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107

Sunday, 11 October 1925

We had had word from T'ang Tse Ch'ing that he and Mrs. T'ang might be in Peking over the week-end of 10 October, and we had accordingly invited them to take supper with us on this evening. We had decided to try Chinese food again, and to have more variety than before, but about eleven Tse Ch'ing came in to see us. He stayed but a few minutes, and said that he was going back to Paofu in the afternoon, and that Mrs. T'ang had not come because she feared that war might start and she might be stranded in Peking. One of her little girls was sick, too, and could not well be left. It seems that there have been hundreds of troops moving south through Paofu; most of them newly recruited men belonging to Chang Tso-lin. That, combined with the reports of renewed activity on the part of Wu P'ei-fu in Honan, gave ample cause for apprehension. 

Tse Ch'ing stayed but a very short time, and then had to go along. I went across the street when he had gone, and telephoned to Lee and Frieda asking them to come for supper, to help, us eat up the food we had prepared. They accepted our invitation, and I went back to my desk. About one we went over to the Rubys, where we had a twelve-thirty luncheon date, and, strange to relate, we had the meal promptly upon our arrival. We stayed there but a short time, and then went outside of Hatamen to the bead shops. Dorothy had quite a few things to get on order and we spent a couple hours selecting stuff. I amused myself picking out unusual little things that had been made into pendants for necklaces, or were intended for that purpose. - little ivory Buddhist drums, tiny shrines, wooden shoes with ivory soles, and other odds and ends of nicely fashioned little things that Chinese men wear, or used to wear for the pleasure of feeling and playing with them. (The chief joy of jade, you know, is in the touch.) Well, I became enamored particularly of an ivory drum, and Dorothy remarked that she had one at home of even better quality. So when we got home we got it out, and I attached it to one end of my watch chain. By tucking it through my belt it makes a good guard for my watch, and at the same time can be pulled out to the full length of the cahain when I want to play with it. Later in the week I added a piece of amber cut in a design