War— As Diamond Dust 65
WAR—AS DIAMOND DUST
the cotton fields, she heard a voice calling across their courtyard.
"Is Ma-pa here?" she asked, astounded.
Lu-seng emerging from the porch where the chicken nests were kept, his hands full of eggs, replied, "No.
American soldiers are here. They came over from Place of Action this morning and are to be stationed in Olives. Sounds just like Ma-pa's voice, doesn't it?" with a light on his face that she had not seen for days. "I pity them so with only Chinese food to eat—white men can't take an all-native diet quickly.
I know.
Mother, take them a chicken and these eggs? They will be needed for breakfast. The Chinese soldiers do not eat until sun-high and white men need something before that."
"But they have someone to feed them, don't they?" remonstrated his mother, for chickens and eggs were scarce commodities those days. The Chinese took what they liked and paid what price they liked too.
"I heard one of them say he was hungry. He did not realize that I understood so much English." Lu-seng's face lit up again.
"They remind me so much of Ma-pa. Their big boots go clankclank just like Ma-pa's always do."
Again his little wife stole a quick sharp glance at him. He loved Ma-pa and she was quite sure that inwardly he was grieving for the heart-separation his impetuous leaving had brought. She sent up a little prayer that it might not last, and it was answered more quickly than she dreamed.
As in the previous year a Boys' Bible School had been planned to come after the Girls', and Thomas was to be one of the teaching staff. However, when he went to apply for a river pass (Ma-pa was again away on conference work), Tsao not only refused to write it, but refused river passes to the eleven west-bank boys who had planned to go. Assembling Day came and went, yet Thomas, knowing that Ma-ma was short-staffed this year, was still unable to proceed. Very troubled in spirit, he came to Lu-seng to pray about the matter.
The morning of the third day of waiting, Mary saw Lu-seng in a corner writing a letter. She had heard that a messenger was going to the east bank and guessed the note was for Ma-ma.
It would have brought her joy if she had known that it was a
STONES OP
FIRE letter of contrition, asking forgiveness for his hasty departure and saying that he had just been through the most unhappy days he could remember. Living and studying with the heathen, their filthy conversation had become unbearable.
Moreover, he saw that he had been a snare to others, for Tsao was now making bold to invite the Christian girls of Olives to eat with him, and was very unpleasant if they refused.
Altogether it had been a most miserable time. But the coming of the American soldiers had brought things to a climax in Lu-seng's heart.
"Every time they called to one another/ ' he wrote to Ma-ma, "I could hear Ma-pa's voice; and the sound of their leather shoes would make me think Ma-pa was coming. Then I would awaken to the fact it was not he, and such a flood of lovelonging for him would sweep over me." He also explained the reason for Thomas' non-appearance.
On the other bank of the Salween Ma-ma had been going through trial. Neither Ma-pa nor Brother Three were present to help her, and she had only consented to hold this school if Thomas would promise to teach some courses. Thirty-one boys had arrived and no Thomas.
She had suspected the reason, but Lu-seng's letter made it definite. It did not take her long to contact this American unit (they were always dropping in for tea or a meal, anyway) and by return messenger a written river pass for Thomas and all he cared to bring with him arrived in Olives. And the next evening not only Thomas and three pupils arrived in Oak Flat, but Lu-seng also ! His face was bright and joyful once more as he recounted all the miseries of his selfeffort. "I know now," he confided, "that I stepped out of the will of God in dropping the ministry, and I hope I remember the lesson." Then, with fellowship so sweetly restored, he settled back to tell her again of the pleasure of having those American soldiers in their midst. "I think that some of them are Christians and wanted to tell us," he said. "When we were singing in chapel, the tall one with the red hair came near and started to sing with us, only in English ! We thought he meant by that to let us know that he was a Christian too, so we all laughed and went up and shook hands."
Later it was interesting to Ma-ma to get the American version.
WAR—AS DIAMOND DUST
The six-foot-three young captain afterwards told her: "Why, they were singing the same songs I used to sing in Sunday School back home, so I just went up and sang with them.
,, It was enjoyed on both sides.
The Boys' Bible School ended most cheerfully, for not only was there Lu-seng and Thomas to help teach, but Brother Three returned unexpectedly and threw himself wholeheartedly into lifting the responsibilities.
After Closing Day Lu-seng returned home again to Mary, his face happy for the burden on his conscience was gone. Ah, but forgiveness granted does not mean that there is no penalty to pay ! Tsao, hearing now that Lu-seng had changed his mind, was furious. "You cannot recede!
