The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-01
III--The Lacquer Cabinet

They found everything in readiness
for the up-river trip and the hunt.
Mr.. Waring having put his own COM
modious house-boat, the Marguerite"
completely at their disposal. and hav-
ing engaged extra servants and com
petent native guides. They could start
in day or two-just as soon as they
had rested from the sea trip The
tigers were waiting for them. messen-
gers from the interior having reported
further depredations from the beasts
in the valleys of Foo King. to the north
of them.
Annoy and it's sights were soon ex-
hausted and a picnic to the famous
White Deer Temple, followed by
dinner to the little foreign community
at the hong, completed their pro-
gramme in that Chinese city, popu-
larly known as the "dirtiest of the en-
pire.'' They were to go aboard the
Marguerite late in the evening and
start at daylight the following morn
ing. when something occurred which
made their visit one long to be remem-
bered by their hosts as well as by
themselves; and thereby hangs our
tale.
Mr. Waring had invited three or four
fellow merchants. together with Sir
Warren Chelmsford. the British Con-
sul (the American Consul being at home
on furlough) to join them at dinner
and after the coffee the subject of con-
versation very naturally turned TO
tigers and the various experiences of
Europeans who had gone in search of
them. Y II this had been thorough
ly thrasi. out, Mr.. Wells turned to
the Consul and said:
Sir Warren, 1 am very anxious In
deed to secure for my collection of
curios a genuine gold cabinet
with the ancestral tablet of some Chi
nese family. You are an old and ex-
perienced resident of the East; how
would you advise me to go to work to
get it?'
"Ah, Mr.. Wells" replied the Consul,
you are not by any means the first one
that has asked me that question. and
can only say to you what I have said
to all the others; that they are abso-
lutely unobtainable. The Chinese are
the most reverential and particular
people in regard to the spirits of the
departed. and any disrespect shown to
them calls down upon the culprits the
dire vengeance of the gods. In their
superstition as we ignorantly call it,
they firmly believe that one of the
ghosts or spirits of the dead-and
every individual possesses three-en-
tiers into the ancestral tablet of the
lacquer tablet. 1t remains there while
the doors are closed, and passes in and
out when the doors are opened It
must be most respectfully treated: Of
ferings of rice and tea and wine must
be regularly supplied to it and spirit
money as they call those strips of
gold and silver paper that you see
scattered around the cemeteries. must
be provided for all its contingent ex-
penses. When any of these are neg
lected, misfortune of some kind will
surely fall upon the family. To injure
one of these tablets while it is 'vivi-
fed as they say, is an insult to ones
ancestors. and to destroy it or to sell it
to a European-which is the worst
insult of all-is a, crime which not only
surpasses murder. but oHtrages the
entire community where it occurs. So
you see. now. why none are ever Of
fered for SALE
Not for any amount of money?
Money is very powerful. you know, in
overriding superstition. We found
that over and over again in India
didn't we, Tony?" Addressing himself
to his chum. he went on You re-
member that old abbot who sold us
his fathers pet idol that had protected
the family for fifty years. don't you?
He was terribly shocked when we Of
fered to buy it for twenty pounds and
almost drove US out of the temple: but
the morning We left Benares he came
around early to the back door Of the
hotel and sold it to US for fifteen.
Don't you think, Sir Warren. that if
it was generally known here that two
or three hundred Mexicans would be
paid-on the quiet, of course-for
cabinet and tablet and ghost com
plete. some noble scion of a Chinese
family would be willing to risk it?
Perfectly hopeless. sir; it has been
tried again and again"
The inevitable result of this CONVEX
sation was to make Mr.. Wells hunger
more than ever for the forbidden fruit.
and he there and then resolved that
he would not leave China without it
even the supreme attraction of STAY
ing a man eater began to pale be-
fore his determination to secure the
ghost and the cabinet, if it took the
very last pound on his letter of credit
When the marguerite lifted her
anchor at daylight in the morning. the
coveted cabinet was aboard, securely
locked in a sole-leather suit case and
hidden away under the lower berth eff
the cabin.
How did it ever get there? Let US
see.
When Ah-woo. the faithful house