VIII
A  LEGATEE  OF  LOVELESSNESS
 

A MONG the many unheard-of things in the
/J^ slums is the science of genealogy. Owing
^ -^to the absence of the genealogical fad, the
origin and ancestry of the Kid were shrouded in
(densest obscurity. Had it not been for the racial
mosaic in his features, the accident of his birth
would have passed entirely without comment. But
the composite effect of the formation, angle, and
colouring of his face was such that no one could see
it without feeling a desire to " know all about it."
Questions like "Of what nationahty are you?"
" Where were you born" " Who was your
father?" became so frequent and monotonous that
the Kid fled at the approach of persons unknown
to him.

They of the neighbourhood—Chinatown and its
immediate vicinity—were divided into two factions
concerning the Kid's classification. One-half
thought it evident that the Kid was negro and
white, while the other half was just as certain that
he was Chinese and white. The factions never got
into heated controversies about this difference of
opinion. They were content to " let it go at that,"
and never " lost any sleep over it."

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