Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-29
The Chimes. Rip van wfnkle.

dering and wondering till he was 40 years
 old. Then, though the bottomless well was
 as great mystery to him as ever, he had
 taken the first step to find it out he had re-
 solved to investigate.
 We'll, when Lii Ching, for that was the
 philosophers name, approached his 40th
 birthday, he made @ feast and invited all his friends. Now, this Lii Ching being rich, of
 course all his friends were in inc habit oi
 making him expensive gifts. But this year
 he sent them notice that the only presents
 he wished to receive were coils of rope and
 little bells. They brought them, wondering
 and questioning. But Iii Ching only looked mysterionsr raad aaid he might find use for
 them sometime.
 And so it happened every birthday until
 the 8Oth. He had been busy some time be-
 fore this day preparing for it. The feast was
 unusually fine and the theatricals were. per
 formed in the best manner; but that was
 only preliminary. When this was all over he
 led his guests to the mouth of the pit and
 showed them how he had been preparing foI
 the day. There was booth of mats at the
 mouth of the cave and over it he had erected
 windlass. The building was nearly full oi
 the ropes he had been collecting all these
 years all joined together and at each knot a
 bell. He had also prepared car for him.
 self Then te told them he meant to go
 down and fathom this mystery. His friends
 
 he was 40 years old, he had made VOW that
 if he lived to be so he would go and find out
 for himself
 So arming himself with package of can dies and paper lantern he got into the car and ordered his sons to let him down slowly i;
 but if he should encounter any horrors on the
 way he would pull on the rope, and when they heard the bells ring, they were to draw him up very fast. (Now you mustn't inter rupt to ask how he could pull a rope when his own weight was hanging from it several leagues down well or how the sons above paying out the rope with bells attached could hear above that ringing the tinkling of the little bells deep in the earth. You forget that this was in China, whereeverything is queer Tho sons, of course, had to obey their father. So bidding him a farewell, they let him down, feeling as if it were into g grave.
 His lantern was soon all they could see of him; first a bright star, then a. glimmering speck, like frefly; then it was lost altogeth CT. And still they paved out the juggling rope.
 Well, and what of the old philosopher ? The descent WAS at first perpendicular but after mile or two it took turn, and he went sliding down an inclined plane. And a long, long time the car stopped, and he found himself on even ground :. but still in the darkness. East, west, north and south were lost in this blackness. But, nothing daunted, our philosopher takes his lantern and sets out to explore the gloom. By and by he sees ahead of him glimmering light which he knows does not come from the re- Aectien of his lantern. So he eagerly fol lows that. Soon he can snuff out his candle for wide plain lies before him. Very beau tiful indeed it seemed to his eyes, so long &C., oustomed to the darkness; fields and rivers, fruit trees and flowers. He seemed to be in a garden. He followed one of the paths, sL L he heard the rattling of chessmen, and com ing nearer, he saw two old men seated play ing chess, and two boys waiting on them. He concealed himself to watch the game. At last he was betrayed by cough which he could not suppress. (No Chinaman can sup pFsss a-eonghs as yoEs would coon find ont 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 Lii Ohaing's turn to be surprised at finding him. self recognized. So he entered the arbor and gave them 8 low salute, knocking his head on the ground. They greeted him cor dial1g and asked him if he wished to return. He did not care to. "But if you live with us, they said, ssyou 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'' Lii Ching assured them he could live thus. So they made him one of them.
 The cave where they lived was lined op all sides with books, and books of kind the philosopher had never seen, telling about all of sicknesses, their external mani and the cure, if curable. He spent his days boring over these books, hav- ing for recreation an occasional game of chess in the garden arbor with one of the old men. Thus in simple, happy ways the time slipped by for two months.
 Then the old men said one day to Lii Ching: "We have matter of business to attend to, and may be gone month. So we will 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 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 farewell, 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 de pressed and bethought him of his keys. He opened the southern gate. He saw 8 broad and pleasant landscape, and in the center, just due south, great throne, and gentle laced yet queenly woman seated upon it. Then he knew it was the Goddess of Mercy of the southern seas. He stood gazing for awhile; then went back, shutting the door. After few days he thought he would try the eastern gato. He found this also opened on } broad and beautiful vista, with throne as } central figure. On the throne was seated m old man, the Dragon king of the eastern seas. The next time he felt touch of ennui there was still the western gate This opened on something more glorious still, the
 aL- Buddha of the western heavens. But after hat, what ? In few days the old restless ness and longing came back. Oh! if he l ,onld only open that northern door and see he beauties beyond. The very blackness md mystery of that closed door seemed to uggest beauties beyond thought. At last he l ,ould bear it no longer. He would open it l ,rack and take peep. He saw nothing re- so he opened it wide and stepped ! ,ut. Nothing but an empty sky and bare ] nothing worth seeing. So he l would go back. He turned to go, and on \ hat side, too he saw an empty. sky and the | lare hill side no door at all. But the hill | ooked strangely familiar. Yes, it was the | cry one near his house. Automatically his | he pit. Yes, it was there, to be sure; but ! Il around the mouth were broken tiles and | tricks, some old moss-covered ruin. He | bought this very strange He would go to | he village and ask what it meant Here 8 | resin surprise awaited him. Tha houses 1ere all right, but the people were so queer. Ilothes of such strange fashion, buttoned at he side, and their hair in pigtails down their ack. And he found himself equally an ob- scs of curiosity. He wondered where he ould be, and asked some one the name of he village. They told him it was Chingville ,hsn he told them his name, and asked them sne one renembersd9 him. a.1One old man anae and said he had heard his great-grand- ather tell of man who went down in a Bve and never came up so his sons had uilt temple to him aE the mouth of the ave. 1 Bat that was long ago, in the time of F he Ming dynasty. Four hundred years had lapsed since then. and even the temple was ruins, The last descendant of the family ias living in the villags.a Sadly Lii Ching ient toseek him. hoping to find home with im. But he found him a wretched old beg r ar, vile and filthy. After month or two 6 went and entered Taoist monastery He mployed himself with his healing arts. Ehen they saw his skill people came far and tide to be healed
 foae day the temple-keepor came and said } him that he wished to go to market, and 'anted Li Ch'ingto keep the temple for him. tnt in the market the first man he met was