Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-08-06
AT A CHINESE FUNERAL
The Remains Inferred Along with Roast
Pig and Pullets.


Pig and Puilets.
The friends of Lai Poy did the proper
thing by him, the other day, and gave
him nice, quiet send Off on his road
to that exclusive realm of bliss eternal
reserved for the virtuous children of the
Flowery kingdom. Poy was somewhat
in hurry to undertake the trip, and &C
celebrated things with a knife and
header into pit. When the young men
at the laundry where Lai Poy was visit
ing, found their friend dead with his
throat cut and three gashes in his head,
Wah Lee, the dead Chinaman's boss, was
informed and he in turn informed the
Chinese consul of the facts, and then a
meeting of Lai Poy's friends was held
and it was determined that poor Lai Poy
should have as fine a coffin, as much
roast pork, and as many fat pullets as
any other Celestial who had had a fash
ionable burial The 5th of July was So
lected as the time for taking Lai Poy to
the cemetery of the Evergreens, but the
programme was changed. All day long
on Monday Lai Poy's body lay upon ice
in a box in the stable of a Mott street
undertaken The hostlers washed car
riages and groomed horses within, and
young America and mature China
banged packs upon packs of fire-crack-
ers without The master of ceremonies
was Ye King, little dried-up Chinaman,
the head partner in tea firm of Pafs
row. AT the last moment he decided
that it wouldn't make any great differ
ence to Lai Poy if he waited until the
morrow. Anyway, Lai Poy had no
voice in the matter.
Him belly good Chinaman," ex-
planned old Ye King laying down his
pipe and gazing meditatively out Of the
grimy window. Him come Melica six
years ago, and catchee plenty money.
Him plenty friends. Fire fire-crackers
to-day, bury um to mellow, plenty nice"
Accordingly Lai Poy's friends dropped
around to the undertaker's shop early in
the morning for last view. The dead
Chinaman had been dressed in a white
tunic-the mourning color-and a natty
black skull-cap with the reddest of red
buttons on the top. Lai POy during life
prided himself on the length, thickness
and texture of his cue. The thoughtful
undertaken had disposed this essen
tial to unquestioned entry into the Chi
nese heaven 80 that its proportions and
beauty might be appreciated as it lay
over his bosom. The plate said that Poy
was in his 32d year when he elected to
die. Old Ye King was justly proud
of the arrangements, for the coffin was
a snowy, veneered affair, and the COM
position handles and buttons were i'm
posing, Sixteen mourners entered four
carriages. the hearse door was snapped
shut, and the procession started for the
Evergreens. Some of Lai Poy's friends
wore blue, others soft brown silk. one
from the consuls office pale lilac tunic,
and one carriage with the nearest friends
had occupants all in white. The other
mourners carried a huge hamper,
wherein were deposited little roast pig
all covered with icing and things, two
fat pullets Drowned to a turn, biscuits,
candies, nuts, a pot of excellent Sou
Chong tea, punk, and praying papers of
gilt. The friends smoked scent cigars
and looked grave. When the cemetery
was reached the procession went to Ce
lestial hill, the plot owned by the Chinese
government, and the body of Lai Poy was
deposited beside eighty-nine of his coun-
trymen who learned all about the mys
teries of the Chinese eternity at earlier
periods The little pig and fat pullets
and the biscuits and things had a fan
start with Lai Poy, and were buried to-
gether. while old Ye King burned punk
and incineratsd little three bal
looms of gold paper. Then they drove
back to Mott street and had tea.-New
York Tribune