{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55539/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55539","id":"gutenberg_55539","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55539","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- Korea","Korea -- Description and travel"],"text":"KOREAN TALES\n\n                     BEING A COLLECTION OF STORIES\n                  TRANSLATED FROM THE KOREAN FOLK LORE\n\n                  TOGETHER WITH INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS\n                          DESCRIPTIVE OF KOREA\n\n\n                                   BY\n                           H. N. ALLEN, M.D.\n                FOREIGN SECRETARY OF LEGATION FOR KOREA\n\n\n                           NEW YORK & LONDON\n                          G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS\n                        The Knickerbocker Press\n                                  1889\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                   PAGE\n\n      I.--Introductory                                5\n          The Country, People, and Government.\n\n      II.--Descriptive                               15\n           Sights in and about the Capital.\n\n     III.--The Rabbit and other Legends              28\n           Stories of Birds and Animals.\n\n      IV.--The Enchanted Wine Jug                    40\n           Or, Why the Cat and Dog are Enemies.\n\n       V.--Ching Yuh and Kyain Oo                    56\n           The Trials of Two Heavenly Lovers.\n\n      VI.--Hyung Bo and Nahl Bo                      89\n           Or, The Swallow-King's Rewards.\n\n     VII.--Chun Yang                                116\n           The Faithful Dancing-Girl Wife.\n\n    VIII.--Sim Chung                                152\n           The Dutiful Daughter.\n\n      IX.--Hong Kil Tong                            170\n           Or, The Adventures of an Abused Boy.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNOTE.\n\n\nThe national emblem of Korea, pictured on the cover, represents the\nmale and female elements of nature; the dark blue representing Heaven\n(the male), the yellow representing Earth (the female). As seen across\nthe Eastern Sea, the heavens seem to lap over and embrace the earth,\nwhile the earth, to landwards, rises in the lofty mountains and folds\nthe heavens in its embrace, making a harmonious whole.\n\nThe characters represent the four points of the compass, and belong to\nthe original eight characters given by the first King, and from which\n\"all language\" sprung. The whole set is as follows:\n\n\n            ===   ===   = =   = =   = =   = =   ===   ===\n            ===   = =   = =   ===   ===   = =   ===   = =\n            ===   ===   ===   ===   = =   = =   = =   = =\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nRepeatedly, since returning to the United States, people have asked me,\n\"Why don't you write a book on Korea?\" I have invariably replied that\nit was not necessary, and referred the inquirers to the large work\nof Dr. Griffis, entitled \"Corea, the Hermit Kingdom,\" which covers\nthe subject in a charming manner.\n\nMy object in writing this book was to correct the erroneous impressions\nI have found somewhat prevalent--that the Koreans were a semi-savage\npeople. And believing that the object could be accomplished best in\ndisplaying the thought, life, and habits of the people as portrayed\nin their native lore, I have made these translations, which, while\nthey are so chosen as to cover various phases of life, are not to be\nconsidered as especially selected.\n\nI also wished to have some means of answering the constant\ninquiries from all parts of the country concerning Korean life and\ncharacteristics.\n\nPeople in Washington have asked me if Korea was an island in the\nMediterranean; others have asked if Korea could be reached by rail\nfrom Europe; others have supposed that Korea was somewhere in the\nSouth Seas, with a climate that enabled the natives to dispense with\nclothing. I have therefore included two chapters, introductory and\ndescriptive in character, concerning the subjects of the majority of\nsuch questions.\n\n\"Globe trotters,\" in passing from Japan to North China, usually go\nby way of the Korean ports, now that a line of excellent Japanese\nsteamships covers that route. These travellers see the somewhat\nbarren coasts of Korea--left so, that outsiders might not be tempted\nto come to the then hermit country; perhaps they land at Chemulpoo\n(the port of the capital, thirty miles distant), and stroll through\nthe rows of miserable, temporary huts, occupied by the stevedores,\nthe pack-coolies, chair-bearers, and other transient scum, and then\nwrite a long article descriptive of Korea. As well might they describe\nAmerica as seen among the slab shanties of one of the newest western\nrailroad towns, for when the treaties were formed in 1882 not a house\nstood where Chemulpoo now stands, with its several thousand regular\ninhabitants and as many more transients.\n\n\nH. N. Allen.\n\nWashington, D. C., July 1, 1889.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTORY.\n\n\nKorea, Corea, or Chosen (morning calm) occupies the peninsula hanging\ndown from Manchooria and Russian Siberia between China and Japan,\nand extending from the 33d to the 43d parallels of north latitude.\n\nThe area, including the outlying islands, is about one hundred thousand\nsquare miles. The population, according to the most reliable estimate,\nis a little more than sixteen millions. Yet, as the people live in\ncities, towns, and hamlets, the country does not seem to be thickly\nsettled.\n\nThe climate varies much at the extremities of the peninsula, owing\nto the fact that the southern portion is somewhat affected by the\nwarm southern currents that give Japan its tropical climate, but\nwhich are warded off from Korea proper by the Japanese islands. The\nclimate of the central and northern provinces is much the same as\nthat of the northern central United States, with fewer changes. The\nlarge river at the capital is not uncommonly frozen over for weeks\nat a time during the winter, so that heavy carts pass over on the\nice. Ice is always preserved for general use in summer.\n\nThe country is decidedly mountainous, and well watered. Heavy timber\nabounds in the northeast. The valleys are very fertile and are well\ntilled, as the people are mainly devoted to agriculture.\n\nThe mineral resources have only been developed in a crude way,\nyet sufficiently to demonstrate the great wealth of the ore\ndeposits. Especially is this true in reference to the gold mines.\n\nThe most pessimistic visitors to Korea are unstinted in their praise\nof the beautiful scenery, which is fully appreciated by the natives\nas well. From ancient times they have had guide-books setting\nforth the natural charms of particular localities; and excursions\nto distant places for the sole purpose of enjoying the views are a\ncommon occurrence.\n\nThe King rules as absolute monarch. He is assisted by the\nPrime-Minister and his two associates--the ministers of the Left and\nRight. Next to these come the heads of the six departments of Etiquette\nand Ceremonies, Finance, War, Public Works, Justice, and Registration,\nwith the heads of the two new departments that have been added as\nthe result of the opening up of foreign intercourse--the Foreign\n(or outside) Office, and the Home (or interior) Office. This body of\nofficials forms the grand council of the King.\n\nEach of the eight provinces is ruled by a governor, who has under\nhim prefects, local magistrates, supervisors of hamlets, and petty\nofficials, so that the whole scale makes a very complete system and\naffords no lack of officials.\n\nThere are several special officers appointed by the King, one of whom\nis the government inspector, whose duty it is to go about in disguise,\nlearn the condition of the people, and ascertain if any magistrate\nabuses his office and oppresses the people unjustly. Any such he may\nbring to speedy justice.\n\nThe present Dynasty has existed 498 years. Being founded by a revolting\ngeneral named Ye, it is known as the Ye Dynasty. The King's name,\nhowever, is never used. He is almost sacred to his people. Those\nofficials of sufficiently high rank to go in before him bow to the\nground in his presence, and only speak when spoken to; then they use\na highly honorific language only understood at court.\n\nThe revenues are paid in kind, hence the annual income of an official\nmay consist of a certain quantity of rice, and other products, in\naddition to his money compensation. The King, also, has the whole\nrevenue resulting from the sale of the ginseng, for which the country\nis noted. This forms his private purse.\n\nThe currency is the common copper cash, worth some twelve hundred to\nthe Mexican dollar; though now that the new mint is in operation,\ncopper, silver, and gold coins are being made. The old perforated\ncash will, however, be hard to supplant, owing to its convenience in\nsmall transactions.\n\nBanks proper do not exist; though the government does a kind of banking\nbusiness in granting orders on various provincial offices, so that\na travelling official need not be burdened with much ready money. A\nnumber of large brokers at the capital assist in the government\nfinancial transactions.\n\nAll unoccupied land belongs to the King, but any man may take up a\nhomestead, and, after tilling it and paying taxes on it for a period\nof three years, it becomes his own, and must be purchased should the\ngovernment need it.\n\nDeeds are given in the form of receipts and quit-claims by the\nseller. These may be registered with the local magistrate. Wills,\nas understood in western countries, are not executed; though a father\nwishing to provide especially for the children of his concubines may\nmake a will, or statement, the proper execution of which devolves\nupon the eldest son.\n\nRecords of the births of males are kept, as are also records of deaths,\nbut these are not always reliable. All males of fifteen years of age\nare registered at the Hang Sung Poo, or Department of Registration,\nwhich issues to them tablets bearing their name and address. Children\nare also generally provided with these tablets, to prevent their\ngetting lost.\n\nThe people are well built and strong, as a rule. They are a loyal,\ncontented race, not grasping, and rather too easy in disposition. They\nare intelligent and learn with great ease. Possessed of many\ncharacteristics in common with their neighbors, the Chinese and\nJapanese, they yet seem to have a personality indicative of a different\nparentage, which continually calls forth inquiry as to their origin. In\nsome slight degree they resemble the aborigines of America, and it\nis believed that their ancestors came from the north:--the question\nopens up a fertile field for study. Their written records are said to\ndate back three thousand years. Their traditional first king descended\nfrom heaven five thousand years ago. With a civilization of such age\nthey might well be excused for so long barring their doors against\nthe new civilization of the young nations of the West. While, as\na matter of fact, the difference existing between the two is more\none of degree than essence, perhaps more vices may be found in the\ncivilization of the West than are known to this people. And, with a\nfew exceptions, the virtues taught by the modern civilization have\nbeen practised for centuries behind the bars of isolation that shut\nin this self-satisfied people.\n\nThe people dress in imported cotton sheetings mostly, padding them well\nwith cotton-wool for winter use, and using the plain bleached white,\nor dying the cloth a light shade of blue or green. Rice is the staple\narticle of food in the central and southern provinces; wheat enters\nmore largely into the diet of the northern people. Their cattle are\nas large and fine as may be found anywhere; the people eat much beef,\nand hides are a prominent article of export. Their houses are well\nbuilt and comfortable; foreigners adapt them to their own use with\nlittle trouble. The houses are heated by means of a system of flues\nunderneath the floor, which is made of large flagstone placed over the\nflues and well cemented; over all thick, strong, oil paper is placed,\nmaking a rich, dark, highly polished floor, through which no smoke can\ncome, though it is always agreeably warm. The houses are all one story,\nbuilt around a court, and several sets of buildings, each within a\nseparate wall, usually make up a gentleman's compound. The buildings\nare covered with a thick layer of earth and capped with tile laid on\nin graceful curves. This roof insures coolness in summer. The rooms\nare made almost air-tight by the plentiful use of paper on the walls\noutside and in, as well as for doors and windows.\n\nThere are three great classes in Korea: the nobility, the middle class,\nand the commoners. A commoner, not of the proscribed orders, may rise\nto nobility by successfully passing the competitive examinations. The\nofficials are appointed from the noble classes.\n\nThe language is peculiar to the country, and while written official\ndocuments are done in the common character of China and Japan, the\nspoken language of neither of these people is understood in Korea. The\nnative language of Korea possesses an alphabet and grammar, and is\npolysyllabic, thus resembling English more than it does Chinese.\n\nIn religious matters the Koreans are peculiar in that they may be\nsaid to be without a religion, properly speaking. Prior to the advent\nof the present dynasty, Buddhism reigned, but for 498 years it has\nbeen in such disfavor that no priest dare enter a walled city. They\nstill maintain temples in the mountains, but exert but little if any\ninfluence. In morals the people are Confucianists, and their reverent\ndevotion to their ancestors may serve in part as a religion. In\ntimes of distress they \"pray to Heaven,\" and seem really to be very\ndevoutly inclined.\n\nChristianity came into disfavor through the indiscretion of its early\nteachers. The distrust is slowly passing away now, and missionaries\nare openly employed in doing the educational work that must precede\nany successful attempt to secure the adoption of beliefs so radically\ndifferent from all existing ideas.\n\nSome of the results of the outside intercourse that has been\nindulged in for the past eight years may be mentioned. A maritime\ncustoms service, under the charge of American and European officers,\nis in very successful operation. So is a hospital, supported by the\ngovernment and operated by American physicians, gratuitously furnished\nby the American Presbyterian Mission. The government supports a school\nfor which American teachers are employed. American military officers\nhave charge of the reorganization of the army and conduct a school for\nthe purpose of instructing the young officers. A mint, machine-shops,\npowder-mills, silk filatures, an electric light, and a telegraph and\ncable line are some of the new institutions recently adopted and, as a\nrule, now in successful operation. Steamships have also been purchased\nmore for the purpose of transporting tribute rice than as a nucleus\nfor a navy. In regard to the relations existing between Korea and\nChina the reader is respectfully referred to a paper delivered before\nthe American Oriental Society by the Chinese scholar, W. W. Rockhill,\nU. S. Secretary of Legation at Pekin, and contained in Vol. III. of\nthe Society's publications for 1888. In his preface Mr. Rockhill says:\n\n\"The nature of Korea's relations with China has for the last thirty\nyears been a puzzle for Western nations. Were they--with the ambiguous\nutterance of the Chinese Government before them that 'Korea, though a\nvassal and tributary state of China, was entirely independent so far\nas her government, religion, and intercourse with foreign States were\nconcerned'--to consider it as an integral part of the Chinese Empire,\nor should they treat it as a sovereign state, enjoying absolute\ninternational rights?\n\n\"The problem was practically solved by the conclusion of the treaty\nbetween Japan, and later on the United States, and Korea, but this\nhas not materially altered the nature of the relations existing for\nthe last four centuries, at least between China and its so-called\nvassal. That China has, however, derived profit from the opening of\nKorea to the commerce of nations, there can be no doubt, for she, too,\nbeing at liberty to conclude treaties with Korea and open this new\nmarket to her merchants, has done so, like other nations, though she\nhas chosen to call her treaty by the euphonious name of 'commercial\nand trade regulations for the subjects of China and Korea', and her\ndiplomatic representative in Seoul, 'Minister Resident for political\nand commercial affairs.' What China's relations with Korea were prior\nto the opening of the latter kingdom by the treaty of 1883, I propose\nto show in the following pages, taking as my authorities official\nChinese publications and writings of men in official position.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKOREAN TALES.\n\n\nDESCRIPTIVE.\n\nSEOUL--THE CAPITAL.\n\n\nAs \"Paris is France,\" so Seoul may be said to be Korea, for it is the\ncentre from which nearly every thing for the country either originates\nor is disseminated. Officers ruling over country districts usually\nhave their \"house in town,\" and expect to spend a portion, at least,\nof their time within the walls of the capital. While some of the\nprovincial capitals are said to contain more people and to be more\ncelebrated for certain reasons, Seoul is the home of the King and\nthe Mecca of his faithful subjects. A description of this city may,\ntherefore, answer for all. The capital is a city of some 300,000\ninhabitants, half of whom, perhaps, live in the extensive suburbs\nwithout the walls. It lies in a basin of granite sand, surrounded by\nhigh mountains and their projecting ridges, over which climbs the high,\nthick, encircling wall of masonry; pierced at convenient points by\nmassive, pagoda-roofed gates, amply strong enough for defense against\nthe weapons of war in use at the time of building this great relic\nof seclusion.\n\nThe city is traversed by broad avenues from which runs a perfect\nlabyrinth of narrow streets. Originally none of these streets were\nless than twenty feet wide, and some of the avenues leading up to the\nimposing gates of the palaces are even now a good two hundred feet\nin width. But the streets have all been encroached upon by the little\ntemporary thatched booths of the petty retail dealers, so that, with\nthe exception of the approaches to the palaces, the line is broken,\nthe streets made tortuous, and only here and there a broad open\nspot indicates the original width of the thoroughfare. Originally\nevery street was furnished with its sewer--open in the smaller\nstreets, while the avenues were drained by great covered sewers of\nstonework. Occasionally the proprietor of one of the little temporary\nbooths would put a foundation under his structure, bridging over the\nsewer, until now the streets have in many cases become mere crooked\nalleys, and but for the bountiful rains, the excellent natural\ndrainage, and the character of the soil, the mortality would be very\ngreat instead of being less than in ordinary American cities. No\nattempt is made towards street decoration, as that would attract the\nattention of thieves. The magnificent grounds of a nobleman, with their\nartificial lakes, flower gardens, water-worn pillars of ancient rock\nand quaintly twisted trees, may be enclosed by a row of tumble-down,\nsmoke-begrimed servant-quarters that would never indicate the beauty\nto be found hidden within its forbidding exterior.\n\nTravellers never seem to realize that a street in the East is apt to\nbe but a \"way\" between two points, and as the usual Oriental odors\ngreet their nostrils and their eyes rest on the dirty servants and\ntheir dirtier hovels, they at once denounce the whole town.\n\nThere is attraction enough, however, in a Korean street for any one\nwho is in search of strange sights. Looking down one of the broad\nthoroughfares of Seoul from a point on the city wall, the sun's rays,\nfalling on the light-colored gowns of the pedestrians as they saunter\nalong amid the bulls and ponies, produce a kaleidoscopic effect that\nis certainly charming. Passing down into the throng it will be seen to\nbe made up mostly of men, with here and there a group of common women,\neach closely veiled with a bright green gown, made like the long outer\ngarment of the men, and possessing little sleeves of crimson. This\nstrange garment is never worn, but is always used as a covering for\nthe fair (?) face. Tradition teaches that in ancient times, when wars\nwere frequent, veils were discarded and these gowns were worn by the\nwives and sisters, that, in case of sudden call to arms, they could\nbe given to their husbands and brothers to be worn to battle--hence\nthe red sleeves, upon which the gory sword was to be wiped.\n\nThe peculiar gauze \"stove-pipe\" hat of the men, about which so much has\nbeen said, also has its origin in tradition, as follows: In ancient\ndays conspiracies were common; to prevent these an edict was issued\ncompelling all men to wear great earthenware hats, the size of an\numbrella (type of the mourner's hat in Korea to-day, except that the\nlatter is made of finely woven basket-work). This law became very\nodious, for in addition to the weight of the hats, not more than a\nvery few men could come close enough together to converse, and even\nthen spies could hear their necessarily loud whispering. Little by\nlittle, therefore, the law began to be infringed upon till the people\ngot down to the present airy structure of horsehair, silk, and bamboo.\n\nAnother story is, that petty wars being too frequent between rival\nsections, all men were compelled to wear these umbrella hats of\nclay. In case one became broken the possessor was punished by\ndecapitation--naturally they stopped their fighting and took good\ncare of their hats till the law was repealed.\n\nThe custom of wearing white so extensively as they do is also\naccounted for by tradition. Mourning is a serious business in Korea,\nfor on the death of a father the son must lay aside his gay robes\nand clothe himself in unbleached cotton of a very coarse texture. He\nwraps his waist with a rope girdle, and puts on the umbrella hat,\nwhich conceals the whole upper portion of his person. For further\nprotection against intrusion he carries a white fan, and, should he\nsmoke, his pipe must be wrapped with white. For three years he must\nwear this guise and must do no work, so that the resources of even\na large and prosperous family may be thus exhausted.\n\nShould a king die, the whole nation would be compelled to don this\nmourning garb, or rather they would be compelled to dress in white--the\nmourning color. Once, during a period of ten years, three kings died,\nnecessitating a constant change of dress on the part of the people\nand a great outlay of money, for a Korean wardrobe is extensive\nand costly. Tradition has it, therefore, that, to be ready for the\ncaprice of their kings in the future, the people adopted white as\nthe national color.\n\nThe nobility and wealthy persons who can afford it, dress in rich gayly\ncolored silks, and even the common people add a little blue or green to\ntheir outside robes, so that when they wander about over the beautiful\ngreen hills in their favorite pastime of admiring the natural beauties\nof a remarkably beautiful and well preserved landscape, their bright\ngowns but add to the general effect. And a long procession of monks\nemerging from their high mountain temple and descending along the\ngreen mountain path might be taken for a company of the spirits with\nwhich their literature abounds; especially will this be the case if,\nas is common, the region of the temple is shrouded with clouds.\n\nBut little of home life is seen along the streets, and the favored\nones who may pass the great gates and traverse the many courts which\nlead to the fine inclosures of the nobility would see but little of\nhome life, as the women have quarters by themselves, and are only\nseen by the men of their own family.\n\nIt is pleasant, however, to see the little groups of the working class\nsitting around the fire which is cooking their evening meal and at\nthe same time heating the platform of paper and cement-covered stones\nwhich form the floor of their bed chamber, and on which they will\nspread their mats and sleep. They will all be found to be smoking,\nand if tobacco was ever a blessing to any people it is to the lower\nclasses in Korea, who find in it their greatest comfort. No one could\nsee the solid enjoyment taken by a Korean coolie with his pipe without\nblessing the weed.\n\nAs the fires burn low, and one by one the smokers have knocked\nthe ashes from their pipes and sought the warm stone floor, a deep\nstillness settles over the profoundly dark city. The rich, deep notes\nof a great centrally located bell ring out as the watchman draws back\na huge suspended beam of wood, and releasing it, lets it strike the\nbronze side of the heavy bell, from which vibration after vibration\nis sent forth upon the still night-air.\n\nSome weird music, which has been likened to that of Scotch bagpipes,\nis heard from the direction of the city gates, and the traveller,\nwho is still threading the streets to his abode, feels thankful that\nhe has arrived in time, for now the massive gates are closed, and\nnone may enter without royal permission. The street traveller will\nalso hasten to his home or stopping-place, for between the ringing\nof the evening chimes and the tolling of the bell to announce the\napproach of dawn, all men must absent themselves from the streets,\nwhich then are taken possession of by the women, who even then, as\nthey flit about from house to house with their little paper lanterns,\ngo veiled lest some passing official should see their faces. [1]\n\nThe midnight stillness is broken by the barking of countless dogs,\nbut as cats are in disfavor their serenades are seldom heard. Another\nsound is often, in busy times heard throughout the whole night. It\nis peculiar to Korea, and to one who has lived long in the country\nit means much. It is the drumming of the Korean laundry. To give the\nlight-colored gowns their highly prized lustre they must be well\npounded; for this purpose the cloth is wrapped around a long hard\nroller which is fixed in a low frame, two women then sit facing each\nother with, in each hand, a round, hard stick, something like a small\nbase-ball bat, and they commence beating the cloth, alternating so\nas to make quite a musical tinkle.\n\nHeard at some distance this rhythmic rattle is not unpleasant, and\none is assured that in the deep night that has settled so like a pall\nover the city, two persons are wide-awake and industriously engaged,\nwhile, when the tapping ceases for a bit, one is comforted with\nthe thought that the poor things are enjoying a rich bit of gossip,\nor welcoming a friend who is more fortunate in having finished her\nironing in time to enjoy the freedom of the night.\n\nInside the Palace the night is turned into day as nearly as can be\ndone by the electric light. The business of the government is mostly\ntransacted at night that the wheels of administration may run smoothly\nduring the day. At sun-down several lights may be seen on the summit\nof the beautiful ever green south mountain which forms the southern\nlimit of the city; as does a grim stony peak on the north serve a\nsimilar purpose on that side. The south mountain faces the Palaces. It\nalso commands a good view of the outlying peaks, upon some of which,\nsituated in suitable localities, are stationed watchmen, so placed as\nto command a view of others farther and farther removed; thus forming\nlines from the distant borders of the country to the capital. On\nthese peaks small signal-fires are nightly kindled, and as the lights\nare seen by the watchman on the south mountain, he builds the proper\nnumber of fires upon little altars in full view of the Palace. Then a\nbody of gray old officers go in before His Majesty, and bowing their\nheads to the floor, make known the verdict of the signal-fires,\nas to whether peace reigns in the borders or not. Soon after this\nthe officials assemble and the business of the government begins,\nthe King giving his personal attention to all matters of importance.\n\nThere are three palace inclosures in the city, only one of which\nis occupied. One is an old ruined place that was built for the use\nof a ruler who chanced to be regent for his father, and as he could\nnot reside in the Palace proper this smaller place was prepared for\nhim. The buildings now are in ruins, while the large grounds are used\nby the foreign silk expert as a nursery for mulberry-trees.\n\nThe present Palace includes some hundreds of acres, and is the home\nof more than three thousand attendants. The grounds are beautifully\ndiversified by little lakes of several acres in extent, one of which\nsurrounds a magnificent and stately pavilion, supported on great stone\npillars,--a fine picture and description of this, and other parts of\nthe Palace, may be found in Mr. Lowell's \"Chosen.\" The other lake\npossesses a bright little pagoda-like pavilion, around which plays\na steam launch, dividing the lotus flowers which grow in the water,\nand startling the swan, duck, and other aquatic animals that make\nthis their home.\n\nThese lakes are fed and drained by a mountain stream that enters\nand leaves the Palace inclosure, through water-gates built under the\nwalls. Some of the bridges spanning this brook are quaint pieces of\nartistic masonry, having animals carved in blocks of stone, represented\nin the act of plunging into the liquid depths below. This carved stone\nwork abounds throughout the Palace buildings; the largest of which\nis the great Audience-Hall, with its mast-like pillars supporting a\nceiling at an elevation of near one hundred feet above the tiled floor.\n\nThe dwelling-houses of the Royal Family are built upon the banks\nof one of the small lakes, and are surrounded by walls for greater\nseclusion. The rooms are furnished with costly articles from European\nmarkets, together with the finest native furniture. Foreign-trained\ncooks are employed, and the dinners sometimes given to distinguished\nforeign guests are in entire accord with modern western\nmethods. Royalty is never present at these banquets, which are\npresided over by one of the heads of departments; the Royal Family,\nmaybe, witnessing the novel sight from a secluded place where their\npresence may not be known.