'A few mornings later we learnt that the chief priest in the temple of the city god had been attacked a few miles from home and left for dead. It developed later that he was carried to the Mission Hospital a dozen miles away, where he still les, maimed for life but ill recover, and thereby hangs a tale, The overseer of a village sold $100 worth of grain and being afraid to send the money to th Jondlord in the city, (it being scazon of unrest), hid the same in the village strong room from which it disappeared. Tt was universally agreed that some one of the Villagers was the thief, but no clue could be found to establish his identity. The landlord demanded his money and after great wrangling the overseer made good the amount and the 70 or 80 families in the village made up the remainder, but every one was eft with a bad taste in his mouth, The wrangling in the village went al from bad-to worse until. it was finally decided to submit the whole matter to the' city god of the town where I happened to be staying. So the villagers en masse came to the temple and after a fee of $100 had been made up for the priest, the latter proceeded as follows:
'The circumstances of the theft, and the names of all the villagers were carefully written down and solemnly burned before the city! god; and his direst curses were called' down upon the guilty man, that all his family might speedily die, - limite The: real thief was of course prevent and a party to the oath and jourses, but hoped to get by with his secret. But to his utter dismay in less than a week one of his sons died; to him a terrible evidence of the city god's vengeance. So. to avoid further calamities he slipped away to the City Temple and asked the priest if there were any way of getting his name off the list that bad been. burned.
Being a shrewd man the: priest guessed instantly that this was the guilty man and agreed forthe sum of $70 to burn another paper which would get the thief's name safely back, which was accordingly done. The thief paid $10 cash and promised the remainder soon, but [delayed payment. The priest, eager for his share, than went to. the vilager's house and demanded payment with a threat to reveal the whole matter. Angered by the priest's "action the thief and. an accomplice followed him as he left fad attacked him with heavy leavers. But luck was against them. The priest's ery. brought help and they could not finish the job.
Rarely does an event amuse and interested the public more, and faith in the city god is greatly enhanced. For has not the thief been revealed? Has not the rascally priest received his just due? Ching Ming followed a few [cays after and the city god had the time of his life!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.