[By Henoert WALLACE Ray It was the thirtieth day of the Seventh Moon, and, quite' naturally, the alle all the evening had been about devils.
"This particular date in the Chinese calendar, when graves are popularly supposed to open and restless souls revisit the glimpses of the moon. is known as the Ghosts' Holiday since fon it the souls of" those who have Separted this life ore permitted for 1 brief spell to return to the scenes for their earthly activities," Consequently, if there is any little job fof "haunting" to be done, It is a very good time to do it.
'Over the "chopsticks, Ite Mrs. Hsu had told a hair-raising tale about a Ship Ching Kwai, that is to say 2 human being who' has. attained to devildom by sleeping 70 days. and nights under the coffin containing the body of one newly dead. Carrying out this feat confers invisibility upon its perpetrator and places him upon an Interniediate plane between Heaven and earth from which he can only escape by consummating the act vengeance for which he had been Willing to sacrifice his life. Once he has steeped his hands in the blood of his enemy, he is free to start on his Journey 10 the hereafter without further Tet_oF hindrance.
'There had been plenty of gore about Mrs. Hsu's harrowing narra tive, but it had apparently "only whetted her hearers" appetite for more, for when the dinner things: were' cleared away and they sat} Found the. sheet iron stove, young] Fan suggested that the lights be turned out so. that they could tell cal ghost stories.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.