\n\nThe King only leaves the Palace upon certain occasions, as when he\ngoes to bow before the tombs of his ancestors. On these occasions\nthe streets are cleared of the little straw-thatched booths of the\npetty retail merchants as well as of all other unsightly objects. The\nstreet is roped off and sprinkled with fresh earth, and the people\ndon their holiday garb, for it is indeed a great gala day to\nthem. The procession is a gorgeous relic of medi\u00e6val times, with\nbits of the present strangely incorporated. There may be regiments\nof soldiers in the ancient fiery coats of mail, preceded or followed\nby soldiers dressed in the queer hybrid uniforms of the modern army,\nand bearing the bayoneted rifles of the present day, instead of the\nquaint matchlock-guns and ugly spears of the ancient guard. The wild,\nweird music of the native bands may be followed by the tooting of\nthe buglers of the modern soldiery.\n\nThe strange one-wheeled chair of an official, with its numbers of\npushers and supporters, will probably be followed by an artillery\ncompany dragging Gatling guns. His Majesty himself will be borne in\na great throne-like chair of red work, supported on the shoulders\nof thirty-two oddly attired bearers, while high officials in the\ngovernment service may be mounted on horse back, or borne in less\npretentious chairs. The length of the procession varies, but it is\nseldom less than an hour in passing a given place.\n\nThe King is thirty-eight years of age. The Queen is one year his\nsenior. The Crown Prince is fifteen years old, and has no brothers\nor sisters. Foreigners who have been granted an audience with the\nKing are always pleased with his affability and brightness. He\nis quick of perception and very progressive. By having foreign\nnewspapers translated to him he keeps fully abreast of the times. He\nis kind-hearted to a fault, and much concerned for the welfare of\nhis people. His word is law, and an official would never think of\nfailing to carry out his instructions or perish in the attempt. Owing\nto his great seclusion and the amount of ceremony with which he is\nhedged in, and the fact that, as a rule, nothing disagreeable must be\nbrought to his notice, he is somewhat at the mercy of his favorites;\nand a trusted eunuch, having the King's ear continually, may become\na great power for good or bad as the case may be. As decapitation is\nthe usual punishment for most crimes, however, and as an official\nwho should deceive the King would probably meet with such an end,\nthe responsibility of the place is apt to sober an otherwise fickle\nmind and insure honest reports.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE RABBIT, AND OTHER LEGENDS.\n\nSTORIES OF BIRDS AND ANIMALS.\n\n\nThe Koreans are great students of Nature. Nothing seems to escape their\nattention as they plod through the fields or saunter for pleasure over\nthe green hills. A naturally picturesque landscape is preserved in its\nfreshness by the law that forbids the cutting of timber or fuel in any\nbut prescribed localities. The necessity that compels the peasants to\ncarefully rake together all the dried grass and underbrush for fuel,\ncauses even the rugged mountain sides to present the appearance of\na gentleman's well kept park, from which the landscape gardener has\nbeen wisely excluded.\n\nNature's beauty in Korea may be said to be enhanced rather than marred\nby the presence of man; since the bright tints of the ample costume\nworn by all lends a quaint charm to the view. The soil-begrimed white\ngarments of the peasants at work in the fields are not especially\nattractive at short range; but the foot-traveller, clad in a gorgeous\ngown of light-colored muslin, adds a pleasant touch to the general\neffect, as he winds about the hills following one of the \"short-cut\"\npaths; while the flowing robes of brightly colored silk worn by the\nfrequent parties of gentry who may be met, strolling for recreation,\nare a positive attraction. Nor are these groups uncommon. The\nclimate during most of the year is so delightful; the gentry are so\npre-eminently a people of leisure, and are so fond of sight-seeing,\ngames, and music, that they may be continually met taking a stroll\nthrough the country.\n\nAs has been said, nothing out-of-doors seems to have escaped their\nattention. The flowers that carpet the earth from snow till snow have\neach been named and their seasons are known.\n\nThe mah-hah in-doors throws out its pretty sessile blossoms upon the\nleafless stem sometimes before the snows have left, as though summer\nwere borne upon winter's bare arm with no leafy spring to herald\nher approach. Then the autumn snows and frosts often arrive before\nthe great chrysanthemums have ceased their blooming, while, between\nthe seasons of the two heralds, bloom myriads of pretty plants that\nshould make up a veritable botanical paradise. Summer finds the whole\nhill-sides covered with the delicate fluffy bloom of the pink azaleas,\nsummoning forth the bands of beauty seekers who have already admired\nthe peach and the plum orchards. Great beds of nodding lilies of the\nvalley usher in the harvest, and even the forest trees occasionally\nadd their weight of blossoms to the general effect.\n\nThe coming and going of the birds is looked for, and the peculiarities\nand music of each are known. As a rule, they are named in accordance\nwith the notes they utter; the pigeon is the pe-dul-key; the crow\nthe kaw-mah-gue; the swallow the chap-pie, and so on. One bird--I\nthink it is the oriole--is associated with a pretty legend to the\neffect that, once upon a time, one of the numerous ladies at court\nhad a love affair with one of the palace officials--a Mr. Kim. It\nwas discovered, and the poor thing lost her life. Her spirit could\nnot be killed, however, and, unappeased, it entered this bird, in\nwhich form she returned to the palace and sang, \"Kim-pul-lah-go,\"\n\"Kim-pul, Kim-pul-lah-go,\" then, receiving no response, she would\nmournfully entreat--\"Kim-poh-go-sip-so,\" \"Kim-poh-go-sip-so.\" Now,\nin the language of Korea, \"Kim-pul-lah-go\" means \"call Kim\" or \"tell\nKim to come,\" and \"Kim poh go sip so\" means \"I want to see Kim.\" So,\neven to this day, the women and children feel sad when they hear\nthese plaintive notes, and unconsciously their hearts go out in pity\nfor the poor lone lover who is ever searching in vain for her Kim.\n\nAnother bird of sadness is the cuckoo, and the women dislike to hear\nits homesick notes echoing across the valleys.\n\nThe pe chu kuh ruk is a bird that sings in the wild mountain places\nand warns people that robbers are near. When it comes to the hamlets\nand sings, the people know that the rice crop will be a failure,\nand that they will have to eat millet.\n\nThe crow is in great disfavor, as it eats dead dog, and brings the\ndread fever--Yim pyung.\n\nThe magpie--that impudent, noisy nuisance,--however, is in great favor,\nso much so that his great ugly nest is safe from human disturbance,\nand his presence is quite acceptable, especially in the morning. He\nseems to be the champion of the swallows that colonize the thick roofs\nand build their little mud houses underneath the tiles, for when one\nof the great lazy house-snakes comes out to sun himself after a meal\nof young swallows, the bereaved parents and friends at once fly off\nfor the saucy magpie, who comes promptly and dashes at the snake's\nhead amid the encouraging jabbering of the swallows. They usually\nsucceed in driving the reptile under the tiles.\n\nShould the magpie come to the house with his (excuse for a)\nsong in the morning, good news may be expected during the day;\nfather will return from a long journey; brother will succeed in his\n(civil-service) examination and obtain rank, or good news will be\nbrought by post. Should the magpie come in the afternoon with his\njargon, a guest--not a friend--may be expected with an appetite equal\nto that of a family of children; while, if the magpie comes after dark,\nthieves may be dreaded.\n\nThis office of house-guard is also bestowed upon the domestic\ngoose. Aside from its beauty, this bird is greatly esteemed for its\ndaring in promptly sounding an alarm, should any untimely visitor\nenter the court, as well as for its bravery in boldly pecking at and,\nin some cases, driving out the intruder.\n\nThe wild goose is one of the most highly prized birds in Korea. It\nalways participates in the wedding ceremonies; for no man would think\nhimself properly married had he not been presented by his bride\nwith a wild goose, even though the bird were simply hired for the\noccasion. The reason for this is that these observing people once\nnoticed that a goose, whose mate was killed, returned to the place\nyear after year to mourn her loss; and such constancy they seek, by\nthis pretty custom, to commend to their wives. They further pledge\neach other at this time in these words: \"Black is the hair that now\ncrowns our heads, yet when it has become as white as the fibres of\nthe onion root, we shall still be found faithful to each other.\"\n\nThe white heron seems to be the especial friend of man. Many are the\ntales told of the assistance it has rendered individuals. In one case\nthe generous-hearted creature is said to have pecked off its bill\nin its frantic attempts to ring a temple bell for the salvation of\na man. One of the early stories relates how a hunter, having shot an\narrow through the head of a snake that was about to devour some newly\nhatched herons, was in turn saved by the mother bird, who pecked to\ndeath a snake that had gotten into the man's stomach while he was\ndrinking at a spring. The pecking, further, was so expertly done as\nnot to injure the man.\n\nThe swallows are everywhere welcome, while the thievish sparrows\nare killed as often as possible; the former live in the roofs of the\nhouses, and usually awaken the inmates by their delighted chattering\nat each recurrence of dawn. A charming story is told of a swallow's\nrewarding a kind man who had rescued it from a snake and bound up its\nbroken leg. The anecdote is too long to be related in this connection\nfurther than to say that the bird gave the man a seed which, being\nplanted, brought him a vast fortune, while a seed given to his wicked\nbrother, who was cruel to the swallows, worked his ruin. The bird\nheld in the highest favor, however, is the stork. It is engraved in\njade and gold and embroidered in silk, as the insignia of rank for the\nnobility. It is the bird that soars above the battle, and calls down\nsuccess upon the Korean arms. In its majestic flight it is supposed\nto mount to heaven; hence its wisdom, for it is reputed to be a very\nwise bird. A man was once said to have ridden to heaven on the back\nof a huge stork, and judging from the great strength of a pair the\nwriter once had as pets, the people are warranted in believing that,\nin the marvellous days of the ancients, these birds were used for\npurposes of transportation.\n\nThe animals, too, have their stories, and in Korea, as in some other\nparts of the world, the rabbit seems to come off best, as a rule. One\nvery good story is told concerning a scrape the rabbit got himself\ninto because of his curiosity, but out of which he extricated himself\nat the expense of the whole fraternity of water animals.\n\nIt seems that on one occasion the king of fishes was a little\nindiscreet, and while snapping greedily at a worm, got a hook through\nhis nose. He succeeded in breaking the line, and escaped having his\nroyal bones picked by some hungry mortal, but he was still in a great\ndilemma, for he could in no way remove the cruel hook.\n\nHis finny majesty grew very ill; all the officials of his kingdom were\nsummoned and met in solemn council. From the turtle to the whale, each\none wore an anxious expression, and did his best at thinking. At last\nthe turtle was asked for his opinion, and announced his firm belief\nthat a poultice made from the fresh eye of a rabbit would remove the\ndisorder of their sovereign at once. He was listened to attentively,\nbut his plan was conceded to be impracticable, since they had no\nfresh rabbit eyes or any means of obtaining them. Then the turtle\nagain came to the rescue, and said that he had a passing acquaintance\nwith the rabbit, whom he had occasionally seen when walking along\nthe beach, and that he would endeavor to bring him to the palace,\nif the doctors would then take charge of the work, for the sight of\nblood disagreed with him, and he would ask to absent himself from the\nfurther conduct of the case. He was royally thanked for his offer,\nand sent off in haste, realizing full well that his career was made\nin case he succeeded, while he would be very much unmade if he failed.\n\n'Twas a very hot day as the fat turtle dragged himself up the\nhill-side, where he fortunately espied the rabbit. The latter, having\njumped away a short distance, cocked his ears, and looked over his\nback to see who was approaching. Perceiving the turtle, he went over\nand accosted him with, \"What are you doing away up here, sir?\"\n\n\"I simply came up for a view. I have always heard that the view over\nthe water from your hills was excellent, but I can't say it pays one\nfor the trouble of coming up,\" and the turtle wiped off his long neck\nand stretched himself out to cool off in the air.\n\n\"You are not high enough; just come with me if you want to see a view,\"\nand the rabbit straightened up as if to start.\n\n\"No, indeed! I have had enough for once. I prefer the water. Why, you\nshould see the magnificent sights down there. There are beautiful green\nforests of waving trees, mountains of cool stones, valleys and caves,\ngreat open plains made beautiful by companies of brightly robed fishes,\nroyal processions from our palaces, and, best of all, the water bears\nyou up, and you go everywhere without exertion. No, let me return,\nyou have nothing on this dry, hot earth worth seeing.\" The turtle\nturned to go, but the rabbit musingly followed. At length he said:\n\n\"Don't you have any difficulty in the water? Doesn't it get into\nyour eyes and mouth?\" For he really longed in his heart to see the\nstrange sights.\n\n\"Oh, no! it bothers us no more than air, after we have once become\naccustomed to it,\" said the turtle.\n\n\"I should very much like to see the place,\" said the rabbit, rather to\nhimself, \"but 'tis no use, I couldn't live in the water like a fish.\"\n\n\"Why, certainly not,\" and the turtle concealed his excitement under an\nair of indifference; \"you couldn't get along by yourself, but if you\nreally wish to see something that will surprise you, you may get on\nmy back, give me your fore-paws, and I will take you down all right.\"\n\nAfter some further assurance, the rabbit accepted the apparently\ngenerous offer, and on arriving at the beach, he allowed himself to be\nfirmly fixed on the turtle's back, and down they went into the water,\nto the great discomfort of the rabbit, who, however, eventually became\nso accustomed to the water that he did not much mind it.\n\nHe was charmed and bewildered by the magnificence of every thing\nhe saw, and especially by the gorgeous palace, through which he\nwas escorted, by attendant fishes, to the sick chamber of the king,\nwhere he found a great council of learned doctors, who welcomed him\nvery warmly. While sitting in an elegant chair and gazing about\nat the surrounding magnificence, he chanced to hear a discussion\nconcerning the best way of securing his eyes before he should die. He\nwas filled with horror, and, questioning an attendant, the whole plot\nwas explained to him. The poor fellow scratched his head and wondered\nif he would ever get out of the place alive. At last a happy thought\nstruck him. He explained to them that he always carried about two\npairs of eyes, his real ones and a pair made of mountain crystals,\nto be used in very dusty weather.\n\nFearing that the water would injure his real eyes, he had buried them\nin the sand before getting upon the turtle's back, and was now using\nhis crystal ones. He further expressed himself as most willing to\nlet them have one of his real eyes, with which to cure his majesty's\ndisorder, and assured them that he believed one eye would answer the\npurpose. He gave them to understand that he felt highly honored in\nbeing allowed to assist in so important a work, and declared that if\nthey would give the necessary order he would hasten on the turtle's\nback to the spot where he had buried the eyes and return speedily\nwith one.\n\nMarvelling much at the rabbit's courtesy, the fishes slunk away into\nthe corners for very shame at their own rude conduct in forcibly\nkidnapping him, when a simple request would have accomplished their\npurpose. The turtle was rather roughly commanded to carry the guest\nto the place designated, which he did.\n\nOnce released by the turtle to dig for the eyes in the sand, the rabbit\nshook the water from his coat, and winking at his clumsy betrayer told\nhim to dig for the eyes himself, that he had only one pair, and those\nhe intended to keep. With that he tore away up the mountain side,\nand has ever after been careful to give the turtle a wide berth.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE ENCHANTED WINE-JUG;\n\nOR, WHY THE CAT AND DOG ARE ENEMIES.\n\n\nIn ancient times there lived an old gray-haired man by the river's\nbank where the ferry-boats land. He was poor but honest, and being\nchildless, and compelled to earn his own food, he kept a little\nwine-shop, which, small though it was, possessed quite a local\nreputation, for the aged proprietor would permit no quarrelling\non his premises, and sold only one brand of wine, and this was of\nreally excellent quality. He did not keep a pot of broth simmering\nover the coals at his door to tempt the passer-by, and thus increase\nhis thirst on leaving. The old man rather preferred the customers who\nbrought their little long-necked bottles, and carried the drink to\ntheir homes. There were some peculiarities--almost mysteries--about\nthis little wine-shop; the old man had apparently always been there,\nand had never seemed any younger. His wine never gave out, no matter\nhow great might be the local thirst, yet he was never seen to make\nor take in a new supply; nor had he a great array of vessels in his\nshop. On the contrary, he always seemed to pour the wine out of the\none and same old bottle, the long, slender neck of which was black and\nshiny from being so often tipped in his old hand while the generous,\nwarming stream gurgled outward to the bowl. This had long ceased to be\na matter of inquiry, however, and only upon the advent of a stranger\nof an inquiring mind would the subject be re-discussed. The neighbors\nwere assured that the old man was thoroughly good, and that his wine\nwas better. Furthermore, he sold it as reasonably as other men sold a\nmuch inferior article. And more than this, they did not care to know;\nor at least if they did once care, they had gotten over it, and were\nnow content to let well enough alone.\n\nI said the old man had no children. That is true, yet he had that which\nin a slight degree took the place of children, in that they were his\ndaily care, his constant companions, and the partners of his bed and\nboard. These deputy children were none other than a good-natured old\ndog, with laughing face and eyes, long silken ears that were ever on\nthe alert, yet too soft to stand erect, a chunky neck, and a large\nround body covered with long soft tan hair and ending in a bushy\ntail. He was the very impersonation of canine wisdom and good-nature,\nand seldom became ruffled unless he saw his master worried by the ill\nbehavior of one of his patrons, or when a festive flea persisted in\nattacking him on all sides at once. His fellow, a cat, would sometimes\nassist in the onslaught, when the dog was about to be defeated and\ncompletely ruffled by his tormentor.\n\nThis \"Thomas\" was also a character in his own way, and though past the\ndays when his chief ambition had been to catch his tail, he had such a\nstrong vein of humor running through him that age could not subdue his\nfrivolous propensities. He had been known to drop a dead mouse upon the\ndog's nose from the counter, while the latter was endeavoring to get a\nquiet nap; and then he would blow his tail up as a balloon, hump his\nback, and look utterly shocked at such conduct, as the startled dog\nnearly jumped out of his skin, and growling horribly, tore around as\nthough he were either in chase of a wild beast or being chased by one.\n\nThis happy couple lived in the greatest contentment with the old\nman. They slept in the little kang room with him at night, and enjoyed\nthe warm stone floor, with its slick oil-paper covering, as much as\ndid their master. When the old man would go out on a mild moonlit\nnight to enjoy a pipe of tobacco and gaze at the stars, his companions\nwould rush out and announce to the world that they were not asleep,\nbut ready to encounter any and every thing that the darkness might\nbring forth, so long as it did not enter their master's private court,\nof which they were in possession.\n\nThese two were fair-weather companions up to this time. They had not\nbeen with the old man when a bowl of rice was a luxury. Their days\ndid not antedate the period of the successful wine-shop history. The\nold man, however, often recalled those former days with a shudder,\nand thought with great complacency of the time when he had befriended\na divine being, in the form of a weary human traveller, to whom he\ngave the last drink his jug contained, and how, when the contents\nof the little jug had gurgled down the stranger's throat in a long\nunbroken draught, the stranger had given him a trifling little thing\nthat looked like a bit of amber, saying: \"Drop this into your jug,\nold man, and so long as it remains there, you will never want for a\ndrink.\" He did so; and sure enough the jug was heavy with something,\nso that he raised it to his lips, and--could he believe it! a most\ndelicious stream of wine poured down his parched throat.\n\nHe took the jug down and peered into its black depths; he shook its\nsides, causing the elf within to dance and laugh aloud; and shutting\nhis eyes, again he took another long draught; then meaning well, he\nremembered the stranger, and was about to offer him a drink, when he\ndiscovered that he was all alone, and began to wonder at the strange\ncircumstance, and to think what he was to do. \"I can't sit here and\ndrink all the time, or I will be drunk, and some thief will carry\naway my jug. I can't live on wine alone, yet I dare not leave this\nstrange thing while I seek for work.\"\n\nLike many another to whom fortune has just come, he knew not for a\ntime what to do with his good-luck. Finally he hit upon the scheme\nof keeping a wine-shop, the success of which we have seen, and have\nperhaps refused the old man credit for the wisdom he displayed in\ncontinuing on in a small scale, rather than in exciting unpleasant\ncuriosity and official oppression, by turning up his jug and attempting\nto produce wine at wholesale. The dog and cat knew the secret, and\nhad ever a watchful eye upon the jug, which was never for a moment\nout of sight of one of the three pairs of eyes.\n\nAs the brightest day must end in gloom, however, so was this pleasant\nstate soon to be marred by a most sad and far-reaching accident.\n\nOne day the news flashed around the neighborhood that the old man's\nsupply of wine was exhausted; not a drop remained in his jug, and he\nhad no more with which to refill it. Each man on hearing the news ran\nto see if it were indeed true, and the little straw-thatched hut and\nits small court encircled by a mud wall were soon filled with anxious\nseekers after the truth. The old man admitted the statement to be\ntrue, but had little to say; while the dog's ears hung neglectedly\nover his cheeks, his eyes dropped, and he looked as though he might\nbe asleep, but for the persistent manner in which he refused to lie\ndown, but dignifiedly bore his portion of the sorrow sitting upright,\nbut with bowed head.\n\n\"Thomas\" seemed to have been charged with agitation enough for the\nwhole family. He walked nervously about the floor till he felt that\njustice to his tail demanded a higher plane, where shoes could not\noffend, and then betook himself to the counter, and later to the\nbeam which supported the roof, and made a sort of cats' and rats'\nattic under the thatch.\n\nAll condoled with the old man, and not one but regretted that their\nsupply of cheap, good wine was exhausted. The old man offered no\nexplanation, though he had about concluded in his own mind that, as\nno one knew the secret, he must have in some way poured the bit of\namber into a customer's jug. But who possessed the jug he could not\nsurmise, nor could he think of any way of reclaiming it. He talked\nthe matter over carefully and fully to himself at night, and the\ndog and cat listened attentively, winking knowingly at each other,\nand puzzling their brains much as to what was to be done and how they\nwere to assist their kind old friend.\n\nAt last the old man fell asleep, and then sitting down face to face\nby his side, the dog and cat began a discussion. \"I am sure,\" says\nthe cat, \"that I can detect that thing if I only come within smelling\ndistance of it; but how do we know where to look for it.\" That was\na puzzler, but the dog proposed that they make a search through\nevery house in the neighborhood. \"We can go on a mere kuh kyung\n(look see), you know, and while you call on the cats indoors, and\nkeep your smellers open, I will yay gee (chat) with the dogs outside,\nand if you smell any thing you can tell me.\"\n\nThe plan seemed to be the only good one, and it was adopted that\nvery night. They were not cast down because the first search was\nunsuccessful, and continued their work night after night. Sometimes\ntheir calls were not appreciated, and in a few cases they had to\nclear the field by battle before they could go on with the search. No\nhouse was neglected, however, and in due time they had done the whole\nneighborhood, but with no success. They then determined that it must\nhave been carried to the other side of the river, to which place they\ndecided to extend their search as soon as the water was frozen over,\nso that they could cross on the ice, for they knew they would not be\nallowed in the crowded ferry-boats; and while the dog could swim, he\nknew that the water was too icy for that. As it soon grew very cold,\nthe river froze so solidly that bull-carts, ponies, and all passed\nover on the ice, and so it remained for near two months, allowing\nthe searching party to return each morning to their poor old master,\nwho seemed completely broken up by his loss, and did not venture away\nfrom his door, except to buy the few provisions which his little fund\nof savings would allow.\n\nTime flew by without bringing success to the faithful comrades, and\nthe old man began to think they too were deserting him, as his old\ncustomers had done. It was nearing the time for the spring thaw and\nfreshet, when one night as the cat was chasing around over the roof\ntimbers, in a house away to the outside of the settlement across the\nriver, he detected an odor that caused him to stop so suddenly as to\nnearly precipitate himself upon a sleeping man on the floor below. He\ncarefully traced up the odor, and found that it came from a soapstone\ntobacco box that sat upon the top of a high clothes-press near by. The\nbox was dusty with neglect, and \"Thomas\" concluded that the possessor\nhad accidentally turned the coveted gem (for it was from that the\nodor came) out into his wine bowl, and, not knowing its nature,\nhad put it into this stone box rather than throw it away. The lid\nwas so securely fastened that the box seemed to be one solid piece,\nand in despair of opening it, the cat went out to consult the superior\nwisdom of the dog, and see what could be done. \"I can't get up there,\"\nsaid the dog, \"nor can you bring me the box, or I might break it.\"\n\n\"I cannot move the thing, or I might push it off, and let it fall to\nthe floor and break,\" said the cat.\n\nSo after explaining the things they could not do, the dog finally\nhit upon a plan they might perhaps successfully carry out. \"I will\ntell you,\" said he. \"You go and see the chief of the rat guild in this\nneighborhood, tell him that if he will help you in this matter, we will\nboth let him alone for ten years, and not hurt even a mouse of them.\"\n\n\"But what good is that going to do?\"\n\n\"Why, don't you see, that stone is no harder than some wood, and they\ncan take turns at it till they gnaw a hole through, then we can easily\nget the gem.\"\n\nThe cat bowed before the marvellous judgment of the dog, and went off\nto accomplish the somewhat difficult task of obtaining an interview\nwith the master rat. Meanwhile the dog wagged his ears and tail,\nand strode about with a swinging stride, in imitation of the great\nyang ban, or official, who occasionally walked past his master's\ndoor, and who seemed to denote by his haughty gait his superiority\nto other men. His importance made him impudent, and when the cat\nreturned, to his dismay, he found his friend engaged in a genuine\nfight with a lot of curs who had dared to intrude upon his period of\nself-congratulation. \"Thomas\" mounted the nearest wall, and howled\nso lustily that the inmates of the house, awakened by the uproar,\ncame out and dispersed the contestants.\n\nThe cat had found the rat, who, upon being assured of safety,\ncame to the mouth of his hole, and listened attentively to the\nproposition. It is needless to say he accepted it, and a contract\nwas made forthwith. It was arranged that work was to begin at once,\nand be continued by relays as long as they could work undisturbed,\nand when the box was perforated, the cat was to be summoned.\n\nThe ice had now broken up and the pair could not return home very\neasily, so they waited about the neighborhood for some months, picking\nup a scant living, and making many friends and not a few enemies,\nfor they were a proud pair, and ready to fight on provocation.