Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-08
SUPERSTITIONS OF CHINAMEN.
Discovery of a Garden Hose Devil and
Its Results.

From the Chicago Inter Ocean
On a farm in the southern part of Califor-
mia a young Chinarian was employed to do
odd jobs His one great delight was to
sprinkle the lawn with the hose. One after
noon when he as.at his favorite occupa-
ton a visitor thought would be a good
joke to cut the water off by turning fau-
Get at one end of the piazza. Now. the
Chinaman had sprinked the lawn hundreds
of times, but hadIcnot the remotest idea
where the water came from, taking it for
granted that it was the most natural thing
in the world for water, to flow from the
hose. Therefore, when the visitor carried
out his idea and the water stopped run
ming, the Chinaman was sorely perplexed to
know what had happened. First he threw
the hose on the ground stamped upon it
and shook it, and then this vigorous
| treatment produced no beneficial results he
| blew down the hose. just then the owner
| of the house stepped up to see the fun.
| The visitor, seeing him coming, said in a
| low voice:
Just see the fun The next time he
| blows down the hose I Will turn it on full
force"
man started to blow down the hose, and as
/ he did SO the visitor turned the water on
| full.
| Ibid YOU ever see such an astonished
| Chnaman?" remarked the visitor gleefully.
| The Chinaman certainly was astonished.
| He threw the hose to the ground and made
| one Decline for his room, which was next
| to the tank in one of the outbuildings. In
| few minutes he returned with small
| bundle under his arm, and going up to his
! employer, said:
Give me my money. Me no stayee. Deb
| bill in hosee. Debbl in hosee''
| The joke had turned out to be of a more
| serious nature than had been expected. The
Chinaman walked off in spite of all remon-
strances. The owner of the farm laughed
| and said he would go to the Chinese agent
| and get another boy. Bright and early the
| next morning a new Chinese boy arrived
! and everything seemed satisfactory he
! went with his small paper bundle to his
| room, the same one occupied by his prede-
| cessor. He had been in the room only q
| few minutes when he ran out, and, going
up to his employer, said:
''Me no likee. Me no likee. Me no stayee'
Upon being questioned he would give nc
| answer except that he didn't like it anG
wouldn't stay. Recourse was again had tt
the Chinese agent, and the next morning
variable little bundle under his arm. Coins
to his room he returned almost as instantly
and with a mystified way, said, like the
former one:
| Me no stayee Me no stayee'
Things were beginning to look serious
| and the visitor wished he hadn't played
that practical joke. For the third time tn,
| Chinese agent was called upon. This tim,
the agent made some inquiries and prom
| ised to call the next morning and try t.
. Ind out the trouble. The next mornin.
he arrived, and, after looking around th'
) | place, went to the Chinaman's former room
| There he discovered, written on one side O
the wall in Chinese characters, the in
formation that the place was haunted an,
| was inhabited with strange spirits or devils
{ and that Cinnamon had better keep clea
T of it. This explained 1t all, and after re
moving the writing no trouble was had il
! procuring new Chinese boy.