Miss Mannerly

"Yes I would. The light is beginning to fade and it is difficult to see my stitches. I will get my shawl and tell Mrs. Henderson where I am going."

Marion watches the chess game, seeing Richard struggle to keep his chessmen on the board, defending his queen, as long as possible. But it is a loosing proposition, even though Mister Chin compliments him on a well fought battle. When Mister Chin stands to leave, he asks Marion how she is doing with the construction her cloak. She blushes and asks Mister Chin about the braided cord fastenings down the front of his shirt that hold the two sides together. He tells Marion and Richard about how the Chinese tie cords and decorate their homes with different knots having different meanings.

Mister Chin sits down and begins to tell a story. From the beginning of time, a certain rock on the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers had been soaking up the goodness of nature and energy. One day this pregnant rock released a stone egg, and from it hatched a Stone Ape, who solemnly bowed to the Four Corners of the Earth, and then jumped off the rock to have fun. This was Monkey. He was high-spirited, egotistical and full of mischievous pranks. He was soon having a wonderful time as King of the Apes. This is how the Chinese came to revere the monkey.

There was an old man, who lived alone on a mountain. He decided that he had been sad and alone for so long, he wanted a little fun in his life. So he decided to catch a monkey to be his friend. He left food, which a monkey from the trees came to eat, but the monkey escaped before the old man could catch him. The old man tried to put food in a box, but the monkey climbed into the box, ate the food, and then escaped. However, the old man discovered the monkey was very curious and determined. He took a glass jar with a small opening at the top and put small pieces of food in the bottom of the jar. The monkey stuck his paw down into the jar, pulled out the small pieces of food, one by one, ate them, and then ran away.

The old man noticed that the monkey, once he had a small morsel of food in his paw, would not let go of it, he would mash the morsel of food and pull it out so he could eat it. One day, the old man took a length of cord and tied a knot around a small stone and dropped the knot into the jar along with several morsels of food. When the monkey came to eat, he snatched several pieces of the food and then grabbed the knot. However, with the knot in his hand, he could not get his paw out of the jar. But he was also stubborn and would not release the knot.

The old man approached the monkey, holding out his hand with a small bit of food in the palm. The monkey was frightened but could not escape because he would not release the knot and the jar was too heavy for him to lift, so he used his other paw to reach for the food. The old man fed the monkey until he began to trust the man. When they had finally made friends, the old man broke the jar, took the knot out of the monkey's fist and released him from captivity. The monkey was so happy to be free and had come to love the old man that he decided to stay. They had a lot of fun and a good life together, the old man and his friend, the monkey.

Mister Chin puts his hand into his pocket and withdraws a small silk bag, opens it and selects two coins, the same size. "Miss Mannerly, please make button holes at the top of your cloak, on both sides, just the size this coin will slip through. I will make you a monkey fist knot."

When Marion holds out her hand for the coin, Mister Chin places one of the coins in her hand and says, "No blue fingers?"

Marion says, "No the blue dye does not come off on my fingers, as I handle the material."

Mister Chin laughs, says "Yes. See? Chin piss", cackles his laughter again, and then makes his way to his laundry, occasionally stopping to regain his balance before proceeding along the wooden walkway.

While Marion holds the lantern and Richard locks the front door, he says, "I admire a woman's industry. Such a simple thing as a length of fabric can be made into clothing that is as much adornment as merely a covering. I am going to enjoy seeing the rich colors surround you. Mister Babbitt says we will have a hard winter. He says the moss on the tree trunks is lush and fuller than in previous years, which he says is a fair predictor of the snows."

"Is that story of the tree moss really true, or just one of those stories old men use as something to speak of when they gather to escape their lonely existence?" Marion asks.

Richard chuckles, and then looks around to see if they are being observed. "I do not know. I think of the words lonely and alone and wonder which of those apply."

Marion looks up at him and sees him staring at the ground in front of them. "Do you mean which of them apply to you or to me?"

