University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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THE REDWOOD 29 A Master ' s Word When will the ship arrive, most illustrious Lu Fang? Our men are short of weapons and courage, and this coming boat load of Indian Tau rifles should do much for the revival of that wherein they are lacking. This evening, son of a cursed coolie ; and see to it well that the cargo is properly stored and then distributed. Night drew on, and a mantle of darkness was commencing to shroud China ' s largest river port. Here and there bandy-legged fishermen were straining their backs in the last effort of the day to dismount a flapping sail or urge their poor craft closer to the rugged shore. Prince Hung Wo, tyrant of the people, may think that he can forever grind us down beneath his heavy heel of unjust taxes and ignoble laws, but even the cowardly beast when trapped will turn and bare his fangs, and I say, that before many suns disappear in the west, we shall strike like a serpent in the night. As certain as my name is Fang, Prince Hung Wo shall serve as a tender morsel for the mouths of the wrathful gods coupled with mine own tender jaws. You were ever right, Savior of the people, acquiesced the faith- ful servant, a sneer overspreading his clouded Mongolian features. I care not one joss for thy opinion, servant. As thy work is done so shall I consider you. Remember your place and all is well. Till to- morrow. So saying the people ' s champion stalked haughtily towards the abiding place of those whom the gods extolled, leaving his harsh commands still ringing in the ears of his faithful minion. He is gone, after nothing but sharp words. Savior of the People! May the gods help the people, should the reins of the government ever rest in his hands. But the worm will turn, and in this case, humble Ming might be the serpent to strike and slip between the polished fangs. Who knows? Thus he continued musing to himself until long after nightfall while silently waiting to discharge his duty. Once more, however, did he mur- mur before greeting the oncoming junk, Were I not bound to Lu Fang, my master, I could return to my home in the north from where I was stolen. As for the destinies of this city or her Prince I care not. Morning rose. Ming , said Lu Fang to his servant, nearly have I convinced my- self that thy head should pay the penalty for thy blunder of last night. Nay, it approaches open treason to be so careless as to allow the arms, boat and all to fall into the hands of the Prince ' s spies. Did I not order you to use no light when unloading? Answer me, dog! But, Honorable, the case was slipping into the water; we had to — .

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J 28 THE REDWOOD tion. The new set, portending to be epoch-making, in no way depends upon the Armstrong principle, since it is distinctly not a regenerative set, that is, none of the current is taken from the plate back through the tube again to be amplified, Init is amplified upon a theory entirely foreign to the Armstrong principle. Static is diminished to an amazing degree because of the lack of all regenerative amplification in the Armstrong sense, resulting in an efi ' ect that is a vivid reproduction of the artist ' s rendition with a volume whose clearness vibrates with a strumming resonance that is uncommonly purged of the ear-splitting crackle of static. Besides working better when not grounded, it possesses also that very desirable advantage of being able to select whatever waves one may want, cutting out all others, thereby making it unnecessary to listen to a stock-exchange report when one is in the humor for music. Marvelous as his new set is, and much as he loves to satisfy his music- loving soul with the triumphs of artists that it brings to him so chaste and so pure Father Bell, with his usual altruism, delights more in the fact that the new and unthought-of principle which he has evolved and upon which his new set depends, will open vast and untouched fields of research. Other master minds will find in this new theory, incentive for creative thought that only geniuses can conceive, and who can tell what will be the ultimate result of the latest discovery of Father Bell, a true man of science seeking only to understand and not to confound the ways of God. — J. Howard Ziemann, ' 26.

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30 THE REDWOOD No more ; a toucli of the whip will aid you to be more careful in the future. Away with him. But he motioned for the guards to tarry a moment before dragging the frightened prisoner from his sight. When they have succeeded, wretch, in sharpening your wits with a touch of the hide see that you keep them so, for it is an old trick to sharpen a dull weapon with a smooth strap. Ming had received his final orders, but he had also received a good beating and the beating was uppermost in his mind. Not while his shirt was caked with blood and clinging to his raw and quivering back would he concern himself with Prince, master or coolie. He had silently listened to the words of scorn poured upon his unprotected head by Lu Fang, and these had cut more deeply into his northern pride than had the blows into his tender flesh. His long line of ancestors had been outraged, his kind parents reviled as the lowest of the low. Ming pondered for awhile, then slowly and painfully rose to a standing position. Through the open window he could see the wide expanse of glorious wind-swept mountains, the mountains that he knew and loved so well. Ah, if he only were free to return to his home. But he knew that as long as the master continued to keep a watchful eye upon him, for he was a good and useful servant, he would never leave Canton. So with a deep sigh he turned his back upon the tiny grilled casing and the life of fancy, to the true, plotting world which moved about him. But all the time a thought was forming in his slow Chinese mind for he had overheard a conversation between Lu Fang and his brother: Tomorrow is the day the Prince Hung Wo rides inland accompanied by his chiefs and warriors, and I being his chief advisor will trail just behind him. Twelve sedan chairs will be used to convey us to the Prince ' s country place, and as the Prince has always feared assassins, these chairs will be entirely closed in and covered with heavy black cloth. Only I shall know where the Prince will ride, and I follow close upon his heels. But what has Ming to do with all this? he remembered having heard the master ' s brother interrupt. Lu Fang had answered: Ming will obey my commands, which are to hide upon the outskirts of the city in the direct line of the pilgrimage and put a bullet through the tiny white disk I have placed upon the Prince ' s sedan, visible to none save the skilled vision. Ming, dog though he is, has a mountaineer ' s eye and is consequently a sure shot. But that had all happened yesterday. Now Ming had been given the gun and was sent to his hiding place right after the noon meal of rice and baked fish. It was an excellent gun and Ming felt that he knew how to use it. Crouching low behind a sheltering rock he watched the oncoming procession with bated breath. Now and again he half raised his rifle as if measuring the distance between himself and the moving company. As usual he was soliloquizing while he prepared for action: