occurred in this district some time ago. A man by the name of King had a son who made his father and mother "lose fico" because of the wild, rakish life he led. gambled, loafed, smoked opium, ete., but all this' record, bad as it was, besides much unmentioned, they might have condoned in him had he not been light-fingered. And this is where the rub came: if he stole, hhis father would be taken to the yamen and the whole family would sutor for the son's villainy, and the vital question was how eoali the famly be protected? They exhorted, reproved, and rebuked their son, but to no purpose; and finally, they warned him he would come to an untimely end; but on the son went in his reckless course. At last they arrived at the conclusion that the only way to protect the father and mother was to take extreme men-sures with the son, which they did with a vengennee. The futher and uncle took him. out among the graves followed by a crowd of curious neighbours and friends, and putting a rope around his neck, each relation pulled on an end and the son was put beyond ruining the family in this. world, When one thinks how the Chinese will move heaven and earth to beget a son to worship at his father's grave, it means x great deal to a father to thus part with his And when one thinks further on this case of muner for self-protection one must conclude that such Chinese parental hearts are not hearts of flesh at all, but cold, bard, cruel, selfish hearts of stone. The son's mortal coil is shaken off, the family is short a son, there's a ripple of excitement among the neighbours and something extra to talk about for a day or two and there itends. All the natives approve of the deed as the most rational in the world and, of course, it is not reported to the official, probably because a precedent has been found
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.