a field of poetry, and he spoke in figures whenever he forgot
himself. Mrs. Van Buren was still Madam the Mandarin, and he called Lucy
the "Lotus of the Shining Sea." He received many reprimands for the use
of these Oriental forms of speech; but found it hard to harness his
thoughts to track-horses, especially after the June days began to fill
the gardens with orioles and humming-birds and roses.

"Why not _let_ me talk after nature?" little Sky-High used to beg.

One day the governor of the State came to visit the Van Burens. Sky-High
spoke of him as the "Mandarin of the Golden Dome." He had several times
been in Boston to see Consul Bradley, and knew the State House.

In the evening Mrs. Van Buren gave him his morning orders. "You will
call the governor to-morrow at seven o'clock. You will knock on his
door, and you must use plain language! You must not say, 'O Mandarin of
the Golden Dome!' We do not use flowery terms of address in this
country. Mind, Sky-High, use plain language."

The little Chinaman feared that he would be "flowery" in spite of all
his care. So he consulted with Irish Nora in the blooming hours of the
morning.

"What shall I say when I knock on the governor's chamber-door?" asked he
earnestly. "What shall I say in the plain American language?"

"What shall you say? Say, 'Get up!'"

"Is that all?" asked he doubtfully.

"Well, if you want to say more, say, 'Get up! The world is all growing
and crowing--the roosters are crowing their heads off!'"

Sky-High went to the door of the governor's room and knocked.

There came a voice from within. "Well?"

"Get up! The world is all growing and crowing,--the roosters are crowing
their heads off."

The "Mandarin of the Golden Dome" did not wait for a second summons, but
got up even as Sky-High had bidden him. It was a June morning, and he
found the world as he had been warned, "all growing and crowing."

"Have you called the governor?" asked Mrs. Van Buren, as she met
Sky-High on the stairs.

"Yes, my Lady of the Beautiful Morning."

"Did you use plain language?"

"Sky-High used the American language."

"What did you say?"

"I said, 'Get up!'"

"Oh, Sky-High, now I will have to apologize for you!"

"We never use plain language to mandarins in China," said Sky-High. "If
we did, 'whish, whish,' and our heads would be off before we could turn!"

The Mandarin of the Golden Dome came down from the chamber; and the Lady
of the Beautiful Mo