Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-02-10


his veins tingled as If thrilled by new
life. Opening his eyes in won
der he saw verify bending over him the
charming being of whom he had
dreamed, and he knew that her live hand
really caressed his throbbng forehead.
But the flame of the fever was gone,
delicious GOODNESS now penetrated every
fibre of his body, and the thrill of which
he had dreamed still tingled in his blood
like great Joy. Even at the same mo-
ment the eyes of the gentle visitor met
his own, and he saw they were singu-
larly beautiful, and shone like splendid
black Jewels under brows curved like
the wings of a swallow. Yet their calm
gaze seemed 20 pass through him rs
light through a crystal; and vague
awe came upon him, SO that the ques-
ton which had risen to his lips found no
utterance. Then she, still caressing
him, smiled and said: Il have come to
restore thy strength, and to be thy wife.
Arise and worship with me"
Her clear voice had tones melodious
rs birds song, but in her gaze there
was an imperious power which Tong
felt he dare not resist. Rising from his
couch, he was astounded to find his
strength wholly restored; but the cool
slender hand which held his own led
him away so swiftly that he had little
time for amazement. He would have
given years of existence for courage TO
speak of his misery, to declare his utter
inability to maintain wife; but some
thing irresistible in the long dark eyes of
his companion forbade him to speak,
and, as though his inmost thought had
been discerned by that wondrous gaze,
she said to him, in the same clear voice:
II will provide" Then shame made
him blush at the thought of his wretched
aspect and tattered apparel; but he OBJ
served that she also was poorly attired,
like woman of the people, wearing no
ornament of any sort, nor even shoes
upon her feet And before he had yet
spoken to her they came before the an
cestral tablets, and there she knelt with
him and prayed, and pledged him in a
cup of wine-brought he knew not from
whence-and together they worshipped
heaven and earth. Thus she became his
wife.
A strange marriage, it seemed for
neither on that day nor at any future
time could Tong venture to ask his wife
the name of her family, or of the place
whence she came, and he could not an
swer any of the curious questions which
his fellow-laborers put to him concern
ing her; and she, moreover, never utter
ed a word about herself, except to say
that her name was Tchi. But although
Tong had such awe of her that while her
eyes were upon him he was as one having
no will of his own, he loved her unspeak-
nh nj fhn 81 L..
ceased to weigh upon him from the hour
of his marriage. AS though magic the
little dwelling had become transformed;
its misery was masked with charming
paper devices, with dainty decorations
created out of nothing by that pretty
jugglery of which woman only knows
the secret
Each morning at dawn the young hus-
band found well-prepared and ample
repast awaiting him, and each evening
also upon his return; but the wife all day
sat at her loom, weaving silk after
a fashion unlike anything which had
ever been seen before in that province.
For as she wove, the silk flowed from
the loom like slow current of glossy
gold, bearing upon its undulations
strange forms of violet and crimson and
jewel green, shapes of ghostly horsemen
riding upon horses, and of phantom
chariOts dragon-drawn, and of standards
of trailing cloud. In every dragon beard
glimmered the mystic pearl; in every
riders helmet sparkled the gem of
rank. And each day Tchi would weave
a great piece of such figured silk, and
the fame of her weaving spread abroad.
From far and near people thronged to
sec the marvellous work, and the silk
merchants of great cities heard of it, and
they sent messengers to Tchi, asking her
that she should weave for them and
teach them her secret. Then she wove
for them, rs they desired, i'm return for
the silver cubes which they brought her;
but when they prayed her to teach them,
she laughed and said "Assuredly /
could never teach you, for no one among
you has fingers like mine" And indeed
no man could discern her fingers when
she wove, any more than he might be
hold the wings of a bee vibrating in
swift flight.
The seasons passed, and Tong never
knew want, so well did his beautiful
wife fulfill her promise, 81 WiU pro-
| U'de," and the cubes of bright silver
brought by the silk merchants were
piled up higher and higher in the great
carven chest which Tchi had bought for
the storage of the household goods.
One morning, at last, when Tong,
having finished his repast was about to
depart to the fields, Tchi unexpectedly
babe him remain, and opening the great
chest, she took out of it and gave him a
document written in the official charac-
tiers called Li-cha And Tong, looking
at it, cried out and leaped in his Joy, for
it was the certificate of his manumis-
sion. Tchi had secretly purchased her
husbands freedom with the price of her
wondrous silks.
Thou shalt labor no more for any
MASTER" she said, .but for thy own
sake only. And l have also bought this
dwelling, with all which is therein, and
the tea fields to tile south, and the null
berry groves hard by, all of which are
thine.
Then Tong, beside himself with CRATE
fulness, would have Frustrated himself
in worship before her, but that she
would not suffer II.
| Thus he was made free, and prosperi-
| ty came to him with his freedom, and
whatsoever he gave to the sacred earth
was returned to him centupled, and his
servants loved him and blessed the
beautiful Tchi, so silent and yet so kind
ly to all about her. But the sik-loom
soon remained untouched for Tchi gave
birth to a soma boy SO beautiful that
Tong wept with delight when he looked
upon him. And thereafter the wife de-
voted herself wholly to the care of the
child.
Now it soon became manifest that the
boy was not less wonderful than his
wonderful mother. In the third month
of his age he could speak; in the seventh
month he could repeat by heart the
proverbs of the sages and recite the
holy prayers; before the eleventh month
In 1,1.i,lI ......L...1. Al