I have your promise which you made to the Government, and that of five others also. This has become a Government affair and I will take you to law." He began calling out to Mary when he met her on the path to the water-hole or elsewhere, "You get that husband of yours to change his mind or it will be the worse for him !" and the scared little maiden hung her head and hurried home with the message.
But Lu-seng is not easily driven. The more Tsao pushed the more obstinate Lu-seng became. Then the whole church came in for persecution.
Ma-pa was still away and Tsao had practically a free hand. He refused passes to cross the river to any Christian. He threatened
Lu-seng day and night. He accused Jonah of self-seeking while in Government service because he had ridden a horse while on an errand for the official, and Jonah was cast into prison with charges that might have taken his life. Treason was an easy accusation in those days of war. How the little group in chapel prayed each night ! Lu-seng was to be the next, Tsao said, and although Lu-seng himself was dubious how far a mere schoolteacher might go, Mary was terrified. She had by now to make known her precious secret to her husband, and it was a drop of sweetness in her cup of anxiety that he was delighted.
A few days later Jonah was taken out and beaten badly. He was very brave and did not let out a sound, but it was a cruel whipping, and the girls all cried.
Toward the end of May the danger to Lu-seng himself
STONBS OF PIRB
became so real that Mary and his mother begged him to go across the river to visit Ma-pa and stay for a while. Ma-pa was now back, and while holding a Sunday service at Place ofAction he called up Lu-seng on the field telephone newly established between the Chinese guerilla colonel and his men in Olives.
This was the latest marvel—that people could talk over a wire half a day's journey away; Mary and Lu-seng-ma thrilled with pride when a soldier came up the hill to summon Lu-seng to the telephone, Ma-pa calling!
It was the first and only time that Lu-seng ever used a telephone, but he was able to make out
Ma-pa's voice and an invitation to come across the river to Oak Flat. A pass was furnished and thus Lu-seng got away!
To Mary it was an answer to prayer.
Foiled in his hopes of securing Lu-seng, Tsao now turned to Christians farther away from where Ma-pa lived. In the village of La-meh the Lisu church had opened another school, with a Chinese-speaking Christian Lisu, Titus by name, as its teacher.
Tsao pounced upon this, ordered it to be disbanded, had Titus thrown into prison, then beaten and sent across the river to Ma-pa with the word that ifhe tried to return he would be killed.
When Titus appeared at Oak Flat with this news, Rainy Season Bible School had already begun. Ma-pa, on his return, had brought a guest speaker in the form of a Chinese seminary graduate, Miss Constance Tseh by name, an exceptionally fine
Bible teacher. Ma-pa translated for her, and the evangelists have never ceased to quote her illustrations, so striking and so oriental, just the kind they enjoyed and understood to the full. Lu-seng wrote long thrilled letters home and Mary wrote back. Every now and again their letters would be detected by Tsao and a translation made! After one such (a letter written by Mary it happened to be) the Chinese soldier called in to translate said
"Hmph. Nothing but a love-letter to her husband—what are you worrying about?" Poor Mary hung her head in shy confusion that her outpourings to Lu-seng should be so hauled out and read in public, but she kept on trying. When the colonel had to send letters across the river, villagers from Olives were usually chosen to do this. Mary, hearing of someone appointed to carry the next epistle, by night would slip him her little bit of folded
WAR— AS DIAMOND DUST
paper, and as the whole village, heathen and Christian, loved her, the messenger would tuck it into the folds of his turban and so it got across undetected.
It was August 17th when baby was born. There was no one to help the little mother but Lu-seng-ma and those instructions from Girls'
Bible School. But mother and child both came through all right, and it was a boy ! A very tiny son. Lu-seng-ma was enraptured, and even old Lu-seng-pa, when allowed to return to the shanty, beamed all over his wrinkled, kindly face. But no message was sent to the young father, away over in Oak Flat in Rainy Season Bible School. Heathen customs still held influence.
It was Lu-seng-ma who at last got off a message, very casually worded, to her absent son. Baby was already twelve days old when his father learned of his existence.
Lu-seng tried to act unconcerned and pretend he was not excited, but the sparkle in his eyes and the toss of his head spoke volumes to those who knew him.
"Aren't you going home?" asked Ma-ma curiously.
"Oh, it is not necessary," he replied with studied nonchalance, then: "I have asked Ma-pa to name him."
"Oh, and what is the name?"
"He suggested Paul, which seems a little too grand, I did not mean to give him such a wonderful name."
"Oh, nonsense, I think Paul is a good choice. You will be Paul-pa and Mary Paul-ma?" Ma-ma had a scrutinizing twinkle in her eye.
"No, no," Lu-seng spoke warmly.
"I do not want anyone to call us such.
I want us to go by our Christian names."
