Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-03-07
A STORY THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
TOLD IN THE ARABIAN NIGHTS.

A correspondent forwards the following
illustration Of superstition amongst the
Chinese with reference to a very ancient
and widespread belief that the fox has the
power of assuming the human form to lead
mortals to their destruction. The same
powers are also ascribed to the badger by
the Japanese. In this case the story is
given as a true one, and the facts are stated
to be well known to every one living in the
Great street outside the Chen Men (Front
Gate) at Pekin, where the affair is supposed
to have occurred "a certain Ningpo man
kept druggists shop at Pekin. Having
made good deal Of money by it he deter
mined to commence wholesale business
as well as the retail one He therefore
bought a warehouse for storing drugs
and put it in charge of a nephew.
His venture proved eminently sue
cessful and he grew richer daily,
principally for the extraordinary reason
that the drugs stored In the warehouse were
less liable to get damp or mold than any
body else's. As the nephew was at work
in the warehouse he used constantly to
notice the prettiest girl he had ever seen
passing by the door. Though he sorely
longed to try to make acquaintance with
her, he was restrained by her modest and
retiring demeanor. Time went by, and one
day an old gentleman with long beard
and leaning on staff called at the uncle's
shop. In the course of conversation it ap-
peared that he came from the borders of
Snensi and Kansu and had originally fled
disturbances in the west. Finally he said
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work in the warehouse and had been
struck by his steadiness and diligence, and
he would like to marry his only daughter
to him. He had sufficient money to make
liberal arrangements with regard to the
trousseau and wedding presents, and
would not quarrel about terms. The
young man being SO far from his home at
Ningpo, was not betrothed to any one.
His uncle therefore gladly accepted the
proposal. As both parties were strangers
in Pekin, everything was settled and the
marriage ceremony performed without any
unnecessary fuss or formality. When the
moment came for the bride to unveil, the
Bridegroom, who had never yet seen her,
was most anxious to know what she was
like. At the first glance, what was his
Joy to discover that she was the girl who
he used to see walking past the warehouse.
The marriage was happy one. He was
the fondest of husbands and she the most
loving and dutiful of wives. Before long the
young mans father in Ningpo, wishing to
see his new daughter in law, wrote and
told his soc to bring her home on visit.
The son accordingly made preparations to
start off as soon as possible. For the
last day or two before his departure
the uncle, who had not been
home for many years, was constantly
coming to his house, as he had thousand
things to talk about to re-
call, messages to be delivered, and the
like. When the moment for them to CON-
mence the journey actually arrived the
uncle went across for the last time to say
good-by, but to his astonishment neither
nephew nor niece were to be found. After
fruitless search, he went to the house CT
the girls father to see if he could learn
anything there. But there was no house
standing, merely two or three wretched
little rooms in ruins, without doors or win.
dows He made inquiries among the
neighbors, but none of them knew any,
thing of the old man or the house. Every
thing was then plain. The old man and
his daughter were foxes, and had made
away with the young husband. But
stranger than anything else was the fact
that, from that day forth, the drugs stored
in the warehouse became just as subject to
mold as those kept anywhere else"