The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-09-13


him to little arbor. Inside he heard
the rafting of chessmen, and coming
nearer, he saw two old men seated
playing chess, and two boys waiting on
them. He concealed himself TO watch
the game. At last he was BETRAYED by
a cough which he could not suppress
(No Chinaman can suppress cough,
as You would soon find out if YOU went
to our church.) The men inside started
up, then seeing him, bade him enter.
calling him by his name. It was now
Ii Ching 5 turn to be surprised at find
ing himself recognized. So he entered
the arbor and gave them low salute,
knocking his head on the ground. They
greeted him cordially and asked him if
he wished to return. He did not care
to. ''But if you live with us,'' they
said, ''you will have neither fish nor
flesh to eat; neither wine nor tea to
drink. Our food is fresh fruits and our
drink clear water If you think you
could live on such diet, we should be
happy to have you stay with us" Ii
Ching assured them he could i've thus.
So they made him one of them.
The cave where they lived was lined
on all sides with books, and books of
kind the philosopher had never seen,
telling about all manner of sickness,
their external manifestations, and the
cure, If durable. He spent his days
poring over these books, having for re-
creation an occasional game of chess
In the garden arbor, with one of the
old men. Thus in simple, happy ways,
time slipped by for two months.
Then the old men said one day to Ii
Ching: "We have matter of bust
ness to attend to, and may be gone
month. Sowe win leave you in charge
of affairs here. The boys will wait on
you and get you everything you need.
You, perhaps, have noticed that this
cave has, beside the garden entrance,
four closed doors, one to the east, one
TO the west, one to the south and one
to the north. Here are the KEYS. If
you get lonely, you may open the
eastern or western or southern gate,
but on no account must YOU open the
northern" Then bidding him fare
well, they left him.
Ii Ching was happy for some time,
intent on his new-found study. But
after about twenty days he began to
feel lonely and depressed and bethought
him of his keys. He opened the south
ern gate. He saw a broad and pleasant
landscape, and in the center, Just due
south, a great throne, and a gentle
faced yet queenly woman seated upon
it. Then he knew it was the Goddess
of Mercy of the Southern Seas. He
stood gazing for a while; then went
back, shutting the door. After few
days he thought he would try the
eastern gate. He found this also opened
on q broad and beautiful vista, with a
throne as a central figure. On the
throne was seated an old man, the
Dragon King of the Eastern Seas. The
next time he felt a touch of ennui there
was still the western gate This opened
on something more glorious still, the
throned figure of ssJu-Lai-Fo,' the
great Buddha of the Western Heavens.
But after that, what? In few days
the old restlessness and longing came
back. O! if he could only open that
northern door aud see the beauties be-
yond. The very blaekness and mys-
terry of that closed door seemed to sug-
gest beauties beyond thought. At last
he could bear it no longer. He would
open it crack and take peep, He
saw nothing remarkable; so he opened
it wide and stepped out. Nothing but
an empty sky and a bare hillside; moth
ing worth seeing. So he would go
back. He turned to go, and on that
side, too, he saw an empty sky and the
bare hillside; no door at all. But the
hill looked strangely familiar. Yes, it
was the very one near his house. Auto
matically his steps turned in the direc-
ton of the mouth of the pit. Yes, it
was there, to be sure; but all around
the mouth were broken tiles and bricks,
some old moss-coyered ruin. He
thought this very strange. He would
go to the village and ask what it meant.
Here fresh surprise awaited him. The
houses were all right, but the people
were so queer. Clothes of such strange
fashion, buttoned at the side, and their
hair in pig-tails down their back. And
he found himself equally an object of
curiosity. He wondered where he could
be, and asked some one the name of
the village. They told him it was
IN FAkACs AASA nC bU1u bIiEut Ills
name, and asked them If no one renem-
bered him. One old man came and
said he had heard his great-grandfathe
tell of man who went down in cave
and never came up; SO his sons had built
a temple to him at the mouth of the
cave. But that was long ago, in the
time of the Ming dynasty. Four hun
dred years had elapsed since then, and
even the temple was in ruins. The last
descendant of the family was living in
the village. Sadly Ii Ching went to
seek him, hoping to find home with
him. But he found him wretched old
beggar, vile and filthy. After month
or two he went and entered Taoist
monastery. He employed himself with
his healing arts. When they saw his
skin people came from far and wide to
be healed.
One day the temple-keeper came and
said to him that he wished to 90 to
market, and wanted Ii Ching to keep
the temple for him. But in the market
the first man he met was Ii Ching
himself. Fastening home at once,
fearing for the safety of the temple, he
found Ii Ching standing at the gate;