, 1881-02-25
. QUEER CHINESE TALE.
4 Story th.i. might have been Told In the
Arabian Nights.

From the London Telegraph, Dec. Isl
A CORRESPONDENT forwards the following IL
lustratiou of the superstition amongst the
Chinese with reference 10 very ancient ana
Yidespread belief that the fox has the power OF
assuming the human form 10 lead mortaIS TO
their destruction. The same powers are also
ascribed to the badger by the Japanese IN
this case the story l. given as true one anu
the facts are stated to be well known To ever!
one living i'll the Great street outside the Chlen
Men Front Gate at Pckln where the analr Is
supposed 10 have occurred:
4 certain NinSpo man kept druggist Sh4p
at Pekin. Having made good deal oi money
bv it he determined to commence wholesale
business As well as the retail one He there
fore bought Il warehouse 70; storing drugs and
DD+ II in charge of a nephew. His venture
proyed eminently successful, and he grew rich
er daily, principally for the extraordinary
reason that the drugs stored III the warehouse
were less liable to get damp or mouldy than
ANYBODY clse'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 10 make
aca.Gaintance with her, he was restrained by her
modest and retiring demeanor. Time went by
and one day an old gentleman with long
heard and leaning on Il taft called al the uncle :
shop
In t.le course of conversation II appeared
that he came from the borders of Snelisl and
Kansu, and had originally fled TO Pekin TO es-
cape from the MahOmetan disturbances IN the
West Finally, he said that he often remarked
the nephew a work III the warehouse, and had
been struck by his steadincss and his diligence
and he would like To marry his only daughter
To him. He had sufficient money to make lib
cral arrangements with regard to the tfousseau
and wedding presents, and would not quarrel
about terms. The young man, being so far
from his home at Ningpo, was not betrothed
To anyone. His uncle therefore gladly accepted
the proposal. As both parties were strangers
in Pekin, everything was settled and the mar
riage ceremony performed without any unne-
ccssary formality.
When the time came for the bride to unyeil,
the bridegroom, who had never yet seen her,
was most anxious to know what she was hike.
At the first glance, what was his joy TO discov-
| er that she the girl he used to see walking
| past tbs. 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, wish
ing To see his new daughter-in-law, wrote and
| told his son 10 bring her home on visit. The
| son accordingly made preparations to start OF
| 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 "reminiscences to recall,
| messages TO be delivered and the like.
| When the moment for them TO commence the
| Journey actually arrived the uncle went across
| 70. the last time to say goodbye, but to his
| astonishment neither nephew nor niece was 10
| be found. After fruitless search he went to
| the house of the girls father to see II he could
| learn anything there But there was no house
| standing merely two three wretched little
| rooms in ruins without doors or windows. He
| made inquiries among the neighbors, but none
| of them knew anything Of the old man OF the
| house. Everything 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 thai
day forth the drugs stored in the warehouse
became just as subject to mould as those any
| wi als