The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-03-05

tapping his head signiticantly--b as
II was her last illness, he had agreed
10 the odd whim she had expressed. Il
have an image OF the foreigner Ia the
retinue accompanying her TO the spirit
world Could WI undertake such a
commission? Wa, with much servile
prostrating, owing TO the> somewhat
exalted rank of his customer. assured
him OF his ability to execute any order
! his honorable highness might be
pleased to ask of his worthless sery-
ant, and the bargain was concluded.
The ceremony of the burial had pro
eeeded to the point where the local
diyinities were being placated by offer
| ings of meat, wine and mock money
| Now the wailings OF the mourners
were redoubled MS the little sedan
chair, with ne picture of Mrs. LII In
| side. was brought forward from Wu's
| pack Around II were grouped rep
reservations of animals, mock jeWelry
and punches of gilt and silver paper
money. Then the officiating priest.
with an explanatory remark about the
curious within of the late Mrs Ii, held
up the image of the foreign devil
lady who WAS to 60 as an attendant to
the deceased The crowd pressed
nearer to gaze at this Offering and a
Hi yah" of admiration smote the ears
of WI where he stood. outwardly non
chslant but inwardly exultant as he
noticed Ii Fan Yin's satisfaction IN
the amount OF face" he was creating
three perhaps five. extra strings OF
cash, the Offering maker calculated
to himself
As the priest held Wu's masterpiece
appraised. a cry arose on the outskirts
OF the crowd and il parted as two
GREATNESS foreign children forced their
way past the mournegs into the circle
around the open grave.
oh, my dolly. Give me my dolly"
cried Constance. as she saw her be
loved Lady Laura in the priests
hands. Then noticing the fire of smol-
derlng charcoal which was waiting for
the offerings and realizing what was
about TO happen. she began shrleking
Historically with hands outstretched
10 her lost treasure.
David. with cooler head, began to
offer an explanation to the company,
which. till now, had stood still from
sheer establishment at the turn affairs
had taken.
The faultless Chinese of his elo-
quent appeal for Justice. and his de
nunciation of the thieying WI, who
SUNK In the background as attention
was drawn to him won some sympathy
tor the children but Ii Fan Yin's
brow contracted as he saw the effect
OF David's tale and, fearing he might
lose face" II the doll We're given
up. he hurriedly seized the boy by the
arm aud started to eject him from the
place. As David resisted, the sudden
rage which sometimes possesses the
Chinaman came upon Ii, and. forget
teing the dignity of his position in the
anger that consumed him. he began to
shrek TRADE of verbal abuse at the
American lad
shakiIt; himself free from the half
cra2ed Jhinaman. David faced him
with flashing eyes. Not for naught
came he from a line of ancestors OF
the church and state militant. The
blood of fearless pilgrims and staunch
minute men ran in his veins, and he
was ready to fight to the death for his
principles. Lad as he was, he had not
lived In China ID years In vain, and
his subconscious self, which had been
absorbing impressions through all his
young lie, came to his rescue. In
his comings and goings. many a loren
sic contest had he witnessed many
wordy duel in market place and
country road, and, without the slight
est effort he found himself giving the
irate official roland for every oliver,
with this difference, that. whereas Ii
had descended to street lingo, the re-
tort courteous as given by David was
couched in classic Confucian diction.
The Chinaman, beaten at his own
game. and red in the face and breath
less from his verbal onslaught, was
soon glad to snatch the doll from the
priests hand and restore il to its
rightful owner. Immediately, as II
nothing had happened, the funeral Ger
emonies We're renewed, and the per
sistent wall OF the mourners again
rent the air. The incident was closed
As the children lodged around the
toubs to reach the open fields ad-
joining the mission compound. they
saw va disappearing in the direction
OF the temple-a sinking, detected
figure outlined against the red sunset
sky.
The next picnic party found an
empty room at the temple gate. WI
lodged there no more They also found
the Goddess of the Sea decapitated,
her head with family smiling lips ly-
ing on her folded hands. The foreign
ers were puzzled by this act of vandal-
ism, but no Cinnamon to whom they
appealed could explain It,
But an offering maker who earns an
Indifferent living I'm an interior city,
some hundred miles away, sometimes
scowls over his work as he mutters to
bftngoif.