When the parents are known by the child's name it is called "teknonymy", and the Lisu tribe practises this. Lu-seng, however, would not have it, and he was successful. Never once did Ma-ma hear anyone try to call him so.
A few days later, very early in the morning, Lu-seng appeared at Ma-ma's door. "I've got to go home," and thrusting a letter into her hand, said, "Read that!" Ma-ma read:
"Dear Lu-seng,—I hope you are well.
All the brothers and sisters send their greetings.
STONES OF
FIRE "Our son was born on August 17th just as the light was coming through the chinks of the wall. God gave strength and your mother helped me.
"Baby looks like me. I'm sorry. Maybe he will look like you when he grows up.
"No trouble came until these last few days, when he has been vomiting and won't eat at all now. We do not know what is wrong with him. He is getting thinner and thinner and he was only four pounds at birth.
I am not asking you to come home, but we fear baby will not live. He is so tiny.
Be happy, do not worry about me, but—I wish you could see our little son before he dies. Goodbye. Dwell in peace.
"The writer is Your Dear One."
It will be seen what a master letter-writer she was! No one could ever say that she had interfered with his studies and called him home; she but pulled on his heart strings until he could not stay away ! By the time Ma-pa was out of bed to write him a river pass, Lu-seng had eaten and was ready for the road. While
Ma-pa was writing it, Lu-seng sought Ma-ma for medicine.
After reading Mary's letter, Ma-ma made a guess at the complaint, showed him how to make a soap-stick, gave him an eye-dropper to use if the other failed, supplied a few simple baby medicines and sent him off.
We may try to picture his arrival. How fast his heart beat as he sped up the long, familiar trail and sighted the village where his dear ones were! How shy and embarrassed he would be as he entered the shanty, but if by good luck no strangers were present, how quickly he would have that small form in his own hands and arms! Inquiry showed baby was indeed very sick, but Ma-ma had guessed aright. Patiently Lu-seng tried the soapstick.
It did not succeed. Then they heated warm water and the eye dropper was used.
Relief was immediate and by evening baby was sucking again and the next day was quite normal.
What rejoicing ! Lu-seng-ma never ceased to boast how Luseng had saved little Paul's life.
How minutely wee mannie was examined by that ecstatic daddy
WAR— AS DIAMOND DUST
"His face is like Mary's, but his hands are like mine," Lu-seng wrote to Ma-ma.
"I think he is a nice-looking little boy. He has no hair yet—just soft fuzz on the top of his head."
And so we must leave them temporarily.
Ma-pa, Ma-ma and Danny were now setting out on their furlough.
Brother Three was staying behind with the Lisu, which was a comfort, but as the Japanese war had not ended Lisu letters would be difficult to get out of China. No censor could be expected to recognize that script.
Brother Three, of course, wrote, and when Ma-ma asked how Lu-seng and Mary were getting along he replied, "Very happy, I should say. Mary and the old mother work together in the fields, whilst Lu-seng goes around preaching. Lu-seng tore down his new house after the colonel moved out, and is rebuilding it nearer to the church.
I would say that Lu-seng is the pride and glory of both Mary and the old mother. Paul is growing and could stand having his face washed a little oftener
And so with the murmur of human happiness, as God has planned it most sweetly for men, issuing from their little shanty on the mountainside, they must be left for a couple of years.
,•"-.,
The Climax of the Lapidary's Skill THE most magnificent diamond in the world's history was presented to the King of England, who sent it to Amsterdam to be cut.
It was put into the hands of an expert lapidary, and what do you suppose he did? He took that gem of priceless worth and cut a notch in it. Then he struck it a hard blow with his instrument, and lo ! the superb jewel lay in his hand cleft in twain.
. For days and weeks that blow had been studied and planned. Drawings and models had been made of the gem. Its quality, its defects, its lines of cleavage had all been studied with the minutest care. That blow was the climax of the lapidary's skill .
. seeming to ruin the superb precious stone, it was in fact, its perfect redemption. For from those two halves were brought two magnificent gems ... to blaze in the crown of state." 1
This chapter is to tell of a blow, "seeming to ruin the precious stone", but in reality its perfect redemption. Even in the world's greatest jewels there are defects and weaknesses, as they come raw from the bosom of the earth; to make them great, the Master lapidary must study and then cleave. In Mary's love for God there had long been a weak human element which must be disentangled if her worship was to be pure. She had first been attracted to God because Lu-seng loved Him
! And all this time there had been adoration of Lu-seng mixed up with adoration of God. That must be corrected; if not, there was constant danger that the one might crash if the other did. So for years the great spiritual Master lapidary had been studying "the lines of
', and the time was now ripe to let the blow descend. cleavage 1 From Streams in the Desert.