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/ THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1058.
Elizabeth Beachim
Introducing Another Hongkong Short Story Writer.
TURNABOUT
tance in the American Consulate
wedding, al the
how about
CATHRYN looked appreciatively at the solitaire memory of her thoughts about Americans earlier that day... diamond on the third finger of her left hand rich, travelling for pleasure. Ite and gave a quick glance into the long glass of her had discovered an old acquain dressing table. "I've changed," she thought, "I don't here who was to be a witness even look the same any more!” The girl facing Cathryn being the second wit- her in the mirror wore a sheath of tangerine ness? shantung; and she wondered if it were a little too bright, though on second thought, it did seem to idea who could be better reflect its colour in the highlights of her brown Caryn was pleased and ex- hair. and surely it did something to those Stoner's consent to this arrange- ordinary hazel eyes. Anyhow it had taken time ment and whilst David went off and care to choose this special dress for this very special occasion, so now it would have to do.
She glanced across at the worn Americans, chewing gum, An travelling clock on her bedside Amerleon sallor glanced at her table; it sald 7.30, so she had and turned to his companion to Alleen minutes before she must make some qulet remark. go downstairs. "Funny," she sold to herself, "that little clock has been with me for seven years. and travelled half way round the world with me.".
And a tremor of exeltement passed through her body as she thought of her next journey, It seemed hardly bellevable that only three weeks ago she'd lain in her bed in this very room in a state of exasperated self-pity, sure that at twenty-seven, nothing exciting was ever going to happen to her again,
And that, she mused. where the luck changed.
*
was
Brenda was overjoyed at the
than her best friend'a aister? anticipated Mrs
she cited;
on business of his own, she and Brenda descended
upon Miss Brayley's "Gowns" and there, in less than no time found the which dress In ice blue lace Brenda swore would be the per- pinkc feet foll for the orchid which she had chosen for her wedding.
was
They met David again at 7.30, and with him
a sandy- and quiet haired, rather plain young man who was introduced 25 Robert Adamson. The dinner that followed was made gay by Brenda's chatter and enthusiasmn.
PIDGIN LANGUAGES
Robert Wallace Thompson
Bobbery
This word means hoise
OU
Cathryn had flushed with
How dare they, Anger.
she'd thought. And pulled herself up with a jerk. "Good heavens, what is the matter with nie. I'd out of this, but better snap
As the Aram rapidly quick!" descruded the sun appeared and at Garden when she emerged
at least the day smiled Road,
fuss. Hobern Jobson derives and cheered her up in spite of
from the Anglo-Indian, herself. She even gave a dollar
They danced, and though Robert It to a beggar on Battery Path.
was not the world's best dancer, Bobbery-Bob. an interjection. alow Bobbery-Bob is Hindi Bap-ro Cathryn found his quiet,
The Indo- conversation much more inter-Bap. O Father. esting than an evening at the Portuguese Variant of Bobbery She'd been in, Hongkong for
movies un hier own
is, batare, which represents a and
sound similar to that of Leland's six months, as governess
They found they had many companion to elderly Jonathan
tastes in common and when at barbly, as in too muchee barbly, 100 much noise. Although he and Kitty Stoner and their two
The anlesgirl In the shoe store Inat he delivered her to the mall children. The Sloners were where she finally tracked down Stoners house, on the Peak, she
relayed this form to bobbery, on Australian couple who had
the kind of shoes she wanted, was pleased when he said per Leland translates it babble, a married late in life and
healthy piece of contamination, was friendly and helpful. and haps when the excitement of
It is not true that "Chinese blissfully happy with their
hold her that new swim suits the wedding was over they
cannot pronouncer- children. Cathryn had met he had come in that very day from might meet again,
Just three people
sounds." What happens is that whilst on a visit to her married America. Cathryn found a superb weeks ago!
