may sometimes have serious results. An illustration of this is seen in the case of Mfr. isi, the late magistrate of this district. In the spring his successor arrived and accordingly turned over the seals of office. But there was a certain amount of salt also to be turned over, about which the two men could come to no agreement. Meantime Mr. Hau had been appointed an overseer on the Yellow. River, he having a "pull" with the Governor, While waiting to finish up the salt business, the Yellow River rose and broke its banks, so that when he reached his new government he found it "running. wild." Worse than that the Governor was there, and enquiring for him. So,. without waiting for even a chair, Mr. Hsi ran over to seo the irate Li Ping-hong and explain matters. But the answer to the latter's first question did not help things, for the Governor enquired how he had got there, and Mr. Hsii, suping the, Governor wanted to know how had come from his inn, answered that he came.on foot, whereat the Governor wanted to. know how. he -had. come from this city; hence he flew into a rage, and ordering Mr, Hsi to stand aside, proceeded to deal with other culprits. The first one called chanced to be one who had been negligently palpable, ad his Excellency, feeling the need of extreme me: sures, commended that he be executed without delay.
Mr. Hsii standing by heard the order and began to tremble for his head. The more he saw and heard in the Governor's presence who the more he feared for his life, so that when the Governor got around to talk with him, he was in such a state of fear as to be unable say anything. The next day, it was even worse, for having the whole night to thiok the matter over, when he was cs!led up in, believing he would be dealt with in the same manner as the unfortunate official who had been so summarily despatched the day before, he fell down in a fit, and has been very sick ever since, All due, as can be easily seen, to a slight misunderstanding, since the Governor regarded Mr. Hsii very highly and vas really anxious to promote him, if he could find a decent pretext for doing so.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.