A short time ego, at Hovam, the island opposite Canton, across the river, there was o big commotion in s temple, and much discussion, not unmixed with a little swearing, the origin of which was a+ follows. "Recently a young married couple, of whom the husband had opened a sunali i, named Chuki, were of the as his property, and charged the man with legal abduction. The interested parties, ith a large number of the grave fathers of the district, thereupon proceeded to the temple, in order to seek enlightenment and administer law. Then the young woman told her story which was somewhat remarkable in China. ' This man is my uncle. He, however, has no claim whatever have no brothers and my father died
nut brought me up respectably, aad arrangytd yourly.. My ae poor that 1 should be married ¢6 Obuki, who has handed over eight dollars as a guarantee of the genuineness of the engagement But the marriage had not been complet-Jed when my mother ton died suddenly. My uncle then seized me with a view to sell me x3 slave. But as I vas promised in marriage, and as the bargain money had been paid, I domerred, and secretly fled to Canton, and engaged myself as a worker in a factory. I then secretly sent: a letter to Chuki, and' requested him to come to Canton with all speed, and take me way with him to be his wife. Fortunately he received the letter and came mediately. We were married and can here and opened this little shop. Thix is my story." The artless way in which the narrative was told bore on the face of it the impress of truth, and thi fathers rounded on the uncle with 6 and vociferous invective, and, driving him from the precincts of the temple, they dared him to eater the district again. So the husband revnined hia young wife, ingly -followed her lord to me, which, in the future, esting as shawm wont to settle their own disputes, wherever possible, without having recourse to the money-grabbing officials, and the recognise' channels of justice, supposed to be adminis'ored at their hands.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.