such sounds do not exist in scene sister in Sydney and had liked creation in deep turquoise blue
of them at once, They were - which sulted her and sent up The wedding successfully of the Southern languages trigued by Cathryn's enterprise the morale tit
and David China and are replaced by 1- she felt almost negotiated, Brenda
by some Southern and initiative in getting herself human. At least 1 don't look too went on their way to Japan; tonnd's jobs of all kinds so that
she bad, she'd thought, as she walk- combine a honeymoon with what Chinese when speaking lon-
briskly could travel and see something ed
toward Jimmy's remained of Brenda's business gunges such as English, French KHchen, where she had deelded cammitments. But that had or Portuguese. of the world.
to Junch... get some decent really been the beginning for French food there) With a spring Cathryn. in her step, she entered the “re- staurant. There didn't seem
*
were
two
to
д Robert, for all his quiet up-
be a table free, and such was In seven years she lind work the delicate state of her interl- ed as
companion, ority complex, governess,
Read that she shop-assistant, and even da started to slink out, when factory hand, in London, Paris, walter touched her arm and said: Vienna, in a country town in "Here is a table Madame," and Bavaria and
In Copenhagen, sure enough, a small tablo was And, had saved up though tout that moment vacated. She sat take her to Australia. So, It down thankfully, relleved, for had seemed a natural and pro- even young feet get tired after per coincidence, that she should walking on hot pavements for a encounter the Stoners just as few hours. they were about to leave for a Year's assignment in Hongitong. Nearby was another table, as Catlmyn had jumped at the op- small as her own, but occupled portunity
of going with them by a couple obviously absorbed In fact she hadn't much chance in each other. The girl about of a refusal-they insisted with her own ago, pretty and anim- of ated and the man a little older. such gusto that the whirl
was in full swing thin. bronzed, outdoor looit- preparation before she had time to think. ing. Cathryn watched them, idly, feeling a slight pang at her awn loneliness, Then she ne plised the girl was watching her too, and suddenly, hand stretched, smiling, she got
Д
But Hongkong had been disappointment to her, Kitty turned out to be a fuster over the children and so Cathryn had found herself very much tied
out-
up
and came over to Cathryn.
che
Hance, for example, our old friend fly lice....Hence, too, Leland's spelling, bobbely; This my flin ho wantchee makes one Jitico
Iomr.zide plecce pidgin you. S'posey you chestum._my makee, big bobbely, wit you." Hobson Jobson quotes proach, was thorough, He made following passage: If an a friend and ally of Kitty Ston-Hindoo was to me a house on er, and put his mind to court-re, to receive a smart slap on ing Cathryn to such effect, that when he asked her to marry him the face, break a china basin, a fortnight after heir first meet cut his finger, see two Europeans ing, she said yes, because there boxing, or a sparrow shot, he didn't seem
to be any other would call out "Al-Dip-ared - the answer. This was no young Another passage where
On the expression is used in roughly girl's dream of love,
the China coast sense is Dio
Hobson in
Jobson: contrary love, on Cathryn's part,
It printed didn't seem to enter into Everything had happened so fast "When the band struck up (my that she never really came
much frightened, to Arab), was they were all, the Stoners and tole herself until one evening when made bobbery, set his foot in a and nearly pliched me," Robert and herself sitting in the This Anglo-Indian reference is drawing room talking desultor-fated 1830.
ly, half listening 10 someone Attempta have been made, chating humorously ori the rone, very convincing, to relate radio on "How to write the bobbery to Cantonesc pa-pl, Great Novel."
Boilum
Suddenly it came
her. upon
and with litle time to herself, "Surely," she had' sald, "you that this was what she had been The Stonerg were a
An old pidgin word for boll. quiet must be Cathryn Weston. Your waiting for all her lie. To be Leland quotes My boilum tea. couple, not given much to social sister Jess is my best friend. able to look across the room and The um ending seems
and
to be
use..
an occasional rather You were due to arrive in Syd- see Robert's homely face, creased English him of b It has come Atoday dinner party
ney just after I had left for in an appreciative grin and to sometimes in the near distance Manila. I'm Brenda Forrest."
know that for the rest of time, to be the sign of the transitive.
verb in some pidgin languages. стать .. but never UN•
he would be there when she needed him. And that would be der forty.
all the time.
