Coolie; Gods Appeased By E. C. Vnus The appended concludes the series of short stories, published by the "North-China. Daily News," which were submitted as a result of the recent competition conducted by the Short Story Club of Shanghai Yung Ho, rickshaw puller, let out en awful yell and ran, ran as though all the devils of hell were after him.
Almost could he hear the swish of evil spirits over his head, ready to pounce upon him.
He did not see the surprised look on the face of the puzzled foreigner who still stood with his hand outstretched watching the terrified Chinese smash his way through the crowd near the Bubbling Well bus-stop. But Yung was thinking about that foreign devil, tall and forbidding-looking. He wore 'a pair of dark sunglasses, Yung had noticed, for protection against the summer sun, He had evidently been looking for a rickshaw; why then had he threatened the puller with that horrible sign? Bad joss! Terrible! What could be done to avert the bad luck that was sure to follow?
Forgetting all about his rickshaw back there in the rank on Bubbling Well Road, Yung almost instinctively galloped into the temple near the corner. Gibbering madly he bought some candles and implored the dusty God of the Streets for protection. More coppers followed for joss sticks. He attempted to shake out only one, but his palsied hands spilled six. Yung nearly died of fright when he found that three of the numbers were favourable and the other three presaged bad luck. He gulped down his terror and shook the box again.
Two sticks this time and again they were equally divided as to good and bad fortune.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.