\n\nIt was warm weather, when, one night, the cat almost forgot his\ncompact as he saw a big fat rat slinking along towards him. He\ncrouched low and dug his long claws into the earth, while every nerve\nseemed on the jump; but before he was ready to spring upon his prey,\nhe fortunately remembered his contract. It was just in time, too,\nfor as the rat was none other than the other party to the contract,\nsuch a mistake at that time would have been fatal to their object.\n\nThe rat announced that the hole was completed, but was so small at the\ninside end that they were at a loss to know how to get the gem out,\nunless the cat could reach it with his paw. Having acquainted the\ndog with the good news, the cat hurried off to see for himself. He\ncould introduce his paw, but as the object was at the other end of\nthe box he could not quite reach it. They were in a dilemma, and\nwere about to give up, when the cat went again to consult with the\ndog. The latter promptly told them to put a mouse into the box, and\nlet him bring out the gem. They did so, but the hole was too small\nfor the little fellow and his load to get out at the same time,\nso that much pushing and pulling had to be done before they were\nsuccessful. They got it safely at last, however, and gave it at once\nto the dog for safe-keeping. Then, with much purring and wagging of\ntails, the contract of friendship was again renewed, and the strange\nparty broke up; the rats to go and jubilate over their safety, the\ndog and cat to carry the good news to their mourning master.\n\nAgain canine wisdom was called into play in devising a means for\ncrossing the river. The now happy dog was equal to such a trifling\nthing as this, however, and instructed the cat that he must take the\ngem in his mouth, hold it well between his teeth, and then mount his\n(the dog's) back, where he could hold on firmly to the long hair of\nhis neck while he swam across the river. This was agreed upon, and\narriving at the river they put the plan into execution. All went well\nuntil, as they neared the opposite bank, a party of school-children\nchanced to notice them coming, and, after their amazement at the\nstrange sight wore away, they burst into uproarious laughter, which\nincreased the more they looked at the absurd sight. They clapped their\nhands and danced with glee, while some fell on the ground and rolled\nabout in an exhaustion of merriment at seeing a cat astride a dog's\nback being ferried across the river.\n\nThe dog was too weary, and consequently matter-of-fact, to see much\nfun in it, but the cat shook his sides till his agitation caused the\ndog to take in great gulps of water in attempting to keep his head\nup. This but increased the cat's merriment, till he broke out in a\nlaugh as hearty as that of the children, and in doing so dropped the\nprecious gem into the water. The dog, seeing the sad accident, dove at\nonce for the gem; regardless of the cat, who could not let go in time\nto escape, and was dragged down under the water. Sticking his claws\ninto the dog's skin, in his agony of suffocation, he caused him so much\npain that he missed the object of his search, and came to the surface.\n\nThe cat got ashore in some way, greatly angered at the dog's rude\nconduct. The latter, however, cared little for that, and as soon as\nhe had shaken the water from his hide, he made a lunge at his unlucky\ncompanion, who had lost the results of a half year's faithful work\nin one moment of foolishness.\n\nDripping like a \"drowned cat,\" \"Thomas\" was, however, able to climb\na tree, and there he stayed till the sun had dried the water from\nhis fur, and he had spat the water from his inwards in the constant\nspitting he kept up at his now enemy, who kept barking ferociously\nabout the tree below. The cat knew that the dog was dangerous when\naroused, and was careful not to descend from his perch till the coast\nwas clear; though at one time he really feared the ugly boys would\nknock him off with stones as they passed. Once down, he has ever since\nbeen careful to avoid the dog, with whom he has never patched up the\nquarrel. Nor does he wish to do so, for the very sight of a dog causes\nhim to recall that horrible cold ducking and the day spent up a tree,\nand involuntarily he spits as though still filled with river-water,\nand his tail blows up as it had never learned to do till the day when\nfor so long its damp and draggled condition would not permit of its\nassuming the haughty shape. This accounts for the scarcity of cats\nand the popularity of dogs. [2]\n\nThe dog did not give up his efforts even now. He dove many times in\nvain, and spent most of the following days sitting on the river's bank,\napparently lost in thought. Thus the winter found him--his two chief\naims apparently being to find the gem and to kill the cat. The latter\nkept well out of his way, and the ice now covered the place where the\nformer lay hidden. One day he espied a man spearing fish through a hole\nin the ice, as was very common. Having a natural desire to be around\nwhere any thing eatable was being displayed, and feeling a sort of\nproprietorship in the particular part of the river where the man was\nfishing, and where he himself had had such a sad experience, he went\ndown and looked on. As a fish came up, something natural seemed to\ngreet his nostrils, and then, as the man lay down his catch, the dog\ngrabbed it and rushed off in the greatest haste. He ran with all his\nmight to his master, who, poor man, was now at the end of his string\n(coin in Korea is perforated and strung on a string), and was almost\nreduced to begging. He was therefore delighted when his faithful old\nfriend brought him so acceptable a present as a fresh fish. He at once\ncommenced dressing it, but when he slit it open, to his infinite joy,\nhis long-lost gem fell out of the fish's belly. The dog was too happy\nto contain himself, but jumping upon his master, he licked him with\nhis tongue, and struck him with his paws, barking meanwhile as though\nhe had again treed the cat.\n\nAs soon as their joy had become somewhat natural, the old man carefully\nplaced the gem in his trunk, from which he took the last money he\nhad, together with some fine clothes--relics of his more fortunate\ndays. He had feared he must soon pawn these clothes, and had even\nshown them to the brokers. But now he took them out to put them on,\nas his fortune had returned to him. Leaving the fish baking on the\ncoals, he donned his fine clothes, and taking his last money, he went\nand purchased wine for his feast, and for a beginning; for he knew\nthat once he placed the gem back in the jug, the supply of wine would\nnot cease. On his return he and the good dog made a happy feast of\nthe generous fish, and the old man completely recovered his spirits\nwhen he had quaffed deeply of the familiar liquid to which his mouth\nwas now such a stranger. Going to his trunk directly, he found to his\namazement that it contained another suit of clothes exactly like the\nfirst ones he had removed, while there lay also a broken string of\ncash of just the amount which he had previously taken out.\n\nSitting down to think, the whole truth dawned upon him, and he then\nsaw how he had abused his privilege before in being content to use\nhis talisman simply to run a wine-shop, while he might have had money\nand every thing else in abundance by simply giving the charm a chance\nto work.\n\nActing upon this principle, the old man eventually became immensely\nwealthy, for he could always duplicate any thing with his piece of\namber. He carefully tended his faithful dog, who never in his remaining\ndays molested a rat, and never lost an opportunity to attack every\ncat he saw.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHING YUH AND KYAIN OO.\n\nTHE TRIALS OF TWO HEAVENLY LOVERS.\n\n\nPRELUDE.\n\nChing Yuh and Kyain Oo were stars attendant upon the Sun. They fell\nmadly in love with each other, and, obtaining the royal permission,\nthey were married. It was to them a most happy union, and having\nreached the consummation of their joys they lived only for one another,\nand sought only each other's company. They were continually in each\nother's embrace, and as the honey-moon bade fair to continue during\nthe rest of their lives, rendering them unfit for the discharge\nof their duties, their master decided to punish them. He therefore\nbanished them, one to the farthest edge of the eastern heavens, the\nother to the extreme opposite side of the great river that divides\nthe heavenly plains (the Milky Way).\n\nThey were sent so far away that it required full six months to make the\njourney, or a whole year to go and come. As they must be at their post\nat the annual inspection, they therefore could only hope to journey\nback and forth for the scant comfort of spending one short night in\neach other's company. Even should they violate their orders and risk\npunishment by returning sooner, they could only see each other from\neither bank of the broad river, which they could only hope to cross\nat the season when the great bridge is completed by the crows, who\ncarry the materials for its construction upon their heads, as any\none may know, who cares to notice, how bald and worn are the heads\nof the crows during the seventh moon.\n\nNaturally this fond couple are always heart-broken and discouraged at\nbeing so soon compelled to part after such a brief but long-deferred\nmeeting, and 'tis not strange that their grief should manifest itself\nin weeping tears so copious that the whole earth beneath is deluged\nwith rains.\n\nThis sad meeting occurs on the night of the seventh day of the seventh\nmoon, unless prevented by some untoward circumstance, in which case\nthe usual rainy season is withheld, and the parched earth then unites\nin lamentation with the fond lovers, whose increased trials so sadden\ntheir hearts that even the fountain of tears refuses to flow for\ntheir relief.\n\n\n\n\nI.\n\nYou Tah Jung was a very wise official, and a remarkably good man. He\ncould ill endure the corrupt practices of many of his associate\nofficials, and becoming dissatisfied with life at court, he sought\nand obtained permission to retire from official life and go to the\ncountry. His marriage had fortunately been a happy one, hence he\nwas the more content with the somewhat solitary life he now began\nto lead. His wife was peculiarly gifted, and they were in perfect\nsympathy with each other, so that they longed not for the society\nof others. They had one desire, however, that was ever before them\nand that could not be laid aside. They had no children; not even a\ndaughter had been granted them.\n\nAs You Tah Jung superintended the cultivation of his estate, he felt\nthat he would be wholly happy and content were it not for the lack of\noffspring. He gave himself up to the fascinating pastime of fishing,\nand took great delight in spending the most of his time in the\nfields listening to the birds and absorbing wisdom, with peace and\ncontentment, from nature. As spring brought the mating and budding\nseason, however, he again got to brooding over his unfortunate\ncondition. For as he was the last of an illustrious family, the\nline seemed like to cease with his childless life. He knew of the\ndispleasure his ancestors would experience, and that he would be unable\nto face them in paradise; while he would leave no one to bow before\nhis grave and make offerings to his spirit. Again he bemoaned their\ncondition with his poor wife, who begged him to avail himself of his\nprerogative and remove their reproach by marrying another wife. This\nhe stoutly refused to do, as he would not risk ruining his now pleasant\nhome by bringing another wife and the usual discord into it.\n\nInstead of estranging them, their misfortune seemed but to bind this\npair the closer together. They were very devout people, and they prayed\nto heaven continually for a son. One night the wife fell asleep while\npraying, and dreamed a remarkable dream. She fancied that she saw\na commotion in the vicinity of the North Star, and presently a most\nbeautiful boy came down to her, riding upon a wonderful fan made of\nwhite feathers. The boy came direct to her and made a low obeisance,\nupon which she asked him who he was and where he came from. He said:\n\"I am the attendant of the great North Star, and because of a mistake\nI fell into he banished me to earth for a term of years, telling me\nto come to you and bring this fan, which will eventually be the means\nof saving your life and my own.\"\n\nIn the intensity of her joy she awoke, and found to her infinite\nsorrow that the beautiful vision was but a dream. She cherished it in\nher mind, however, and was transported with joy when a beautiful boy\ncame to them with the succeeding spring-tide. The beauty of the child\nwas the comment of the neighborhood, and every one loved him. As he\ngrew older it was noticed that the graces of his mind were even more\nremarkable than those of his person.\n\nThe next ten years were simply one unending period of blissful\ncontentment in the happy country home. They called the boy Pang Noo\n(his family name being You, made him You Pang Noo). His mother taught\nhim his early lessons herself, but by the expiration of his first ten\nyears he had grown far beyond her powers, and his brilliant mind even\ntaxed his intelligent father in his attempts to keep pace with him.\n\nAbout this time they learned of a wonderful teacher, a Mr. Nam Juh\nOon, whose ability was of great repute. It was decided that the boy\nshould be sent to this man to school, and great was the agitation\nand sorrow at home at thought of the separation. He was made ready,\nhowever, and with the benediction of father and caresses of mother,\nhe started for his new teacher, bearing with him a wonderful feather\nfan which his father had given him, and which had descended from his\ngreat-grandfather. This he was to guard with especial care, as, since\nhis mother's remarkable dream, preceding his birth, it was believed\nthat this old family relic, which bore such a likeness to the fan of\nthe dream, was to prove a talisman to him, and by it evil was to be\nwarded off, and good brought down upon him.\n\n\n\n\nII.\n\nStrange as it may seem, events very similar in nature to those just\nnarrated were taking place in a neighboring district, where lived\nanother exemplary man named Cho Sung Noo. He was a man of great\nrank, but was not in active service at present, simply because of\nill-health induced by constant brooding over his ill-fortune; for,\nlike You Tah Jung, he was the last of an illustrious family, and had\nno offspring. He was so happily married, furthermore, that he had\nnever taken a second wife, and would not do so.\n\nAbout the time of the events just related concerning the You family,\nthe wife of Cho, who had never neglected bowing to heaven and\nrequesting a child, dreamed. She had gone to a hill-side apart from\nthe house, and sitting in the moonlight on a clean plat of ground,\nfree from the litter of the domestic animals, she was gazing into the\nheavens, hoping to witness the meeting of Ching Yuh and Kyain Oo, and\nfeeling sad at the thought of their fabled tribulations. While thus\nengaged she fell asleep, and while sleeping dreamed that the four\nwinds were bearing to her a beautiful litter, supported upon five\nrich, soft clouds. In the chair reclined a beautiful little girl,\nfar lovelier than any being she had ever dreamed of before, and the\nlike of which is never seen in real life. The chair itself was made\nof gold and jade. As the procession drew nearer the dreamer exclaimed:\n\"Who are you, my beautiful child?\"\n\n\"Oh,\" replied the child, \"I am glad you think me beautiful, for then,\nmay be, you will let me stay with you.\"\n\n\"I think I should like to have you very much, but you haven't yet\nanswered my question.\"\n\n\"Well,\" she said, \"I was an attendant upon the Queen of Heaven, but\nI have been very bad, though I meant no wrong, and I am banished to\nearth for a season; won't you let me live with you, please?\"\n\n\"I shall be delighted, my child, for we have no children. But what\ndid you do that the stars should banish you from their midst?\"\n\n\"Well, I will tell you,\" she answered. \"You see, when the annual\nunion of Ching Yuh and Kyain Oo takes place, I hear them mourning\nbecause they can only see each other once a year, while mortal pairs\nhave each other's company constantly. They never consider that while\nmortals have but eighty years of life at most, their lives are without\nlimit, and they, therefore, have each other to a greater extent than\ndo the mortals, whom they selfishly envy. In a spirit of mischief\nI determined to teach this unhappy couple a lesson; consequently,\non the last seventh moon, seventh day, when the bridge was about\ncompleted and ready for the eager pair to cross heaven's river\nto each others' embrace, I drove the crows away, and ruined their\nbridge before they could reach each other. I did it for mischief,\n'tis true, and did not count on the drought that would occur, but\nfor my misconduct and the consequent suffering entailed on mortals,\nI am banished, and I trust you will take and care for me, kind lady.\"\n\nWhen she had finished speaking, the winds began to blow around\nas though in preparation for departure with the chair, minus its\noccupant. Then the woman awoke and found it but a dream, though\nthe winds were, indeed, blowing about her so as to cause her to\nfeel quite chilly. The dream left a pleasant impression, and when,\nto their intense joy, a daughter was really born to them, the fond\nparents could scarcely be blamed for associating her somewhat with\nthe vision of the ravishing dream.\n\nThe child was a marvel of beauty, and her development was rapid and\nperfect. The neighbors were so charmed with her, that some of them\nseemed to think she was really supernatural, and she was popularly\nknown as the \"divine maiden,\" before her first ten years were finished.\n\nIt was about the time of her tenth birthday that little Uhn Hah had\nthe interesting encounter upon which her whole future was to hinge.\n\nIt happened in this way: One day she was riding along on her nurses'\nback, on her way to visit her grandmother. Coming to a nice shady spot\nthey sat down by the road-side to rest. While they were sitting there,\nalong came Pang Noo on his way to school. As Uhn Hah was still but a\ngirl she was not veiled, and the lad was confronted with her matchless\nbeauty, which seemed to intoxicate him. He could not pass by, neither\ncould he find words to utter, but at last he bethought him of an\nexpedient. Seeing some oranges in her lap, he stepped up and spoke\npolitely to the nurse, saying, \"I am You Pang Noo, a lad on my way\nto school, and I am very thirsty, won't you ask your little girl to\nlet me have one of her oranges?\" Uhn Hah was likewise smitten with\nthe charms of the beautiful lad, and in her confusion she gave him\ntwo oranges. Pang Noo gallantly said, \"I wish to give you something\nin return for your kindness, and if you will allow me I will write\nyour name on this fan and present it to you.\"\n\nHaving obtained the name and permission, he wrote: \"No girl was ever\npossessed of such incomparable graces as the beautiful Uhn Hah. I\nnow betroth myself to her, and vow never to marry other so long as I\nlive.\" He handed her the fan, and feasting his eyes on her beauty,\nthey separated. The fan being closed, no one read the characters,\nand Uhn Hah carefully put it away for safe keeping without examining\nit sufficiently close to discover the written sentiment.\n\n\n\n\nIII.\n\nPang Noo went to school and worked steadily for three years. He learned\namazingly fast, and did far more in three years than the brightest\npupils usually do in ten. His noted teacher soon found that the boy\ncould even lead him, and it became evident that further stay at the\nschool was unnecessary. The boy also was very anxious to go and see his\nparents. At last he bade his teacher good-by, to the sorrow of both,\nfor their companionship had been very pleasant and profitable, and\nthey had more than the usual attachment of teacher and pupil for each\nother. Pang Noo and his attendant journeyed leisurely to their home,\nwhere they were received with the greatest delight. His mother had not\nseen her son during his schooling, and even her fond pride was hardly\nprepared for the great improvement the boy had made, both in body and\nmind, since last she saw him. The father eventually asked to see the\nancestral fan he had given him, and the boy had to confess that he had\nit not, giving as an excuse that he had lost it on the road. His father\ncould not conceal his anger, and for some time their pleasure was\nmarred by this unfortunate circumstance. Such a youth and an only son\ncould not long remain unforgiven, however, and soon all was forgotten,\nand he enjoyed the fullest love of his parents and admiration of his\nfriends as he quietly pursued his studies and recreation.\n\nIn this way he came down to his sixteenth year, the pride of the\nneighborhood. His quiet was remarked, but no one knew the secret\ncause, and how much of his apparent studious attention was devoted\nto the charming little maiden image that was framed in his mental\nvision. About this time a very great official from the neighborhood\ncalled upon his father, and after the usual formalities, announced that\nhe had heard of the remarkable son You Tah Jung was the father of, and\nhe had come to consult upon the advisability of uniting their families,\nas he himself had been blessed with a daughter who was beautiful and\naccomplished. You Tah Jung was delighted at the prospect of making\nsuch a fine alliance for his son, and gave his immediate consent,\nbut to his dismay, his son objected so strenuously and withal so\nhonorably that the proposition had to be declined as graciously as the\nrather awkward circumstances would allow. Both men being sensible,\nhowever, they but admired the boy the more, for the clever rascal\nhad begged his father to postpone all matrimonial matters, as far as\nhe was concerned, till he had been able to make a name for himself,\nand had secured rank, that he might merit such attention.\n\nPang Noo was soon to have an opportunity to distinguish himself. A\ngreat quaga (civil-service examination) was to be held at the capital,\nand Pang Noo announced his intention of entering the lists and\ncompeting for civil rank. His father was glad, and in due time started\nhim off in proper style. The examination was held in a great enclosure\nat the rear of the palace, where the King and his counsellors sat in\na pavilion upon a raised stage of masonry. The hundreds of men and\nyouths from all parts of the country were seated upon the ground under\nlarge umbrellas. Pang Noo was given a subject, and soon finished his\nessay, after which he folded it up carefully and tossed the manuscript\nover a wall into an enclosure, where it was received and delivered\nto the board of examiners. These gentlemen, as well as His Majesty,\nwere at once struck with the rare merit of the production, and made\ninstant inquiry concerning the writer. Of course he was successful,\nand a herald soon announced that Pang, the son of You Tah Jung had\ntaken the highest honors. He was summoned before the King, who was\npleased with the young man's brightness and wisdom. In addition to\nhis own rank, his father was made governor of a province, and made\nhaste to come to court and thank his sovereign for the double honor,\nand to congratulate his son.\n\nPang was given permission to go and bow at the tomb of his ancestors,\nin grateful acknowledgment for Heaven's blessings. Having done which,\nhe went to pay his respects to his mother, who fairly worshipped her\nson now, if she had not done so before. During his absence the King\nhad authorized the board of appointments to give him the high rank of\nUssa, for, though he was young, His Majesty thought one so wise and\nquick, well fitted to travel in disguise and spy out the acts of evil\nofficials, learn the condition of the people, and bring the corrupt\nand usurous to punishment. Pang Noo was amazed at his success, yet\nthe position just suited him, for, aside from a desire to better the\ncondition of his fellow-men, he felt that in this position he would\nbe apt to learn the whereabouts of his lady-love, whose beautiful\nvision was ever before him. Donning a suitable disguise, therefore,\nhe set out upon the business at hand with a light heart.\n\n\n\n\nIV.\n\nUhn Hah during all this time had been progressing in a quiet way as a\ngirl should, but she also was quite the wonder of her neighborhood. All\nthis time she had had many, if not constant, dreams of the handsome\nyouth she had met by the roadside. She had lived over the incident\ntime and again, and many a time did she take down and gaze upon the\nbeautiful fan, which, however, opened and closed in such a manner\nthat, ordinarily, the characters were concealed. At last, however,\nshe discovered them, and great was her surprise and delight at the\nmessage. She dwelt on it much, and finally concluded it was a heaven\narranged union, and as the lad had pledged his faith to her, she vowed\nshe would be his, or never marry at all. This thought she nourished,\nlonging to see Pang Noo, and wondering how she should ever find him,\ntill she began to regard herself as really the wife of her lover.\n\nAbout this time one of His Majesty's greatest generals, who had\na reputation for bravery and cruelty as well, came to stop at his\ncountry holding near by, and hearing of the remarkable girl, daughter\nof the retired, but very honorable, brother official, he made a call\nat the house of Mr. Cho, and explained that he was willing to betroth\nhis son to Cho's daughter. The matter was considered at length,\nand Cho gave his willing consent. Upon the departure of the General,\nthe father went to acquaint his daughter with her good fortune. Upon\nhearing it, she seemed struck dumb, and then began to weep and moan,\nas though some great calamity had befallen her. She could say nothing,\nnor bear to hear any more said of the matter. She could neither eat nor\nsleep, and the roses fled from her tear-bedewed cheeks. Her parents\nwere dismayed, but wisely abstained from troubling her. Her mother,\nhowever, betimes lovingly coaxed her daughter to confide in her,\nbut it was long before the girl could bring herself to disclose a\nsecret so peculiar and apparently so unwomanly. The mother prevailed\nat last, and the whole story of the early infatuation eventually came\nforth. \"He has pledged himself to me,\" she said, \"he recognized me at\nsight as his heaven-sent bride, and I have pledged myself to him. I\ncannot marry another, and, should I never find him on earth, this\nfan shall be my husband till death liberates my spirit to join his\nin the skies.\" She enumerated his great charms of manner and person,\nand begged her mother not to press this other marriage upon her,\nbut rather let her die, insisting, however, that should she die her\nmother must tell Pang Noo how true she had been to him.\n\nThe father was in a great dilemma. \"Why did you not tell this to your\nmother before? Here the General has done me the honor to ask that our\nfamilies be united, and I have consented. Now I must decline, and his\nanger will be so great that he will ruin me at the Capitol. And then,\nafter all, this is but an absurd piece of childish foolishness. Your\nfine young man, had he half the graces you give him, would have been\nbetrothed long before this.\"\n\n\"No! No!\" she exclaimed, \"he has pledged himself, and I know he is\neven now coming to me. He will not marry another, nor can I. Would you\nask one woman to marry two men? Yet that is what you ask in this, for\nI am already the wife of Pang Noo in my heart. Kill me, if you will,\nbut spare me this, I beg and entreat,\" and she writhed about on her\ncot, crying till the mat was saturated with her tears.\n\nThe parents loved her too well to withstand her pleadings, and\nresigning themselves to the inevitable persecution that must result,\nthey dispatched a letter to the General declining his kind offer,\nin as unobjectionable a manner as possible. It had the result that\nwas feared. The General, in a towering rage, sent soldiers to arrest\nMr. Cho, but before he could go further, a messenger arrived from\nSeoul with despatches summoning him to the Capitol immediately, as\na rebellion had broken out on the borders. Before leaving, however,\nhe instructed the local magistrate to imprison the man and not\nrelease him till he consented to the marriage. It chanced that the\nmagistrate was an honest man and knew the General to be a very cruel,\nrelentless warrior. He therefore listened to Cho's story, and believed\nthe strange case. Furthermore, his love for the girl softened his\nheart, and he bade them to collect what they could and go to another\nprovince to live. Cho did so, with deep gratitude to the magistrate,\nwhile the latter wrote to the General that the prisoner had avoided\narrest and fled to unknown parts, taking his family with him.\n\n\n\n\nV.\n\nPoor Pang Noo did his inspection work with a heavy heart as time wore\non, and the personal object of his search was not attained. In the\ncourse of his travels he finally came to his uncle, the magistrate\nwho had dismissed the Cho family. The uncle welcomed his popular\nnephew right warmly, but questioned him much as to the cause of his\npoor health and haggard looks, which so ill-became a man of his youth\nand prospects. At last the kind old man secured the secret with its\nwhole story, and then it was his turn to be sad, for had he not just\nsent away the very person the Ussa so much desired to see?\n\nWhen Pang learned this his malady increased, and he declared he could\ndo no more active service till this matter was cleared up. Consequently\nhe sent a despatch to court begging to be released, as he was in\nsuch poor health he could not properly discharge his arduous duties\nlonger. His request was granted, and he journeyed to Seoul, hoping to\nfind some trace of her who more and more seemed to absorb his every\nthought and ambition.\n\n\n\n\nVI.