He answers as if speaking to his boots. "I suppose I think of how they apply to each of us, at one time or another. I understand what the minister said last Sunday, about man not being created to exist alone. But I wonder some days, if being alone might be better than being with people you have no affection for. I believe I could spend a great many hours talking to you, leaning how your mind works and sharing my own words and thoughts with you. Yet, I can find great pleasure in a short walk beside you, from my office to your lodgings and leave you there, knowing I am alone and you are alone, but neither of us is lonely, simply because we have shared a little affection during that short walk."

About two weeks later, when Richard walks by the boarding house one evening, Marion and Bertha Henderson are sitting on the front porch, so he stops to say a few words to the women. Mrs. Henderson asks, "Sheriff Robertson, I have a fresh cobbler I just removed from the oven to cool. Would you like some cobbler and a cup of coffee or a glass of milk?"

"Yes ma'am, I would enjoy some of your cobbler." Then he turns to Marion and says, "When I first arrived here, Mrs. Henderson was one of the first people to invite me into their home. She served me some of her cobbler and I have felt welcome in this town ever since then."

Bertha says, "Well, come on up here and sit down and I will fix the cobbler." She turns to Marion and says, "And you will have some too, Miss

Marion?"

Marion answers, "Yes, I will."

Richard sits on the top step and looks up at the setting sun, "I am in the mood for some fresh fish and I would like to take you fishing. But perhaps it is not a good idea, unless I can find another woman who would also like to fish. Can you think of someone who might like to go?"

Marion shakes her head and replies, "No, I cannot."

"Then perhaps I will go fishing alone, and bring them to Mrs. Henderson to cook for me."

"Yes, I'm sure she would do that for you."

Richard looks down at the toes of his boots and says, "It is a pity that so many people have such small minds. Perhaps some day, small minds will grow, but I am not sure that the respect we give to women will benefit from the change. I will play chess with Mister Chin tonight and I feel a little more confident, would you care to watch, again?"

Marion nods and replies, "Yes, I would enjoy that."

After Bertha's delicious cobbler, Richard and Marion are walking to the Sheriff's office as he checks doors and windows. He stops for a moment at the general store and asks, "Did you get your cloak finished? I ask, because I can feel the cold weather coming."

"Yes", she answers, "I am finished with the sewing, but I was thinking I would like to have a ribbon around the edge of the hood, so it will show less wear."

Richard tells her, "I am looking forward to seeing you in the cloak, with the snow falling around you. I think you will look like a spirit coming out of the mist. Marion, do you think Mister Chin looks well?"

"No, Richard, this is the wet part of the year and I fear he suffers this time of the year."

When Mister Chin laughs his cackling laugh, both Richard and Marion hear his faint wheeze and it saddens them. When the game is over, and Richard has returned to good humor after his loss, Mister Chin reaches into his pocket and hands Marion the promised monkey fist knot. But it is actually two knots connected by a short cord, one knot for each button hole at the neck of her cloak.

Mister Chin says, "You see, the two knots are two individuals, no beginning, no end, held together by a silken cord. They may try to pull away from the other, but when one pulls, the other follows. Such is the friendship of men and the love between a man and a woman."

As Mister Chin makes his way to his laundry, Richard closes and locks the office and Richard returns Marion to her room. They walk around a large puddle in the street and he asks, "Do you believe a man would throw his coat or cloak across such a puddle, so a woman could cross without soiling her skirt?" He looks at Marion and when she shakes her head, he says, "Nor do I, instead I believe he would carry her across, just for the joy of feeling the warmth of her in his arms. Human beings do not do well, without warmth from another human. Many animals, particularly male animals, spend most of their time alone. I would not like to be one of those animals."

For most of the remainder of the walk to the boarding house, they are both silent. As they near the gate, Richard says, "I regret that I am unable to hold your hand or kiss your cheek before I open the gate for you. Perhaps that will change one day, too."

Marion stands in the dark, watching the lonely man walking down the street and wonders how he feels, having no one to talk to or be with on the nights other than a Wednesday when he plays chess with Mister Chin. Even after she is in her bed, she continues to think of Richard and how alone he is. Perhaps he does not know how badly he wants another human being around to speak to, or to listen to, as they speak. She wonders if he will ever look for the other half of his monkey fist knot. She goes to sleep with her questions unanswered.

