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Man with the Pan – The Proud Son of Yan Huang – The Blind Loony
We finally arrived in a town, all worn out and I'se downright irritated with each other. Huck started talking nonsense about how we never shoulda came and I berated him fully.
"What nonsense you talk, Huck. Do pirates ever stop looking for treasure because of a little weariness? Do generals stop conquests because of a little hunger? We're gonna be rich, Huck. We can spare a little right now for our futures."
"But we're already rich, Tom. And I didn't like having money so much. I lost my freedom being smothered at Widow Douglass's and then yourn Aunt Sally's. If we got even richer, I don't even know what'll happen."
"Well ain't you just a selfish little bloke. Just because you doan' won't to be rich no more why you wanna ruin it for me, Huck? Besides, it ain't the money that matters. WE are going to have ourselves a sweet adventure."
"But Tom," Huck said to me wearily, "That's what you said about that damned California trail and it warn't no fun doing all that walking."
"But we saw Injuns didn't we?"
"I wanna go home Tom, I don't like this idea no more."
Now that brought me to the edge of my patience. Huck is a simple-minded fellow, he is. He can't never see past the now into tomorrow. You gotta bear a little weariness in your present in order to meet a fortuitous future, don't you?
Well, I just left Huck with the Parkersons to take some time to think and repent for the foolishness he said to me. I wandered out into the barren desert-like regions around the town. I wanted to find out where all the miners were heading for to find the gold. The first person I found was this one tall man in denim trousers holding a metal pan. I walked to approach him and talk a spell but I discovered that he was busy.
It appeared that he was picking on an peculiarly absurd looking man – I ain't kidding neither - he looked like he belonged in the asylum we saw back in St. Louis. I never saw such a man before. He weren't no nigger or Injun or Spaniard either. His skin was yellow- yellow as the blazing star in the sky called sun. His hair was black and short and his eyes were so narrow I thought maybe he was blind. If he was, it warn't right for the man with the pan to be belligerent to a blind man.
"This is no your land. I clam it. Mine." The strange loony said.
"Shut up, yar damn chink." The man with the pan said bearing his teeth. "Where do you get the right to take soil from a full blooded American. Go back to your damn island!"
"What you say?" The loony said in an offensive voice. "I no Japanese! I proud Son of Yan Huang!"
"It's all the same, coolie. This land is mine. So get lost before I blow yer head off!" The man dropped his pan to grab the shotgun from the holster by his trousers. My heart started beating through my chest as I remembered that the last murder I'd seen was that one committed by Injun Joe. And that one time had laid me up in bed for so many nights with nighmares. It had caused a considerable amount of trouble. I didn't warnt to see no more murders.
"Help! Help me!" I hollered as I ran out to the man aiming a pistol at the asylum escapee. He lowered his gun to talk to me real gentle-like, momentarily forgetting all about the loony.
"What's wrong, son?" he asked me.
I worked some tears to my eyes and said miserably to the man, "Some Injuns are attacking my family's wagon, sir! You've got to save them. My momma and pappy, and lit-little Sue!" I started rambling
"Sure, boy. Sure. Where'd you say they were?" the man asked me urgently. I pointed off away from town and the man ran a little ways off to reach his horse and hitched onto the creature. "Stay here, away from danger son." He told me afore he turned to the loony and called angrily, "I'll deal with you later, chink!"
