Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-02-15
A Chinese Widow !


and vainglories or honors.
lie must have been profoundly salts
ned with his career, for after his death
he was proclaimed as happy and worthy
OF envy.
Now, In the days the gods accorded
him to pass under green skies amid flow.
cry bushes, willows and bamboos.
Ichouang Tsen was accustomed to walk
dreamily through the country.
One day. when wandering along the
howery slopes OF the mountain OF Nam
Hoa, he found himself Unexpectedly an
the middle OF a cemetery, where the
dead, according to the custom OF the
country, repose under hillocks OF beaten
earth. At the sight OF these innumera-
Die tombs, which spread above the hori-
zon, the learned man meditated on the
destiny OF man. "Alas!" Thought no.
BEHOLD the highway where ell the roads
or life end. When once one has taken
place in this resting place OF the dead,
one never sees the light OF day againr'
As he was moralizing thus he sudden
~ perceived young woman In mourn
ing garb-that Is to say, In n long, white.
seamless robe OF coarse materlal-seated
beside tomb, tanning with a white fan
the earth OF freshly covered funeral
mound.
Curious to learn the meaning of 30
strange an action, Tchouang Tsen salut-
ed the young lady with great pollteness
and said:
Madame. dare ask you without OF.
tense what person is sleeping beneath
this tomb and why you give yourself so
much trouble TO fan the earth that COW
ers it7
81 am philosopher and like 70 know
the causes OF things, and here IL one that
escapes me, that cannot even guess at"
The young woman continued 10 move
her fan back and forth She blushed.
lowered her head and murmured n few
words that the good man could not hear.
lie renewed his ques Ion several times
but In vain. The youn,, woman took no
further notice Of him, and Il seemed es
though her very soul h..d passed into the
hand that was so busily moving the ian.
Tchouang Tscn went his way regretfuI-
iy. Although he well knew that all IL
vanity, he was naturally inclined TO seek
the motive OF human nctlons and partIc.
ularly those OF women.
This little creatures odd occupation
aroused within him a malevolent but live
~ curiosity. lie continued his walk slow
~ onward. but turned his head occasion
ally To watch the fan. which still beat
the air like the wing OF n huge butterfly.
whom all OF a sudden an old woman
whom he had not seen nc first, approach
ed him and made n sign TO follow her.
She drew him into the shadow OF n
mound little higher than the rest and
said To him:
Il heard you ask my mistress q Ques-
ton to which she made no reply. l will
satisfy your curiosity, from a natural
wish To oblige and In t. hope that you
In return VIII give me a., whercwith 10
buy from the priests magic paper which
possesses the power OF prolonging nv
life"
Tchouang Tsen drew out his purse and
placed piece Of money IN lcr hand, and
the old woman spoke as fellows:
The lady that you saw scited beside a
tomb - Mime. Lu, the viii OF n learned
man named Tao, who d 10 DAYS ago
after long Illness. and ,,t tomb Is her
husbands. They loved rh other most
tenderly, and even whc. ying NJ Tao
could not reconcile hms, 20 their Sem
ration, and the idea OF lcs .ns her behind
IN the world In the flowct g Aer age and
OF her beauty was altog O., O insupporta-
bic TO him. However, toN sd the end he
became resigned. for he W.. IL gentle na-
ture, and his soul submitted to the inevi-
table.
weeping at the head OF NJ. Taos bed.
mat she had never left daring his entire
bear witness that she woGlI never sur.
vive him, but would share Ii. grave even
as she had shared his couch.
But Nj. Tao said TO Lev Madame. do
not swear such a thu, as that AT
least, continued she. ~ | must survive
you, If am condemn j ~ the genii TO
still behold the light oil ll.' when you can
no longer see il. know tka; I will never
consent TO become IT,, wife OF another
and that ! will never ..lve but one hus-
baud. the same as have but one SOUL
But NJ. Tao said g. '.r. Madame, do
not swear that oh. " Tao. NJ. Taol
Let me swear then that for at least FIVE
years VIII net think of marrying again
But Nj. Tao said to hcs Madame, DO not
swear that. Swear "l!.y that you will
keep my memory faiti rul In your heart
until the earth shall hav' dried over my
grave
Nine. Lu took the oath and the good
M. Tao closed his eyes never to open
them again.
The despair Of Nine. Lu surpassed all
bounds. Her eyes were swollen with
weeping and her pretty. soft cheeks were
scratched TO pieces by her sharp little fin
ger nails, but everything passes away,
and the torrent of her grief soon spent
it's force.
Ahree Gays a1ter the death or M. Tao
Nine. LUIS sadness had become human.
She was told that young man, a follow
er OF M. Taos, desired an interview to
express the grief and sympathy he felt on
this sad occasion. She thought it would
not be tight to refuse him this privilege,
and she was correct. She received him |
with signs.
1.-THE young man was of distinguished |
bearing and handsome face He spoke to |
her little about M. Tao and much about I
herself. He told her she was charming
and that he felt he loved her. She allow
cd him TO talk. He promised TO return |
soon. In the meantime Nine. Lu, seated |
beside her husbands funeral mound,
where You saw her. passes her time In
drying tie earth which covers his tomb
with the air stirred up by her fan"
When the old woman had finished her
story, Tchouang Tsen thought:
youth is short, the Indictment of de-
sire gives wings to young women and
young men. After all, Nine. Lu Is an
honest young person, striving to keep her
promise. IL Is an QxamnlQ yyorfhv ~ rra- |