The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1897-10-07
A KOREAN LEeEND.
Hew the 0riea.ai Edition of Methuselss,
Fopied the De:il.


| Hcr the 0rlez-s; Edition of MethuseIss.
Fuoied tie De.il.
| The KoreanS have IA interesting
legend CONCERNING the manner in
which Tong PAX suk, tho Methuse-
lah of their mythology, got the bet
terof satan. Tong lived /, OOd.years
and acquired great wisdom.* The
later years of his life were spent in
fishing; but, not wishing to dimin-
ish the stock of fish in the river, he
used straight piece of wire instead
b of a hook. Thus he was able to en-
joy the excitement and pleasure of
fishing for several centuries without
1catching single fish.
K Realizing that sooner or later the
devil, who did deaths errands,
would be looking him up, he chang
ed his name and abode with each
/ yTaa on and thus eluded him. In
H>Syfg ssptime the evil one disguised
az On flowing Korean robe
5 81 eEered up his tail, concealed
- Slnder a mourner's hat 3
: Ameter and wrapped his
: SPURIOUS padded stockings, so
: g Easily passed for native.
~ Stg q that Tong was fishing in
THE Hau river, SO he collected
quantity of charcoal and washed it
in that stream. This, of course,
blackened the water, and Tong, be-
ing surprised and annoyed, went up
to discover the cause. Finding the
devil washing the charcoal, he ask
ed what he was doing. The devil
replied that he was trying to make
it white. f
Old Tong in his establishment was
thrown off his guard and said, Il
have lived in Korea hundreds of
years, and of course have met many
fools, but ! never saw big enough
fool to try to wash charcoal white.p
The devil at once knew his man,
and, unfolding his tail by way of
exhibiting his warrant of arrest,
seized Tong and hurried him along
in the direction Of that dark portal
through which all mortals must
pass.
On the way the devil, being in
good humor over his success, chat
ted pleasantly with Tong, who ven
tured to ask him what he most alb
horned and was most afraid Of The
devil made a fatal blunder-one
which might have been excusable
for a mortal, but was most stupid
for devil-he told the truth. He
said that he hated and feared but
/ four terrestrial things-a branch of
a thorn tree, an empty salt bag, a
wornout straw sandal of an OK and
a particular kind of grass that grows
in Korea, the foXtail, and that when
these were put together he could not
go within 80 feet of them.
In return the devil asked Tong
what he most feared. Tong, being
wise and experienced, lied and said
he was in mortal terror of q roasted
OK head and mackalee-a kind of
beer.
Shortly after this exchange of
confidence Tong noticed that they
were passing thorn tree, around
| the roots of which foxtail grass was
growing, and, curiously enough, I'M
der it was an old salt bag and a cast
off OK sandal. So, making a sudden
spring from the side of the devil, he
gathered up the bag, the grass and
sandal, and, hanging them on a
branch of the tree, his charm was
perfect. The devil could not come
within 80 feet.
OF course the devil used every in
ducement to get Tong to come forth,
but the old fellow stuck to his post.
At last.the devil went off and got a
roasted OK head and cask of mack
alec and rolled them in to Tong,
confident from what he had told
him that Tong would be driven out
I side the magic circle. But when he
saw Tong eating heartily of the
beef and drinking the mackalee with
gusto he realized that the game was
up and despairingly departed.
longs long life was due to the &C
cident by which his page in the book
of fate stuck to the next one, so that
his name was overlooked. When
ultimately the complaint was made
that Tong had been living too long,
it took the registrar of the lower re-
gions $40 years to hunt up his name
in the arch;ves.-Chicago Record