\n\nIn the meantime the banished family, heart-sick and travel-worn,\nhad settled temporarily in a distant hamlet, where the worn and\ndiscouraged parents were taken sick. Uhn Hah did all she could for\nthem, but in spite of care and attention, in spite of prayers and\ntears, they passed on to join their ancestors. The poor girl beat her\nbreast and tore her hair in an agony of despair. Alone in a strange\ncountry, with no money and no one to shield and support her, it seemed\nthat she too must, perforce, give up. But her old nurse urged her to\ncheer up, and suggested their donning male attire, in which disguise\nthey could safely journey to another place unmolested.\n\nThe idea seemed a good one, and it was adopted. They allowed their\nhair to fall down the back in a long braid, after the fashion of the\nunmarried men, and, putting on men's clothes, they had no trouble\nin passing unnoticed along the roads. After having gone but a short\ndistance they found themselves near the capital of the province--the\nhome of the Governor. While sitting under some trees by the roadside\nthe Governor's procession passed by. The couple arose respectfully,\nbut the Governor (it was Pang Noo's father), espying the peculiar\nfeather fan, ordered one of the runners to seize the women and bring\nthem along. It was done; and when they were arrived at the official\nyamen, he questioned the supposed man as to where he had secured\nthat peculiar fan. \"It is a family relic,\" replied Uhn Hah, to the\nintense amazement of the Governor, who pronounced the statement false,\nas the fan was a peculiar feature in his own family, and must be one\nthat had descended from his own ancestors and been found or stolen\nby the present possessor.\n\nHowever, the Governor offered to pay a good round sum for the fan. But\nUhn Hah declared she would die rather than part with it, and the two\nwomen in disguise were locked up in prison. A man of clever speech\nwas sent to interview them, and he offered them a considerable sum\nfor the fan, which the servant urged Uhn Hah to take, as they were\nsadly in want. After the man had departed in disgust, however, the\ngirl upbraided her old nurse roundly for forsaking her in her time\nof trial. \"My parents are dead,\" she said. \"All I have to represent\nmy husband is this fan that I carry in my bosom. Would you rob me\nof this? Never speak so again if you wish to retain my love\"; and,\nweeping, she fell into the servant's arms, where, exhausted and\noverwrought nature asserting itself, sleep closed her eyes.\n\nWhile sleeping she dreamed of a wonderful palace on high, where she\nsaw a company of women, who pointed her to the blood-red reeds that\nlined the river bank below, explaining that their tears had turned\nto blood during their long search for their lovers, and dropping on\nthe reeds they were dyed blood-red. One of them prophesied, however,\nthat Uhn Hah was to be given superhuman strength and powers, and\nthat she would soon succeed in finding her lover, who was now a high\nofficial, and so true to her that he was sick because he could not\nfind her. She awakened far more refreshed by the dream than by the\nnap, and was soon delighted by being dismissed. The Governor's steward\ntook pity on the handsome \"boy,\" and gave him a parting gift of wine\nand food to carry with them, as well as some cash to help them on,\nand, bidding him good-by, the women announced their intention of\ntravelling to a distant province.\n\n\n\n\nVII.\n\nMeanwhile Pang Noo had reached home, and was weary both in body\nand mind. The King offered him service at court, but he asked to\nbe excused, and seemed to wish to hide himself and avoid meeting\npeople. His father marvelled much at this, and again urged the young\nman to marry; but this seemed only to aggravate his complaint. His\nuncle happened to come to his father's gubernatorial seat on a\nbusiness errand, and in pity for the young man, explained the cause\nof the trouble to the father. He saw it all, and recalled the strange\nbeauty of the lad who had risked his life for the possession of the\nfan, and as the uncle told the story of her excellent parentage, and\nthe trouble and death that resulted from the refusal to marry, he saw\nthrough the whole strange train of circumstances, and marvelled that\nheaven should have selected such an exemplary maiden for his son. And\nthen, as he realized how nearly he had come to punishing her severely,\nfor her persistent refusal to surrender the fan, and that, whereas,\nhe might have retained her and united her to his son, he had sent her\naway unattended to wander alone; he heaped blame upon the son in no\nstinted manner for his lack of confidence in not telling his father\nhis troubles. The attendants were carefully questioned concerning the\nconduct of the strange couple while in custody at the governor's yamen,\nand as to the probable direction they took in departure. The steward\nalone could give information. He was well rewarded for having shown\nthem kindness, but his information cast a gloom upon the trio, for he\nsaid they had started for the district where civil war was in progress.\n\n\"You unnatural son,\" groaned the father. \"What have you done? You\nsecretly pledge yourself to this noble girl, and then, by your foolish\nsilence, twice allow her to escape, while you came near being the\ncause of her death at the very hands of your father; and even now by\nyour foolishness she is journeying to certain death. Oh, my son! we\nhave not seen the last of this rash conduct; this noble woman's blood\nwill be upon our hands, and you will bring your poor father to ruin\nand shame. Up! Stop your lovesick idling, and do something. Ask His\nMajesty, with my consent, for military duty; go to the seat of war,\nand there find your wife or your honor.\"\n\nThe father's advice was just what was needed; the son could not, of\nnecessity, disobey, nor did he wish to; but arming himself with the\ncourage of a desperate resolve to save his sweetheart, whom he fancied\nalready in danger from the rebels, he hurried to Seoul, and surprising\nhis sovereign by his strange and ardent desire for military service,\neasily secured the favor, for the general in command was the same who\nhad wished to marry his son to Uhn Hah; he was also an enemy to Pang\nNoo's father, and would like to see the only son of his enemy killed.\n\nWith apparently strange haste the expedition was started off, and no\ntime was lost on the long, hard march. Arriving near the seat of war,\nthe road led by a mountain, where the black weather-worn stone was as\nbare as a wall, sloping down to the road. Fearing lest he was going\nto his death, the young commander had some characters cut high on\nthe face of the rock, which read:\n\n\"Standing at the gate of war, I, You Pang Noo, humbly bow to Heaven's\ndecree. Is it victory, or is it death? Heaven alone knows the issue. My\nonly remaining desire is to behold the face of my lady Cho Gah.\" He put\nthis inscription in this conspicuous place, with the hope that if she\nwere in the district she would see it, and not only know he was true\nto her, but also that she might be able to ascertain his whereabouts\nand come to him. He met the rebels, and fought with a will, bringing\nvictory to the royal arms. But soon their provisions gave out, and,\nthough daily despatches arrived, no rations were sent in answer to\ntheir constant demands. The soldiers sickened and died. Many more,\ndriven mad by hardship and starvation, buried their troubles deep in\nthe silent river, which their loyal spears had stained crimson with\ntheir enemies blood.\n\nYou Pang Noo was about to retire against orders, when the rebels,\nemboldened by the weak condition of their adversaries, came in force,\nconquered and slew the remnant, and would have slain the commander\nbut for the counsel of two of their number, who urged that he be\nimprisoned and held for ransom.\n\n\n\n\nVIII.\n\nAgain fate had interfered to further separate the lovers, for, instead\nof continuing her journey, Uhn Hah had received news that induced her\nto start for Seoul. While resting, on one occasion, they had some\nconversation with a passer-by. He was from the capital, and stated\nthat he had gone there from a place near Uhn Hah's childhood home as an\nattendant of the Ussa You Pang Noo, who had taken sick at his uncle's,\nthe magistrate, and had gone to Seoul, where he was excused from ussa\nduty and offered service at court. He knew not of the recent changes,\nbut told his eager listener all he knew of Pang Noo's family.\n\nThe weary, foot-sore girl and her companion turned their faces toward\nthe capital, hoping at last to be rewarded by finding the object of\ntheir search. That evening darkness overtook them before they had\nfound shelter, and spying a light through the trees, they sought it\nout, and found a little hut occupied by an old man. He was reading\na book, but laid it aside as they answered his invitation to enter,\ngiven in response to their knock. The usual salutations were exchanged,\nbut instead of asking who the visitors were, where they lived, etc.,\netc., the old man called her by her true name, Cho Nang Jah. \"I am\nnot a Nang Jah\" (a female appellation), she exclaimed; \"I am a man!\"\n\n\"Oh! I know you, laughed the old man; \"you are Cho Nang Jah in very\ntruth, and you are seeking your future husband in this disguise. But\nyou are perfectly safe here.\"\n\n\"Ask me no questions,\" said he, as she was about to utter some\nsurprised inquiries. \"I have been waiting for you and expecting\nyou. You are soon to do great things, for which I will prepare\nyou. Never mind your hunger, but devour this pill; it will give you\nsuperhuman strength and courage.\" He gave her a pill of great size,\nwhich she ate, and then fell asleep on the floor. The old man went\naway, and soon the tired servant slept also. When they awoke it was\nbright morning, and the birds were singing in the trees above them,\nwhich were their only shelter, for the hut of the previous evening\nhad disappeared entirely, as had also the old man. Concluding that\nthe old man must be some heaven-sent messenger, she devoutly bowed\nherself in grateful acknowledgment of the gracious manifestation.\n\nJourneying on, they soon came to a wayside inn kept by an old farmer,\nand here they procured food. While they were eating, a blind man\nwas prophesying for the people. When he came to Uhn Hah he said:\n\"This is a woman in disguise; she is seeking for her husband, who is\nfighting the rebels, and searching for her. He is now nearly dead;\nbut he will not die, for she will rescue him.\" On hearing this she was\ndelighted and sad at the same time, and explaining some of her history\nto the master of the house, he took her in with the women and treated\nher kindly. She was very anxious to be about her work, however, since\nheaven had apparently so clearly pointed it out to her, and, bidding\nthe simple but kind friends good-by, she started for the seat of war,\nwhere she arrived after a long, tedious, but uneventful tramp.\n\nAlmost the first thing she saw was the inscription on the rocks left\nby the very one she sought, and she cried bitterly at the thought\nthat maybe she was too late. The servant cheered her up, however,\nby reciting the blind man's prophecy, and they went on their way till\nthey came to a miserable little inn, where they secured lodging. After\nbeing there some time, Uhn Hah noticed that the innkeeper's wife was\nvery sad, and continually in tears. She therefore questioned her\nas to the cause of her grief. \"I am mourning over the fate of the\npoor starved soldiers, killed by the neglect of some one at Seoul,\nand for the brave young officer, You Pang Noo, whom the rebels\nhave carried away captive.\" At this Uhn Hah fainted away, and the\nnurse made such explanation as she could. Restoratives were applied,\nand she slowly recovered, when, on further questioning, it was found\nthat the inn-people were slaves of You Pang Noo, and had followed him\nthus far. It was also learned that the absence of stores was generally\nbelieved to be due to the corrupt general-in-chief, who not only hated\nhis gallant young officer, but was unwilling to let him achieve glory,\nso long as he could prevent it.\n\nAfter consultation, and learning further of the matter, Uhn Hah\nwrote a letter explaining the condition of affairs, and dispatched\nit to Pang Noo's father by the innkeeper. The Governor was not at\nhis country place, and the messenger had to go to Seoul, where,\nto his horror, he found that his old master was in prison, sent\nthere by the influence of the corrupt General, his enemy, because\nhis son had been accused of being a traitor, giving over the royal\ntroops to the rebels, and escaping with them himself. The innkeeper,\nhowever, secured access to the prison, and delivered the letter to\nthe unfortunate parent. Of course, nothing could be done, and again\nhe blamed his son for his stupid secrecy in concealing his troubles\nfrom his father, and thus bringing ruin upon the family and injury\nto the young lady. However, he wrote a letter to the good uncle,\nrelating the facts, and requesting him to find the girl, place her\nin his home, and care for her as tenderly as possible. He could do\nnothing more. The innkeeper delivered this letter to the uncle, and\nwas then instructed to carry a litter and attendants to his home and\nbring back the young lady, attired in suitable garments. He did so\nas speedily as possible, though the journey was a long and tedious one.\n\nOnce installed in a comfortable home poor Uhn Hah became more and\nmore lonely. She seemed to have nothing now to hope for, and the\nstagnation of idleness was more than she could endure. She fancied her\nlover in prison, and suffering, while she was in the midst of comfort\nand luxury. She could not endure the thought, and prevailed upon her\nbenefactor to convey to His Majesty a petition praying that she be\ngiven a body of soldiers and be allowed to go and punish the rebels,\nreclaim the territory, and liberate her husband. The King marvelled\nmuch at such a request, coming from one of her retiring, seclusive sex,\nand upon the advice of the wicked General, who was still in command,\nthe petition was not granted. Still she persisted, and found other\nways of reaching the throne, till the King, out of curiosity to see\nsuch a brave and loyal woman, bade her come before him.\n\nWhen she entered the royal presence her beauty and dignity of carriage\nat once won attention and respectful admiration, so that her request\nwas about to be granted, when the General suggested, as a last resort,\nthat she first give some evidence of her strength and prowess before\nthe national military reputation be entrusted to her keeping. It\nseemed a wise thought, and the King asked her what she could do to\nshow that she was warranted in heading such a perilous expedition. She\nbreathed a prayer to her departed parents for help, and remembering\nthe strange promise of the old man who gave her the pill, she felt\nthat she could do almost any thing, and seizing a large weather-worn\nstone that stood in an ornamental rock basin in the court, she threw\nit over the enclosing wall as easily as two men would have lifted it\nfrom the ground. Then, taking the General's sword, she began slowly\nto manipulate it, increasing gradually, as though in keeping with\nhidden music, till the movement became so rapid that the sword seemed\nlike one continuous ring of burning steel--now in the air, now about\nher own person, and, again, menacingly near the wicked General, who\ncowered in abject terror before the remarkable sight. His Majesty was\ncompletely captivated, and himself gave the orders for her expedition,\nraising her to relative rank, and giving her the choicest battalion\nof troops. In her own peculiarly dignified way she expressed her\ngratitude, and, bowing to the ground, went forth to execute her\nsovereign's commands, and attain her heart's desire.\n\nAgain donning male attire, she completed her preparations, and departed\nwith eager delight to accomplish her mission. The troops having\nobtained an inkling of the strange character and almost supernatural\npower of their handsome, dashing leader, were filled with courage\nand eager for the fray. But to the dismay of all, they had no sooner\narrived at the rebel infested country than severe rains began to fall,\nmaking it impossible to accomplish any thing. This was explained,\nhowever, by the spirits of the departed soldiers, who appeared to the\nofficers in dreams, and announced that as they had been sacrificed\nby the cruel General, who had intentionally withheld their rations,\nthey would allow no success to the royal arms till their death was\navenged by his death. This was dispatched to court, and believed by\nHis Majesty, who had heard similar reports, oft repeated. He therefore\nconfined the General in prison, and sent his son (the one who wished\nto marry Uhn Hah) to the front to be executed.\n\nHe was slain and his blood scattered to the winds. A feast was prepared\nfor the spirits of the departed soldiers, and this sacrifice having\nbeen made, the storm ceased, the sun shone, and the royal troops\nmet and completely vanquished the rebels, restoring peace to the\ntroubled districts, but not obtaining the real object of the leaders'\nsearch. After much questioning, among the captives, a man was found\nwho knew all about You Pang Noo, and where he was secreted. Upon the\npromise of pardon, he conducted a party who rescued the captive and\nbrought him before their commander. Of course for a time the lovers\ncould not recognize each other after the years that had elapsed since\ntheir first chance meeting.\n\nYou Pang Noo was given command and Uhn Hah modestly retired, adopted\nher proper dress, and was borne back to Seoul in a litter. The whole\ncountry rang with their praises. You Pang Noo was appointed governor\nof a province, and the father was reinstated in office, while the\nGeneral who had caused the trouble was ignominiously put to death,\nand his whole family and his estates were confiscated.\n\nAs Cho Uhn Hah had no parents, His Majesty determined that she should\nhave royal patronage, and decreed that their wedding should take place\nin the great hall where the members of the royal family are united in\nmarriage. This was done with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal\nwedding, and no official stood so high in the estimation of the King,\nas the valiant, true-hearted You, while the virtues of his spouse\nwere the subject of songs and ballads, and she was extolled as the\nmodel for the women of the country.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHYUNG BO AND NAHL BO;\n\nOR, THE SWALLOW-KING'S REWARDS.\n\n\nI.\n\nIn the province of Chullado, in Southern Korea, lived two brothers. One\nwas very rich, the other very poor. For in dividing the inheritance,\nthe elder brother, instead of taking the father's place, and providing\nfor the younger children, kept the whole property to himself, allowing\nhis younger brother nothing at all, and reducing him to a condition\nof abject misery. Both men were married. Nahl Bo, the elder, had many\nconcubines, in addition to his wife, but had no children; while Hyung\nBo had but one wife and several children. The former's wives were\ncontinually quarrelling; the latter lived in contentment and peace with\nhis wife, each endeavoring to help the other bear the heavy burdens\ncircumstances had placed upon them. The elder brother lived in a fine,\nlarge compound, with warm, comfortable houses; the younger had built\nhimself a hut of broom straw, the thatch of which was so poor that\nwhen it rained they were deluged inside, upon the earthern floor. The\nroom was so small, too, that when Hyung Bo stretched out his legs in\nhis sleep his feet were apt to be thrust through the wall. They had\nno kang, and had to sleep upon the cold dirt floor, where insects were\nso abundant as to often succeed in driving the sleepers out of doors.\n\nThey had no money for the comforts of life, and were glad when a\nstroke of good fortune enabled them to obtain the necessities. Hyung\nBo worked whenever he could get work, but rainy days and dull seasons\nwere a heavy strain upon them. The wife did plain sewing, and together\nthey made straw sandals for the peasants and vendors. At fair time the\nsandal business was good, but then came a time when no more food was\nleft in the house, the string for making the sandals was all used up,\nand they had no money for a new supply. Then the children cried to\ntheir mother for food, till her heart ached for them, and the father\nwandered off in a last attempt to get something to keep the breath\nof life in his family.\n\nNot a kernel of rice was left. A poor rat which had cast in his lot\nwith this kind family, became desperate when, night after night,\nhe chased around the little house without being able to find the\nsemblance of a meal. Becoming desperate, he vented his despair in such\nloud squealing that he wakened the neighbors, who declared that the\nmouse said his legs were worn off running about in a vain search for\na grain of rice with which to appease his hunger. The famine became\nso serious in the little home, that at last the mother commanded her\nson to go to his uncle and tell him plainly how distressed they were,\nand ask him to loan them enough rice to subsist on till they could\nget work, when they would surely return the loan.\n\nThe boy did not want to go. His uncle would never recognize him on\nthe street, and he was afraid to go inside his house lest he should\nwhip him. But the mother commanded him to go, and he obeyed. Outside\nhis uncle's house were many cows, well fed and valuable. In pens he\nsaw great fat pigs in abundance, and fowls were everywhere in great\nnumbers. Many dogs also were there, and they ran barking at him,\ntearing his clothes with their teeth and frightening him so much that\nhe was tempted to run; but speaking kindly to them, they quieted down,\nand one dog came and licked his hand as if ashamed of the conduct of\nthe others. A female servant ordered him away, but he told her he was\nher master's nephew, and wanted to see him; whereupon she smiled but\nlet him pass into an inner court, where he found his uncle sitting\non the little veranda under the broad, overhanging eaves.\n\nThe man gruffly demanded, \"who are you?\" \"I am your brother's son,\"\nhe said. \"We are starving at our house, and have had no food for\nthree days. My father is away now trying to find work, but we are\nvery hungry, and only ask you to loan us a little rice till we can\nget some to return you.\"\n\nThe uncle's eyes drew down to a point, his brows contracted, and he\nseemed very angry, so that the nephew began looking for an easy way of\nescape in case he should come at him. At last he looked up and said:\n\"My rice is locked up, and I have ordered the granaries not to be\nopened. The flour is sealed and cannot be broken into. If I give\nyou some cold victuals, the dogs will bark at you and try to take it\nfrom you. If I give you the leavings of the wine-press, the pigs will\nbe jealous and squeal at you. If I give you bran, the cows and fowls\nwill take after you. Get out, and let me never see you here again.\" So\nsaying, he caught the poor boy by the collar and threw him into the\nouter court, hurting him, and causing him to cry bitterly with pain\nof body and distress of mind.\n\nAt home the poor mother sat jogging her babe in her weak arms, and\nappeasing the other children by saying that brother had gone to their\nuncle for food, and soon the pot would be boiling and they would all\nbe satisfied. When, hearing a foot-fall, all scrambled eagerly to\nthe door, only to see the empty-handed, red-eyed boy coming along,\ntrying manfully to look cheerful.\n\n\"Did your uncle whip you?\" asked the mother, more eager for the safety\nof her son, than to have her own crying want allayed.\n\n\"No,\" stammered the brave boy. \"He had gone to the capital on\nbusiness,\" said he, hoping to thus prevent further questioning,\non so troublesome a subject.\n\n\"What shall I do\"? queried the poor woman, amidst the crying and\nmoaning of her children. There was nothing to do but starve, it\nseemed. However, she thought of her own straw shoes, which were\nscarcely used, and these she sent to the market, where they brought\nthree cash (3/15 of a cent). This pittance was invested equally in\nrice, beans, and vegetables; eating which they were relieved for the\npresent, and with full stomachs the little ones fell to playing happily\nonce more, but the poor mother was full of anxiety for the morrow.\n\nTheir fortune had turned, however, with their new lease of life,\nfor the father returned with a bale of faggots he had gathered\non the mountains, and with the proceeds of these the shoes were\nredeemed and more food was purchased. Bright and early then next\nmorning both parents went forth in search of work. The wife secured\nemployment winnowing rice. The husband overtook a boy bearing a pack,\nbut his back was so blistered, he could with difficulty carry his\nburden. Hyung Bo adjusted the saddle of the pack frame to his own back,\nand carried it for the boy, who, at their arrival at his destination\nin the evening, gave his helper some cash, in addition to his lodging\nand meals. During the night, however, a gentleman wished to send a\nletter by rapid dispatch to a distant place, and Hyung Bo was paid\nwell for carrying it.\n\nReturning from this profitable errand, he heard of a very rich man, who\nhad been seized by the corrupt local magistrate, on a false accusation,\nand was to be beaten publicly, unless he consented to pay a heavy sum\nas hush money. Hearing of this, Hyung went to see the rich prisoner,\nand arranged with him that he would act as his substitute for three\nthousand cash (two dollars). The man was very glad to get off so\neasily, and Hyung took the beating. He limped to his house, where his\npoor wife greeted him with tears and lamentations, for he was a sore\nand sorry sight indeed. He was cheerful, however, for he explained\nto them that this had been a rich day's work; he had simply submitted\nto a little whipping, and was to get three thousand cash for it.\n\nThe money did not come, however, for the fraud was detected, and\nthe original prisoner was also punished. Being of rather a close\ndisposition, the man seemed to think it unnecessary to pay for what\ndid him no good. Then the wife cried indeed over her husband's wrongs\nand their own more unfortunate condition. But the husband cheered her,\nsaying: \"If we do right we will surely succeed.\" He was right. Spring\nwas coming on, and he soon got work at plowing and sowing seed. They\ngave their little house the usual spring cleaning, and decorated the\ndoor with appropriate legends, calling upon the fates to bless with\nprosperity the little home.\n\nWith the spring came the birds from the south country, and they seemed\nto have a preference for the home of this poor family--as indeed did\nthe rats and insects. The birds built their nests under the eaves. They\nwere swallows, and as they made their little mud air-castles, Hyung\nBo said to his wife: \"I am afraid to have these birds build their\nnests there. Our house is so weak it may fall down, and then what\nwill the poor birds do?\" But the little visitors seemed not alarmed,\nand remained with the kind people, apparently feeling safe under the\nfriendly roof.\n\nBy and by the little nests were full of commotion and bluster; the\neggs had opened, and circles of wide opened mouths could be seen in\nevery nest. Hyung and his children were greatly interested in this\nnew addition to their family circle, and often gave them bits of\ntheir own scanty allowance of food, so that the birds became quite\ntame and hopped in and out of the hut at will.\n\nOne day, when the little birds were taking their first lesson in\nflying, Hyung was lying on his back on the ground, and saw a huge\nroof-snake crawl along and devour several little birds before he\ncould arise and help them. One bird struggled from the reptile and\nfell, but, catching both legs in the fine meshes of a reed-blind,\nthey were broken, and the little fellow hung helplessly within the\nsnake's reach. Hyung hastily snatched it down, and with the help\nof his wife he bound up the broken limbs, using dried fish-skin for\nsplints. He laid the little patient in a warm place, and the bones\nspeedily united, so that the bird soon began to hop around the room,\nand pick up bits of food laid out for him. Soon the splints were\nremoved, however, and he flew away, happily, to join his fellows.\n\nThe autumn came; and one evening--it was the ninth day of the ninth\nmoon--as the little family were sitting about the door, they noticed\nthe bird with the crooked legs sitting on the clothes-line and singing\nto them.\n\n\"I believe he is thanking us and saying good-by,\" said Hyung, \"for\nthe birds are all going south now.\"\n\nThat seemed to be the truth, for they saw their little friend\nno longer, and they felt lonely without the occupants of the now\ndeserted nests. The birds, however, were paying homage to the king\nof birds in the bird-land beyond the frosts. And as the king saw the\nlittle crooked-legged bird come along, he demanded an explanation of\nthe strange sight. Thereupon the little fellow related his narrow\nescape from a snake that had already devoured many of his brothers\nand cousins, the accident in the blind, and his rescue and subsequent\ntreatment by a very poor but very kind man.\n\nHis bird majesty was very much entertained and pleased. He thereupon\ngave the little cripple a seed engraved with fine characters in gold,\ndenoting that the seed belonged to the gourd family. This seed the\nbird was to give to his benefactor in the spring.\n\nThe winter wore away, and the spring found the little family\nalmost as destitute as when first we described them. One day they\nheard a familiar bird song, and, running out, they saw their little\ncrooked-legged friend with something in its mouth, that looked like\na seed. Dropping its burden to the ground, the little bird sang to\nthem of the king's gratitude, and of the present he had sent, and\nthen flew away.\n\nHyung picked up the seed with curiosity, and on one side he saw the\nname of its kind, on the other, in fine gold characters, was a message\nsaying: \"Bury me in soft earth, and give me plenty of water.\" They\ndid so, and in four days the little shoot appeared in the fine\nearth. They watched its remarkable growth with eager interest as\nthe stem shot up, and climbed all over the house, covering it up\nas a bower, and threatening to break down the frail structure with\nthe added weight. It blossomed, and soon four small gourds began to\nform. They grew to an enormous size, and Hyung could scarcely keep\nfrom cutting them. His wife prevailed on him to wait till the frost had\nmade them ripe, however, as then they could cut them, eat the inside,\nand make water-vessels of the shells, which they could then sell, and\nthus make a double profit. He waited, though with a poor grace, till\nthe ninth moon, when the gourds were left alone, high upon the roof,\nwith only a trace of the shrivelled stems which had planted them there.