With school closed for the winter, on a very cold November afternoon, Sheriff Robertson stops at Bertha Henderson's Boarding House to see if Marion would, once again, like to be a spectator at his defeat in a chess game with Mister Chin. She accepts and he comes to get her shortly after dark, carrying a small lantern that lights them through a light mist, as he completes his rounds. When they arrive at the sheriff's office her hands and face are red from cold and he tells her to warm them by the stove while he gets the game board set up. He apologizes that he cannot leave the door open, but when Bobby delivers the pitcher of beer, Marion is standing by the stove and Richard is sitting in his chair, waiting for Mister Chin. They have been talking about their individual education. Bobby stands by the stove for a moment to warm up a little and asks Marion if she would like to come play the piano sometime, when the saloon is empty. When the weather is better he will move it out to the wooden walkway in front of the saloon, if she would consent to give a concert. She says she will think about it and asks if he would also be willing to play a few pieces he knows.

The game tonight seems to last longer than usual and Marion notices that Mister Chin occasionally wheezes when he exhales. Midway through their game, he begins to tell the story of a swan and how the male swan finds a female swan for a mate. A young boy senselessly kills the female swan and Mister Chin describes the male swan's loneliness. He says he is like the male swan and tells about the loss of his wife. He says he understands the Christian principal of heaven and although he is not a Christian, he hopes there is a similar reunion with his wife in the Chinese heaven.

As the game resumes Mister Chin lifts one of his chessmen to make a move and points to Marion's cloak and says, "You see, Chin piss", so of course Richard must have an explanation.

Richard begins to describe what he knows of his own heritage, and finally pulls an ancient Scots tartan plaid from beneath his desk. He manages to resist Marion and Mister Chin's efforts to get him to demonstrate how the material is arranged and worn by the old clans. For a few minutes he speaks with such a heavy brogue that Marion and Mister Chin laugh so hard they can hardly breathe. Richard says he will show Mister Chin how to put it on and the thought of the small Chinese man in a kilt destroys Mister Chin's concentration so badly he makes a poor move, which Richard takes advantage of, but the game is so far advanced that he is unable or unskilled enough to win.

After the usual hearty laughter of his victory, Mister Chin stumbles to his laundry and Richard begins to close up the office in preparation of walking Marion back to her room. He looks at her for a moment and says, "I wish I could keep you here, in the warmth, for the night."

Marion responds, "Yes, me too, but I would not like to walk out of here in the morning to the looks of the town's leading citizens."

Instead, he pulls her hood over her head, being careful not to muss her hair, folds his old plaid and arranges it around her shoulders. He picks up the lantern and hands it to her to hold while he locks the door, and then walks her home. When she tries to return the plaid, he tells her he will retrieve if at another time. Before leaving her at the gate, he says, "I wanted to hold at least one of your hands, to keep it warm, but perhaps I have another idea." Then he tips his hat and walks away, the lantern gently swinging as he takes one step after another away from her.

It is winter, deepening winter, with occasional snows and growing colder, when Richard asks Marion how much of a risk is she willing to take, that he will do nothing to harm her or damage her reputation. She is reluctant, at first, to answer his question. Then he says he means her no harm, but the confines of the small town, his job and her reputation make it difficult for them to have more than a few minutes at a time to speak to each other, except for the times they might play chess or when he calls to take her to watch a game. And those times are not private or unobserved. He adds that he fears to do that too often. They dare not spend too long in conversation on the walkway in front of the general store and as he turns to walk away, he tells her to think about it.

The next Sunday, they walk home from church, a few steps behind Mrs. Henderson who is rushing to get Sunday's mid-day meal served to her tenants. Richard and Marion walk slower and Mrs. Henderson is soon out of hearing. Richard explains he needs to go to the capitol for a few days and he suggests that she tell Bertha Henderson she is considering going east to look for a few books for the school and to visit friends. She may be gone as long as a month and will likely not return until after Christmas, perhaps as late as the end of January. He adds that he will explain more on Wednesday.

