The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-11-12

the new HlOOA SutlllS, thAii,e fA
crescent in shape exactly like. the
combs that the Chinese women wear. !
well, since you are so stupid" she
said, .Ill give you something to re-
member by. When you get ready to
buy, think of the moon and buy comb
that is shaped like that"
..That is good, o wife," said Ching
Lee. Il can certainly remember the
MOON"
| But alas for Ching Lees memory!
He did go to market some time afterl
that, but he was mile on the way
home before he remembered his Wife's
wish. Though night had fallen, there
was. of course, nothing for him to do
except to turn back but even as he
turned he realized that he did not
know what it was that she had told
him to buy.
So he sat down on a stone and be-
gan to twist his queue AS he sat
there, he suddenly noticed the full
moon rising over the edge of hill.
The sight gave him new hope. think
of the moon," his wife had said, "and I
then buy" Was it something shaped
like that?
| s'Aha!'" he said aloud. THAT will l
do, and all shall be we'll"
So he p1odded back to the market
and went up and down among the
stalls searching for something that
looked like the moon. He found many
things that were novel and strange to
him, for he had lived in the country
| - I. L, hut IA
could find nothing that reminded him
of the moon. At every booth, he would
look UP at the moon and then carefully
examine all the wares that were
spread before him. But for long
time he found nothing to buy.
At length, however, he gave cry
of pleasure. For there, right before
his eyes, lay something that looked
exactly like sthe moon that was even
then hanging above his head-some,
thing round and fiat and very, very
bright. Surely, that was the very
image of the moon!
Without waiting to examine the
thing, he paid the merchant, thrust the
purchase. into his bag and set out for
home.
= His wife came running to the gate to
s meet him. ''But I know very well
r that you forgot my comb!' she said.
t II did not forget Ching Lee dan-
l. swered proudly. Behold, here is
r what you told me to bring, O WON
O Ean!"
K He pulled out the thing he had
O bought and held it up before her.
:. But to his surprise, his wife burst
5. into angry tears.
did l tell you to bring me that?
Never! What should l want with the
picture of an ugly, cross old woman
Keep it yourself!'
q With that she grasped the thing and
. poked it into his face. Ching Lee
: gave one look and grew red with an
!" ger.
Il 'Ha! I have been cheated" he
D cried. "That dog of merchant
=, changed my purchase even while
. paid him. What, should like to
~ know, should I want with the picture
g of cross old man?"
70 Every time Ching Lee looked al
. the object, he abused it for a picture
of an ugly old man, and every time
his wife looked at it she called it the
picture of an ugly old woman; anC
lg neither of them noticed that they were
re complaining of different things. They
lie had worked themselves into a fine tenn
lie per when an old neighbor woman
~ came in to find out the meaning of the
IS, "rumpus."
n | Chino 1,iolyo1 hic 1o CT
t. and thrust it before her eyes. "Lool
OF at that" he sputtered.
n, The old woman looked. 81 see moth
OF ing to get so angry about" she sail
n calmly. II see only a well-meanins
a old woman who has come to pay /;
1g CALL"
be Then she took the object and looked
OF from Ching Lee to his wife. 'Thi
n. is a mirror" she said. Something
OF that neither of you ever saw before.
She held it in front of the China
man. There you are" she said
Next she held it in front of his wife
up And there you are" Then she push
ed ed their two heads together and he'll
be the mirror up. "And there you bot
ne are,' she said. How do you like your
I'm selves?"
is When the two understood that
he was themselves that they were lookin
Dr. at, they were Mortified; they had no
he fdreamed they were so ugly.
st 81 cannot help knowing the oil
nd woman went on, what it was that yol
In Ching Lee, should have brought HON
&C. from the market, because you tW
of talked about it so loud fortnigh
ago. Why, all the women within hal
a mile are waiting to see the ne1
comb"
to- Then, at last, Ching Lee and hi
IA. wife both burst out laughing. An
40 when they saw their reflections in tn
st mirror they were so pleased with thei
tu- new looks that they kept on laughin
We as if they never meant to stop. The
Use they set the mirror on table, an
en- from that time on they scowled n
ak more for fear of catching sight {
he their faces looking again as they ha
re- seen them at first.
lty And by the time the next marke
day was over, all the neighbor wome
were crowding in to- see Ching Lee
wife's new comb and to behold then
,ur selves in the strange thing, so like