\n\nHyung got a saw and sawed open the first huge gourd. He worked so long,\nthat when his task was finished he feared he must be in a swoon, for\nout of the opened gourd stepped two beautiful boys, with fine bottles\nof wine and a table of jade set with dainty cups. Hyung staggered back\nand sought assurance of his wife, who was fully as dazed as was her\nhusband. The surprise was somewhat relieved by one of the handsome\nyouths stepping forth, placing the table before them, and announcing\nthat the bird king had sent them with these presents to the benefactor\nof one of his subjects--the bird with broken legs. Ere they could\nanswer, the other youth placed a silver bottle on the table, saying:\n\"This wine will restore life to the dead.\" Another, which he placed\non the table, would, he said, restore sight to the blind. Then going\nto the gourd, he brought two gold bottles, one contained a tobacco,\nwhich, being smoked, would give speech to the dumb, while the other\ngold bottle contained wine, which would prevent the approach of age\nand ward off death.\n\nHaving made these announcements, the pair disappeared, leaving Hyung\nand his wife almost dumb with amazement. They looked at the gourd, then\nat the little table and its contents, and each looked at the other\nto be sure it was not a dream. At length Hyung broke the silence,\nremarking that, as he was very hungry, he would venture to open\nanother gourd, in the hope that it would be found full of something\ngood to eat, since it was not so important for him to have something\nwith which to restore life just now as it was to have something to\nsustain life with.\n\nThe next gourd was opened as was the first, when by some means out\nflowed all manner of household furniture, and clothing, with rolls\nupon rolls of fine silk and satin cloth, linen goods, and the finest\ncotton. The satin alone was far greater in bulk than the gourd had\nbeen, yet, in addition, the premises were literally strewn with costly\nfurniture and the finest fabrics. They barely examined the goods now,\ntheir amazement having become so great that they could scarcely wait\nuntil all had been opened, and the whole seemed so unreal, that they\nfeared delay might be dangerous. Both sawed away on the next gourd,\nwhen out came a body of carpenters, all equipped with tools and lumber,\nand, to their utter and complete amazement, began putting up a house\nas quickly and quietly as thought, so that before they could arise\nfrom the ground they saw a fine house standing before them, with\ncourts and servants' quarters, stables, and granaries. Simultaneously\na great train of bulls and ponies appeared, loaded down with rice\nand other products as tributes from the district in which the place\nwas located. Others came bringing money tribute, servants, male and\nfemale, and clothing.\n\nThey felt sure they were in dreamland now, and that they might\nenjoy the exercise of power while it lasted, they began commanding\nthe servants to put the goods away, the money in the sahrang,\nor reception-room, the clothing in the tarack, or garret over\nthe fireplace, the rice in the granaries, and animals in their\nstables. Others were sent to prepare a bath, that they might don\nthe fine clothing before it should be too late. The servants obeyed,\nincreasing the astonishment of the pair, and causing them to literally\nforget the fourth gourd in their amazed contemplation of the wondrous\nmiracles being performed, and the dreamy air of satisfaction and\ncontentment with which it surrounded them.\n\nTheir attention was called to the gourd by the servants, who were then\ncommanded to carefully saw it open. They did so, and out stepped a\nmaiden, as beautiful as were the gifts that had preceded her. Never\nbefore had Hyung looked on any one who could at all compare with the\nmatchless beauty and grace of the lovely creature who now stood so\nmodestly and confidingly before him. He could find no words to express\nhis boundless admiration, and could only stand in mute wonder and feast\nhimself upon her beauty. Not so with his wife, however. She saw only\na rival in the beautiful girl, and straightway demanded who she was,\nwhence she came, and what she wanted. The maid replied: \"I am sent by\nthe bird king to be this man's concubine.\" Whereupon the wife grew\ndark in the face, and ordered her to go whence she came and not see\nher husband again. She upbraided him for not being content with a house\nand estate, numbers of retainers and quantities of money, and declared\nthis last trouble was all due to his greed in opening the fourth gourd.\n\nHer husband had by this time found his speech, however, and severely\nreprimanding her for conducting herself in such a manner upon the\nreceipt of such heavenly gifts, while yesterday she had been little\nmore than a beggar; he commanded her to go at once to the women's\nquarters, where she should reign supreme, and never make such a\ndisplay of her ill-temper again, under penalty of being consigned to\na house by herself. The maiden he gladly welcomed, and conducted her\nto apartments set aside for her.\n\n\n\n\nII.\n\nWhen Nahl Bo heard of the wonderful change taking place at his\nbrother's establishment, he went himself to look into the matter. He\nfound the report not exaggerated, and began to upbraid his brother\nwith dishonest methods, which accusation the brother stoutly denied,\nand further demanded where, and of whom, he could steal a house,\nsuch rich garments, fine furniture, and have it removed in a day\nto the site of his former hovel. Nahl Bo demanded an explanation,\nand Hyung Bo frankly told him how he had saved the bird from the\nsnake and had bound up its broken limbs, so that it recovered; how\nthe bird in return brought him a seed engraved with gold characters,\ninstructing him how to plant and rear it; and how, having done so,\nthe four gourds were born on the stalk, and from them, on ripening,\nhad appeared these rich gifts. The ill-favored brother even then\npersisted in his charges, and in a gruff, ugly manner accused Hyung Bo\nof being worse than a thief in keeping all these fine goods, instead\nof dutifully sharing them with his elder brother. This insinuation\nof undutiful conduct really annoyed Hyung Bo, who, in his kindness\nof heart, forgave this unbrotherly senior, his former ill conduct,\nand thinking only of his own present good fortune, he kindly bestowed\nconsiderable gifts upon the undeserving brother, and doubtless would\nhave done more but that the covetous man espyed the fair maiden, and at\nonce insisted on having her. This was too much even for the patient\nHyung Bo, who refused with a determination remarkable for him. A\nquarrel ensued, during which the elder brother took his departure in\na rage, fully determined to use the secret of his brother's success\nfor all it was worth in securing rich gifts for himself.\n\nGoing home he struck at all the birds he could see, and ordered his\nservants to do the same. After killing many, he succeeded in catching\none, and, breaking its legs, he took fish-skin and bound them up in\nsplints, laying the little sufferer in a warm place, till it recovered\nand flew away, bandages and all. The result was as expected. The bird\nbeing questioned by the bird king concerning its crooked legs, related\nits story, dwelling, however, on the man's cruelty in killing so many\nbirds and then breaking its own legs. The king understood thoroughly,\nand gave the little cripple a seed to present to the wicked man on\nits return in the spring.\n\nSpringtime came, and one day, as Nahl Bo was sitting cross-legged\nin the little room opening on the veranda off his court, he heard a\nfamiliar bird-song. Dropping his long pipe, he threw open the paper\nwindows, and there, sure enough, sat a crooked-legged bird on the\nclothes line, bearing a seed in its mouth. Nahl Bo would let no one\ntouch it, but as the bird dropped the seed and flew away, he jumped\nout so eagerly that he forgot to slip his shoes on, and got his clean\nwhite stockings all befouled. He secured the seed, however, and felt\nthat his fortune was made. He planted it carefully, as directed,\nand gave it his personal attention.\n\nThe vines were most luxurious. They grew with great rapidity,\ntill they had well nigh covered the whole of his large house\nand out-buildings. Instead of one gourd, or even four, as in the\nbrother's case, the new vines bore twelve gourds, which grew and grew\ntill the great beams of his house fairly groaned under their weight,\nand he had to block them in place to keep them from rolling off the\nroofs. He had to hire men to guard them carefully, for now that the\nsource of Hyung Bo's riches was understood, every one was anxious\nfor a gourd. They did not know the secret, however, which Nahl Bo\nconcealed through selfishness, and Hyung through fear that every one\nwould take to killing and maiming birds as his wicked brother had done.\n\nMaintaining a guard was expensive, and the plant so loosened the roof\ntiles, by the tendrils searching for earth and moisture in the great\nlayer of clay under the tiles, that the rainy season made great havoc\nwith his house. Large portions of plaster from the inside fell upon the\npaper ceilings, which in turn gave way, letting the dirty water drip\ninto the rooms, and making the house almost uninhabitable. At last,\nhowever, the plants could do no more harm; the frost had come, the\nvines had shrivelled away, and the enormous ripe gourds were carefully\nlowered, amid the yelling of a score of coolies, as each seemed to get\nin the others' way trying to manipulate the ropes and poles with which\nthe gourds were let down to the ground. Once inside the court, and the\ngreat doors locked, Nahl Bo felt relieved, and shutting out every one\nbut a carpenter and his assistant, he prepared for the great surprise\nwhich he knew must await him, in spite of his most vivid dreams.\n\nThe carpenter insisted upon the enormous sum of 1,000 cash for\nopening each gourd, and as he was too impatient to await the arrival\nof another, and as he expected to be of princely wealth in a few\nmoments, Nahl Bo agreed to the exorbitant price. Whereupon, carefully\nbracing a gourd, the men began sawing it through. It seemed a long\ntime before the gourd fell in halves. When it did, out came a party\nof rope-dancers, such as perform at fairs and public places. Nahl Bo\nwas unprepared for any such surprise as this, and fancied it must\nbe some great mistake. They sang and danced about as well as the\ncrowded condition of the court would allow, and the family looked on\ncomplacently, supposing that the band had been sent to celebrate their\ncoming good fortune. But Nahl Bo soon had enough of this. He wanted\nto get at his riches, and seeing that the actors were about to stretch\ntheir ropes for a more extensive performance, he ordered them to cease\nand take their departure. To his amazement, however, they refused to\ndo this, until he had paid them 5,000 cash for their trouble. \"You\nsent for us and we came,\" said the leader. \"Now pay us, or we will\nlive with you till you do.\" There was no help for it, and with great\nreluctance and some foreboding, he gave them the money and dismissed\nthem. Then Nahl Bo turned to the carpenter, who chanced to be a man\nwith an ugly visage, made uglier by a great hare-lip. \"You,\" he said,\n\"are the cause of all this. Before you entered this court these gourds\nwere filled with gold, and your ugly face has changed it to beggars.\"\n\nNumber two was opened with no better results, for out came a body of\nBuddhist priests, begging for their temple, and promising many sons\nin return for offerings of suitable merit. Although disgusted beyond\nmeasure, Nahl Bo still had faith in the gourds, and to get rid of the\npriests, lest they should see his riches, he gave them also 5,000 cash.\n\nAs soon as the priests were gone, gourd number three was opened,\nwith still poorer results, for out came a procession of paid mourners\nfollowed by a corpse borne by bearers. The mourners wept as loudly\nas possible, and all was in a perfect uproar. When ordered to go,\nthe mourners declared they must have money for mourning, and to pay\nfor burying the body. Seeing no possible help for it, 5,000 cash was\nfinally given them, and they went out with the bier. Then Nahl Bo's\nwife came into the court, and began to abuse the hare-lipped man for\nbringing upon them all this trouble. Whereupon the latter became angry\nand demanded his money that he might leave. They had no intention\nof giving up the search as yet, however, and, as it was too late to\nchange carpenters, the ugly fellow was paid for the work already done,\nand given an advance on that yet remaining. He therefore set to work\nupon the fourth gourd, which Nahl Bo watched with feverish anxiety.\n\nFrom this one there came a band of gee sang, or dancing girls. There\nwas one woman from each province, and each had her song and dance. One\nsang of the yang wang, or wind god; another of the wang jay, or\npan deity; one sang of the sung jee, or money that is placed as a\nchristening on the roof tree of every house. There was the cuckoo\nsong. The song of the ancient tree that has lived so long that its\nheart is dead and gone, leaving but a hollow space, yet the leaves\nspring forth every spring-tide. The song of laughter and mourning,\nwith an injunction to see to it that the rice offering be made to the\ndeparted spirits. To the king of the sun and stars a song was sung. And\nlast of all, one votary sang of the twelve months that make the year,\nthe twelve hours that make the day, the thirty days that make the\nmonth, and of the new year's birth, as the old year dies, taking with\nit their ills to be buried in the past, and reminding all people to\ncelebrate the New Year holidays by donning clean clothes and feasting\non good food, that the following year may be to them one of plenty and\nprosperity. Having finished their songs and their graceful posturing\nand waving of their gay silk banners, the gee sang demanded their pay,\nwhich had to be given them, reducing the family wealth 5,000 cash more.\n\nThe wife now tried to persuade Nahl Bo to stop and not open more,\nbut the hare-lip man offered to open the next for 500 cash, as he was\nsecretly enjoying the sport. So the fifth was opened a little, when a\nyellow-looking substance was seen inside, which was taken to be gold,\nand they hurriedly opened it completely. But instead of gold, out\ncame an acrobatic pair,--being a strong man with a youth dressed to\nrepresent a girl. The man danced about, holding his young companion\nbalanced upon his shoulders, singing meanwhile a song of an ancient\nking, whose riotous living was so distasteful to his subjects that\nhe built him a cavernous palace, the floor of which was covered with\nquicksilver, the walls were decorated with jewels, and myriad lamps\nturned the darkness into day. Here were to be found the choicest\nviands and wines, with bands of music to entertain the feasters:\nmost beautiful women; and he enjoyed himself most luxuriously until\nhis enemy, learning the secret, threw open the cavern to the light\nof day, when all of the beautiful women immediately disappeared in\nthe sun's rays.\n\nBefore he could get these people to discontinue their performance,\nNahl Bo had to give them also 5,000 cash. Yet in spite of all his\nill luck, he decided to open another. Which being done, a jester\ncame forth, demanding the expense money for his long journey. This\nwas finally given him, for Nahl Bo had hit upon what he deemed a\nclever expedient. He took the wise fool aside, and asked him to use\nhis wisdom in pointing out to him which of these gourds contained\ngold. Whereupon the jester looked wise, tapped several gourds, and\nmotioned to each one as being filled with gold.\n\nThe seventh was therefore opened, and a lot of yamen runners came\nforth, followed by an official. Nahl Bo tried to run from what he\nknew must mean an exorbitant \"squeeze,\" but he was caught and beaten\nfor his indiscretion. The official called for his valise, and took\nfrom it a paper, which his secretary read, announcing that Nahl\nBo was the serf of this lord and must hereafter pay to him a heavy\ntribute. At this they groaned in their hearts, and the wife declared\nthat even now the money was all gone, even to the last cash, while\nthe rabble which had collected had stolen nearly every thing worth\nremoving. Yet the officer's servants demanded pay for their services,\nand they had to be given a note secured on the property before they\nwould leave. Matters were now so serious that they could not be made\nmuch worse, and it was decided to open each remaining gourd, that if\nthere were any gold they might have it.\n\nWhen the next one was opened a bevy of moo tang women (soothsayers)\ncame forth, offering to drive away the spirit of disease and restore\nthe sick to health. They arranged their banners for their usual\ndancing ceremony, brought forth their drums, with which to exorcise\nthe demons, and called for rice to offer to the spirits and clothes\nto burn for the spirits' apparel.\n\n\"Get out!\" roared Nahl Bo. \"I am not sick except for the visitation of\nsuch as yourselves, who are forever burdening the poor, and demanding\npay for your supposed services. Away with you, and befool some other\npah sak ye (eight month's man--fool) if you can. I want none of\nyour services.\"\n\nThey were no easier to drive away, however, than were the other\nannoying visitors that had come with his supposed good fortune. He\nhad finally to pay them as he had the others; and dejectedly he sat,\nscarcely noticing the opening of the ninth gourd.\n\nThe latter proved to contain a juggler, and the exasperated Nahl Bo,\nseeing but one small man, determined to make short work of him. Seizing\nhim by his topknot of hair, he was about to drag him to the door, when\nthe dexterous fellow, catching his tormentor by the thighs, threw him\nheadlong over his own back, nearly breaking his neck, and causing him\nto lie stunned for a time, while the expert bound him hand and foot,\nand stood him on his head, so that the wife was glad to pay the fellow\nand dismiss him ere the life should be departed from her lord.\n\nOn opening the tenth a party of blind men came out, picking their\nway with their long sticks, while their sightless orbs were raised\ntowards the unseen heavens. They offered to tell the fortunes of the\nfamily. But, while their services might have been demanded earlier,\nthe case was now too desperate for any such help. The old men tinkled\ntheir little bells, and chanted some poetry addressed to the four\ngood spirits stationed at the four corners of the earth, where they\npatiently stand bearing the world upon their shoulders; and to the\ndistant heavens that arch over and fold the earth in their embrace,\nwhere the two meet at the far horizon (as pictured in the Korean\nflag). The blind men threw their dice, and, fearing lest they should\nprophesy death, Nahl Bo quickly paid and dismissed them.\n\nThe next gourd was opened but a trifle, that they might first determine\nas to the wisdom of letting out its contents. Before they could\ndetermine, however, a voice like thunder was heard from within, and\nthe huge form of a giant arose, splitting open the gourd as he came\nforth. In his anger he seized poor Nahl Bo and tossed him upon his\nshoulders as though he would carry him away. Whereupon the wife plead\nwith tears for his release, and gladly gave an order for the amount\nof the ransom. After which the monster allowed the frightened man to\nfall to the ground, nearly breaking his aching bones in the fall.\n\nThe carpenter did not relish the sport any longer; it seemed to be\ngetting entirely too dangerous. He thereupon demanded the balance of\nhis pay, which they finally agreed to give him, providing he would\nopen the last remaining gourd. For the desperate people hoped to\nfind this at least in sufficient condition that they might cook or\nmake soup of it, since they had no food left at all and no money,\nwhile the other gourds were so spoiled by the tramping of the feet\nof their unbidden guests, as to be totally unfit for food.\n\nThe man did as requested, but had only sawed a very little when the\ngourd split open as though it were rotten, while a most awful stench\narose, driving every one from the premises. This was followed by a gale\nof wind, so severe as to destroy the buildings, which, in falling,\ntook fire from the kang, and while the once prosperous man looked\non in helpless misery, the last of his remaining property was swept\nforever from him.\n\nThe seed that had brought prosperity to his honest, deserving brother\nhad turned prosperity into ruin to the cruel, covetous Nahl Bo, who\nnow had to subsist upon the charity of his kind brother, whom he had\nformerly treated so cruelly.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCHUN YANG,\n\nTHE FAITHFUL DANCING-GIRL WIFE.\n\n\nIn the city of Nam Won, in Chull Lah Do (the southern province of\nKorea), lived the Prefect Ye Tung Uhi. He was the happy father of a son\nof some sixteen years of age. Being an only child the boy was naturally\nmuch petted. He was not an ordinary young man, however, for in addition\nto a handsome, manly face and stalwart figure, he possessed a bright,\nquick mind, and was naturally clever. A more dutiful son could not be\nfound. He occupied a house in the rear of his father's quarters, and\ndevoted himself to his books, going regularly each evening to make his\nobeisance to his father, and express his wish that pleasant, refreshing\nsleep might come to him; then, in the morning, before breakfasting,\nhe was wont to go and enquire how the new day had found his father.\n\nThe Prefect was but recently appointed to rule over the Nam Won\ndistrict when the events about to be recorded occurred. The winter\nmonths had been spent mostly indoors, but as the mild spring weather\napproached and the buds began to open to the singing of the joyful\nbirds, Ye Toh Ryung, or Toh Ryung, the son, felt that he must get out\nand enjoy nature. Like an animal that has buried itself in a hole in\nthe earth, he came forth rejoicing; the bright yellow birds welcomed\nhim from the willow trees, the soft breezes fanned his cheeks, and the\nfreshness of the air exhilarated him. He called his pang san (valet)\nand asked him concerning the neighboring views. The servant was a\nnative of the district, and knew the place well; he enumerated the\nvarious places especially prized for their scenery, but concluded with:\n\"But of all rare views, 'Kang Hal Loo' is the rarest. Officers from the\neight provinces come to enjoy the scenery, and the temple is covered\nwith verses they have left in praise of the place.\" \"Very well, then,\nwe will go there,\" said Toh Ryung \"Go you and clean up the place for\nmy reception.\"\n\nThe servant hurried off to order the temple swept and spread with clean\nmats, while his young master sauntered along almost intoxicated by the\nfreshness and new life of every thing around him. Arrived at the place,\nafter a long, tedious ascent of the mountain side, he flung himself\nupon a huge bolster-like cushion, and with half-closed eyes, drank\nin the beauty of the scene along with the balmy, perfume-laden spring\nzephyrs. He called his servant, and congratulated him upon his taste,\ndeclaring that were the gods in search of a fine view, they could\nnot find a place that would surpass this; to which the man answered:\n\n\"That is true; so true, in fact, that it is well known that the\nspirits do frequent this place for its beauty.\"\n\nAs he said this, Toh Ryung had raised himself, and was leaning on one\narm, gazing out toward one side, when, as though it were one of the\nspirits just mentioned, the vision of a beautiful girl shot up into the\nair and soon fell back out of sight in the shrubbery of an adjoining\ncourt-yard. He could just get a confused picture of an angelic face,\nsurrounded by hair like the black thunder-cloud, a neck of ravishing\nbeauty, and a dazzle of bright silks,--when the whole had vanished. He\nwas dumb with amazement, for he felt sure he must have seen one of\nthe spirits said to frequent the place; but before he could speak,\nthe vision arose again, and he then had time to see that it was but a\nbeautiful girl swinging in her dooryard. He did not move, he scarcely\nbreathed, but sat with bulging eyes absorbing the prettiest view he had\never seen. He noted the handsome, laughing face, the silken black hair,\nheld back in a coil by a huge coral pin; he saw the jewels sparkling on\nthe gay robes, the dainty white hands and full round arms, from which\nthe breezes blew back the sleeves; and as she flew higher in her wild\nsport, oh, joy! two little shoeless feet encased in white stockings,\nshot up among the peach blossoms, causing them to fall in showers all\nabout her. In the midst of the sport her hairpin loosened and fell,\nallowing her raven locks to float about her shoulders; but, alas! the\ncostly ornament fell on a rock and broke, for Toh Ryung could hear\nthe sharp click where he sat. This ended the sport, and the little\nmaid disappeared, all unconscious of the agitation she had caused in\na young man's breast by her harmless spring exercise.\n\nAfter some silence, the young man asked his servant if he had seen\nany thing, for even yet he feared his mind had been wandering close\nto the dreamland. After some joking, the servant confessed to having\nseen the girl swinging, whereupon his master demanded her name. \"She\nis Uhl Mahs' daughter, a gee sang (public dancing girl) of this\ncity; her name is Chun Yang Ye\"--fragrant spring. \"I yah! superb;\nI can see her then, and have her sing and dance for me,\" exclaimed\nToh Ryung. \"Go and call her at once, you slave.\"\n\nThe man ran, over good road and bad alike, up hill and down, panting as\nhe went; for while the back of the women's quarters of the adjoining\ncompound was near at hand, the entrance had to be reached by a long\ncircuit. Arriving out of breath, he pounded at the gate, calling the\ngirl by name.\n\n\"Who is that calls me?\" she enquired when the noise had attracted\nher attention.\n\n\"Oh, never mind who,\" answered the exhausted man, \"it is great\nbusiness; open the door.\"\n\n\"Who are you, and what do you want?\"\n\n\"I am nobody, and I want nothing; but Ye Toh Ryung is the Governor's\nson, and he wants to see the Fragrant Spring.\"\n\n\"Who told Ye Toh Ryung my name?\"\n\n\"Never mind who told him; if you did not want him to know you, then\nwhy did you swing so publicly? The great man's son came here to rest\nand see the beautiful views; he saw you swinging, and can see nothing\nsince. You must go, but you need not fear. He is a gentleman, and will\ntreat you nicely; if your dancing pleases him as did your swinging,\nhe may present you with rich gifts, for he is his father's only son.\"\n\nRegretting in her proud spirit that fates had placed her in a\nprofession where she was expected to entertain the nobility whether it\nsuited her or not, the girl combed and arranged her hair, tightened her\nsash, smoothed her disordered clothes, and prepared to look as any vain\nwoman would wish who was about to be presented to the handsomest and\nmost gifted young nobleman of the province. She followed the servant\nslowly till they reached Toh Ryung's stopping place. She waited while\nthe servant announced her arrival, for a gee sang must not enter a\nnobleman's presence unbidden. Toh Ryung was too excited to invite\nher in, however, and his servant had to prompt him, when, laughing\nat his own agitation, he pleasantly bade her enter and sit down.\n\n\"What is your name?\" asked he.\n\n\"My name is Chun Yang Ye,\" she said, with a voice that resembled\nsilver jingling in a pouch.\n\n\"How old are you?\"\n\n\"My age is just twice eight years.\"\n\n\"Ah ha!\" laughed the now composed boy, \"how fortunate; you are twice\neight, and I am four fours. We are of the same age. Your name, Fragrant\nSpring, is the same as your face--very beautiful. Your cheeks are like\nthe petals of the mah hah that ushers in the soft spring. Your eyes\nare like those of the eagle sitting on the ancient tree, but soft\nand gentle as the moonlight,\" ran on the enraptured youth. \"When is\nyour birthday?\"\n\n\"My birthday occurs at midnight on the eighth day of the fourth moon,\"\nmodestly replied the flattered girl, who was quickly succumbing to\nthe charms of the ardent and handsome young fellow, whose heart she\ncould see was already her own.\n\n\"Is it possible?\" exclaimed he; \"that is the date of the lantern\nfestival, and it is also my own birthday, only I was born at eleven\ninstead of twelve. I am sorry I was not born at twelve now. But it\ndoesn't matter. Surely the gods had some motive in sending us into\nthe world at the same time, and thus bringing us together at our\nsixteenth spring-tide. Heaven must have intended us to be man and\nwife\"; and he bade her sit still as she started as though to take\nher departure. Then he began to plead with her, pacing the room in\nhis excitement, till his attendant likened the sound to the combat\nof ancient warriors. \"This chance meeting of ours has a meaning,\" he\nargued. \"Often when the buds were bursting, or when the forest trees\nwere turning to fire and blood, have I played and supped with pretty\ngee sang, watched them dance, and wrote them verses, but never before\nhave I lost my heart; never before have I seen any one so incomparably\nbeautiful. You are no common mortal. You were destined to be my wife;\nyou must be mine, you must marry me.\"\n\nShe wrinkled her fair brow and thought, for she was no silly,\nfoolish thing, and while her heart was almost, if not quite won by\nthis tempestuous lover, yet she saw where his blind love would not\nlet him see. \"You know,\" she said, \"the son of a nobleman may not\nmarry a gee sang without the consent of his parents. I know I am\na gee sang by name, the fates have so ordained, but, nevertheless,\nI am an honorable woman, always have been, and expect to remain so.