Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-01-04

He sat in that chair immovable and
alone. He had sent his pupils home that
morning for their long vacation.
Thoughts unwelcome and bitter as nut
gall passed in procession before his
mental vision, and, like Banquo's reit-
Grated ghost, would not down.
a. NO. he cried wildly, as If he had
debated the matter in his mind and had
reached a final conclusion, "there is
nothing left me but deathi'
Absorbed as Dong was in melancholy
reflections and imagining himself al
ready a cold corpse dangling under the
branches of some tree, he did not per-
ceiye the approach of a little boy until
the latter stood beside him and startled
him by saying in a timid voice:
Teacher, father sent me to ask you
to come to Our house. -
Dong raised his head and saw one of
his pupils before him.
ssWhat is it you want?"
My father sends his respects and asks
you to favor him with a call My Oldest
brother came back this morning from
America. He brought home lots of
funny things IF you come, he will
show them to you.
Glad Of this little relief, Dong accom-
panied the boy to the latter's house and
there received q NEST hearty welcome.
The big brother displayed his treasures
and enjoyed Dong's curiosity and won
der as he explained the uses and the
modus operandi Of every article to him.
There were a sewing machine, a pair OF
opera glasses, a contriyanCe for making
hash out of every kind of meat under
the sun, a stereoscope, q microscope and
hundred other things besides, that
stamp the Yankee as the most ingenious
person in all the world. But nothing as
tOn1shed Dong SO much as the little
electric machine which sent thrill
through, his spare frame and sunk his
suicidal purpose in the lowest depths of
Lethe. But the photograph scared him
with its peculiar and sepulchral tones.
AS he stood before the talking machine
with dilated eyes and mouth opened
wide sweet strains of American music
greeted his ears.
Then 'sHome. Sweet Home, /" "Annie
Rooney ''Rock-a-by Baby 3'Thou
Art So Near and Yet So Far and
"What Is Home Without Mother-in-
law?' rolled out in rapid succession.
Dong of course could not appreciate
them any more than a cat, but the
weirdness Of the sounds fascinated him.
When the concert was ended, he had
many questions to ask. The returned
traveller kindly showed him everything
pertaining to the wonderful machine,
told him to talk to it himself and excit-
ed his wonder still more by making the
phonograph repeat Dong's own words.
Suddenly thought struck him SO
hard that he jumped up like one pos
sessed, nearly upseUting the machine
and the big brother gravity, yelling at
the same time:
"Whoop-la, whoop-la! I have got it!
have got it! I'll beat that old niser yet.
"Got what?' shouted everybody in
the room in Il chorus. ''What are you
talking about!s'
''Got him, you know-the old skin
flint I'll have him, by the shade of the
great Confuoius, or die in the attempt''
Explain yourself, . said the returned
traveller. This Dong did, after taking
him aside, by recounting all his troubles
from beginning to end, closing with an
appeal for aid to defeat the wicked plan
of Ju Dun. 1t was arranged and agreed
upon that the traveller should make tho
machine talk like Guam King, the god
who avenges wrongs, when Ju Dun
should make his demand for payment of
the debt. At the same time dose of
neutrality-suspicious. best-was to be
administered to him as an Alternative
and mild emetic.
Word was sent to Ju Dun to meet
Dong at the latters residence (Which
was likewise the SCHOOL, after dark,
without fail.
The two conspiratOrs got ready their
machines in Dong s sitting room. The
monograph was set in q corner where
it could be manipulated by the returned
traveller behind q curtain with the box
of condensed lightning beside him. The
wires belonging to the last piece of
mechanism were SO laid on the arms of
the guests chair that any one sitting in
it was sure to form a connection be-
tween them.
1t was darss. The patrolman outside
had just struck the first hour of the
night watch when Il knock was heard
at the door. Dong answered the sum-
mons, and suon ushered the old usurer
into his room. It was dimly lighted up
with the stump end OF a candle. There
was on every side every evidence OF.
poverty. A bed made of hard boards,
surmounted by g mosquito bar, nearly
filled one side Of tke apartment. A
cheap table held all his books ON the
opposite side. Two stuff backed chairs
stood beside the table, one of which
Dong politely offered to his guest, while
he took the other.
Tt was evident that Ju Dun was Sc
cretly e1ultant. Dong, of course, had
sent for him to beg his mercy. There