The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-07-25

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at last yellow and red again. That
was the way Ting Ling, little Ting
Ling, piled his fre-crackers, in tiers OF
successive colors, bright as any in the
rainbow.
Ting Ling was having nice time. In
chair Grandpa Foo Choo was sleep
ing. His back was turned to his grand
son, so that Ting Ling could not see
his face. There was grandpas pig-tail
hanging quietly down, and Ting knew
he was asleep. When he was awake the
pig-tail was as uneasy and wiggling as
the bob of kite just going up. Grand
pa was q very nervous man. But what
wriggling little pig-tail Ting had
NY!
"Hallool Ting. What have you got
there?"
1t was that little weazen-faced Chang
Bang speaking.
Ting put up his finger, to caution
Chang.
"Shoo! shoe! Keep still! Don't
you see grandpa? He is asleep, and
you will awake him, Chang"
Chang at first opened his mouth, shut
showing that he did not relish from any
one the suggestion to keep still.
Finally he concluded to shut his mouth,
open his eyes, unite his nose, and make
the best of it.
"Let me see you pile those crackers
up again." said Chang Bang.
SO little Ting piled away. Chang
stood behind him, looking over his
shoulder.
Chang was very gracious, though
Ting afterward remembered that Chang
was very careful always to keep between
him and his grandpa. Chang whis-
pered some funny stories and kept Ting
busily occupied, telling him to build
away, as he proudly built pagodas and
tea.shops out of his fire-crackers.
"Now, good-by, Ting. Be a good
boy" said Chang, patronizingly, and
patting him on the head.
Ting did not like to be patronized
and patted, as if he were cat. Chang
had now reached the door. "Ting," he
said, softly, "want this?" He held up
little copper coin. How many fire.
crackers that would buy! Who wouldn't
have sprung for it as Ting did? Sud-
denly Ting Ling stopped and began to
snarl like cat, while Grandpa Foo
Choo roared like dragon.
Chang Bang, the rascal, had tied their
pig-tails together, and it was now pull
and pull between poor Ting and poor
grandpa. Did grandpa roar like a
dragon? He looked like it. He had
four wooden legs, two of which were
crutches, and the other two were mere
pegs, and they seemed like the legs of
a dragon taking some lively steps. And
he wore ayellow-silk robe, which tapped
up and down and made him look all the
more like a dragon, with wings of flame.
But he was not the least like q
dragon. He was just the dearest,
mildest old grandpa in the world
II didn't do it" cried Ting Ling.
Grandpa knew it could not be Ting's
fault.
"Of course you didn't. 1 know you
wouldn't"
at was that bad Chang Bang
"Chang Bang? He will be hung by
his pig-tail yet. Poor little Ting"
And he fell to commiserating his grand
son.
But Ting had been hurt, and he could
not held crying.
"See here, Ting! Make believe you
are heaving the anchor and / am the
windlass, and wind the pig-tail round
me, as if they were chains"
Ting lived at Hong Kong, and he had
seen the sailors heaving the anchors.
So round grandpa for windlass Ting
Ling key going-round and round,
winding and winding; and by the time
the anchor was hove up Ting was
laughing.
Hold on, Ting Liugl You are all
wound up. There! Do you feel bet
ter?"
"Ohl yes, dear grandpa
"Now give me kiss, and I will try TO
take another nap"
This dear old dragon, with his four
legs, went Gathering back to his chair,
and Ting went on plying.
What should Ting Ling do TO Chang
Bang?
"I'll blow him up with bunch Of
fire crackers. Yes, / will. I'll put a
great heap under him when he is asleep
and touch them off!
That is what Ting threatened.
just then his granny went by the
door. She had on little Chinese shoes.
and she went wabbling, wabbling, wab-
bling over the floor, like duck that
has had too much dinner, and can't
comfortably carry it round on its two
slender legs. Now granny went to the
Mclean mans chapel, the little build
ing where the missionaries preached.
Sometimes she would take Ting Ling,
and he would learn verses there. And
what was it he had learned about treat
ing an enemy kindly, and so putting
Goals of fire on his head?
"That MEANS" said Ting, spitefully,
"to put big bunch of lively red crack
ers on his head and set 'em a-going."
"No, it DON'T" said granny; but she
did not speak. She only wabbled slow
ly by the door, on her way to feed the