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kg4^:t^^tt4g4g4g>«><H>»f«-Haf^>>^C^^ KAI WANG; A TALE OF SOUTHERN CHINA. CHwVlTEa VI. That remarkable man, Kai WanfZ, who cumiinyly devised the wonderfully UKly images before whicli Iwlf of Hie Cbinese swiinuiiig millions diiily pros- Iratrd Ihciiisolves, had long since mas- tered the ICnglish tongueâ€" indeed, save lor an orx.isionQl lapse into the Ilowei-y style of hus people, he used belter grain- ruar than many whose lives had been KiK-nt withiit the confines ol old Lon- don. In fact, thr Oriental pagan had been around the world, conncclcd wilh Itic English and American e^lba.s^il•s, and discovered a thousand facts connected wiUi his country's backward position in the r»ce of nations. Perhaps he hud also learned Ihat i)Oor old China would never amount to a row of pins until her people begun to recognize the truth, and tliinU less of their gods and their dead ancestors, oc- cupying their minds more with the pre- sent and future conditions. Some i)coplt! may even bo so unchari- table us to (lui'stion the genuine nature of Kal Wuiijr's desire to lead liis people in t>ettci' ways, bu't it nms-l be remem- bered Uiat the Mongolian race does al- most everything from the opposite standpoint taken by Christian naticins. and, seen through fUiinese spccmclcs, Kai Wang's procedure was the most rational in the world; he believed Ihat by malting his idols more and more hideous he could by degrees smolhcr the desire for worship. Lurry had argued in vainâ€" Larry, who, recognizing the perver.sc nature of John Chinaman, believed the C>;lestials adored ugliness even as other nations worshiped beauty, and that t)y the time the genius of his friend produced a masterpiece of hideous deformity, before which all trtiier monsters must hide their dim.in- ishcd heads in shame, the Chinese em- pire would ri-se up as a man and plunge deeper into their idolatry because of it. And Larry hud long simMJ concluded that a native of the Klowcry Kingdom was about as lough a specimen ol Uw genus homo, when it came to argu- ment, as could be found. lie now turned the search-light of his Intellect upon the elucidation of the new problem, nnd in his most dlpluinatic manner be.soiight Kai Wang to n;lievo the sii.spen.se, by which he was well-nigli ovei-w helmed. Thu-s adjured, the master mechanic of the idol inanufaciory brol:e the niysler- tous silence that had brooded over him since I.arry'.s homecoming, and pro- ceeded to pour out a Inle that miglu have mnde a Munchausen blush for envy. Lurry knew how to sift the sand for shining purlicles of precious gold, even as might an experienced Baller-et miner, and by thus reducing to plain Knglibh the magnincciit court language which Xhe accomplislied Kai Wang dispensed by [tv: yard, the result migh"! be sum- med up briclly its follows : Kai Wang hud a visitor during his al)sence. 'I'liis in llsolf wns not so strange, for there was .seldom an hour of the diiy that the front odice of the gnd-maker was not occupied by some represcnla- tive of a Chinese trading company dt^ sirous of tu>l(ling a monopoly of a cer- tain brand of brass or china deiiy in fiivorite use among the communities of tlieir section â€" indeed, many a time since LniTy's st!crel uilvenl under Ihat ho.sv>i- table roof a clash had occurred l)etween rival claimants, and oni;e it had even been necessary to call in the imperial police to quell the disturliani'e, wlii<'.h threatened to wreck the stock in tnide of Kai Wang, nnd have the olfenders haled before the yanicn, or court of justice. Fancy this thing in the presence of such an ft.s,semb'.age of gods as the most famous joss house in all China could not boarfl; evidently thei-e are times when reverence is due ihe graven inmge, and others when the great joss only represents so much money in- vesteil in more or le.ss precious metal. This visitor who dropp>?d in upon Kai Wang was no ordinary individual; he came not to spend his hoarded taels for a monstrosity Ihat wn.s warranted In scare all lesser devils from out his domicile, tf properly propitialed. When Kul Wang first memioned the fact that hi.s caller was n Russian, Lurry's oars herame more than ever alert, and his nostrils dilated much after the manner of the thoroughbred war-horse as it scents the well remem- hereJ ndor of battle smoke. Jiftl then, after his recent experience in the Forbidden City of Peking, a Hussian actejl upon Larry as the sight of a head is said to influence the valiant Irislmien who visit Donnybrook l-'air ; he had an overpowering desire to hit hard. Inslinctivcly 4« knew who this Hiis- Kian was, and thought he could sus- pect the motive of his visit. Thank foi4ime he lurnexi up Just an hour too laic, since the valuable docu- ments, signed and scaled by th» wretchnd' Emperor in due fu.shlon, were being wivigly deposited in the sufe of lh^ British consul's olllco at thai Idcn- IL'«1 Unc. .So much fur the sleuthhounds of Po- king. It had token Slieni a.s long la truck Larry to the hou.io of Kui Wang In Canlon lis .