THE YOUNG FOLKS.

Bush Advocate, Volume V, Issue 354, 16 August 1890, Page 7

THE YOUNG FOLKS.

THE CHINESE GIANT. By Rutii Dana Dhapeh. Once upon a time I was travelling in a strange country, and I stopned at an inn by tho roadside, andaskud lor a cup of tea. A crooked little hmHady, who had but one eye, brought some tea in a tiny cup, aud I drank it, Daid for ifc, and proceeded on my journey. It did not put mo to deep, nor make iuo dream, nor sec a vision, but it was a kind o( tea that made melcioyv all about it, and I am going to tell you what it made me know. Far away in Vac heart of tho Chinese empire, beyond the watcrsi of tho river Kish-kush, stretch the green tea- fields of Fan-tin. There' aro miles and miles oi toa-fiokta, aa far as the eye can reach, and in tbo middle likmds the city of Yaukoo. Of conrso iill Chinese cities rire surrounded by high walls to keep tlie people from getting out, and to prevent tho other people from getting in. For this rcuson, the careful and industrious townsfolk of Yankoo, had made the most beautiful high white wall. Every morning, when they had taken breakfast, the men assembled at the city gate, the keeper unlocked it, and a procession of Chinamen, with flopping sleeves, and waggling pigtails, and pattering, shoes, filed out to tho plantations; then the keeper locked the gate again to protect the women nnd children. At dinner-time the Chinese boys came out to- | gethor, with queer, short little shirts, and bare legs and feet, and shaved biads, and blue Canton ginger-jars, in which they carried dinner for their fathers, ■The keeper let them out, and fastened the [ looks after tham* They were old enough to do half a day's work, so they staged in the .fields till evening, and all came home together. The city council had made this plan in order to give the gateman time to polish the "bigj brass handles. If he were always locking m and ! locking out, ho would have no shine-tune, and the beautiful handles would have become dull,' so they decided that one unlocking would do for the whole company, and the boys must stay out till their fathers came in. The women never went outside $ they were busy making Hrd's-nast soup. Now,, the city of Yankoo was built on two hilla, and between them, stretching quite across from top' to top, was the giant's houße, His bed was maoe in the valley, so that he might have room enough to, lie down. He was a very lazy giant, and he lived in a ftno house. It- had a flat roof, bo that ho could sit on it and, eottly leaning his head against a tall chimney,'daugle his feet into the street below Ho was always thinking, but nobody could guess what he was thinking about. He was always (trying to remember something his grandfather had told him, but be bad forgotten it, Tho giant's name was Tori-Hie, and he was so big that he could taste the etorm-clouds and tell the people whether it was going to rain or snow or thunder, and in this way he was often very useful to them. Indeed, this' was the only work that Tori-Hie did, he was 'so •very lazy. . Tori-Hio was a pleasant fellow, and was never vexed when tbo Yankoons laughed at him and mode fun of bis lazy wave-. <* Come onfc, Tori-Hio," they eatd, v and help to cultivate the tea— Owen** and Souchong ana Boiren. Sitting there in the sun all day, you deserve nothing but gruel to drink.'' "I'll come some<lay,"he replied, "when I can remember something that 1 hare forgotten: meanwhile I shall continue to sit en the top of my roof and think." So there ho sat and thought, till one day, just of ter the food messengers had carried tho dinner jars to the fathers, and ihe gateman had fastened the locks and gone away, Tori-Hie looked out over the fields, and far away he saw — was it a cloud? -No, not a cloud? Was it mist? No, not mist? Was it dust? No, not dust. Was it a picnic? No, not a picnic It was a procession, a crowd advancing with flashing spears, an army of horsemen galloping toward the tea-fields. Then Tori-Hie stopped thinking, and remembered ! This was what he had heard from his grandfather; this was' why he had so long been watching from his house- top; and springing up, he waved hfs arms wildly in the air, ana criod: *' The Tartars are upon us ! Come in, men of Yankoo, and defend your homes ? " Yes, the Tartars were comiag— the fierco, warlike tribe. They had heard of the prosperity of <he Yankoons and Torl-Hie's wealth, and they had summoned their mightiest army and their own big giant, Croam of Tartar^ and here they were, coming to capture the 'riches, and spoil the tea-fields, and break up tho city of Yankoo. Presently the fathers and the food messengerboys heard the tramp of horses, and saw the gleam of swords and spears. When they looked towards the city they could see Torl-Hvo'e arms waving in the air ; thon they knew that Borne danger was near, and, lickety-splifc, pell-mell, they rushed for home. But when they came to the pate, oh dear! it Was locked! They called and knocked and whistled, but nobody came to open it. They could hear the women inside screaming for the gate-keapor, Torl-Hio'shout-ing for him to hurry up, but it was of no use ; he had either fallen asleep, or wa9 playing chess, and did not come. And all the time the army was advancing ivitb banners and tomtoms and gqueekaboos, aud tho Tartar giant rode in front on an elephant's bade The frightened Yankoons huddled trembling before the gate that would not open. Then suddenly a wonderful tiling happened 5 ToriHie, the lazy giant, stepped «ver iho wall and stood among mem. *' My Friends and fell&WrCifcteeiKi, we can't open the gate," he eald, "]>ut ceiueintomy arraa, and I will lift you ovor. 41 But you are too lazy," they eaid. "You have never done anything bufc think ; you can carry nothing but ideas ; you will drop us." "No," ho replied. " I have finished thinking; now I shall begin to work. Now I remember that the Tartars have always been coming, —and here they are. I will littyeu carefully ; thon I must prepare for battle. Come." He gathered tlie fathers and the foed-mes-senger-boys by dozens in his big hands, and put them over the fence. When the Tartars came up and halted before the gate 3, not a Yankoon was visible, and even the giant himself had disappeared, for a time, to change his dress. <l One, — two, — three!" said their drum-major, and the army in chorus cried : ' ' Open— the—^gates ! ' ' The Tartar chief stood forth and blow a salute on the French horn. ".Open the gates, Yankoons. Yield your city. Tho Tartars would rather conquer you politely without bloodshed. If you hedit:ite, we shah fight to the end." ' Three times the heralds proclaimed this, and received no answer. Then tbo general directed his engineers to fetch the bang-whans and roll them into position to break open the gatee. Just then Tori-Hie popped up, liko a jack-in* the-box, all clothed in arraoui 1 . " You littlo Tartars, ro away, or I will break your funny little orackly bones, 1 ' be said laughmg. . • " One, — twe,— three !" said tho druui-major, aud all the army shouted at once : '" Open tho gates, Tori-Hie. Come out and fight, our hero, Cream of Tartar !" "Do you mean that cunning littlo chap on the white elephant ? I don't like to hurt Jura," said Tori-Hio. " Ono, — two, — three !" said the drum-major. i l You — are— afraid," roared tho army. Then Tori -Hie began to get angry. Ho stopped right iover the wail and stood in frout of Cream of Tartar. His eyes flashed furiously, and ho uhopk his head so that his golden htlznct rattled, and the louff braid of hair that he .always wore wa<njed back aud forth with such force that tbo end of it knocked down ten Tartar horsemen at every wag. " Come, Tui'tflr giant,' come ton to combat. I am roady to destroy. you !" Ho wound the pigtail three times around hia neck to keorv it from tripping him, raised his sword asid shield high aloft, and with a ahout of war rushed forward. Tho white elephant was a well-trained circus animal, who quickly dodged tho Dow that tho great Yunkoon directed toward his rider, so that its force was spent upon the earth, and the sword'u point stuck deep into the pvouud, Torl-HIo tugged it out, and dealt another smashing blow, but again tho clever worclophant dodged aside and saved his rider. " Ono. — two, — three !" said the drum-major, and the Tartar army burst into a loud laugh of scorn. Within tho city tho Yankoons hoard this, and were frightened, for they could eeo nothing, and so imagined the very worst. Then a littlo boy said : " Why not take nil the fire-ladders and mount up on the wall P ' This was simple enough, and soon the citizens were gathered where they could see the whole nrrsiy. Tho women woro not permitted to climb up, but tho men rory kindly told them tho news from timo to tiino, aa thoy stood in tho street below to hear it. Now Tori-Hio made up his mind that for a foot-soldier to light an elcphant-soldlor was a poor plan, so, with great pr.jsonce of mind, he unwound hia long braid of hair, and with it dealt a whacking blow to thn great animal. The war elephant bellowed and pranced and finally ran away, tiirowing Cream of Tartar over bis head, 1 Tho Httte <Jream of Tartar picked himself 1 up, and tried to lock a» mighty as ho.

