Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1872-02-29
A CHINESE FAIRY TALE.
SEVEN HUNDRED YEARS OLD.

Many years ago, during the Tang dynasty,
there lived in the town of Peen-chow an old
maid named SAM. No one knew where she
came from. All that her neighbors could
say about her was, that for the last thirty
years she had kept the cake stand on the
wooden bridge, and that during the whole of
that time she had lived quite by herself, en-
plOyed neither man-servant nor maid-servant,
nor had any relative been known to visit her.
But, Notwithstanding this, report pronounced
her to be rich. Her house was large one,
and she had mules in abundance. In order
to save her guests part of the local carriage
tax, she made 1t practice not to receive their
equipages, q proceeding which was highly
approved of by them, and In consequence, of
those who had once put up at her hostelry,
many repeated their visits. Now it happened
that about this time the Emperor "Great Har-
mOny" sent General Chaou, surnamed the
''Slender and Kind One," on an expedition to
the eastern capital, and the general, passing
through Peen-choW with his six or seven SER
wants, put up for the night at the shop on the
wooden bridge The servants were soon ac-
commodatedr in q common, room, and the
Slender and Kind One" was lodged in sep
crate apartment adjoining the dwelling
rooms OF San. San paid the greatest atten-
tion to her guests and when might came ON
served them with wine, land helped themto
drink i i, making M merry with all. The .'Slen-
der ana Kind One alone abstained from
tasting the wine, but Joined in the talking and
laughing. .itij tGadG YIu3a 2tEii r33 23t9i9paa
I dWhen the watchman announced the second
watch, and when most of her guests were
sleeping the sleep Of drunkards, San betook
herself to- her domicil, barred the door, and
put out the light. { In the middle of the night,
as the s'Slender and Kind One lay tossing
from this side to that side, unable to sleep, he
heard a noise in Sans room, as though she
were moving things about. His curiosity be-
ing excited, he peeped through a crevice, and
saw her light candle, and take out from a.
cloth bound box plow, little wooden man
and little wooden OK, each about six or seven
inches high, and put them down in front of
the fireplace. She then poured water on
them, and they instantly began to move and
live. The little man harnessed the little OK to
the plow, and set to work plowing up part of
the room in front of the bed. When he had
prepared enough ground, San gave him a sack
full of wheat, which he soWed. In q very
few minutes it sprouted through the ground,
and grew up until it Powered, brought forth
fruit, and ripened. The man then set to
work to reap and. thresh it, and presented to
his mistress crop of seven or eight pints of
grain. This done, he was made to grind the
corn in small mill, and was then thrown,
with his OK and his plow, into the box again.
San now began her share of the work, and,
having well kneaded the flour, transformed it
into baked cakes. At cock-crow the soldiers
began to ;bestir themselves, but San was up
before them, and had lighted their lamp and
laid out the hot cakes in tempting array on
the table. The .'Slender and Kind One"
was not very comfortable after what he had
seen and heard so he went outside the house,
bnt, determined to see the end, he peeped
through creyice in the door. Suddenly,
while he was watching his soldiers seated in
circle, in the act of devouring the nice hot
cakes, he heard a sound as of neighing, and,
to his horror, he saw them in an instant ali
transformed into mules. The change was no
sooner effected than San drove, them into the
yard at the back of the shop. ~ -,,. -
The "Slendef and Kind One' told no one
what he had seen, but pondered much over
the adventure in secret; andtwhen, at the end
of month, he was returning by the same
road, he again put up at the shop on the
wooden bridge. But before entering the inn
he provided himself with a number of cakes
in size and form exactly like those he had
seen SO miraculously made. San professed
herself delighted to see him, and, Us he was
the solitary guest, lavished attentions upon
himi lliWhen night came she diligently en-
quired his wishes. :. have business before
me, said the "Slender and Kind One"
therefore call me at daybreak. =" "Without
fall" said San; shut please 10 sleep sound
Ns" About midnight the HSlender and Kind
One" arose, and witnessed a repetition of
what he had seen on a previous occasion.
In the morning San was up early, and having
laid out her guests breakfast she set before
him the hot cakes he knew SO well! While,
however, she was away getting other things,
the " Slender and Kind One" managed to ex-
change one of the cakes he had brought with
him for one of Sans, and, apologizing to her.
said he had supplied himself with cakes of
his own, and therefore should not want any
of hers. San waited attentively on her guest,
and when he had finished eating, brought
him his tea. The "Slender and Kind One"
then addressing her, said. "Let me beg my
hostess to try one of my cakes" at
the same time handing the one he had
taken in exchange for his own. H.. -. ..
San accepted it with thanks, but hardly
tasted 1t when she fell down to the ground.
neighing, and was instantly transformed into
q fine, strong mule. The t'Siender and Kind
One" saddled her, and then went to search
for the little wooden man and OK. He found
them, but not knowing the spell, could do
nothing with them. So he mounted the mule
and returned home. His new acquisition car
ried him remarkably well, and made nothing
of going one hundred miles day. -Four
years after these events, the "Slender and
Kind One" was riding on his mule to the
Hwa yo Temple; he passed an old man at
the side of the road, who, on seeing him,
clapped his hands, and laughing, said, "Why,
San of the wooden bridge, how is it you have
come to this?" Then, taking hold of the
mule, he said to the Slender and Kind One"