\vis consumed in her jour- ney from l.omlon through the .Suez Canal, u round India and the .Straits of MalHccii, up the China .Sea. In this re- spect they bear some resemblance to some of our own wonderful detectives who con;,u!iie so much lime in pursuing an ignis faluus, and quibbling over minor poin'Ls tiiut tonccrn only their slunding in tlie cii.i-\ tliat the criminal reaches the ul'.;'iniOol parls of the earth ere they disrovor that he is o budly- wanted individual. The iliplomalic representative from Jhfi land of the Neva knew what manner of reputation Kai Wang had among his fellows us a shrewd, up-lod.ite man (.f the times, and instead of brusquely do nianding whellier it was true Ihat The other sheltered a vv'oundcd foreign devitr he beat around Ihe bush, ap- proaching the .subject half a dozen !limes much as a lightweight tioxer might dance up to his antagonist and then drop back again vviilioul ai' exchange of blows; because the coveted oppor- tunity was hardly ripe. Ily degree-s the llussiun became confi- dential, and sought to sound Kai Wang as 'Jhough desirous of a.se.ertaining just where his sympathies lay in the diplo- matic battle" Hint was on between ihe parly of tlie Dowager Kinpre-ss and that represented by Li Hung Chung and the puppet Linperor. Hut Kai Wang refn.«!ed the bail, know- ing full well where Count Pe'ro-skeys sympathies lay, since Ihe Lmpress favored the Hiisslans, while Ihe pro- gressive parly, led by the grand old viceroy, lately home from his triumphal loi.r of Ihe world, was dead set upon cuttivating more intiinutu relations with the Anglo-.Saxon race. Bunied after a long period of fencing, the rcpiesentalivo of the Czar finally found hiiiLself compelled to grow bolder. lie hedgi>d himself in with rare cun- ning, so that there was alway.'? an avenue of escape, and then he launched forth. Kai Wang actually showed signs of emotion when repealing Ihe wonderful story of how the presenj Kinperor, having outlived his usefulness in the eyes of the potent power behind the throne, might some day in the near future be .secretly deposed or disposed ofâ€" it maltered very litlle whichâ€" and a new Plmiiinh he placed upon the ihrone who would not know Jo.seph- otheroise Kai Wang. A wise man usually gels n out of the wet, and It liohooved the rich maker of premium gods to foreswear his allegiance to Iho fortunes of Li Hung Chang, now on the downwani grade, and form a new ullianco willi those in the confidence of Ihat remaiUablo wo- man whose word was really law in the vast provinces of the ei.ipire. .Startling as thi.s announcement might .seem, it was. as wise Kai Wang well knew, but Ihe for.-rimner of the supreme demand up to which the astuie nu.s.sian led by graduated stages. When he believed the proper limb had arrlv(Hl to spring his mine, he did so with a considerable display of fire- works. lie infonned the merchant that sus- picion hud been arou.sed concerning his loyaltyâ€" that 11 wus even said he hud been in league with ihosc who were arrayed against their real sovereign, the Empress, and concerned in an attempt that had been made s( niu time in the last moon lo smuggle the prisoner Em- peror away, so that he could head an insurrection against the ftuthorities. Kai Wang's experience us an aide to the great Engli.sh fighter, Ceneral Chinese Gordon, during lt\e famous Tui-Ping rebellion, had mnde him an uulhority in such weighty matters. Finally, it was also suspected that he had been harboring one of the liase con- spirators, a dangerous foreign fanatic, who would set all China by the ears if allowed his own sweet will, and whom the authorities desired to suppress, smother, cause to disappear. , Then came the dcnutnd â€" would Kal Wang prove his loyally lo the Queen Dowager by delivering up the