Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-04-23

strangely awed by all l saw; the still
gravcr forms around me. the expression of
scared iucredubili,y on every face, young
aud old alike, the dismal silent reception
had met with. the heavy. oppressive
,iagnation of the air. aud the in6e6uablc
aud uniamiliariiy which struck me in all
things. As | slowly answered the ques-
lions put to me. the cd mandarin who
was my chief interrogation, gov more aud
more excited-or, | may say less aud less
aprathelic-aud others. one by one, join.
ed him in his questioning, until the faces,
on all of which rested that weird look of
age NiIhout its symbols, crowded iogeIh-
or around me, drawing nearer and nearer
to mine in CHASTITY eagerness, as 1 an
swervd them that the emperor was we'll,
and holding his court then in Pckin.
Did they know so little OF the pro-
ceoiings of onr emperor, TaoE-Kwang,
aud of his capital, pekin?" | asked,
wondering.
There ran al exclamation through the
crowd. Where was Pekm? Who was
Taon-Kwatg?"
Our emperor, of course" | said,
land Pekin our capital" Aud looked
round, feeling that great city such as
this-a royal city ovidcntly-cUuld not
possibly be in ignorance of such national
Iacts, aud wondering how it could sceG'
to be so. .......
Where, then, was the emperor
aud his capital oi---?"
. l began involuntaIiIy to laugh as | rec
objected that that emperor's name belong
/ cd id a time about one thousand years be-
= fore, aun that that capital was never even
I heard Of now. But the laugh died sud
. deuly, for it scrndcd mcst strangely out Of
= place amidst this asse ably, whose laugh
L. ter seemed TO have been hushed forever by
= some great stl!ness that hung over them,
| aud | answered as bad answered before
. ,rhev only echoed those two words. "Pe.
u kin" aud "kwang" The incredulous ex;
i clama,iOn grew 10 fear theu horror. The
&. white faces turued vhiler. the eager sur.
prise upon thcm grew to u terrible es'
f ightcnment. The cluster Of listening iig
urcs were silent aud moliunless now, us il
p breath had struck them into stoue, and
there was 10 movement. until the OLD
. mandarin who had first addressed me sat
h down and hid his face. Then they al
followed his example, one after another
f and WAS left standing in their midst
g Spe, chless with bcwildermcnt. lmpatien
: at last, | asked to be taken from the guald
t house, aud then The Old man addressed
me again, il a troubled, trembling voice.
y Stranger, is all that you have jus
h told US true2"
' After | had assured him that undoubt
e edly 1t was so, he signed to the peo )!t
5 with his hand, and they went out, anc
L left US rwu alone in the guard.house.
' Before we lead you to the pqace.
i he said, Il have story TO teIl you Ut ou
:. CITY. Listen, stranger : will make i
!. short, for it is horrible for all Of US.
| "WhiIc the great emperor Of whom w
: inquired Of YOU was holding his court il
d his winter-palaco OF yep-gpn. loo he me
. The Tartar mniden Song-6ng, struck b,
9 her wondcrous beatty, determined II
| make her his wife. the day for his i'm
u periaI marriage was Gxed upep, and al
d he grandees OF hc,empire were summon
II el to court, among Them. Of course. gu
h paster, Tope ko-lin sing. ylceroy of hi
I, province aud the emperor's only son. Ii
| repaired at once to the capital, where wa
C nothing but ieastimg and rejoicing. l.
d the very first hour Of this arrival he saw
Il fair and beautiful maiden sitting alont
b under the nmgnolia-trecs il the paac
; garden. So lovely she was, as well s
{. solitary aud SO detected, that his hear
l. went out 10 meet her and 70 cheer her
!. and only few minutes had they loetret
+ together iu the fragrant shade when b
l. felt that he loved her, and thai before hi
0 return to lis own ploruee he must Wi
d her for his bride. But ah! this Wa
|. the Tartar maiden Song fling, who was be
j tlothed 10 the emperor, and Tong -ko-lin
i sing ittle guessed what he was doing unit
9 it was TO late to Stop until he had love'
y her SO passloraiely tbat neither his fen
c Dor his affection for his father could stoI
a him. They had many stolen interviews
d in which their VOWS of!oye were repeated
i and many secret meetings, in which thei
0 plans Of escape were perfected /; and whe
d the day vas fixed for tho royai weddin
0 dawned they two were missing from IL
9 eourt--they two, the most important 9
!, the assembled guests; the only two VIII
Z the poor old emperor loved. .t.is