Wang the Ninth

white-faced men and women of western race who had been nicknamed by

into their clutches. No mad whisperings among illiterate Russian peasants leading to pogroms of the Jews could surpass these insiduous stories. Foreigners, it was said, when they wished powerful medicines, took the eyes o

d that it had been always easy in the past to raise a riot against them on the slightest provocation. Parents never failed to threaten children who plagued them with the declarati

e to escape, a friendly cake-seller had taken hold of him and covered his eyes tightly with his hands so that "the malign influence" should not be transmitted to him through his vision. That action had so fascinated him that h

e the amazin

he had wandered along the dusty highway into the country until he had come to a long irregular pond, full of stagnant water, with lilies growing in it, and frogs croaking their everlasting summer chorus. W

ing more than one by his surprising quickness. The diaphanous wings and the long shapely bodies provided him with new ideas: and with the aid of some strands of s

mothers from the far distance who waved to them and threatened them to secure obedience. And

reat silence made him glance up. As he understood what it was he gasped aloud in his horror. For there almost on top of him-not more than twenty feet away-was a huge foreign-devil, with

stricken that he could neither think nor act. They had caught him ou

riggle away until he was out of their immediate way. But they had seen him: that was enough! They were making

n sunlight-a blinding flash. He closed his eyes and covered his head completely with his arms to meet the shock crushing the wriggling dragon-flies by this action. When he opened them, he was surprised to find himself alone and alive.

piece, very bright and new, worth he did

e of m

excitement possessed him and he dashed madly home. To every one he met he shouted the miracle which had come to him, the silver coin. A foreign-devil had thrown it to him, with one sweep of the hand, like that! He gave an elaborate pantomime so th

after his arduous labours, at the forge. To him also in excited accents he told exactly what had happened-not once but many t

a story like that. The coin passed from hand to hand, was felt and appraised as it had never been appraised be

pe, watching silently all the by-play. The boy was finally handed a double-string of cas

e had not been defrauded. He went to sleep with the money clutched across his chest