body of this pernicious mi.schief maker, to- gether with what seditious documents he might perchance have upon his per- son, so that the seeds of rebellion might not be scattered broadcast and bring about serious disasters? About this lime It may be a.ssumed thexe was a smile that was childlike and bland upon the disgui.sed features of the little we^irer of the yellow jacket. Laj-ry could appreciate a joke, and he fell greatly flullcred at the discovery Ihat he was an object of so much solici- tude to this high and mighty represen- tative of the Cireat Bear. The recollec- tion of the precious papers thai reposed .so snugly within the con.s\dale .safe gave him still more solid satisfaction ; they might do wilh him as they pleased, physically; but his work could not be disturbed; he felt very much as did Bismarck when his enemies at home [legnn to disturb him, even to liostile' hut I am content If the rope will only bind united Geruiuny closer to the Prussian throne," he boldly declared, to the admiration of a patriot-loving people. Kai Wang refu.sed to commit him.sclf -the yawning trap was loo evident, nnd he wus ready lo meet the emer- gency; indeed, long ago he had dis- counttd this very climax. He solemnly declared his enemies had prevaricated; some rival house desired to injure his great and ever-growing trade in the favorite forty-live cash family gods which, thanks to him, had been placed at such <i low figure that it was now possible for each nnd every lioiisehold to have one or a dozen of these beauties in every room. His actions were ever open and above- board to all men â€" he had of late been honored by the presence under his roof of a powerful, though slightly eccen- tric inuiKlarin from one of the provinces about Kwangsi, who was more deeply concerned with regard to the purchase of a cargo of hou.sehold gods which he could retail at a prolit to the villages in hi.s jurisdiction, than in any change of dynasty; indeed, it was quite imtnaler- iul in his section who reigned, since one ruler cost them in tithes and taxes just us much as another, and they had never been fully recognized since the "long- haired" rebels overran the southern country. The Itussian being unable to accom- plish his purpose cither by cajolery or threat, finally retreated in disgust, but Kai Wang never for a moment sus- pected that in so doing he gave up the quest. Kus.sians jirc not built that wayâ€" they seeni to pos.scss some of Ihe poi'sistent (|ualilics thai mark the pursuit day and night of the gaunt, gray wolf of the Si- berian steppes, once upon the trail of game. Tlie leader of Cos.sacks was sure lo be heard from again, nor would he leave the habitation of Kui Wang unwatched. "Vou have returned â€" the news is communicated speedily lo His Excel- lency. Perhaps this night there will come lo my humble abode a swann of miserable vermin who live by the knife; but what need have 1 to fear when my watch dog never sleepsâ€" the electric current which charges every window nnd door so that no man dares seek an entrance twice. But as for you, my illustrious brolhcr, perhaps it is even lime you sought the protection your Hag will throw about you." Which was a gentl*^ way of intimating that Kai Wang doubled his ability to hold out longer a;;ainst the combined forces of the opposition, and would be relieved If Larry were able to lake his future Into his own hands. "Yes," declared the sapient and shrewd litlle mandurin, "1 shall have to skip by the light of the moon; but re- member, oh wise and sagacious Kai Wang, I go, not becuu.>-e this Hussian blunderer inspires nie with such a thing as feur, since 1 have only contf;nipl for his lack of sense; but my promi.se is given to stand by Dr. Jack's widow, and even, if necessary, to aid and abet her in the mad design of enl<ring where angels fear lo tread the inner siinctuary of the walled city of Peking -so that she may weep over the spot where tho.se devils of Black Flags wound up Ihe earthly career of the iioble.sl Homnn of Ih'jm all, prince of gocd fellows and bravest of the brave." Larry was improvingâ€" a little more study of Orii'ntal methods and he could give odds to the mo.st seductive llat- l.