60,
on
three that morning weeks ago there'd been a bit of
+
Cathryn
*
*
remembered
Jess
All the time. She'd
wanted
been
an edge to Cathryn's temper talking about her friend Brendo, to shout it aloud from the house when the awoke on her day off, so a little bewildered, at the top. Foor Robert had
shaken out of his ustial calm by to find the Peak drowned in suddenness of the approach, she
her response when he'd kissed protest when mist; she'd lain there wondering rose what on earth was the matter Brenda sald: "You must join us her goodnight, that night." with her; or what was wrong and meet my with the world. This sort at Moson,"
thing had never happened to her before, always, wherever she'd
without
been, she'd managed to have Cathryn was regated with the right. Halr she would be Mits
►
Boy
Although I (ond Mr. Mug- Hongkong use of ber, I can't geridge) have been abusing the help remembering the French has gone through a aroon similar evolution and seemis. Lo give little offence.
Bright Sun Leland saya this was once the Cantxun plugin for Chineso I wonder ming rat, tommerrow, if it has ever been used in Hong- kung.
Bull-Chilo
was
-for
be
KI
flance, David: She looked at the clock again. Must go down now. Guests. iables were would be arriving. One last looks samall Two
at the tangerine dress. Face al- Junch put together and over
.. A few weeks which now.and good time. She got out of bed account of the romance
Robert Adamson and after В and had a look at herself... had befallen Brends, at the very tallish...
good figure Ekin beginning
of the business four honeymoon' in the United States, alright... eyes a clear hazel which had taken her to Manila, to be shown off to Robert'e par- ents, would return to this Island
Boy was so commonly used hair.. nothing She and David had met at ... brown
China Coast and had fallen and make her home here. She and cocktail party
for servant in much wrong with hands
evening, the Fouk Pidgin that another term Icg! Perhaps it's my mind, she madly in love with each other looked out of the window; a had thought, maybe I'm getting at sight. That was two weeks beruilfal
bathed in the glow of the setting physiological boy had to
Bull-child fernal. duller as I get older. But for the ago, and on Saturday they were
in sun, life of her she couldn't see that going to be married here
No wonder people raved about excellent choice. It could bo understood without difficulty the level of her intelligence had Hongkong. David was an Ameri-
and differentiated neatly be changed. And she dung ficrselt can... Cathryn blushed at the the beauty of Hongkong.
tween the offspring of the back on the bed feeling that the
master-race and of the natives petulent lwist of the mouth was
as did I'm this same way plocaninny in the Deep South and still does in Lambeth between while and coloured,
Bull-chlio Woo becoming obsolete in Leland's day. I take it that is never heard: „in Cow- Hongkong these days. clito presumably vanished with
fully justified.
.
a new
She was bored. And the pros- pect of the day before her irritated and annoyed her, Shop- ping in the morning. pair of shoes and a swim suit lunch.... alone... then,' to the recreation club to give the swim suit on airing. There'd be nobody there, of course, but a lot of screaming brats and their fond meinas, she had thought, gloomily. And then a cinema or dinner: again, ajone!
By the time her breakfast arrived she had worked up a beautiful chip on her shoulder and neither the peace of onbe ing breakfast without the chat- tor of the children, nor the lol- surely bath did anything to help. The chip went with through the mist to the peak why tram. She wondered people raved aboat' Hongkong The Peak Imd been in the clouds for three weeks now
her
and it
WAI 100:10 (4) and one never
koww what to wear
the team was alwaye - fuziol
ZANIES
Bund
This is.. not a well-known Hongkong word but. It was the Anglo-Indian name given to Com, on artificial embankment dykco UT Causeway bordering Le sea-front in many of the Treaty Ports. A writen an 1070 алуа ..so I took a stroll on Liso critain bund." The word Ja Person barüb,
Coursa
•
-Hongkong' own word is of Faya which is the Portugiens pats, beach or "Bea- shore, as in the famous and beautiful Prala Grabdo Macao MA
Bunder
According to Leland, a report, card: *: story which has obtained currendoj, on 'the "quay. orbund.", la "this word... ever Kined Hod biomat. Has it re
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