The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1876-04-10
TEMPTING A HUSBAND.
Twenty thousand Dollars Offered for An
other Nam, Wire-.A serious Trouble.

other Mans Wlfr-.N serious Trouble.
Some years since, while tarrying Mt
Shanghai and Hong Kong, says cor
respondent OF the Greenwich Journal,
became acquainted with Mr.. King,
head of the tightly respectable firm of
Messrs. King ( Co., doing business at
Shanghai. Mr.. King had recently re-
turned from u visit to the United States.
where he had formed an alliance with n
blooming young lady, the daughter OF
Presbyterian clergyman residing near
Boston, who, after thenuptial ceremony
had been performed, accompanied her
lord to tho celestial empire. On their
way they stopped for a few days AT Hong
Kong. After ensconsing themselves in
comfortable quarters the couple were
visited by rich mandarin. The latter
regarded the lady very attcutivcly and
seemed to dwell with delight upon her
movements.
When Mrs. King at length left the
apartment he said to her husband, i'll
broken English (worso. than broken
China): "What you give for that
wifey-wiie of yours I" "Oh," replied
the husband, laughing Mt tho singular
error OF his visitor, $4,000" This
the merchant thought would appear to
tho Chinaman rather high figure, but
he was mistaken. well" said tho
mandarin, taking ont his book with IN
mir OF business, "s'pose you give her to
me; I will give you $4,000" 1t is
difficult to say whether Mr.. King was
more amazed thanamused but thevery
grave and solemn air of the ChinNman
convinced him that he was in sober
earnest, and he was compelled, there
fore, to refuse the offer with rs much
placiiity rs lie could assume. The
mandarin, however, continued to press
the bargain. "G give you S20,000,"
said he "you take 'em'"
Mr.. King who Ind no previous notion
or thought Of the commercial value OF
the commodity which ho had taken with
him on his business tour, wns compelled
at length to inform his visitor that
Americans were not iu the habit Of sell
ing their wives after they had come in
| pO5SeSoLOll VI tllVul lu aSotItAOh NhlNh
the Chinaman was slow to believe.
1t WIS Mr.. Kings custom, as we'll rs
every other commercial house doing
business at Shanghai, to have their
clerks dino with them daily, leaving
their Chinese wives behind. Soon after
my arrival at Shanghai was invited to
dine with Mr.. King. There we're few
gentlemen and seventy.three of his clerks
seated at the table. They were NIL we'll
dressed and gentecl appearing young
men; a stranger would imagine them 10
be gentlemen. While seated Mt tho din
ner table Mr.. King related the foregoing
narrative with great glee, laughing at
his young and pretty wife, saying he Ind
recently discovered her full value, as he
had been offered $50, 200 for her; n very
high figure US wives were selling at that
time, for the average price paid by the
clerks for IN ordinary Chinese shop.
keepers daughter was about $50, the
price being agreed upon with the par.
ents before tho young people sec each
other; when introduced, il pleased with
each other, the bargain was at once
consummated. II the woman should
proveto tobetranscendentally beautiful the
parents might receive s. more rs cum.
sha, or present.
As soon rs he comes in possession OF
his wife he purchases or rents small,
light-constructed bamboo house, which,
with liberal supply OF coarse mats and
few articles for culinary purposes,
suilices for residence, which is kept as
neat and clean as n hounds tooth; the
wife doing, however, her own house
work, washing md ironing her lords
clothes, which arc kept i'll perfect order.
She is very domestic, seldom or never
seen upon the street; aud more true and
faithful wivcsnevcr existed; i'll fact, they
dare not be otherwise, for their parents
would chastise them severely. The
husband seldom takes meal at home;
the wife subsists chiefly upon rice, and
the cost OF maintaining her, together
with her wardrobe, will not exceed $50
per year.
Mrs. Kirg, being n conscientious and
energetic lady, resolved TO use every
effort in her power to break up this in.
famous traffic in Chinese women; but
being ignorant OF the manners and Gus
toms OF the people in that distant couu-
try, and having no backers-her hus-
band feeling indifIereut.-failed in nc.
complishiug her meritorious object. As
Il last resort, she issued au odict reQuir.
ing every one Of her husbands clerks to
abandon forthwith and turn of their
Chinese wives or they would not be suf-
fered to dine ut the same table with her.
The result can easily be imagined, for
on the following day not one OF the
clerks made his appearance at the allot-
ted placH OF business, which placed Mr..
King in M awkward position, blocking
tho wheels OF his immense business.
The indiscrction Of his wife camc near
causing him much trouble md unneces-
sary expense; and, strange rs it may ap-
pear, tho clerks had the sympathy Of
the whole community Of Shanghai; aud
however Illuminating it might have been
to Mrs. King, she was obligedto rescind
her cdict, and when the writer left
Shanghai the wheels OF business were
again in motion and everything went on
swimmingly.
Making Land In Holland.