-rer wlio.se lips had ever come In con- tact with the Ularney stone. Whatever the purveyor to the wor- shiping demands of a civdulous public thought of tills bold avowal, he made no sign, nor did Lurry doubt that when Ihe lime for action came, bold Kal Wang, Cordon's old aide, would be found as willing to dare all in the j-er- vice of Dr. Jack's wkJow as he had been lo accomplLsh great things for that hero himself. LaiTy had not sUidied him these weeks for naught. Though disdaining lo show any husle in the mutter of de- camping, the litlle dude was quite ready to make a change in his Chinese nddre-ss. He had heard siudi aina/.ing stories of these adroit Ci-le.slial thieves and Ihugs, who rould steal a sheet from under n man without arousing Ihe .sleeper, that he !>â-  lieved he would rest easier it surrounded by people of his own race. The disguise was removed, nnd Larry was as happy as a schoolboy at being again frw to" stir his thoughts by sun- dry affectionate forays in Ihe directiim of "his cars; nobody would ever suspect what agonies he had suffered at being deprived of this privilege, and also Iho chance to suck the head of his cane. lie had made a small package of hi.^ belongings, and was reudy to accept Kai Wang's guidance, for the merchant had sult'innly proini.sed lo spirit him nwiiy witlioi'it the knowledge of those sides who mijiht I'C alioul, when the silence of the night wus suddenly broken by a chorus of shrill cries in front of iho repository of idols, and the clamor was of such a nature that it was easy lo be- lieve an angry mob had laken posses- sion of the narrow street. I HEALTH * PNEIJMO.NIA. Though modern medical science has decided Ihat pneumonia is an infectious disease that fact need not terrify if one take a little trouble to learn some- t;:ing about the disease. It is produced iy a special microbe the existence of which is so common in the moulh of even healthy individuals that il is con- sidered almost as a normal inhabitant of the upper part of the digestive tract. Cne reason why the saliva of a human being is likely to prove fatal to animals if injected subcutaneously is because the special properly of the germ is lo produce pus whenever it gains entrance directly under the tissues. It does not produce a purulent inflammation in pneumonia, tiecause it lies on the mucous membrane -of the lungs, but docs rot gain an entrance into the tissues. Srrnetimes it finds its way into the blood I'Ul does not produce serious results unless the patient is much run down. From the.se facts it can be seen that the problem of the method by which pneumonia is contracted is exceedingly diflicull. The presence of the germ *s not sufficient alone to produce the dis- eu.se. but there must be a certain pre- disnosilion on the part of Ihe patient, followed by Ihe denosition of this germ en a mucous membrane. Though the method of the dislribution of the disease is not known definitely K is acquired by mingling with crowds at a time when one is extremely tired, or when, for some reason or other, Ihe in- terval since taldng food has been longer than usual. Dr. Anders, who Is an authority on climalolopy, says in an article on lo- t.ar pneumonia:â€" "The coincidence of ex- isting low temperatures, high baromet- ric pressure, the direction and velocity of the wind and maxunum mortality fiom pneumonia is so uniformly con- sliinl as to suggest a clo.se and direct relation belweea their combined influ- mce and the progress of mortality from pnoimionia. "But," he adds, "the ma- jor Influence exerted by the seasons, hcwevcr, i.s probnbly not direct, thai i«, by a lowering of the bodily temperature resistance due to Ihe low temperature, high barometric pressure, direction and velocity of Ihe wind, etc., but indirect, namely, by bringing about that effec- tive element In the cau.sation, concen- tration and increased virulence of the specific poison in consequence of closed U( ors and windows and lank of free ventilation." From these facts we see that we may rto<:ure immunity from pneumonia by healthy living, and that sanitary condi- tions are needed rather than protecUve serums. The Japanese give us a lesson iii this, for they are e.=iscnlially a pco- r l(! who I've in frash air and sunshine. Pei-sonal cleanliness is another factor =n the prevention of lulierculosls and pneu- monia, which are house diseases. CKNTIAN AS A CURE FOB MALARIA. 'iho root of gentian, often u.scd as a U iilo, is considered in many malarial countries a remedy against intermiUeiit fever. Especially is this the ca.se in C. rsi 'a in that .section of the island near the town of Aleria, which is infested with malaria. The inhahilants recently Miite-itcd violently against the inlroduc- lioii of quinine on Ih • part of the medi- cal authorities, declariig that they would not abandon the remedy wiiliii had been u.