Evening journal., 1889-08-20
THE HOLY MAN.

was SO old. none 80 wise. He had sold +!
Ill he had and given the money 70 the |
poor one year. when the Ho-Ang- HO had |
broken over its banks and had swept all |
the rice and miilet crops down toward
the sea. He had been very rich, and his
benefactions had saved many hundreds |
IF people from starvation. But when
lhey blessed him and would have given |
him back his great possessions after one
or two prosperous seasons, he would
not
LET be. my children, he said "My
forefathers made me rich, and have nc
son 70 leave riches to. Be you all my
sons and enjoy your heritage now
So he dwelt in a little house he had
builded with his own hands ON the
mountain side, and ate of the millet
which he grew ON a little patch Of
ground he had cleared, and wanted
nothing.
And because he was wise he healed the
people when they were sick, and prayed
for them when they died, and taught
them many proverbs from the writings
of the poets; for his books only he had
aot sold. And so they would have wor-
SHIPPED him. but he forbade them, saying:
Il am man also. Pray not to me till
am dead, for then it may be that can
hear and can help you"
Meantime he prayed always, to his
forefathers and to Buddha. And he
ouilded him little prayer wheel for
himself and set It in the brook that ran
down the mountain side, so that night
and day his prayers were always rising
20 Buddha for his soul But he builded
a greater wheel for his neighbors, and set
It where there was more water, for he
said: II am only one, and they are
many"
And every year he made a long pill
grimage to the banks Of the great river
that none can see across because there
are mists and clouds and always the
farther bank is yelled in darkness where
Buddha, and the pious dead who are
ghosts. live forever And he prayed
always for the boatmen to come to him
and ferry him across the great river
where SO many were crossing every day;
but he came not
Yen Tszee was very sad every year
when the boatman came not, and he
went back to his little house on the
mountain side with a heavy heart; but
the people reioiced when he returned,
for they loved him. And he would see
that they were glad and he would forget
his sorrow, until the winter would come
again. when he could not work in the
r. IL 80,
were dark, and the nights long Then
he prayed, saying; because l am very
old and my arms and my legs are weak,
and because l have no more Joy in my
body, l would cross the great river"
and again he would make the pilgrim
age and watch and wait for the boat
man; but he came not,
But at last there came winter when
it was nine times colder than he had ever
known. and when the snow was very
deep. And he could not go to his neigh
Dors when they were sick, and they
could not come TO him, for they were
sick. and he was old and very feeble.
| And he went again 10 the river.
The way was long. and his poor, thin
legs bent under him as he toiled through
the snow and ice, and his heart failed
him because he was sick with the cold.
but he went on till he came TO the river,
and the boatman was there, and the boat
vas there.
Then Yen Tszee said; care you come
70 take me across the river
And the boatman. who was old and
bent. and who wore thick veil. said
Yes, il you are ready"
And Yen Tsee said; II am ready"
Yen Tszee was very glad, and he drew
aear to the boat 10 step in that he might
ross the river; but when he came near
10 stopped and shrank back, for ther,
was no bottom to the boat, and there wa.
nothing but water for him to step on
md the water was very black and colder
than ice. He shuddered, and said; q
lun very cold and am too old and weak
| cannot 80 in the water"
Then the boatman said; "If you hav,
faith, the water will be rs the bottom o
The boat, and you shall 60 across tn,
river; but il you have not faith it will
not hold you up
Then Yen Tszee said, 81 have faith,
and he stepped into the boat, and 10! tn
water bore him up even the same as tn
wooden bottom OF boat
/ Then the boatman pushed of from tn
shore, and Yen Tszee was very muc
afraid. for the river was very swift an
the boat was old and rotten, and the wa
ter seemed TO rise up on either side; an
he thought the boat and the boatma
and he would all sink. And he praye
! to Buddha
The boatman rowed hard and spak
{ never a word; but he pulled up tn
e stream. and not straight across. and til
harder he pulled the slower the bos
went for the water ragged terribly. The
hey floated away from the shore, soths
t Yen Tszee could neither see behind nc
s before him, because the mist that is a
Il ways over the river was very thick.
While they were in the middle of III
= river Yen Tszee saw man swimmin
a in the icy water, and he was almo
. spent, so that he could swim no mol
!. and was near sinking; and Yen Tszs
n allied to the boatman to stop 50 thi
le hey should save the man. But Il
le rootman said: mo. We cannot stop