Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-01-01


Al length he was reduced to that
condition of despair 10 which our story
frst finds him.
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.
"No." he cried wildly, as if he had
debated the matter in his mind and had
reached final conclusion, there Is
nothing left me but deathP'
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-
ceive the approach Of little boy until
tne latter stood beside him and startled
him by saying in timid voice:
"Teacher, father sent me to ask you
to come to our house. "
Dong raised his head and saw one OF
ais pupils before him.
"What is ii you want?"
"My father sends his respects and asks
you to favor him with call. Ny Oldest
brother came back this morning from
America. de 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 a most 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 sewing machine, pair OF
opera glasses, a contrivance for making
hash ont of every kind Of meat under
the sun, a stereoscope, a microscope and
hundred other things besides. that
stamp the Yankee as the most ingenious
! person in all the world But nothing as
| tonished Dong so much as the little
electric machine which sent a thrill
through his spare frame and sunk his
suicidal purpose in the lowest depths Of
Lethe. But the phonograph 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 "Home. Sweet Home, " "Annie
Rooney" "Rock-a-hy- Baby" " 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 hot appreciate
them any more than a cat, hut 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 a thought struck him so
hard that he jumped up like one pos
sessed, nearly upsetting the machine
and the big brothers. gravity, yelling at
the same time;
"Whoop-la, whoop-lal I have got it'll /
have got it'll I'll beat that old miser yet. "
Got what;" shouted everybody in
the room in a chorus. "What are you
talking aboutF
"Got him, you knOw-the old skin
flint. III have him, by the shade Of the
great Confucius, or die in the attemptF'
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 MD TO defeat the wicked plan
Of in Dun. 1t was arranged and agreed
upon that the traveller should make the
machine talk like Quan King, the god
who avengcs wrongs when in Dun
should make his demand for payment Of
the debt. At the same time a dose Of
ectricity-Edison' best-was to be
administered to him as an Alternative
and mild emetic.
Word was sent to Ju Dun to meet
Dong at the latter's residence (Which
was likewise the schooD after dark
without fail.
The two corSpirators got ready theil
machines in Dong's sitting room. Th'
phonograph was set in a corner where
it could be manipulated by the returned
traveller behind a curtain with the boz
Of condensed lightning beside him. Th'
wires belonging to the last piece o.
mechanism were so laid on the arms o.
the guests chair that any one sitting il
it was sure to form a connection be
trronr, fhnrn