This most interesting -.and romantic story was told by Mrs.
Fryer before the Union Church Ladies' Society,-on Wednesday; but it had been collected and worked up by Dr. Fryer about 60 years ago. 'The story goes that a wealthy official decided to retire, build himself a fine house, with beautiful grounds and there spend the remainder of his days with his lovely daughter, Hoong Zee. With the family' was young, Chung, the Mandarit's secretary, who had fallen in love with the daughter. The wrathful father finds that the couple are having stolen meetings, sends Chung away, dismisses the attendant, (who had assisted the lovers) and betrothes Hoong Zee a decayed old man. He had a room built off the banquet hall, with no outlet but through this ' hall, which was the habitual sitting room of the father, and there Hoong Zee was imprisoned. On the other side was a walled-in garden with a river running along one side, and here she walked and thought of Chung.
'The Lovers' Plot The Ta Ren comes to make an official call, bringing, as a present to his intended bride, a casket of Deautiful gems, and there and then the wedding day is fixed—when the willow droops and the peach blossom Dégins to come, Hoong Zee's sad riga little uplifted when she sees two birds building @ nest ina tree near by, as this, according to Chinese lore, brings' happiness to the inhabitants of the house. Another day her attention is drawn to something fluttering on the river, and as it comes nearer she finds it to be a boat made of a half cocoanut hell, with a little mast and a paper sail,' In it she finds some verses and note written by Chung. saying that he will "drown himself if he cannot come for her when the peach tree is in bloom, She answers that "when the peach tree is in bloom they will come and steal me," and sets the little boat adrift again, this time with a lighted incense stick as mast, so that she can watch it os it' glides away in the reThe wedding day arrives, and Chung tries to get into the wedding feast dressed as a beggar, Nothing has been spared to make the feast og grand as possible, and as a conequence the servants and many of, the guests are s0 overcome with wine, that Chung and Hoong Zee manage to steal away, get over the bridge, and find refuge in the house on the other side before they are missed, The dismissed maid was the wife of the gardener, and again helps them when the Ta Ren's soldiers come to search for the runaways,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.