Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1894-11-09

agony.
Kin had not complete confidence in
his young master, but did not dare dis
obey his command. As he descended
the stairway leading to tho garden no
heard heavy blow, followed by q Pc
culiar squeak.
"Can he have fed:" Kin asked lin
self, donbtfully.
The garden Was very dark, but q body
hung quivering at the end Of the cord
This Kin could see plainly, but he did
not observe dark form stealing away
among the trees
GIVE got myself nicely out OF that
scrape, '-said Kin, with sigh of relief,
passing his hand pensiyely around his
neck. After few moments of media
ton he entered his room, filled his pipe
with opium, and stretching himself on
his mat soon fell into deep sleep.
The following morning at daybreak
the relatives OF ChaoSe, attired i'll
white the mourning costume Of the
Chinese presented themselves at his
house prepared to render to his corpse
the last tributes, but to their great sur
prise they found him awaiting them.
also dressed in white, and maintaining
a ceremonious attitude.
''What, still alive?' they exclaimed
Indignantly.
Chao-Se then related to them all that
had occurred-his scruples, the ti1nidity
of his wife. the substitution Of the cook
and the voluntary expiation of his SON.
The others, after an animated discus
sion, agreed to accept this solution Of
the difficulty.
"Let us now go to the garden, into
which nobody has yet entered, " said
Chao-Se solemnly. ''There wo shall
view the body of my unhappy son.
The committee made their way to the
garden, but upon arriving at the scene
of the catastrophe were stupefied with
amazement. Suspended by tho sillsen
cord, and swinging to and fro like a
pendulum, was tho rigid body Of Il
monkey.
.'That is not my son' exclaimed
Chao- Sc Mortified.
"Sir, l saw him place tho moose
around his neck replied the cook.
'sWithout doubt the monkey has fed in
the figure Of your son, leaving his own
image behind him. There is something
of magic i'll this-the divine Flo is
avenged.
mo such thing" said the prospective
inheritors Of the estate. with decision.
cts the body Of Te-Ku. DON'T you see
the resemblance to the father? 1t is his
very imageH
but, gentlemen, protested Chao-
Sc, defending himself, s'look at that
month";
cit is your own, noble Chao-Se, " re-
piled the others.
''And those ears"-
care identical with yours, and in 4
whisper, 'Remembcr that a victim was
requiredr'
The distinguished Chinanlan admit
ted at length that the body was that of
his son, although certainly somewhat
disfgured.
Consequently the death of Te-Ku was
officially certified to, the remains were
given a magnificent burial, and the
family council declared the honor Of the
house of Chao-Se to be fully re-estab-
lished.
x < =
In spite Of the certificate Of long life,
Chao-Se survived his son only a few
months. Then came to take charge Of
the inheritance young man who claim
ed to be Te-Ku and declared that he
had fed from the paternal mansion
some time before, jumping from the gar
den window and scaling the wall
The case having been submitted to the
highest tribunal i'll the land a learned
mandarin rendered the following deci-
sion, which is still precedent in China
to settle disputes of similar nature:
''The death and burial of Te-Ku hav-
ing been legally proven;
mo one having been missed from the
house Of Chao-Se on the night in ques-
ton except a monkey, whose where
abouts are now unknown;
'.Be it decided, therefore, that if the
claimant speaks truly in regard. to the
fight he can be no other than the mon
key.
"And if he has failed to speak the
truth he deserves to be executed with
the cord that the relatives Of the de-
ceased still retain in their possession. -
In this alternative Te-Ku decided to
declare himself a monkey and was forth
with handed over to a travelling mounte-
bank Translated From the Spanish
For Short Stories.