Within the last-week or two your correspondent has heard two stories, the "aftermath" of the tufei's ravages. Being true, they may interest some of your Shanghai readers.
In a wealthy home just outside the city, but inside the much walls, two bays were playing in their father's guest room with their grandfather. It was only about nine o'clock, when someone knocked at their door. A mam, giving himself out as from the yamen, made a request for something that necessitated the old gentleman retiring to the inner courts to get it. Ju his absence, he seized the boys, hurried them out at the gates and with an accomplice in waiting soon had them beyond reach of assistance.
This was in the second Chinese month. Usually in a case like this a message is sent demanding ransom money, bue none: was ever asked, and nothing was heard of the hoys, till the eighth month. It appears that they were carried off by a small band of robbers and as at that time the latter were being hunted by the soldiers, they sold the two boys for the sum of $200 to a larger band who did not dare make any overtures to the family till the autumn, The two hoys were taken first to Shanghai, then to Tientsin finally for the sum of $3,500 were returned to their parents in August. They were well, and had not suffered in any a The other is a sadder story. The hoy, who was in our Mission High School, went home one night in July because his sister had returned from Nanking. He was in bed, when, about nine o'clock, six men entered and, before his family and young wife carried him off. They took him by a back road and dropped him over the mud wall quite a considerable height. Another hoy was taken the same night, and, after running them with their hare feet through the stubble fields,—the kidnappers rested at the end of the third day. Those left in charge fell asleep and the boys managed between them to cut the cords that bound their feet and hands. The boy whom am writing about was a splendid runner, and knowing this they tied him in such a cramped position that his legs were injured and he could not run. The one escaped and the other was left to suffer. Finally, arrangements were made to pay down $2,000 and have him returned: the money was paid but no boy forthcoming! He was an only son, and has deft a young wife, with her first baby hoy, born in the autumn.
Last week a message was sent to the home, that by pay-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.