t these offers
were already withdrawn, and even ridiculous prices were hard to get,
as everyone was keen on selling and no one at all anxious to
purchase.

It was the old story, which had repeated itself time and again in
almost every new town and settlement on the American Continent.
Someone had to bear the burden of it at the finish. No one was
particularly anxious to be that one. All were scrambling to get out
from under. Mother Earth and Father Money had put their feet down, as
they always do, sooner or later.

In the midst of the excitement, Phil and Jim had a strange visitor.
For the first time to their knowledge, he was Canadianised in
appearance. His slippers were substituted for boots, his loose-fitting
clothes were in the discard for a second-hand suit of European model,
several sizes too big for him, and he was minus his pig-tail.

At first glance, Jim was unable to recognise him, then he laughed.

"Good land, Phil! See what the breeze has blown in. Ah Sing!

"How-do, Ah,--or is it, Sing!"

"Ya! You lemember me,--Ah Sing! Me allee same Canadian."

The Chinaman was brazen as brass. But evidently he had something on
his mind.

"Me no work any more lanch. Bossee man no likee Chinaman!"

"I don't blame him!" answered Jim, across the polished counter.

"Me go back next week my old job. Me go back work in big bank.
Me be janitor. Me washee window, washee floor; watchman allee
night-time,--see!"

"You be heap scared, Sing! Devil he get you in bank."

"No,--me no scared! Me bling three, four black cat. Me losem
pig-tail,--me Canadian,--me no scared no more."

"Canadian,--but still hanging on to the black cat theory,--eh! That's
just typical of what we have to suffer, Phil, in this country.

"Well, the bank has a lot to answer for. Man, Phil, but it would serve
them rightly if they got let in some day, employing that kind of
labour when they could get decent white if only they cared to pay the
price.

"Sing!--what you want? We heap busy."

"I catchem letter my uncle,--see!"

He handed a paper to Jim which was brushed over with black Chinese
characters.

"Maybe you are a Canuck, Sing, but I'm no blooming Chinaman. What does
this say?"

"I catchem this letter from China to-day. He say allee place my wifee
and my mama live, rain come down allee time. No come down water."

Ah Sing's face was solemn as a priest's.

"It come down blood--pigs' hair, too; one, two feet deep, all over.
Heap bad! I