The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-04
THE STORY OF YOUNG CHANG.
As Narrated by Kai Luag Ia the Open Space
OF the Tea Shop of the Celestial Pria-
cipiss at Wu-Whei.
BY ERNEST BRAMAH.

embroidered ma under the mulberry Tree.
1T is indeed unlikely that you would con-
descend to stop and listen to the foolish
words of such an insignificant and alto
gether reformed person as myself. Never
theIess If you will but retard your elegant
footsteps for a few moments this exceed
ingIy unprepossessing person will endeavor
to entertain you with the recital of the adj
ventures of the noble Yung Chang as
recorded by the celebrated Pe-ku-hi.
Thus adiured, the more leisurely minded
drew near to hear the history or fung
Chang. There were Sing You, the 1ruit
seller, and Ii Ton-ti, the wood carver; Iii
Seng left his clients TO cry in vain Tor
water, and Wang Yu, the idle pipemaker,
closed his shop of The Fountain of Beau
ty, and hung on the shutter the gilt
dragon to keep away customers in his ao-
sence. These, together with q lew more
shopkeepers and "A dozen or so loafers, con-
stituted a respectable audience by the time
Kai Lung was ready.
TT would be more seemly If this i'll con-
ditioned person who is now addressing such
a. distinguished assembly were to reward his
fine and noble hearers for their trouble"
apologized the story teller. But as the
Book of Verses says, The meaner the
slave, the greater the lord;' and It Is
therefore not unlikely that this majestic
concourse will reward the despicabie ef-
forts of their servant by handfuls OF coin
till the air appears as though niled with
swarms of locusts in the season OF much
heat. In particular, there is among TINS
august crowd of mandarins one wang 1u,
who has departed on three previous occa-
sions without b~estowing the reward of a
single cash. If the feeble and avariclous
minded Wang Yu will place in this very
IA I1-yI 411n nrica nf ono OF his eX-
ceedingly i1l-made. pipes, this unworthy
person will proceed"
VAST chasms can be filed, but the heart
of man never" quoted the pipemaker In
retort. "Oh, most incapable OF story tell
ers, have you not on two separate occa-
sions slept beneath my utterly inadequate
roof without payment"
But he nevertheless deposited three cash
in the bowl and drew nearer among the
front row of the listeners.
1T was during the reign Of the enlight-
ened Emperor Using Nung," began kai
Lung. without further introduction, that
there lived at a village near Honan a
wealthy and avaricious maker of idols,
named Ii Hung. So skillful had he be-
come in the making of cray idols that his
fame had spread for many lis round, and
idol sellers from all the neighboring vii
lagos. and even from the towns, came to
him for their stock. No other idol maker
between Monan and Marking employed so
many clay gatherers or so many modelers;
yet with all his riches his avarice in
creased, till at length he employed men
whom he called agents and travellers
who went from house to house selling his
idols and extolling his virtues in verses
composed by the most illustrious poets Of
the day. He did this in order that he
might turn into his own pocket the full
price of the idols, grudging those who
would otherwise have sold them the few
cash which they would make.
lowing to this he had many enemies,
and his army of travellers made him still
me, for they were more raDacious than
the scorpion and more obstinate than the
OK. Indeed, there is still the proverb,
with honey it is possible to soften the
heart of the he goat, but a blow from an
iron cleaver is taken as a mark of welcome
by an agent of Ii Hung
80 thai people barred the doors at their
approach, and even hung out signs of
death and mourning.
Now, among all his travellers there was
none more successful, more abandoned, and
more valuable to Ii Hung than I'll Ling. So
depraved was III Ling that he was never
known to visit the tombs of his ancestors;
1ndeed, IL was SAID InaL ne nau DeeH nedrQ
to mock their venerable memories, and that
he had ~jestingly offered to sell them to
any one who should chance to be without
ancestors of his own. This Objectionable
person would call at the houses of the most
illustrious mandarins and would omma
the slaves to carry to their masters his
tablets, on which were inscribed his name
and his virtues. Reaching their presence,
he would salute them with the greeting of
an equal. How is your stomach and then
proceed to exhibit samples of his wares,
greatly overrating their value. Behold, he
would exclaim, is not this elegantly nodded
idol worthy OF the place of honor in this
sumptuous mansion, which my presence
defiles to such an extent that twelve basins
of rosewater will not remove the stain?
Are not it's eyes more delicate than the
most select of almonds? And is not its
stomach rounder than the cupolas upon the
high temple at Peking? Yet. in spite of its
perfections, it is not worthy of the accept
ance of SO distinguished a mandarin, and,
therefore, I will accept in return the quar-
ter tael, which. indeed. is less than my
illustrious master gives for the clay alone
I'm this manner Ii Ling disposed of
many idols at high rates, and thereby en-
deared himself so much to the avaricious
heart of Ii Hung that he promised him his
beautiful daughter, Ming, in marriage.
Ming was indeed very lovely. Her eve
lashes were like the finest willow twigs that
grow in the marshes by the Yang-tse-Ki-
arg, her cheeks were fairer than peoples.
and, when she bathed in the Hoang Ho.
her body seemed transparent. Her brow
was finer than the most polished jade, while
she seemed to walk, like a. winged bird.
without weight, her hair floating in a cloud.
Indeed, she was the most beautiful creature
that has ever existed.
Now. may YOU grow thin end shrivel up
like a fallen lemon, but it is false!' cried
Wang Yu. starting up suddenly and unex-
pectedly. Chez Chou. at the shop Of
the Heaven-sent Sugar Cane, there lives a
beautiful and virtuous girl who is more
than all that. Her eyes are like the inside
circles on the peacock's feathers; her teeth
are finer than the scales on the sacred
dragon: her
IF it is the wish of this illustriously en-
lowed gathering that this exceedingly IL
literate paper tiger should occupy their
august moments with a description of the
deformities of the very ordinary young per-
son at Chez Chou said Kai Lung, imper-
turbably, then the remainder of the his
tory of the undetermined Yung Chang can
remain until an evil fate has overtaken