Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-02-11

| the 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
his pupils before him.
What 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 ac-
companied the boy to the latter's
house and there received a most hearty
welcome. The big brother displayed
his treasures and enjoyed Dong's cur
iosity and wonder as he explained the
| uses and the modus operandi of every
article to him. There were a sewing
! triVance for making hash out of every
kind Of meat under the sun, a stereo-
scope, a microscope and a hundred
other things besides, that stamp the
Yankee as the most ingenious person
IN the world. But nothing astonished
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 photograph scared him with
| it's peculiar and sepulchral tones. AS
he stool before the talking machine
| with dilated eyes and mouth opened
wide sweet strains of American music
greeted his ears. 49, -...
Then Home, Sweet Home, Annie
Rooney, Rock-a-by-Baby, Thou Art So
near and Yet So Far and What is
Home Without a Motheri-n-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 ques-
lions to ask. The returned traveller
kindly showed him everything pertain
ing to the wonderful machine, told him
to talk to it himself and excited his
wonder still more by making the phon-
ograph repeat Dong's own words.
Suddenly a thought struck him SO
hard that he jumped up like one pos
sessed, nearly upsetting the machine
at the same time.
''Whoop-la, whoop-la! I have got it,
[ have got it! I'll beat that Old miser
yet" -.
Got what?" shouted everybody in.
the room in a chorus. What are you
talking about?"
Got him, you know-the old skin
flint. I'll have him, by the shade of
the great Confucius, or die in the at
temptr'
Explain yourself" said the returned
traveller. This Dong did, after taking
him aside, by accounting all his trou-
bles from beginning to end, closing
with an appeal for aid to defeat the
wicked plan of Jul Dun. 1t was ar
ranged and agreed upon that the tray
eler should make the machine talk like
Guam King, the god who avenges
wrongs, when Jul Dun should make his
demands for payment of the debt. At
the same time dose Of electricity
Edison's best-was to be administered
to him as an Alternative and mild en-
etic
Word was sent to Ju Dun to meet
Dong at the latter's residence (Which
was likewise the SCHOOL, after dark,
without fail
The two conspirators got ready their
machines in Dongs sitting room. The
photograph was set in a corner where
it could be manipulated by the returned
traveller behind a 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 slit
ing in it was sure to form a connec-
ton between them.
1t was dark. The patrolman outside
had just struck the first hour of the
night watch when knock was heard
at the door. Dong answered the sum-
mons, and soon ushered the old usurer
into his room. 1t was dimly lighted UP
with the stump end of candle There
was on every side every evidence of
poverty. A bed made of hard boards.
surmounted by a mosquito bar, nearly
filled one side of the 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.
1t was evident that Ju Dun was Sc
! cretly exultant. Dong, of course, had
sent for him to beg his mercy. There
was no chance of his paying. There
was a look in JUS little black eyes
However, a smile played around his
mouth as he opened the discourse and
came right down to business:
MY dear young friend, I suppose
you are now ready to cancel the note.
No Then you know the alternative
You are bankrupt, and 1 renounce''-
Suddenly a voice-a clear but I'M
earthly voice-interrupte ed him with:
You hoary headed old sinner, you
low born carioature of a man, you old
sucker of pebbles, you know who l
am? l am Guam King, the avenger Of
wrongs, the punisher and destroyer Of
| just such pests as you are one. l have
orders to kill you and take you to hell
with mer'
At this point Ju Dun's face was a
study, for the electric current was
turned on by the conspirator behind
the mosquito curtain. He grew as