882
THE KING’S BUSINESS
no idea o f doing. Then two o f them grab bed my hands and tried to force me to stop but I dragged them along with me. One Was a young rough and the other a boy well in the teens. Then the tough demanded sil ver, and I saw that he had mistaken me for a Japanese money buyer and wanted to rob me. The Japs have been all through that section o f the country buying up the old-fashioned copper “cash” with the hole in it, and sending it to Japan to make shells from. It has caused a great deal o f hard feeling among the people, who hate the Japs like poison. I had no silver on my person and said I had none, and he wanted to know what I did have. I had a few coppers in my pocket and gave him one to pacify him but that was the signal for them all to get something. The crowd closed in and some one grabbed my leg and pulled me to the ground while the others all struggled to rifle my pockets. From the popping o f buttons and ripping o f stitches that ensued, I thought that I was going to be stripped. During this melee the leader demanded my watch, which reminded1me that I was carrying that valuable watch o f Uncle Charlie’s, as I had loaned my other one to Mr. Murray. I grabbed it out o f my pocket and shoved it into the inside o f my belt, hoping it would be safer there However when I shook the crowd off and started to walk, it dropped down my trouser leg onto the ground. I was just an. instant quicker than the rest and got it into my right hand. Then a tussel ensued. While others were rifling my numerous pockets at least four were trying to open that hand and get the watch. I was still perfectly calm and wondered how long the affair would last and how long my strength could hold out against such odds. It seemed that there must be only one outcome. You can imagine the joy with which the voice o f the evangelist fell on my ears, just
as I was debating the advisability o f letting the watch go before the crowd got violent. His appearance on the scene checked the struggle and while he was talking to the crowd I hurried off, and soon left the hub bub behind. My clothes were still on my back and not seriously torn, and I was only a little bruised and stiff. I started to wipe my forehead—no handkerchief; I went to smooth my hair—no comb; I wanted to put on my second pair o f glasses, the sun glasses had been lost in the scuf fle—gone; I thought o f an entry I should make in the surviving note book—fountain pen and pencils all gone. So, little by little, I realized that I had bgen bereft o f every thing except the note book and the watch which I had so valiantly saved. That night after I had retired, the Pres ident o f the fair came to see what I was going to do about it. I received him as courteously as possible and drank tea with him. Told him that if my things . were returned to me on the third day (there were two more days o f the fair in which he could recover the things) I would con sider that there was nothing really malic ious in the attack and would drop the mat ter. The next day I was up at sunrise and walked thirty miles and held two services, so you can see I did not suffer anything physically. O f course the things have not been returned and the matter has now been put in the hands o f the local official, as it was a flagrant violation o f the Chinese law, and if it were allowed to pass, might result in something more serious next time. ----------0---------- Miss Anna Sudermann, a former student o f the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, and Daniel F. Bergthold, were married at the American Baptist Church, Ootacarmund, Nilgiris, South India, on June 20, 1916. They are now located at the A. M. B. Mis sion Station, at Nagar Kumool, Deccan, India.
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