\"\n\n\"Certainly,\" he answered, \"we cannot celebrate the 'six customs\nceremony' (parental arrangements, exchange of letters, contracts,\nexchange of presents, preliminary visits, ceremony proper), but we\ncan be privately married just the same.\"\n\n\"No, it cannot be. Your father would not consent, and should we be\nprivately married, and your father be ordered to duty at some other\nplace, you would not dare take me with you. Then you would marry the\ndaughter of some nobleman, and I would be forgotten. It must not,\ncannot be,\" and she arose to depart. \"Stay, stay,\" he begged. \"You\ndo me an injustice. I will never forsake you, or marry another. I\nswear it. And a yang ban (noble) has but one mouth, he cannot speak\ntwo ways. Even should we leave this place I will take you with me,\nor return soon to you. You must not refuse me.\"\n\n\"But suppose you change your mind or forget your promises; words fly\nout of the mouth and are soon lost, ink and paper are more lasting;\ngive me your promises in writing,\" she says.\n\nInstantly the young man took up paper and brush; having rubbed the ink\nwell, he wrote: \"A memorandum. Desiring to enjoy the spring scenery,\nI came to Kang Hal Loo. There I saw for the first time my heaven-sent\nbride. Meeting for the first time, I pledge myself for one hundred\nyears; to be her faithful husband. Should I change, show this paper to\nthe magistrate.\" Folding up the manuscript with care he handed it to\nher. While putting it into her pocket she said: \"Speech has no legs,\nyet it can travel many thousands of miles. Suppose this matter should\nreach your father's ears, what would you do?\"\n\n\"Never fear; my father was once young, who knows but I may be following\nthe example of his early days. I have contracted with you, and we now\nare married, even my father cannot change it. Should he discover our\nalliance and disown me, I will still be yours, and together we shall\nlive and die.\"\n\nShe arose to go, and pointing with her jade-like hand to a clump of\nbamboos, said: \"There is my house; as I cannot come to you, you must\ncome to me and make my mother's house your home, as much as your duty\nto your parents will allow.\"\n\nAs the sun began to burn red above the mountains' peaks, they bade\neach other a fond adieu, and each departed for home accompanied by\ntheir respective attendants.\n\nYe Toh Ryung went to his room, which now seemed a prison-like place\ninstead of the pleasant study he had found it. He took up a book,\nbut reading was no satisfaction, every word seemed to transform itself\ninto Chun or Yang. Every thought was of the little maid of the spring\nfragrance. He changed his books, but it was no use, he could not even\nkeep them right side up, not to mention using them properly. Instead\nof singing off his lessons as usual, he kept singing, Chun Yang Ye\npoh go sip so (I want to see the spring fragrance), till his father,\nhearing the confused sounds, sent to ascertain what was the matter\nwith his son. The boy was singing, \"As the parched earth cries for\nrain after the seven years' drought, so my heart pants for my Chun\nYang Ye, whose face to me is like the rays of the sun upon the earth\nafter a nine years' rain.\" He paid no heed to the servants, and soon\nhis father sent his private secretary, demanding what it was the boy\ndesired so much that he should keep singing. \"I want to see, I want to\nsee.\" Toh Ryung answered that he was reading an uninteresting book,\nand looking for another. Though he remained more quiet after this,\nhe still was all impatience to be off to his sweetheart-wife, and\ncalling his attendant, he sent him out to see how near the sun was\nto setting. Enjoying the sport, the man returned, saying the sun was\nnow high over head.\n\n\"Begone,\" said he, \"can any one hold back the sun; it had reached\nthe mountain tops before I came home.\"\n\nAt last the servant brought his dinner, for which he had no\nappetite. He could ill abide the long delay between the dinner hour\nand the regular time for his father's retiring. The time did come,\nhowever, and when the lights were extinguished and his father had\ngone to sleep, he took his trusty servant, and, scaling the back wall,\nthey hurried to the house of Chun Yang Ye.\n\nAs they approached they heard someone playing the harp, and singing of\nthe \"dull pace of the hours when one's lover is away.\" Being admitted,\nthey met the mother, who, with some distrust, received Toh Ryung's\nassurances and sent him to her daughter's apartments.\n\nThe house pleased him; it was neat and well-appointed. The public room,\nfacing the court, was lighted by a blue lantern, which in the mellow\nlight resembled a pleasure barge drifting on the spring flood. Banners\nof poetry hung upon the walls. Upon the door leading to Chun Yang's\nlittle parlor hung a banner inscribed with verses to her ancestors\nand descendants, praying that \"a century be short to span her life\nand happiness, and that her children's children be blessed with\nprosperity for a thousand years.\" Through the open windows could\nbe seen moonlight glimpses of the little garden of the swinging\ngirl. There was a miniature lake almost filled with lotus plants,\nwhere two sleepy swans floated with heads beneath their wings, while\nthe occasional gleam of a gold or silver scale showed that the water\nwas inhabited. A summer-house on the water's edge was almost covered\nwith fragrant spring blossoms, the whole being enclosed in a little\ngrove of bamboo and willows, that shut out the view of outsiders.\n\nWhile gazing at this restful sight, Chun Yang Ye herself came out,\nand all was lost in the lustre of her greater beauty. She asked\nhim into her little parlor, where was a profusion of choice carved\ncabinets and ornaments of jade and metal, while richly embroidered\nmats covered the highly-polished floor. She was so delighted that\nshe took both his hands in her pretty, white, soft ones, and gazing\nlongingly into each other's eyes, she led him into another room,\nwhere, on a low table, a most elegant lunch was spread. They sat\ndown on the floor and surveyed the loaded table. There were fruits\npreserved in sugar, candied nuts arranged in many dainty, nested boxes;\nsweet pickles and confections, pears that had grown in the warmth of\na summer now dead, and grapes that had been saved from decay by the\nsame sun that had called them forth. Quaint old bottles with long,\ntwisted necks, contained choice medicated wines, to be drunk from\nthe little crackled cups, such as the ancients used.\n\nPouring out a cup, she sang to him: \"This is the elixir of youth;\ndrinking this, may you never grow old; though ten thousand years pass\nover your head, may you stand like the mountain that never changes.\" He\ndrank half of the cup's contents, and praised her sweet voice, asking\nfor another song. She sang: \"Let us drain the cup while we may. In the\ngrave who will be our cup-bearer. While we are young let us play. When\nold, mirth gives place to care. The flowers can bloom but a few days\nat best, and must then die, that the seed may be born. The moon is\nno sooner full than it begins to wane, that the young moon may rise.\"\n\nThe sentiments suited him, the wine exhilarated him, and his spirits\nrose. He drained his cup, and called for more wine and song; but\nshe restrained him. They ate the dainty food, and more wine and song\nfollowed. She talked of the sweet contract they had made, and anon they\npledged themselves anew. Not content with promises for this short life,\nthey went into the future, and he yielded readily to her request, that\nwhen death should at last o'ertake them, she would enter a flower,\nwhile he would become a butterfly, coming and resting on her bosom,\nand feasting off her fragrant sweetness.\n\nThe father did not know of his son's recent alliance, though the\nyoung man honestly went and removed Chun Yang's name from the list\nof the district gee sang, kept in his father's office; for, now\nthat she was a married woman, she need no longer go out with the\ndancing-girls. Every morning, as before, the dutiful son presented\nhimself before his father, with respectful inquiries after his health,\nand his rest the preceding night. But, nevertheless, each night the\nyoung man's apartments were deserted, while he spent the time in the\nhouse of his wife.\n\nThus the months rolled on with amazing speed. The lovers were in\nparadise. The father enjoyed his work, and labored hard for the\nbetterment of the condition of his subjects. Never before had so\nlarge a tribute been sent by this district. Yet the people were\nnot burdened as much as when far less of their products reached the\ngovernment granaries. The honest integrity of the officer reached\nthe King in many reports, and when a vacancy occurred at the head of\nthe Treasury Department, he was raised to be Ho Joh Pansa (Secretary\nof Finance). Delighted, the father sent for his son and told him the\nnews, but, to his amazement, the young man had naught to say, in fact\nhe seemed as one struck dumb, as well he might. Within himself there\nwas a great tumult; his heart beat so violently as to seem perceptible,\nand at times it arose and filled his throat, cutting off any speech he\nmight wish to utter. Surprised at the conduct of his son, the father\nbade him go and inform his mother, that she might order the packing\nto commence.\n\nHe went; but soon found a chance to fly to Chun Yang, who, at first,\nwas much concerned for his health, as his looks denoted a serious\nillness. When he had made her understand, however, despair seized her,\nand they gazed at each other in mute dismay and utter helplessness. At\nlast she seemed to awaken from her stupor, and, in an agony of despair,\nshe beat her breast, and moaned: \"Oh, how can we separate. We must\ndie, we cannot live apart\"; and tears coming to her relief, she cried:\n\"If we say good-by, it will be forever; we can never meet again. Oh,\nI feared it; we have been too happy--too happy. The one who made\nthis order is a murderer; it must be my death. If you go to Seoul\nand leave me, I must die. I am but a poor weak woman, and I cannot\nlive without you.\"\n\nHe took her, and laying her head on his breast, tried to soothe\nher. \"Don't cry so bitterly,\" he begged; \"my heart is almost broken\nnow. I cannot bear it. I wish it could always be spring-time; but\nthis is only like the cruel winter that, lingering in the mountain,\nsometimes sweeps down the valley, drives out the spring, and kills\nthe blossoms. We will not give up and die, though. We have contracted\nfor one hundred years, and this will be but a bitter separation that\nwill make our speedy reunion more blissful.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" she says, \"but how can I live here alone, with you in Seoul? Just\nthink of the long, tedious summer days, the long and lonely winter\nnights. I must see no one. I cannot know of you, for who will tell me,\nand how am I to endure it?\"\n\n\"Had not my father been given this great honor, we would perhaps\nnot have been parted; as it is I must go, there is no help for it,\nbut you must believe me when I promise I will come again. Here,\ntake this crystal mirror as a pledge that I will keep my word\";\nand he gave her his pocket-mirror of rock crystal.\n\n\"Promise me when you will return,\" said she; and then, without awaiting\nan answer, she sang: \"When the sear and withered trunk begins to bloom,\nand the dead bird sings in the branches, then my lover will come to\nme. When the river flows over the eastern mountains, then may I see him\nglide along in his ship to me.\" He chided her for her lack of faith,\nand assured her again it was as hard for one as the other. After\na time she became more reconciled, and taking off her jade ring,\ngave it to him for a keepsake, saying: \"My love, like this ring,\nknows no end. You must go, alas! but my love will go with you, and\nmay it protect you when crossing wild mountains and distant rivers,\nand bring you again safely to me. If you go to Seoul, you must not\ntrifle, but take your books, study hard, and enter the examinations,\nthen, perhaps, you may obtain rank and come to me. I will stand with\nmy hand shading my eyes, ever watching for your return.\"\n\nPromising to cherish her speech, with her image in his breast, they\nmade their final adieu, and tore apart.\n\nThe long journey seemed like a funeral to the lover. Everywhere her\nimage rose before him. He could think of nothing else; but by the time\nhe arrived at the capital he had made up his mind as to his future\ncourse, and from that day forth his parents wondered at his stern,\ndetermined manner. He shut himself up in his room with his books. He\nwould neither go out, or form acquaintances among the young noblemen\nof the gay city. Thus he spent months in hard study, taking no note\nof passing events.\n\nIn the meantime a new magistrate came to Nam Won. He was a hard-faced,\nhard-hearted politician. He associated with the dissolute, and devoted\nhimself to riotous living, instead of caring for the welfare of the\npeople. He had not been long in the place till he had heard so much\nof the matchless beauty of Chun Yang Ye that he determined to see,\nand if, as reported, marry her. Accordingly he called the clerk\nof the yamen, and asked concerning \"the beautiful gee sang Chun\nYang Ye.\" The clerk answered that such a name had appeared on the\nrecords of the dancing girls, but that it had been removed, as she\nhad contracted a marriage with the son of the previous magistrate,\nand was now a lady of position and respectability.\n\n\"You lying rascal!\" yelled the enraged officer, who could ill brook\nany interference with plans he had formed. \"A nobleman's son cannot\nreally marry a dancing girl; leave my presence at once, and summon\nthis remarkable 'lady' to appear before me.\" The clerk could only do\nas he was bidden, and, summoning the yamen runners, he sent to the\nhouse of Chun Yang Ye to acquaint her with the official order.\n\nThe runners, being natives of the locality, were loath to do as\ncommanded, and when the fair young woman gave them \"wine money\" they\nwillingly agreed to report her \"too sick to attend the court.\" Upon\ndoing so, however, the wrath of their master came down upon them. They\nwere well beaten, and then commanded to go with a chair and bring\nthe woman, sick or well, while if they disobeyed him a second time\nthey would be put to death.\n\nOf course they went, but after they had explained to Chun Yang Ye their\ntreatment, her beauty and concern for their safety so affected them,\nthat they offered to go back without her, and face their doom. She\nwould not hear to their being sacrificed for her sake, and prepared\nto accompany them. She disordered her hair, soiled her fair face, and\nclad herself in dingy, ill-fitting gowns, which, however, seemed only\nto cause her natural beauty the more to shine forth. She wept bitterly\non entering the yamen, which fired the anger of the official. He\nordered her to stop her crying or be beaten, and then as he looked\nat her disordered and tear-stained face, that resembled choice jade\nspattered with mud, he found that her beauty was not overstated.\n\n\"What does your conduct mean?\" said he. \"Why have you not presented\nyourself at this office with the other gee sang?\"\n\n\"Because, though born a gee sang, I am by marriage a lady, and not\nsubject to the rules of my former profession,\" she answered.\n\n\"Hush!\" roared the Prefect. \"No more of this nonsense. Present yourself\nhere with the other gee sang, or pay the penalty.\"\n\n\"Never\" she bravely cried. \"A thousand deaths first. You have no\nright to exact such a thing of me. You are the King's servant, and\nshould see that the laws are executed, rather than violated.\"\n\nThe man was fairly beside himself with wrath at this, and ordered her\nchained and thrown into prison at once. The people all wept with her,\nwhich but increased her oppressor's anger, and calling the jailer he\nordered him to treat her with especial rigor, and be extra vigilant\nlest some sympathizers should assist her to escape. The jailer\npromised, but nevertheless he made things as easy for her as was\npossible under the circumstances. Her mother came and moaned over\nher daughter's condition, declaring that she was foolish in clinging\nto her faithless husband, who had brought all this trouble upon\nthem. The neighbors, however, upbraided the old woman for her words,\nand assured the daughter that she had done just right, and would yet\nbe rewarded. They brought presents of food, and endeavored to make\nher condition slightly less miserable by their attentions.\n\nShe passed the night in bowing before Heaven and calling on the gods\nand her husband to release her, and in the morning when her mother\ncame, she answered the latter's inquiries as to whether she was alive\nor not, in a feeble voice which alarmed her parent.\n\n\"I am still alive, but surely dying. I can never see my Toh Ryung\nagain; but when I am dead you must take my body to Seoul and bury it\nnear the road over which he travels the most, that even in death I may\nbe near him, though separated in life.\" Again the mother scolded her\nfor her devotion and for making the contract that binds her strongly\nto such a man. She could stand it no longer, and begged her mother that\nshe would go away and come to see her no more if she had no pleasanter\nspeech than such to make. \"I followed the dictates of my heart and my\nmind. I did what was right. Can I foretell the future? Because the\nsun shines to-day are we assured that to-morrow it will shine? The\ndeed is done. I do not regret it; leave me to my grief, but do not\nadd to it by your unkindness.\"\n\nThus the days lengthened into months, but she seemed like one dead,\nand took no thought of time or its flight. She was really ill,\nand would have died but for the kindness of the jailer. At last\none night she dreamed that she was in her own room, dressing,\nand using the little mirror Toh Ryung had given her, when, without\napparent cause, it suddenly broke in halves. She awoke, startled,\nand felt sure that death was now to liberate her from her sorrows,\nfor what other meaning could the strange occurrence have than that\nher body was thus to be broken. Although anxious to die and be free,\nshe could not bear the thought of leaving this world without a last\nlook at her loved husband whose hands alone could close her eyes when\nher spirit had departed. Pondering much upon the dream, she called\nthe jailer and asked him to summon a blind man, as she wished her\nfortune told. The jailer did so. It was no trouble, for almost as\nshe spoke they heard one picking his way along the street with his\nlong stick, and uttering his peculiar call. He came in and sat down,\nwhen they soon discovered that they were friends, for before the\nman became blind he had been in comfortable circumstances, and had\nknown her father intimately. She therefore asked him to be to her as\na kind father, and faithfully tell her when and how death would come\nto her. He said: \"When the blossoms fade and fall they do not die,\ntheir life simply enters the seed to bloom again. Death to you would\nbut liberate your spirit to shine again in a fairer body.\"\n\nShe thanked him for his kind generalities, but was impatient, and\ntelling her dream, she begged a careful interpretation of it. He\npromptly answered, that to be an ill omen a mirror in breaking must\nmake a noise. And on further questioning, he found that in her dream\na bird had flown into the room just as the mirror was breaking.\n\n\"I see,\" said he. \"The bird was bearer of good news, and the breaking\nof the mirror, which Toh Ryung gave you, indicates that the news\nconcerned him; let us see.\" Thereupon he arranged a bunch of sticks,\nshook them well, while uttering his chant, and threw them upon the\nfloor. Then he soon answered that the news was good. \"Your husband\nhas done well. He has passed his examinations, been promoted, and\nwill soon come to you.\"\n\nShe was too happy to believe it, thinking the old man had made it up\nto please his old friend's distressed child. Yet she cherished the\ndream and the interpretation in her breast, finding in it solace to\nher weary, troubled heart.\n\nIn the meantime Ye Toh Ryung had continued his studious work day and\nnight, to the anxiety of his parents. Just as he began to feel well\nprepared for the contest he awaited, a royal proclamation announced,\nthat owing to the fact that peace reigned throughout the whole country,\nthat the closing year had been one of prosperity, and no national\ncalamity had befallen the country, His Gracious Majesty had ordered\na grand guaga, or competitive examination, to be held. As soon as it\nbecame known, literary pilgrims began to pour in from all parts of\nthe country, bent on improving their condition.\n\nThe day of the examination found a vast host seated on the grass in\nfront of the pavilion where His Majesty and his officers were. Ye Toh\nRyung was given as a subject for his composition, \"A lad playing in\nthe shade of a pine tree is questioned by an aged wayfarer.\"\n\nThe young man long rubbed his ink-stick on the stone, thinking very\nintently meanwhile, but when he began to write in the beautiful\ncharacters for which he was noted he seemed inspired, and the\ncomposition rolled forth as though he had committed it from the ancient\nclassics. He made the boy express such sentiments of reverence to age\nas would have charmed the ancients, and the wisdom he put into the\nconversation was worthy of a king. The matter came so freely that his\ntask was soon finished; in fact many were still wrinkling their brows\nin preliminary thought, while he was carefully folding up his paper,\nconcealing his name so that the author should not be recognized till\nthe paper had been judged on its merits. He tossed his composition\ninto the pen, and it was at once inspected, being the first one, and\nremarkably quickly done. When His Majesty heard it read, and saw the\nperfect characters, he was astonished. Such excellence in writing,\ncomposition, and sentiment was unparalleled, and before any other\npapers were received it was known that none could excel this one. The\nwriter's name was ascertained, and the King was delighted to learn\nthat 'twas the son of his favorite officer. The young man was sent\nfor, and received the congratulations of his King. The latter gave\nhim the usual three glasses of wine, which he drank with modesty. He\nwas then given a wreath of flowers from the King's own hands; the\ncourt hat was presented to him, with lateral wings, denoting the\nrapidity--as the flight of a bird--with which he must execute his\nSovereign's commands. Richly embroidered breast-plates were given him,\nto be worn over the front and back of his court robes. He then went\nforth, riding on a gayly caparisoned horse, preceded by a band of\npalace musicians and attendants. Everywhere he was greeted with the\ncheers of the populace, as for three days he devoted his time to this\npublic display. This duty having been fulfilled, he devotedly went to\nthe graves of his ancestors, and prostrated himself with offerings\nbefore them, bemoaning the fact that they could not be present to\nrejoice in his success. He then presented himself before his King,\nhumbly thanking him for his gracious condescension in bestowing such\ngreat honors upon one so utterly unworthy.\n\nHis Sovereign was pleased, and told the young man to strive to imitate\nthe example of his honest father. He then asked him what position he\nwished. Ye Toh Ryung answered that he wished no other position than\none that would enable him to be of service to his King. \"The year has\nbeen one of great prosperity,\" said he. \"The plentiful harvest will\ntempt corrupt men to oppress the people to their own advantage. I\nwould like, therefore, should it meet with Your Majesty's approval,\nto undertake the arduous duties of Ussa\"--government inspector.\n\nHe said this as he knew he would then be free to go in search of his\nwife, while he could also do much good at the same time. The King was\ndelighted, and had his appointment--a private one naturally--made at\nonce, giving him the peculiar seal of the office.\n\nThe new Ussa disguised himself as a beggar, putting on straw sandals,\na broken hat, underneath which his hair, uncombed and without the\nencircling band to hold it in place, streamed out in all directions. He\nwore no white strip in the neck of his shabby gown, and with dirty\nface he certainly presented a beggarly appearance. Presenting himself\nat the stables outside of the city, where horses and attendants are\nprovided for the ussas, he soon arranged matters by showing his seal,\nand with proper attendants started on his journey towards his former\nhome in the southern province.\n\nArriving at his destination, he remained outside in a miserable hamlet\nwhile his servants went into the city to investigate the people and\nlearn the news.\n\nIt was spring-time again. The buds were bursting, the birds were\nsinging, and in the warm valley a band of farmers were plowing with\nlazy bulls, and singing, meanwhile, a grateful song in praise of\ntheir just King, their peaceful, prosperous country, and their full\nstomachs. As the Ussa came along in his disguise he began to jest with\nthem, but they did not like him, and were rude in their jokes at his\nexpense; when an old man, evidently the father, cautioned them to be\ncareful. \"Don't you see,\" said he, \"this man's speech is only half\nmade up of our common talk; he is playing a part. I think he must be a\ngentleman in disguise.\" The Ussa drew the old man into conversation,\nasking about various local events, and finally questioning him\nconcerning the character of the Prefect. \"Is he just or oppressive,\ndrunken or sober? Does he devote himself to his duties, or give himself\nup to riotous living?\" \"Our Magistrate we know little of. His heart\nis as hard and unbending as the dead heart of the ancient oak. He\ncares not for the people; the people care not for him but to avoid\nhim. He extorts rice and money unjustly, and spends his ill-gotten\ngains in riotous living. He has imprisoned and beaten the fair Chun\nYang Ye because she repulsed him, and she now lies near to death in\nthe prison, because she married and is true to the poor dog of a son\nof our former just magistrate.\"\n\nYe Toh Ryung was stung by these unjust remarks, filled with the deepest\nanxiety for his wife, and the bitterest resentment toward the brute of\nan official, whom, he promised himself, soon to bring to justice. As he\nmoved away, too full of emotion for further conversation, he heard the\nfarmers singing, \"Why are some men born to riches, others born to toil,\nsome to marry and live in peace, others too poor to possess a hut.\"\n\nHe walked away meditating. He had placed himself down on the\npeople's level, and began to feel with them. Thus meditating he\ncrossed a valley, through which a cheery mountain brook rushed merrily\nalong. Near its banks, in front of a poor hut, sat an aged man twisting\ntwine. Accosting him, the old man paid no attention; he repeated his\nsalutation, when the old man, surveying him from head to foot, said:\n\"In the government service age does not count for much, there rank\nis every thing; an aged man may have to bow to a younger, who is\nhis superior officer. 'Tis not so in the country, however; here age\nalone is respected. Then why am I addressed thus by such a miserable\nlooking stripling?\" The young man asked his elder's pardon, and then\nrequested him to answer a question. \"I hear,\" says he, \"that the new\nMagistrate is about to marry the gee sang, Chun Yang Ye; is it true?\"\n\n\"Don't mention her name,\" said the old man, angrily. \"You are not\nworthy to speak of her. She is dying in prison, because of her loyal\ndevotion to the brute beast who married and deserted her.\"\n\nYe Toh Ryung could hear no more. He hurried from the place, and\nfinding his attendants, announced his intention of going at once\ninto the city, lest the officials should hear of his presence and\nprepare for him. Entering the city, he went direct to Chun Yang Ye's\nhouse. It presented little of the former pleasant appearance. Most of\nthe rich furniture had been sold to buy comforts for the imprisoned\ngirl. The mother, seeing him come, and supposing him to be a beggar,\nalmost shrieked at him to get away. \"Are you such a stranger, that you\ndon't know the news? My only child is imprisoned, my husband long since\ndead, my property almost gone, and you come to me for alms. Begone,\nand learn the news of the town.\"\n\n\"Look! Don't you know me? I am Ye Toh Ryung, your son-in-law,\" he said.\n\n\"Ye Toh Ryung, and a beggar! Oh, it cannot be. Our only hope is in you,\nand now you are worse than helpless. My poor girl will die.\"\n\n\"What is the matter with her?\" said he, pretending.\n\nThe woman related the history of the past months in full, not sparing\nthe man in the least, giving him such a rating as only a woman can. He\nthen asked to be taken to the prison, and she accompanied him with a\nstrange feeling of gratification in her heart that after all she was\nright, and her daughter's confidence was ill-placed. Arriving at the\nprison, the mother expressed her feelings by calling to her daughter:\n\"Here is your wonderful husband. You have been so anxious to simply\nsee Ye Toh Ryung before you die; here he is; look at the beggar,\nand see what your devotion amounts to! Curse him and send him away.\"\n\nThe Ussa called to her, and she recognized the voice. \"I surely must\nbe dreaming again,\" she said, as she tried to arise; but she had the\nhuge neck-encircling board upon her shoulders that marked the latest\nof her tormentor's acts of oppression, and could not get up. Stung\nby the pain and the calmness of her lover's voice, she sarcastically\nasked: \"Why have you not come to me? Have you been so busy in official\nlife? Have the rivers been so deep and rapid that you dared not cross\nthem? Did you go so far away that it has required all this time to\nretrace your steps?\" And then, regretting her harsh words, she said:\n\"I cannot tell my rapture. I had expected to have to go to Heaven\nto meet you, and now you are here. Get them to unbind my feet, and\nremove this yoke from my neck, that I may come to you.\"\n\nHe came to the little window through which food is passed, and looked\nupon her. As she saw his face and garb, she moaned: \"Oh, what have we\ndone to be so afflicted? You cannot help me now; we must die. Heaven\nhas deserted us.