Wednesday, when he stops to ask her if she would like to watch his defeat again, she consents and Bertha Henderson asks how much longer he is going to allow Chin to beat him at chess. He says he is getting better, but is not quite up to Chin's level of skill. When he calls for Marion, he presents her with a rabbit fur lined muff which he says he asked an old Indian man to make for her. She has his old plaid folded over her arm. She returns it, saying she was able to reweave several of the small holes, but had to sew the large tear in one corner, but managed to do so with few of her stitches showing.

Mister Chin and Richard play their chess game while Marion and Mister Hanson, the banker, watch. Mister Hanson does not play chess, but wants to learn and interrupts frequently. By the time Mister Chin is cackling in victory, Mister Hanson is in his bedroom, preparing to crawl into his warm bed, beside his wife. Before leaving, Mister Chin says, "bank man, not smart for chess", and the small Chinese man cackles then stumbles and weaves back to his laundry.

As Richard arranges Marion's cloak around her shoulders and carefully places her hood over her head then hands her the muff, he says, "I have a sister in the capitol."

Marion walks through the door and holds the lantern while he locks the door, then tests to make sure the lock if fully engaged. "I did not know you have any relatives living near here."

"Yes, I know. That is the problem, as I see it", he replies. "I can never say more than a few words to you, without my intentions being misunderstood." With their backs to the wind and a few snow flakes falling, they walk down the wooden walkway to its end and he holds her elbow as they go down the steps through snow covered dirt to the wagon wheel rutted, dirty snow in the road. "I would like to pick you up and carry you through this mush and muck. But, more than that, I would like you to meet my sister. She is very special."

Marion responds, "I think I would like to meet your sister."

They stand in the center of the road while he holds the lantern up high and they watch the light snow falling through its light. "It is beautiful when it falls like that. I always grow tired of walking through it and seldom take the time to appreciate the beauty. Will you spend some time with my sister, in her home?"

"I would enjoy that, if she does not mind the company."

"She writes me that she would appreciate getting to know you. I must ask your pardon for telling her of you, but I felt I must, before I asked her to entertain you." They step carefully for a few moments before he continues. "I regret that it would not be prudent for me to take you to her, as I feel would be proper. But if you will trust me," he removes a letter from his pocket and folds it against his chest then puts it inside her muff, "that is an invitation from Claire."

Marion looks up at him and says, "I think I was ready to be angry that you would write to her about me, but now I'm glad you did."

He looks down at her and says, "There are snowflakes on your eyelashes. Marion, do you realize how beautiful you are? Yes, I feared you might feel that way, but I felt it was a necessity. If you will take the train to the capitol, you can get a small buggy ride to her home. It is not expensive and I will go to whatever expense makes you feel comfortable."

"Richard, it is not necessary for you to pay. I want to get away from here for a short while, too. I feel enclosed, almost claustrophobic, with the weather and seeming to be observed all the time."

"A few days after you arrive, I will be there, in the capitol, for almost a week. Do you have a nice dress? I would like to take you to dinner one evening. I think I would not like to live where the weather is the same, all the time. I understand there are islands in the Pacific with only minor changes from the first of the year to the end of the year. It would be dull and monotonous."

"Yes, Richard, I have a very nice dress, which I will pack in my bag. I agree with you, however, about the weather. When it is cold I long for the summer and when it finally arrives and the heat builds, I almost beg for a snowfall. I don't know if that has something to do with being a human person of the female gender, but probably so."

As he opens the gate and closes it after her, he says, "No, Marion, I do that, too and then feel a little humbled by the thought that I am dissatisfied with God's plan for this earth and the people who dwell here. If you can leave here in about a week, you can have a week with Claire before I arrive. Her letter will explain more."

"Yes, I can do that. Good evening, I will see you at church on Sunday."

"Yes, good night", he replies. Then she watches as he walks through the whiteness of the snow with the lantern spreading a small circle around him, which is broken only by his shadow.