-!ed ain^mg the islanders for centuries, namely, Ihe gentian root either powder- e(! or simply masticated. Tancret de- clared that he has exti-acled from this root a hitherto unlaiown sut*tance^ which belongs to the chemical classilica- lion of glucoses. This he calls gtanuom- ci'ina, and cxperimente in the laboraioi^ prove that it possesses the same delet- erious action upon the malaria bacillus PS does quinine. Here, then, we have another example of how popular instinct often anticipates with certain sureness the discoveries of science. AIR AND SKIN. If people would only realize that air is the chief food of the skin, tliey would understand how very important a^ con- slant supply of it is to heallh,'and, therefore, to the looks. Small wonder Ihat when we go a railway journey we are semi-asphyxiated owing to the manner in which our fellow-travellers insist on shutting both windows. If people would only accustom their lungs to receive constant instalments of fresh air, there would not be a half nor a tenth part of the susceptibiUly lo cliill and catarrh that now exists. APENDICITIS. Now-a-dnys there is a tendency to op- erate on every case of appendicitis. AU we can say is that is is as great a mis- lake lo rush hastily for a surgeon in such cases as it is to put off sending for Ihe physician when the patient is ill. Hundreds of ca.ses recover with opera- tion, and some few only gel better after an operation has been performed. In the simpler cases medical treatment alone is required, but this must be car- ried out wilh extreme care and watch- fulness. HOW PRIESTS LIVE IN SIBERfA. The best paid clergy in Siberia get about .SGtX) a year, while the poorer clergy have often to beg for their bread. They have much to do. Th,ere is always a service between four and five in iha morning. There are two other services in the day. There must be a service on the birth of a child and at the death of anyone in the parish. All new build- ings, .schoolhouses, bridges, and boats must be blessed; children beginning at a school term are blf.ssed, and in tirae of pestilence or peril there must be con- tinuous prayer. All priests must fa.st 32G days in the year, and mona&tio priests are never to eat meat. A pri^t cannot indulge in theatre-going, drink- ing, card-playing, or dancing. CARE OF YOUR UMBRELLA. Umbrellas should always be set to dry open, with handle on floor. If allowed to dry shut up Uie moisture stands so long at the top it roU the silk and rusts Uio wires. Do not keep an um- brella in its case or rolled when in the house, as Ihe silk, thus tightly creased, .soon cuts into holes. In rolling up an umbrella for its case grasp the ends of the frame rods tightly with one hand near the handle, and roll from the oppo- site end wilh the other hand; unless the frame is thus h.eld in place, it is twisted and loosened in the rolling process. POLICE COURT AT A TAVERN. The only place in the country where the police court business is conducted at a public hou.se is at Blofield, Nor- folk, England. TtiLs has been going on for 100 years, and the brewers have made no charge to the authorities for the use of the room. A new court house is now ready for occupation, and Iha magistrates are leaving their old quar- ters wilh a feeling of regret. Housekeeper : "Do you love chil- dren'?" Applicant: "It all depends oa the wages, ma'am I" â- i uk:. :^- A (To be continued). 4 WIFE ATE DOr.'S MEAT. remnrkulile charge was mnde nt'ainsl a hiishiind Ihe niher day at Ihe Murlebone, (London), Police Court. Flis wife was ginnled a separation order. Mrs. Bryant, wife of a drnughlsman, living at Rimehutli rond, Lcytonslone, said her husband had kept her so short of moncv that on one occasion she actu- ally lind to eat dogs' food. On several occosions she declared he had conceal- ed himself in Iho dark and then jumped put upon her lo frighten her, besides which he had tried to strangle her, had l.;(ke,l her, nnd smacked her, and had Ihieuts. "They may hang Bismarck, set a dog upon her. THIAI^l OK A vol NU llO.Slfy.S. "Mary, brine '^''- Preachit some more jelly." "Shiirc, mum, on' I .npilt Ihe whole lot on the pantry lloor, mtax, and yet lui.-> eat all I could scrape up, oiiua."