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he answered; \"granting I am poor, yet should we not be happy in\nour reunion. I have come as I promised, and we will yet be happy. Do\nyourself no injury, but trust to me.\"\n\nShe called her mother, who sneeringly inquired of what service she\ncould be, now that the longed-for husband had returned in answer to\nher prayers. She paid no attention to these cruel words, but told\nher mother of certain jewels she had concealed in a case in her\nroom. \"Sell these,\" she said, \"and buy some food and raiment for my\nhusband; take him home and care for him well. Have him sleep on my\ncouch, and do not reproach him for what he cannot help.\"\n\nHe went with the old woman, but soon left to confer with his\nattendants, who informed him that the next day was the birthday of\nthe Magistrate, and that great preparations were being made for the\ncelebration that would commence early. A great feast, when wine would\nflow like water, was to take place in the morning. The gee sang from\nthe whole district were to perform for the assembled guests; bands\nof music were practising for the occasion, and the whole bade fair\nto be a great, riotous debauch, which would afford the Ussa just the\nopportunity the consummation of his plans awaited.\n\nEarly the next morning the disguised Ussa presented himself at the\nyamen gate, where the servants jeered at him, telling him: \"This is\nno beggars' feast,\" and driving him away. He hung around the street,\nhowever, listening to the music inside, and finally he made another\nattempt, which was more successful than the first, for the servants,\nthinking him crazy, tried to restrain him, when, in the mel\u00e9e, he\nmade a passage and rushed through the inner gate into the court off\nthe reception hall. The annoyed host, red with wine, ordered him at\nonce ejected and the gate men whipped. His order was promptly obeyed,\nbut Ye did not leave the place. He found a break in the outside wall,\nthrough which he climbed, and again presented himself before the\nfeasters. While the Prefect was too blind with rage to be able to\nspeak, the stranger said: \"I am a beggar, give me food and drink that\nI, too, may enjoy myself.\" The guests laughed at the man's presumption,\nand thinking him crazy, they urged their host to humor him for their\nentertainment. To which he finally consented, and, sending him some\nfood and wine, bade him stay in a corner and eat.\n\nTo the surprise of all, the fellow seemed still discontented, for he\nclaimed that, as the other guests each had a fair gee sang to sing a\nwine song while they drank, he should be treated likewise. This amused\nthe guests immensely, and they got the master to send one. The girl\nwent with a poor grace, however, saying: \"One would think from the\nlooks of you that your poor throat would open to the wine without\na song to oil it,\" and sang him a song that wished him speedy death\ninstead of long life.\n\nAfter submitting to their taunts for some time, he said, \"I thank\nyou for your food and wine and the graciousness of my reception, in\nreturn for which I will amuse you by writing you some verses\"; and,\ntaking pencil and paper, he wrote: \"The oil that enriches the food\nof the official is but the life blood of the down-trodden people,\nwhose tears are of no more merit in the eyes of the oppressor than\nthe drippings of a burning candle.\"\n\nWhen this was read, a troubled look passed over all; the guests shook\ntheir heads and assured their host that it meant ill to him. And\neach began to make excuses, saying that one and another engagement of\nimportance called them hence. The host laughed and bade them be seated,\nwhile he ordered attendants to take the intruder and cast him into\nprison for his impudence. They came to do so, but the Ussa took out his\nofficial seal, giving the preconcerted signal meanwhile, which summoned\nhis ready followers. At sight of the King's seal terror blanched the\nfaces of each of the half-drunken men. The wicked host tried to crawl\nunder the house and escape, but he was at once caught and bound with\nchains. One of the guests in fleeing through an attic-way caught\nhis topknot of hair in a rat-hole, and stood for some time yelling\nfor mercy, supposing that his captors had him. It was as though an\nearthquake had shaken the house; all was the wildest confusion.\n\nThe Ussa put on decent clothes and gave his orders in a calm manner. He\nsent the Magistrate to the capital at once, and began to look further\ninto the affairs of the office. Soon, however, he sent a chair for\nChun Yang Ye, delegating his own servants, and commanding them not\nto explain what had happened. She supposed that the Magistrate, full\nof wine, had sent for her, intending to kill her, and she begged the\namused servants to call her Toh Ryung to come and stay with her. They\nassured her that he could not come, as already he too was at the yamen,\nand she feared that harm had befallen him on her account.\n\nThey removed her shackles and bore her to the yamen, where the Ussa\naddressed her in a changed voice, commanding her to look up and\nanswer her charges. She refused to look up or speak, feeling that\nthe sooner death came the better. Failing in this way, he then asked\nher in his own voice to just glance at him. Surprised she looked up,\nand her dazed eyes saw her lover standing there in his proper guise,\nand with a delighted cry she tried to run to him, but fainted in the\nattempt, and was borne in his arms to a room. Just then the old woman,\ncoming along with food, which she had brought as a last service to\nher daughter, heard the good news from the excited throng outside, and\ndashing away her dishes and their contents, she tore around for joy,\ncrying: \"What a delightful birthday surprise for a cruel magistrate!\"\n\nAll the people rejoiced with the daughter, but no one seemed to\nthink the old mother deserved such good fortune. The Ussa's conduct\nwas approved at court. A new magistrate was appointed. The marriage\nwas publicly solemnized at Seoul, and the Ussa was raised to a high\nposition, in which he was just to the people, who loved him for his\nvirtues, while the country rang with the praises of his faithful wife,\nwho became the mother of many children.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSIM CHUNG,\n\nTHE DUTIFUL DAUGHTER.\n\n\nSim Hyun, or Mr. Sim, was highly esteemed in the Korean village in\nwhich he resided. He belonged to the Yang Ban, or gentleman class, and\nwhen he walked forth it was with the stately swinging stride of the\ngentleman, while if he bestrode his favorite donkey, or was carried\nin his chair, a runner went ahead calling out to the commoners to\nclear the road. His rank was not high, and though greatly esteemed as\na scholar, his income would scarcely allow of his taking the position\nhe was fitted to occupy.\n\nHis parents had been very fortunate in betrothing him to a remarkably\nbeautiful and accomplished maiden, daughter of a neighboring\ngentleman. She was noted for beauty and grace, while her mental\nqualities were the subject of continual admiration. She could not\nonly read and write her native ernmun, but was skilled in Chinese\ncharacters, while her embroidered shoes, pockets, and other feminine\narticles were the pride of her mother and friends. She had embroidered\na set of historic panels, which her father sent to the King. His\nMajesty mentioned her skill with marked commendation, and had the\npanels made up into a screen which for some time stood behind his mat,\nand continually called forth his admiration.\n\nSim had not seemed very demonstrative in regard to his approaching\nnuptials, but once he laid his eyes upon his betrothed, as she unveiled\nat the ceremony, he was completely captivated, and brooked with poor\ngrace the formalities that had to be gone through before he could\nclaim her as his constant companion.\n\nIt was an exceptionally happy union, the pair being intellectually\nsuited to each other, and each apparently possessing the bodily\nattributes necessary to charm the other. There was never a sign\nof disgust or disappointment at the choice their parents had made\nfor them. They used to wander out into the little garden off the\nwomen's quarters, and sit in the moonlight, planning for the future,\nand enjoying the products of each other's well stored mind. It was\ntheir pet desire to have a son, and all their plans seemed to centre\naround this one ambition; the years came and went, however, but their\ncoveted blessing was withheld, the wife consulted priestesses, and\nthe husband, from long and great disappointment, grew sad at heart\nand cared but little for mingling with the world, which he thought\nregarded him with shame. He took to books and began to confine himself\nto his own apartments, letting his poor wife stay neglected and alone\nin the apartments of the women. From much study, lack of exercise,\nand failing appetite, he grew thin and emaciated, and his eyes began\nto show the wear of over-work and innutrition. The effect upon his\nwife was also bad, but, with a woman's fortitude and patience, she\nbore up and hoped in spite of constant disappointment. She worried\nover her husband's condition and felt ashamed that she had no name in\nthe world, other than the wife of Sim, while she wished to be known\nas the mother of the Sim of whom they had both dreamed by day and by\nnight till dreams had almost left them.\n\nAfter fifteen years of childless waiting, the wife of Sim dreamed\nagain; this time her vision was a brilliant one, and in it she saw a\nstar come down to her from the skies above; the dream awakened her, and\nshe sent for her husband to tell him that she knew their blessing was\nabout to come to them; she was right, a child was given to them, but,\nto their great dismay, it was only a girl. Heaven had kindly prepared\nthe way for the little visitor, however; for after fifteen years weary\nwaiting, they were not going to look with serious disfavor upon a girl,\nhowever much their hopes had been placed upon the advent of a son.\n\nThe child grew, and the parents were united as they only could be\nby such a precious bond. The ills of childhood seemed not to like\nthe little one, even the virus of small-pox, that was duly placed in\nher nostril, failed to innoculate her, and her pretty skin remained\nfresh and soft like velvet, and totally free from the marks of the\ndread disease.\n\nAt three years of age she bade fair to far surpass her mother's\nnoted beauty and accomplishments. Her cheeks were full-blown roses,\nand whenever she opened her dainty curved mouth, ripples of silvery\nlaughter, or words of mature wisdom, were sure to be given forth. The\nhearts of the parents, that had previously been full of tears, were\nnow light, and full of contentment and joy; while they were constantly\nfilled with pride by the reports of the wonderful wisdom of their child\nthat continually came to them. The father forgot that his offspring\nwas not a boy, and had his child continually by his side to guide\nhis footsteps, as his feeble eyes refused to perform their office.\n\nJust as their joy seemed too great to be lasting, it was suddenly\nchecked by the death of the mother, which plunged them into a deep\ngrief from which the father emerged totally blind. It soon became\na question as to where the daily food was to come from; little by\nlittle household trinkets were given to the brokers to dispose of,\nand in ten years they had used up the homestead, and all it contained.\n\nThe father was now compelled to ask alms, and as his daughter was grown\nto womanhood, she could no longer direct his footsteps as he wandered\nout in the darkness of the blind. [3] One day in his journeying he fell\ninto a deep ditch, from which he could not extricate himself. After\nremaining in this deplorable condition for some time he heard a step,\nand called out for assistance, saying: \"I am blind, not drunk,\"\nwhereupon the passing stranger said: \"I know full well you are not\ndrunk. True, you are blind, yet not incurably so.\"\n\n\"Why, who are you that you know so much about me?\" asked the blind man.\n\n\"I am the old priest of the temple in the mountain fortress.\"\n\n\"Well, what is this that you say about my not being permanently blind?\"\n\n\"I am a prophet, and I have had a vision concerning you. In case you\nmake an offering of three hundred bags of rice to the Buddha of our\ntemple, you will be restored to sight, you will be given rank and\ndignity, while your daughter will become the first woman in all Korea.\"\n\n\"But I am poor, as well as blind,\" was the reply. \"How can I promise\nsuch a princely offering?\"\n\n\"You may give me your order for it, and pay it along as you are able,\"\nsaid the priest.\n\n\"Very well, give me pencil and paper,\" whereupon they retired to a\nhouse, and the blind man gave his order for the costly price of his\nsight. Returning home weary, bruised, and hungry, he smiled to himself,\nin spite of his ill condition, at the thought of his giving an order\nfor so much rice when he had not a grain of it to eat.\n\nHe obtained, finally, a little work in pounding rice in the stone\nmortars. It was hard labor for one who had lived as he had done; but\nit kept them from starving, and his daughter prepared his food for him\nas nicely as she knew how. One night, as the dinner was spread on the\nlittle, low table before him, sitting on the floor, the priest came and\ndemanded his pay; the old blind man lost his appetite for his dinner,\nand refused to eat. He had to explain to his daughter the compact\nhe had made with the priest, and, while she was filled with grief,\nand dismayed at the enormity of the price, she yet seemed to have\nsome hope that it might be accomplished and his sight restored.\n\nThat night, after her midnight bath, she lay down on a mat in the\nopen air, and gazed up to heaven, to which she prayed that her poor\nfather might be restored to health and sight. While thus engaged,\nshe fell asleep and dreamed that her mother came down from heaven to\ncomfort her, and told her not to worry, that a means would be found\nfor the payment of the rice, and that soon all would be happy again\nin the little family.\n\nThe next day she chanced to hear of the wants of a great merchant\nwho sailed in his large boats to China for trade, but was greatly\ndistressed by an evil spirit that lived in the water through which\nhe must pass. For some time, it was stated, he had not been able to\ntake his boats over this dangerous place, and his loss therefrom was\nvery great. At last it was reported that he was willing and anxious\nto appease the spirit by making the offering the wise men had deemed\nnecessary. Priests had told him that the sacrifice of a young maiden to\nthe spirit would quiet it and remove the trouble. He was, therefore,\nanxious to find the proper person, and had offered a great sum to\nobtain such an one.\n\nSim Chung (our heroine), hearing of this, decided that it must be\nthe fulfilment of her dream, and having determined to go and offer\nherself, she put on old clothes and fasted while journeying, that she\nmight look wan and haggard, like one in mourning. She had previously\nprepared food for her father, and explained to him that she wished\nto go and bow at her mother's grave, in return to her for having\nappeared to her in a dream.\n\nWhen the merchant saw the applicant, he was at once struck with her\nbeauty and dignity of carriage, in spite of her attempt to disguise\nherself. He said that it was not in his heart to kill people especially\nmaidens of such worth as she seemed to be. He advised her not to\napply; but she told her story and said she would give herself for\nthe three hundred bags of rice. \"Ah! now I see the true nobility\nof your character. I did not know that such filial piety existed\noutside the works of the ancients. I will send to my master and\nsecure the rice,\" said the man, who happened to be but an overseer\nfor a greater merchant.\n\nShe got the rice and took it to the priest in a long procession of\none hundred and fifty ponies, each laboring under two heavy bags;\nthe debt cancelled and her doom fixed, she felt the relaxation and\ngrief necessarily consequent upon such a condition. She could not\nexplain to her father, she mourned over the loneliness that would come\nto him after she was gone, and wondered how he would support himself\nafter she was removed and until his sight should be restored. She lay\ndown and prayed to heaven, saying: \"I am only fourteen years old,\nand have but four more hours to live. What will become of my poor\nfather? Oh! who will care for him? Kind heaven, protect him when I\nam gone.\" Wild with grief she went and sat on her father's knee, but\ncould not control her sobs and tears; whereupon he asked her what the\ntrouble could be. Having made up her mind that the time had come, and\nthat the deed was done and could not be remedied, she decided to tell\nhim, and tried to break it gently; but when the whole truth dawned\nupon the poor old man it nearly killed him. He clasped her close\nto his bosom, and crying: \"My child, my daughter, my only comfort,\nI will not let you go. What will eyes be to me if I can no longer\nlook upon your lovely face?\" They mingled their tears and sobs,\nand the neighbors, hearing the commotion in the usually quiet hut,\ncame to see what was the trouble. Upon ascertaining the reason of the\nold man's grief, they united in the general wailing. Sim Chung begged\nthem to come and care for the old man when she could look after him no\nmore, and they agreed to do so. While the wailing and heart breaking\nwas going on, a stranger rode up on a donkey and asked for the Sim\nfamily. He came just in time to see what the act was costing the poor\npeople. He comforted the girl by giving her a cheque for fifty bags\nof rice for the support of the father when his daughter should be no\nmore. She took it gratefully and gave it to the neighbors to keep in\ntrust; she then prepared herself, took a last farewell, and left her\nfainting father to go to her bed in the sea.\n\nIn due time the boat that bore Sim Chung, at the head of a procession\nof boats, arrived at the place where the evil spirit reigned. She\nwas dressed in bridal garments furnished by the merchant. On her\narrival at the place, the kind merchant tried once more to appease\nthe spirit by an offering of eatables, but it was useless, whereupon\nSim Chung prayed to heaven, bade them all good-by, and leaped into\nthe sea. Above, all was quiet, the waves subsided, the sea became\nlike a lake, and the boats passed on their way unmolested.\n\nWhen Sim Chung regained her consciousness she was seated in a little\nboat drawn by fishes, and pretty maidens were giving her to drink\nfrom a carved jade bottle. She asked them who they were, and where\nshe was going. They answered: \"We are servants of the King of the Sea,\nand we are taking you to his palace.\"\n\nSim Chung wondered if this was death, and thought it very pleasant if\nit were. They passed through forests of waving plants, and saw great\nlazy fish feeding about in the water, till at last they reached the\nconfines of the palace. Her amazement was then unbounded, for the\nmassive walls were composed of precious stones, such as she had only\nheretofore seen used as ornaments. Pearls were used to cover the heads\nof nails in the great doors through which they passed, and everywhere\nthere seemed a most costly and lavish display of the precious gems\nand metals, while the walks were made of polished black marble that\nshone in the water. The light, as it passed through the water, seemed\nto form most beautifully colored clouds, and the rainbow colors were\neverywhere disporting themselves.\n\nSoon a mighty noise was heard, and they moved aside, while the King\npassed by preceded by an army with gayly colored and beautifully\nembroidered satin banners, each bearer blowing on an enormous\nshell. The King was borne in a golden chair on the shoulders of\none hundred men, followed by one hundred musicians and as many\nmore beautiful \"dancing girls,\" with wonderful head-dresses and\nrich costumes.\n\nSim Chung objected to going before such an august king, but she\nwas assured of kind treatment, and, after being properly dressed by\nthe sea maids, in garments suitable for the palace of the Sea King,\nshe was borne in a chair on the shoulders of eunuchs to the King's\napartments. The King treated her with great respect, and all the\nmaidens and eunuchs bowed before her. She protested that she was not\nworthy of such attention. \"I am,\" she said, \"but the daughter of a\nbeggar, for whom I thought I was giving my life when rescued by these\nmaidens. I am in no way worthy of your respect.\"\n\nThe King smiled a little, and said: \"Ah! I know more of you than you\nknow of yourself. You must know that I am the Sea King, and that we\nknow full well the doings of the stars which shine in the heaven above,\nfor they continually visit us on light evenings. Well, you were once\na star. Many say a beautiful one, for you had many admirers. You\nfavored one star more than the others, and, in your attentions to\nhim, you abused your office as cup-bearer to the King of Heaven,\nand let your lover have free access to all of the choice wines of\nthe palace. In this way, before you were aware of it, the peculiar\nand choice brands that the King especially liked were consumed, and,\nupon examination, your fault became known. As punishment, the King\ndecided to banish you to earth, but fearing to send you both at once,\nlest you might be drawn together there, he sent your lover first, and\nafter keeping you in prison for a long time, you were sent as daughter\nto your former lover. He is the man you claim as father. Heaven has\nseen your filial piety, however, and repents. You will be hereafter\nmost highly favored, as a reward for your dutiful conduct.\" He then\nsent her to fine apartments prepared for her, where she was to rest\nand recuperate before going back to earth.\n\nAfter a due period of waiting and feasting on royal food, Sim Chung's\nbeauty was more than restored. She had developed into a complete woman,\nand her beauty was dazzling; her cheeks seemed colored by the beautiful\ntints of the waters through which she moved with ease and comfort,\nwhile her mind blossomed forth like a flower in the rare society of\nthe Sea King and his peculiarly gifted people.\n\nWhen the proper time arrived for her departure for the world she had\nleft, a large and beautiful flower was brought into her chamber. It\nwas so arranged that Sim Chung could conceal herself inside of it,\nwhile the delicious perfume and the juice of the plant were ample\nnourishment. When she had bidden good-by to her peculiar friends and\ntaken her place inside the flower, it was conveyed to the surface of\nthe sea, at the place where she had plunged in. She had not waited\nlong in this strange position before a boat bore in sight. It proved\nto be the vessel of her friend the merchant. As he drew near his old\nplace of danger he marvelled much at sight of such a beautiful plant,\ngrowing and blossoming in such a strange place, where once only evil\nwas to be expected. He was also well-nigh intoxicated by the powerful\nperfume exhaled from the plant. Steering close he managed to secure\nthe flower and place it safely in his boat, congratulating himself\non securing so valuable and curious a present for his King. For he\ndecided at once to present it at the palace if he could succeed in\ngetting it safely there.\n\nThe plan succeeded, the strange plant with its stranger tenant was\nduly presented to His Majesty, who was delighted with the gift, and\nspent his time gazing upon it to the exclusion of state business. He\nhad a glass house prepared for it in an inner court, and seemed never\nto tire of watching his new treasure.\n\nAt night, when all was quiet, Sim Chung was wont to come forth and\nrest herself by walking in the moonlight. But, on one occasion, the\nKing, being indisposed and restless, thought he would go to breathe\nthe rich perfume of the strange flower and rest himself. In this way\nhe chanced to see Sim Chung before she could conceal herself, and,\nof course, his surprise was unbounded. He accosted her, not without\nfear, demanding who she might be. She, being also afraid, took refuge\nin her flower, when, to the amazement of both, the flower vanished,\nleaving her standing alone where it had been but a moment before. The\nKing was about to flee, at this point, but she called to him not to\nfear, that she was but a human being, and no spirit as he doubtless\nsupposed. The King drew near, and was at once lost in admiration of her\nmatchless beauty, when a great noise was heard outside, and eunuchs\ncame, stating that all the generals with the heads of departments\nwere asking for an audience on very important business. His Majesty\nvery reluctantly went to see what it all meant. An officer versed\nin astronomy stated that they had, on the previous night, observed\na brilliant star descend from heaven and alight upon the palace,\nand that they believed it boded good to the royal family. Then the\nKing told of the flower, and the wonderful apparition he had seen\nin the divine maiden. It so happened that the queen was deceased,\nand it was soon decided that the King should take this remarkable\nmaiden for his wife. The marriage was announced, and preparations all\nmade. As the lady was without parents, supposably, the ceremony took\nplace at the royal wedding hall, and was an occasion of great state.\n\nNever was man more charmed by woman than in this case. The King would\nnot leave her by day or night, and the business of state was almost\ntotally neglected. At last Sim Chung chided her husband, telling him\nit was not manly for the King to spend all his time in the women's\nquarters; that if he cared so little for the rule as to neglect\nit altogether, others might find occasion to usurp his place. She\nenjoined upon him the necessity of giving the days to his business,\nand being content to spend the nights with her. He saw her wisdom,\nand remarked upon it, promising to abide by her advice.\n\nAfter some time spent in such luxury, Sim Chung became lonely and\nmourned for her poor father, but despaired of being able to see\nhim. She knew not if he were alive or dead, and the more she thought\nof it the more she mourned, till tears were in her heart continually,\nand not infrequently overflowed from her beautiful eyes. The King\nchanced to see her weeping, and was solicitous to know the cause of\nher sorrow, whereupon she answered that she was oppressed by a strange\ndream concerning a poor blind man, and was desirous of alleviating in\nsome way the sufferings of the many blind men in the country. Again\nthe King marvelled at her great heart, and offered to do any thing\ntowards carrying out her noble purpose. Together they agreed that\nthey would summon all the blind men of the country to a great feast,\nat which they should be properly clothed, amply fed, and treated each\nto a present of cash.\n\nThe edict was issued, and on the day appointed for the feast, the\nQueen secreted herself in a pavilion, from which she could look down\nand fully observe the strange assemblage. She watched the first day,\nbut saw no one who resembled her lost parent; again the second day\nshe held her earnest vigil, but in vain. She was about to give up\nher quest as useless and mourn over the loss of her father, when,\nas the feast was closing on the third day, a feeble old man in rags\ncame tottering up. The attendants, having served so many, were treating\nthis poor fellow with neglect, and were about to drive him away as too\nlate when the Queen ordered them whipped and the old man properly fed.\n\nHe seemed well-nigh starved, and grasped at the food set before him\nwith the eagerness of an animal. There seemed to be something about\nthis forlorn creature that arrested and engaged the attention of the\nQueen, and the attendants, noticing this, were careful to clothe him\nwith extra care. When sufficient time had elapsed for the satisfying\nof his hunger, he was ordered brought to the Queen's pavilion, where\nHer Majesty scrutinized him closely for a few moments, and then,\nto the surprise and dismay of all her attendants, she screamed:\n\"My father! my father!\" and fell at his feet senseless. Her maids\nhurried off to tell the King of the strange conduct of their mistress,\nand he came to see for himself. By rubbing her limbs and applying\nstrong-smelling medicines to her nostrils, the fainting Queen was\nrestored to consciousness, and allowed to tell her peculiar and\ninteresting story. The King had heard much of it previously. But\nthe poor old blind man could barely collect his senses sufficiently\nto grasp the situation. As the full truth began to dawn upon him,\nhe cried: \"Oh! my child, can the dead come back to us? I hear your\nvoice; I feel your form; but how can I know it is you, for I have no\neyes? Away with these sightless orbs!\" And he tore at his eyes with\nhis nails, when to his utter amazement and joy, the scales fell away,\nand he stood rejoicing in his sight once more.\n\nHis Majesty was overjoyed to have his lovely Queen restored to\nher wonted happy frame of mind. He made the old man an officer\nof high rank, appointed him a fine house, and had him married to\nthe accomplished daughter of an officer of suitable rank, thereby\nfulfilling the last of the prophecy of both the aged priest and the\nKing of the Sea.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHONG KIL TONG;\n\nOR, THE ADVENTURES OF AN ABUSED BOY.\n\n\nDuring the reign of the third king in Korea there lived a noble of high\nrank and noted family, by name Hong. His title was Ye Cho Pansa. He\nhad two sons by his wife and one by one of his concubines. The latter\nson was very remarkable from his birth to his death, and he it is\nwho forms the subject of this history.\n\nWhen Hong Pansa was the father of but two sons, he dreamed by night\non one occasion that he heard the noise of thunder, and looking up he\nsaw a huge dragon entering his apartment, which seemed too small to\ncontain the whole of his enormous body. The dream was so startling as\nto awaken the sleeper, who at once saw that it was a good omen, and a\ntoken to him of a blessing about to be conferred. He hoped the blessing\nmight prove to be another son, and went to impart the good news to\nhis wife. She would not see him, however, as she was offended by his\ntaking a concubine from the class of \"dancing girls.