The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-01

never do for the Navy to SOW the seeds
of disorder in the Consular staff. but
1 am on the track now of that joss
house and, as it says. you know, under
the picture of the little boy reaching
for the cake of soap: I won't be happy
till 1 get it,"
When the party broke up and Lieu
tenant Gleason was being sculled back
in a sam-pan to the ship. he had def
! nitely made up his mind to solve three
problems, viz: % Where was the
mysterious temple that sold the fire.
water? CD What was the heavenly
vase from which flowed the crystal
stream? 90 How could he get his
hands on some of the precious liquid?
He only hoped that the Shenandoah
would stay at the buoy long enough
for him to solve them. His little CABIN
already contained a number OF very
rare and interesting curios collected
on the cruise. Buddhas and idols in
Vulnerable were there. but they had ali
been bought on hear-say evidence as
to their merits-here was something
that he had actually seen the working
of-the NOR. he thought of 1t the more
he longed for a glimpse of the heaven
~ vase of the crystal stream" and the
more positively he made up his mind
the last Mexican dollar on his pay
check.
In the meantime. the burned-out vii
layers were preparing to rebuild In
their very humble way, but before
anything whatever could be touched,
they had to give the usual theatrical
exhibition in honor of Kwa Sheng the
fire god. It was his anger that had
been aroused and in consequence OF
this he had thrown his burning torch
in their midst and now it was neces-
sary to. put him in good humor again
by inviting him to play. After no
end of haggling over the cost OF 1t In
brass cash a company OF strolling &C
tors had been engaged and a rough
stage and scenery OF mating had been
erected on the site OF the fire and
comfortable seat provided for the
dreaded divinity. Gongs were beaten.
fire-crackers were exploded and the
special tea and rice cakes for his
Majesty of the flames were duly pro-
vided. The ceremonies lasted three
days and were as heartily enjoyed by
the visible crowds as by the invisible
parsonage who they all implicitly be-
lieved Occupied the principal seat. The
poor homeless wretches who had not
been permitted to seek shelter-(for to
take in a fire-victim Is to incur the an
ger of Kwa Sheng and to interfere
with his scipline)-crawled into the
remaining cabins and soon the work of
village of Lo Ka Doc.
It's a mighty strange thing, More
head" remarked Inspector Gubbins of
the Shanghai Police to his Chief As
sistant, that it's always that village
on the south of the signal-sta that
gets on fire. and never the one on the
north of it. Now that's the third time
within a year. and there must surely
be some reason for it. You can make
up your mind that someone's got
grudge against them and just starts
the blaze-it's far too regular to be &C
cidental. Let's put two of our best
natives on the case and see if we can't
get at the bottom of tiff we don't.
the next thing you know that village
on the south will catch fire and that's
right next to the tea go-down with
! thousands of chests of the new crop
stored in it."
| In accordance with his Chiefs in
structions, Morehead summoned the two
cleverest local detectives to his office
and instructed them to go across the
river and stay until they found out
exactly what the cause of the fire was.
After a weeks wandering around
from village to village and indirect in
quiries addressed to boatmen and
coolies at the little tea-stands, where
they appeared in the guise of poor
students seeking recreation, they re-
/ turned with a very interesting story.
This was the gist of it; the two villages
of Hal Ka Doc and Lo Ka Doc. sit
uated on either side of the foreign sig
nal station. had been for many years
rivals in ferrying farmers and other
country folk across the river in their
sam-pans. The recent wreck of
Junk. however, had turned a current
of the stream so that the little wharf
of the south side was no longer avail
able and the line of passengers on foot
now all passed to the north. This
started the trouble and it wasn't very
! long before one night an attacking
party, led on by four old grandmas,
each over sixty years of age (Which
secures immunity from Chinese law
proceeded with baskets of decayed veg
etahles from the southern village to
| the northern and began to hurl them
right and left at the heads of their
rivals, shrieking as they did so, TIA
lao wo tik fan wan! Tao lao wo tih
| fan wan!" (You have overturned our
rice-bow You have overturned our
rice bowD. The northern village
waited a week or more before deciding
upon the best and most effective way
of returning this celestial compliment
| and finally took the advice of a famous
| fortune teller on the Shanghai side
He babe them proceed at night to the
twin graves of the southern villages
fathers and stop up the spirit-holes."
This would prevent their spirits from
getting out of the graves at night and
going wandering about. and they would
wreak their vengeance on their own
people by sending the children small
pox or contracting with the god of
thunder to hurl his bolts at them.
When the residents of Hal Ka Doc
found out that this awful insult had
been actually offered to the spirits of