Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1921-06-10

& Z
!, Of a small space stood an altar to 2
An. beside 1t stand holding cha
coal brazier and the requisite cookin
utensils.
All about in silent groups. dazzllngl
dressed in many-hued silks and al
ranged in picturesque order. were tn
officials. dignitaries and notables of tn
city and province the priests of til
temple of Zi-An. and the judges.
Strange as it may seem. the cere
mony about to take place, although mi
nutely described and rigidIy ordered
In the sacred books of the cult. haC
never before been attempted for the
simple reason that no Chinaman had
ever got to the stage where he dared
offer a suitable iced-hot dish-the pen
atty for failure being death at the
hands of the assemblage. Despite this
lack of experimental knowledge Of the
method of procedure. the well-studied
rites moved forward smoothly and
without an error.
When Hung-Ho. with lightning
speed, mixed the ingredients for a suit
able cake, | nodded and squeezed
handful of snow from the far-away
Hung Shan mountains to the size of an
egg, surrounded it with an insulating
LAYER of vegetable asbestos, and al
the proper moment handed it to my
assistant, who In full view of the ex.
pectant assembly dropped 1t into the
cake-dOugh and set the sacred copper
basin containing the mixture over the
brazier's glowing Goals.
Now ensued moments of anxious
nay, agonizng suspense.
Suddenly Hung-Ho seized the cop
per DISH threw up the cover, and
snatched out the golden cake the like
of which had seen him split in two
a thousand times, always to disclose
a crystal of ice within.
He essayed to break 1t open, when
o quick and horrible flash of fear i'm
PEELED me to strike the cake from his
trembling hands so that the precious
thing fell to the tiles Of the court at
the feet of the spell-bound assemblage.
Astonishment Kissed from the throats
OF the onlookers. At once with ORR
entail intuitiveness, they OWNED the
cause Of my sacrilegious act. The law,
as all knew, but for the first time fully
realized, made him who opened the
cake the master of the cult
Crafty Hung Ho had all but, won the
Drzel
No sooner had I STAYED off one vi.
,ious attack than another was deliv-
red. While the foiled traitor and
TODD glaring at each other, neither |
what next to do, hoary gray |
BEARD among the judges-the most |
ICED and therefore esteemed the wisest |
'mong them all-slowly rose, and with |
,xasperating moderation pronounced
he dictum that the overreaching ras-
al, Hung-Ho, had forfeited his claim
" his unworthy exhibition of greed
nd faithleSSneSs.
Furthermore, according to the tradl-
IONS only a Chinese could contest Cor
he prize-never a hated foreigner.
I, too. was eliminated.
Hence it only remained for the judge
imself to claim the reward, in the
anne of the whole college of judges.
uiting the action to the word. he
lowly stopped, picked up the still
teaming cake and broke it open.
Out popped the nugget of compressed
now, which, falling to the pavement,
artially dissolved to its original wa
cry state before the entranced spec
ators recovered from the spell of
'onder that held them enthralled.
Then up went a shrill. ear-piercing
shrek from the SAT-
assembly as with one voice
ley vented their pent-up Indignation
the almost successful attempt OF
hated foreign devil to despoil them
their cherished heritage.
In moment Hung-Ho and l were in
maelstrom of rushing, clawing Chi.
use. Counter-currents bore us apart y
crashed down upon the pavement q
I'd lost consciousness. Il
When I awoke found myself In the [
ire of good missionary, who had :
scued me in the nick of time. AS
ION as my strength was sufficiently
gained he hurried me beyond the
riders of the province of Shan-Tung.
I which kind act / was devoutly
anlIful.
Hung-Ho probably host his worthless
e in the maelstrom. I never heard
him again.
AS for the secret of the iced-hot
Sh. you can soon purchase 1t at ten
nts a box.
The slow. small, but entirely safe
offs of trade appeal more strongly
me-since my narrow escape n. the
city of Confncius.