and iron