\" The great man\nwas sad, and went away. Within the year, however, a son of marvellous\nbeauty was born to one concubine, much to the annoyance of his wife\nand to himself, for he would have been glad to have the beautiful\nboy a full son, and eligible to office. The child was named Kil Tong,\nor Hong Kil Tong. He grew fast, and became more and more beautiful. He\nlearned rapidly, and surprised every one by his remarkable ability. As\nhe grew up he rebelled at being placed with the slaves, and at not\nbeing allowed to call his parent, father. The other children laughed\nand jeered at him, and made life very miserable. He refused longer to\nstudy of the duties of children to their parents. He upset his table in\nschool, and declared he was going to be a soldier. One bright moonlight\nnight Hong Pansa saw his son in the court-yard practising the arts of\nthe soldier, and he asked him what it meant. Kil Tong answered that\nhe was fitting himself to become a man that people should respect and\nfear. He said he knew that heaven had made all things for the use of\nmen, if they found themselves capable of using them, and that the laws\nof men were only made to assist a few that could not otherwise do as\nthey would; but that he was not inclined to submit to any such tyranny,\nbut would become a great man in spite of his evil surroundings. \"This\nis a most remarkable boy,\" mused Hong Pansa. \"What a pity that he is\nnot my proper and legitimate son, that he might be an honor to my\nname. As it is, I fear he will cause me serious trouble.\" He urged\nthe boy to go to bed and sleep, but Kil Tong said it was useless,\nthat if he went to bed he would think of his troubles till the tears\nwashed sleep away from his eyes, and caused him to get up.\n\nThe wife of Hong Pansa and his other concubine (the dancing girl),\nseeing how much their lord and master thought of Kil Tong, grew to hate\nthe latter intensely, and began to lay plans for ridding themselves\nof him. They called some mootang, or sorceresses, and explained to\nthem that their happiness was disturbed by this son of a rival, and\nthat peace could only be restored to their hearts by the death of\nthis youth. The witches laughed and said: \"Never mind. There is an\nold woman who lives by the east gate, tell her to come and prejudice\nthe father. She can do it, and he will then look after his son.\"\n\nThe old hag came as requested. Hong Pansa was then in the women's\napartments, telling them of the wonderful boy, much to their\nannoyance. A visitor was announced, and the old woman made a low\nbow outside. Hong Pansa asked her what her business was, and she\nstated that she had heard of his wonderful son, and came to see him,\nto foretell what his future was to be.\n\nKil Tong came as called, and on seeing him the hag bowed and said:\n\"Send out all of the people.\" She then stated: \"This will be a\nvery great man; if not a king, he will be greater than the king,\nand will avenge his early wrongs by killing all his family.\" At this\nthe father called to her to stop, and enjoined strict secrecy upon\nher. He sent Kil Tong at once to a strong room, and had him locked\nin for safe keeping.\n\nThe boy was very sad at this new state of affairs, but as his father\nlet him have books, he got down to hard study, and learned the Chinese\nworks on astronomy. He could not see his mother, and his unnatural\nfather was too afraid to come near him. He made up his mind, however,\nthat as soon as he could get out he would go to some far off country,\nwhere he was not known, and make his true power felt.\n\nMeanwhile, the unnatural father was kept in a state of continual\nexcitement by his wicked concubine, who was bent on the destruction\nof the son of her rival, and kept constantly before her master the\ngreat dangers that would come to him from being the parent of such a\nman as Kil Tong was destined to be, if allowed to live. She showed him\nthat such power as the boy was destined to possess, would eventually\nresult in his overthrowal, and with him his father's house would be\nin disgrace, and, doubtless, would be abolished. While if this did\nnot happen, the son was sure to kill his family, so that, in either\ncase, it was the father's clear duty to prevent any further trouble\nby putting the boy out of the way. Hong Pansa was finally persuaded\nthat his concubine was right, and sent for the assassins to come and\nkill his son. But a spirit filled the father with disease, and he\ntold the men to stay their work. Medicines failed to cure the disease,\nand the mootang women were called in by the concubine. They beat their\ndrums and danced about the room, conjuring the spirit to leave, but it\nwould not obey. At last they said, at the suggestion of the concubine,\nthat Kil Tong was the cause of the disorder, and that with his death\nthe spirit would cease troubling the father.\n\nAgain the assassins were sent for, and came with their swords,\naccompanied by the old hag from the east gate. While they were\nmeditating on the death of Kil Tong, he was musing on the unjust\nlaws of men who allowed sons to be born of concubines, but denied\nthem rights that were enjoyed by other men.\n\nWhile thus musing in the darkness of the night, he heard a crow\ncaw three times and fly away. \"This means something ill to me,\"\nthought he; and just then his window was thrown open, and in stepped\nthe assassins. They made at the boy, but he was not there. In their\nrage they wounded each other, and killed the old woman who was their\nguide. To their amazement the room had disappeared, and they were\nsurrounded by high mountains. A mighty storm arose, and rocks flew\nthrough the air. They could not escape, and, in their terror, were\nabout to give up, when music was heard, and a boy came riding by on\na donkey, playing a flute. He took away their weapons, and showed\nhimself to be Kil Tong. He promised not to kill them, as they begged\nfor their lives, but only on condition that they should never try to\nkill another man. He told them that he would know if the promise was\nbroken, and, in that event, he would instantly kill them.\n\nKil Tong went by night to see his father, who thought him a spirit,\nand was very much afraid. He gave his father medicine, which instantly\ncured him; and sending for his mother, bade her good-by, and started\nfor an unknown country.\n\nHis father was very glad that the boy had escaped, and lost his\naffection for his wicked concubine. But the latter, with her mistress,\nwas very angry, and tried in vain to devise some means to accomplish\ntheir evil purposes.\n\nKil Tong, free at last, journeyed to the south, and began to ascend\nthe lonely mountains. Tigers were abundant, but he feared them not,\nand they seemed to avoid molesting him. After many days, he found\nhimself high up on a barren peak enveloped by the clouds, and enjoyed\nthe remoteness of the place, and the absence of men and obnoxious\nlaws. He now felt himself a free man, and the equal of any, while\nhe knew that heaven was smiling upon him and giving him powers not\naccorded to other men.\n\nThrough the clouds at some distance he thought he espied a huge\nstone door in the bare wall of rock. Going up to it, he found it to\nbe indeed a movable door, and, opening it, he stepped inside, when,\nto his amazement, he found himself in an open plain, surrounded by\nhigh and inaccessible mountains. He saw before him over two hundred\ngood houses, and many men, who, when they had somewhat recovered\nfrom their own surprise, came rushing upon him, apparently with evil\nintent. Laying hold upon him they asked him who he was, and why he\ncame trespassing upon their ground. He said: \"I am surprised to find\nmyself in the presence of men. I am but the son of a concubine, and\nmen, with their laws, are obnoxious to me. Therefore, I thought to\nget away from man entirely, and, for that reason, I wandered alone\ninto these wild regions. But who are you, and why do you live in this\nlone spot? Perhaps we may have a kindred feeling.\"\n\n\"We are called thieves,\" was answered; \"but we only despoil the hated\nofficial class of some of their ill-gotten gains. We are willing to\nhelp the poor unbeknown, but no man can enter our stronghold and depart\nalive, unless he has become one of us. To do so, however, he must prove\nhimself to be strong in body and mind. If you can pass the examination\nand wish to join our party, well and good; otherwise you die.\"\n\nThis suited Kil Tong immensely, and he consented to the\nconditions. They gave him various trials of strength, but he chose his\nown. Going up to a huge rock on which several men were seated, he laid\nhold of it and hurled it to some distance, to the dismay of the men,\nwho fell from their seat, and to the surprised delight of all. He was\nat once installed a member, and a feast was ordered. The contract\nwas sealed by mingling blood from the lips of all the members with\nblood similarly supplied by Kil Tong. He was then given a prominent\nseat and served to wine and food.\n\nKil Tong soon became desirous of giving to his comrades some\nmanifestation of his courage. An opportunity presently offered. He\nheard the men bemoaning their inability to despoil a large and strong\nBuddhist temple not far distant. As was the rule, this temple in the\nmountains was well patronized by officials, who made it a place of\nretirement for pleasure and debauch, and in return the lazy, licentious\npriests were allowed to collect tribute from the poor people about,\ntill they had become rich and powerful. The several attempts made\nby the robber band had proved unsuccessful, by virtue of the number\nand vigilance of the priests, together with the strength of their\nenclosure. Kil Tong agreed to assist them to accomplish their design\nor perish in the attempt, and such was their faith in him that they\nreadily agreed to his plans.\n\nOn a given day Kil Tong, dressed in the red gown of a youth, just\nbetrothed, covered himself with the dust of travel, and mounted on a\ndonkey, with one robber disguised as a servant, made his way to the\ntemple. He asked on arrival to be shown to the head priest, to whom\nhe stated that he was the son of Hong Pansa, that his noble father\nhaving heard of the greatness of this temple, and the wisdom of its\nmany priests, had decided to send him with a letter, which he produced,\nto be educated among their numbers. He also stated that a train of one\nhundred ponies loaded with rice had been sent as a present from his\nfather to the priest, and he expected they would arrive before dark,\nas they did not wish to stop alone in the mountains, even though\nevery pony was attended by a groom, who was armed for defense. The\npriests were delighted, and having read the letter, they never for\na moment suspected that all was not right. A great feast was ordered\nin honor of their noble scholar, and all sat down before the tables,\nwhich were filled so high that one could hardly see his neighbor on the\nopposite side. They had scarcely seated themselves and indulged in the\ngenerous wine, when it was announced that the train of ponies laden\nwith rice had arrived. Servants were sent to look after the tribute,\nand the eating and drinking went on. Suddenly Kil Tong clapped his\nhand, over his cheek with a cry of pain, which drew the attention of\nall. When, to the great mortification of the priests, he produced from\nhis mouth a pebble, previously introduced on the sly, and exclaimed:\n\"Is it to feed on stones that my father sent me to this place? What\ndo you mean by setting such rice before a gentleman?\"\n\nThe priests were filled with mortification and dismay, and bowed\ntheir shaven heads to the floor in humiliation. When at a sign from\nKil Tong, a portion of the robbers, who had entered the court as\ngrooms to the ponies, seized the bending priests and bound them as\nthey were. The latter shouted for help, but the other robbers, who\nhad been concealed in the bags, which were supposed to contain rice,\nseized the servants, while others were loading the ponies with jewels,\nrice, cash and whatever of value they could lay hands upon.\n\nAn old priest who was attending to the fires, seeing the uproar,\nmade off quietly to the yamen near by and called for soldiers. The\nsoldiers were sent after some delay, and Kil Tong, disguised as\na priest, called to them to follow him down a by-path after the\nrobbers. While he conveyed the soldiers over this rough path,\nthe robbers made good their escape by the main road, and were soon\njoined in their stronghold by their youthful leader, who had left the\nsoldiers groping helplessly in the dark among the rocks and trees in\na direction opposite that taken by the robbers.\n\nThe priests soon found out that they had lost almost all their riches,\nand were at no loss in determining how the skilful affair had been\nplanned and carried out. Kil Tong's name was noised abroad, and it\nwas soon known that he was heading a band of robbers, who, through\nhis assistance, were able to do many marvellous things. The robber\nband were delighted at the success of his first undertaking, and made\nhim their chief, with the consent of all. After sufficient time had\nelapsed for the full enjoyment of their last and greatest success,\nKil Tong planned a new raid.\n\nThe Governor of a neighboring province was noted for his overbearing\nways and the heavy burdens that he laid upon his subjects. He was\nvery rich, but universally hated, and Kil Tong decided to avenge the\npeople and humiliate the Governor, knowing that his work would be\nappreciated by the people, as were indeed his acts at the temple. He\ninstructed his band to proceed singly to the Governor's city--the\nlocal capital--at the time of a fair, when their coming would not\ncause comment. At a given time a portion of them were to set fire\nto a lot of straw-thatched huts outside the city gates, while the\nothers repaired in a body to the Governor's yamen. They did so. The\nGovernor was borne in his chair to a place where he could witness the\nconflagration, which also drew away the most of the inhabitants. The\nrobbers bound the remaining servants, and while some were securing\nmoney, jewels, and weapons, Kil Tong wrote on the walls: \"The wicked\nGovernor that robs the people is relieved of his ill-gotten gains by\nKil Tong--the people's avenger.\"\n\nAgain the thieves made good their escape, and Kil Tong's name\nbecame known everywhere. The Governor offered a great reward for his\ncapture, but no one seemed desirous of encountering a robber of such\nboldness. At last the King offered a reward after consulting with his\nofficers. When one of them said he would capture the thief alone,\nthe King was astonished at his boldness and courage, and bade him\nbe off and make the attempt. The officer was called the Pochang;\nhe had charge of the prisons, and was a man of great courage.\n\nThe Pochang started on his search, disguised as a traveller. He took\na donkey and servant, and after travelling many days he put up at\na little inn, at the same time that another man on a donkey rode\nup. The latter was Kil Tong in disguise, and he soon entered into\nconversation with the man, whose mission was known to him.\n\n\"I goo,\" said Kil Tong, as he sat down to eat, \"this is a dangerous\ncountry. I have just been chased by the robber Kil Tong till the life\nis about gone out of me.\"\n\n\"Kil Tong, did you say?\" remarked Pochang. \"I wish he would chase\nme. I am anxious to see the man of whom we hear so much.\"\n\n\"Well, if you see him once you will be satisfied,\" replied Kil Tong.\n\n\"Why?\" asked the Pochang. \"Is he such a fearful-looking man as to\nfrighten one by his aspect alone?\"\n\n\"No; on the contrary he looks much as do ordinary mortals. But we\nknow he is different, you see.\"\n\n\"Exactly,\" said the Pochang. \"That is just the trouble. You are\nafraid of him before you see him. Just let me get a glimpse of him,\nand matters will be different, I think.\"\n\n\"Well,\" said Kil Tong, \"you can be easily pleased, if that is all,\nfor I dare say if you go back into the mountains here you will see him,\nand get acquainted with him too.\"\n\n\"That is good. Will you show me the place?\"\n\n\"Not I. I have seen enough of him to please me. I can tell you where\nto go, however, if you persist in your curiosity,\" said the robber.\n\n\"Agreed!\" exclaimed the officer. \"Let us be off at once lest he\nescapes. And if you succeed in showing him to me, I will reward you\nfor your work and protect you from the thief.\"\n\nAfter some objection by Kil Tong, who appeared to be reluctant to\ngo, and insisted on at least finishing his dinner, they started\noff, with their servants, into the mountains. Night overtook them,\nmuch to the apparent dismay of the guide, who pretended to be very\nanxious to give up the quest. At length, however, they came to the\nstone door, which was open. Having entered the robber's stronghold,\nthe door closed behind them, and the guide disappeared, leaving the\ndismayed officer surrounded by the thieves. His courage had now left\nhim, and he regretted his rashness. The robbers bound him securely\nand led him past their miniature city into an enclosure surrounded\nby houses which, by their bright colors, seemed to be the abode of\nroyalty. He was conveyed into a large audience-chamber occupying the\nmost extensive building of the collection, and there, on a sort of\nthrone, in royal style, sat his guide. The Pochang saw his mistake,\nand fell on his face, begging for mercy. Kil Tong upbraided him\nfor his impudence and arrogance and promised to let him off this\ntime. Wine was brought, and all partook of it. That given to the\nofficer was drugged, and he fell into a stupor soon after drinking\nit. While in this condition he was put into a bag and conveyed in a\nmarvellous manner to a high mountain overlooking the capital. Here\nhe found himself upon recovering from the effects of his potion;\nand not daring to face his sovereign with such a fabulous tale, he\ncast himself down from the high mountain, and was picked up dead, by\npassers-by, in the morning. Almost at the same time that His Majesty\nreceived word of the death of his officer, and was marvelling at the\naudacity of the murderer in bringing the body almost to the palace\ndoors, came simultaneous reports of great depredations in each of the\neight provinces. The trouble was in each case attributed to Kil Tong,\nand the fact that he was reported as being in eight far removed places\nat the same time caused great consternation.\n\nOfficial orders were issued to each of the eight governors to catch\nand bring to the city, at once, the robber Kil Tong. These orders were\nso well obeyed that upon a certain day soon after, a guard came from\neach province bringing Kil Tong, and there in a line stood eight men\nalike in every respect.\n\nThe King on inquiry found that Kil Tong was the son of Hong Pansa,\nand the father was ordered into the royal presence. He came with his\nlegitimate son, and bowed his head in shame to the ground. When asked\nwhat he meant by having a son who would cause such general misery\nand distress, he swooned away, and would have died had not one of the\nKil Tongs produced some medicine which cured him. The son, however,\nacted as spokesman, and informed the King that Kil Tong was but the\nson of his father's slave, that he was utterly incorrigible, and had\nfled from home when a mere boy. When asked to decide as to which was\nhis true son, the father stated that his son had a scar on the left\nthigh. Instantly each of the eight men pulled up the baggy trousers and\ndisplayed a scar. The guard was commanded to remove the men and kill\nall of them; but when they attempted to do so the life had disappeared,\nand the men were found to be only figures in straw and wax.\n\nSoon after this a letter was seen posted on the Palace gate, announcing\nthat if the government would confer upon Kil Tong the rank of Pansa,\nas held by his father, and thus remove from him the stigma attaching\nto him as the son of a slave, he would stop his depredations. This\nproposition could not be entertained at first, but one of the counsel\nsuggested that it might offer a solution of the vexed question, and\nthey could yet be spared the disgrace of having an officer with such\na record. For, as he proposed, men could be so stationed that when\nthe newly-appointed officer came to make his bow before His Majesty,\nthey could fall upon him and kill him before he arose. This plan\nwas greeted with applause, and a decree was issued conferring the\ndesired rank; proclamations to that effect being posted in public\nplaces, so that the news would reach Kil Tong. It did reach him,\nand he soon appeared at the city gate. A great crowd attended him\nas he rode to the Palace gates; but knowing the plans laid for him,\nas he passed through the gates and came near enough to be seen of the\nKing, he was caught up in a cloud and borne away amid strange music;\nwholly discomfiting his enemies.\n\nSome time after this occurrence the King was walking with a few eunuchs\nand attendants in the royal gardens. It was evening time, but the full\nmoon furnished ample light. The atmosphere was tempered just to suit;\nit was neither cold nor warm, while it lacked nothing of the bracing\ncharacter of a Korean autumn. The leaves were blood-red on the maples;\nthe heavy cloak of climbing vines that enshrouded the great wall near\nby was also beautifully colored. These effects could even be seen\nby the bright moonlight, and seated on a hill-side the royal party\nwere enjoying the tranquillity of the scene, when all were astonished\nby the sound of a flute played by some one up above them. Looking up\namong the tree-tops a man was seen descending toward them, seated upon\nthe back of a gracefully moving stork. The King imagined it must be\nsome heavenly being, and ordered the chief eunuch to make some proper\nsalutation. But before this could be done, a voice was heard saying:\n\"Fear not, O King. I am simply Hong Pansa [Kil Tong's new title]. I\nhave come to make my obeisance before your august presence and be\nconfirmed in my rank.\"\n\nThis he did, and no one attempted to molest him; seeing which, the\nKing, feeling that it was useless longer to attempt to destroy a man\nwho could read the unspoken thoughts of men, said:\n\n\"Why do you persist in troubling the country? I have removed from\nyou now the stigma attached to your birth. What more will you have?\"\n\n\"I wish,\" said Kil Tong, with due humility, \"to go to a distant land,\nand settle down to the pursuit of peace and happiness. If I may be\ngranted three thousand bags of rice I will gladly go and trouble you\nno longer.\"\n\n\"But how will you transport such an enormous quantity of rice?\" asked\nthe King.\n\n\"That can be arranged,\" said Kil Tong. \"If I may be but granted the\norder, I will remove the rice at daybreak.\"\n\nThe order was given. Kil Tong went away as he came, and in the early\nmorning a fleet of junks appeared off the royal granaries, took on\nthe rice, and made away before the people were well aware of their\npresence.\n\nKil Tong now sailed for an island off the west coast. He found one\nuninhabited, and with his few followers he stored his riches, and\nbrought many articles of value from his former hiding-places. His\npeople he taught to till the soil, and all went well on the little\nisland till the master made a trip to a neighboring island, which was\nfamous for its deadly mineral poison,--a thing much prized for tipping\nthe arrows with. Kil Tong wanted to get some of this poison, and made\na visit to the island. While passing through the settled districts he\ncasually noticed that many copies of a proclamation were posted up,\noffering a large reward to any one who would succeed in restoring\nto her father a young lady who had been stolen by a band of savage\npeople who lived in the mountains.\n\nKil Tong journeyed on all day, and at night he found himself high up\nin the wild mountain regions, where the poison was abundant. Gazing\nabout in making some preparations for passing the night in this place,\nhe saw a light, and following it, he came to a house built below him\non a ledge of rocks, and in an almost inaccessible position. He could\nsee the interior of a large hall, where were gathered many hairy,\nshaggy-looking men, eating, drinking, and smoking. One old fellow, who\nseemed to be chief, was tormenting a young lady by trying to tear away\nher veil and expose her to the gaze of the barbarians assembled. Kil\nTong could not stand this sight, and, taking a poisoned arrow,\nhe sent it direct for the heart of the villain, but the distance\nwas so great that he missed his mark sufficiently to only wound the\narm. All were amazed, and in the confusion the girl escaped, and Kil\nTong concealed himself for the night. He was seen next day by some\nof the savage band, who caught him, and demanded who he was and why\nhe was found in the mountains. He answered that he was a physician,\nand had come up there to collect a certain rare medicine only known\nto exist in those mountains.\n\nThe robbers seemed rejoiced, and explained that their chief had been\nwounded by an arrow from the clouds, and asked him if he could cure\nhim. Kil Tong was taken in and allowed to examine the chief, when he\nagreed to cure him within three days. Hastily mixing up some of the\nfresh poison, he put it into the wound, and the chief died almost at\nonce. Great was the uproar when the death became known. All rushed at\nthe doctor, and would have killed him, but Kil Tong, finding his own\npowers inadequate, summoned to his aid his old friends the spirits\n(quay sin), and swords flashed in the air, striking off heads at\nevery blow, and not ceasing till the whole band lay weltering in\ntheir own blood.\n\nBursting open a door, Kil Tong saw two women sitting with covered\nfaces, and supposing them to be of the same strange people, he was\nabout to dispatch them on the spot, when one of them threw aside her\nveil and implored for mercy. Then it was that Kil Tong recognized the\nmaiden whom he had rescued the previous evening. She was marvellously\nbeautiful, and already he was deeply smitten with her maidenly\ncharms. Her voice seemed like that of an angel of peace sent to quiet\nthe hearts of rough men. As she modestly begged for her life, she told\nthe story of her capture by the robbers, and how she had been dragged\naway to their den, and was only saved from insult by the interposition\nof some heavenly being, who had in pity smote the arm of her tormentor.\n\nGreat was Kil Tong's joy at being able to explain his own part in the\nmatter, and the maiden heart, already won by the manly beauty of her\nrescuer, now overflowed with gratitude and love. Remembering herself,\nhowever, she quickly veiled her face, but the mischief had been done;\neach had seen the other, and they could henceforth know no peace,\nexcept in each other's presence.\n\nThe proclamations had made but little impression upon Kil Tong,\nand it was not till the lady had told her story that he remembered\nreading them. He at once took steps to remove the beautiful girl\nand her companion in distress, and not knowing but that other of the\nsavages might return, he did not dare to make search for a chair and\nbearers, but mounting donkeys the little party set out for the home\nof the distressed parents, which they reached safely in due time. The\nfather's delight knew no bounds. He was a subject of Korea's King, yet\nhe possessed this island and ruled its people in his own right. And\ncalling his subjects, he explained to them publicly the wonderful\nworks of the stranger, to whom he betrothed his daughter, and to whom\nhe gave his official position.\n\nThe people indulged in all manner of gay festivities in honor of the\nreturn of the lost daughter of their chief; in respect to the bravery\nof Kil Tong; and to celebrate his advent as their ruler.\n\nIn due season the marriage ceremonies were celebrated, and the\nimpatient lovers were given to each other's embrace. Their lives\nwere full of happiness and prosperity. Other outlying islands were\nunited under Kil Tong's rule, and no desire or ambition remained\nungratified. Yet there came a time when the husband grew sad, and\ntears swelled the heart of the young wife as she tried in vain to\ncomfort him. He explained at last that he had a presentiment that his\nfather was either dead or dying, and that it was his duty to go and\nmourn at the grave. With anguish at the thought of parting, the wife\nurged him to go. Taking a junk laden with handsome marble slabs for\nthe grave and statuary to surround it, and followed by junks bearing\nthree thousand bags of rice, he set out for the capital. Arriving,\nhe cut off his hair, and repaired to his old home, where a servant\nadmitted him on the supposition that he was a priest. He found his\nfather was no more; but the body yet remained, because a suitable\nplace could not be found for the burial. Thinking him to be a priest,\nKil Tong was allowed to select the spot, and the burial took place\nwith due ceremony. Then it was that the son revealed himself, and\ntook his place with the mourners. The stone images and monuments\nwere erected upon the nicely sodded grounds. Kil Tong sent the rice\nhe had brought, to the government granaries in return for the King's\nloan to him, and regretted that mourning would prevent his paying his\nrespects to his King; he set out for his home with his true mother\nand his father's legal wife. The latter did not survive long after\nthe death of her husband, but the poor slave-mother of the bright\nboy was spared many years to enjoy the peace and quiet of her son's\nbright home, and to be ministered to by her dutiful, loving children\nand their numerous offspring.\n\n\n\n                                THE END.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNOTES\n\n\n[1] This law has recently been repealed, owing to the fact that bad\nmen often molested the women, who are usually possessed of costly\njewels. The husbands are now allowed on the streets as a protection,\nsince even the police were unable to suppress the outrages alone.\n\n[2] Cats are indeed rare in Korea, while dogs are as abundant as\nin Constantinople.\n\n[3] After reaching girlhood persons of respectability are not seen\non the streets in Korea.","title":"Korean Tales: Being a collection of stories translated from the Korean folk lore, together with introductory chapters descriptive of Korea","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":43565}