could. In truth, lie was much more iniposiirg when raouptdd than when standing on tho ground, for his legs were short; but-ho had a valiant heart, a long eworiand a hopeful spirit? and if he could not reach TorlHfe's head, he could perhap ,cut off his feet, which would do quite as well. Slashing his sword from aide to sida, heran forward towards the f oe, bnt the giant Chinaman perceived his purpose, and skipped overthe blade aa it passed, na a little girl jumps a rope. "No, Tartar. I am not a child to be played with ; do your best, or die,'* he cried. Then the two clashed together with their swords, bo that both blades broke with the equal force of the shock. Thus the terrible warriors wore without weapons; only their Bhielda remained. Twice they brandished these on high and met together with a sound that made the wall shake, and twice they sprang back, panting. At the third encounter the shields shivered into atoms,* and the giants etood face to face, unprotected, but uncouquorcdv Then Cream of Tauter gazed fiercely at the other, as they paused for breath, ana to the surprise of all the Yaqkoons and all the Tartar army, he rolled up his shirt«sleeVeß with tremendous strength, and. ehoU ted, "Come on, thou great big mark,, let ua fey what power ie in thy fi ate. Defend thyself like & gentleman 1 " Thus defied, Tori-Hie prepared himself, and stood -waiting the attack, i Five blows he parried, making no return | the Tartar could n»t hit hfan oiMje. Butonly after these five blows did Torl-Hfe let out the full power of his arm ; then, with tha moat terrible blo\sr that was ever i dealt, Be, knocked the Tartar giant to £ne ground and placed his foot upon his breast. M Yields y«Q -are my gnsOneV eald Tbrt«H(en "I yields" groaned Cream of Tartar \ "but tho army will avenge dv fiaptnre." /' Oh,no,'t&eywip. cot,' replied TbrMlte ** lam going to take y<pa homo with me, and then the war will be ©ver,'" With these !W«rda he fpatfeered «p fete Qon. ntjeredfoe from the ground, and, holding him tight, stepped hack acrofiai Via city wall, amid the cheers of the pojralac?. The Tartar army was in a terrible state of panic when they beheld their champion cap* tured and sepdtatea; from them by that £reat fence. In vain the General tried to rally bis troops. The hpWemen only dashed wildly about, arid finally, in one way or another, [they had all turned about, and were swiftly riding towards, their own' land, whence they, never came back to trouble the peaceful tea-men and the food-messenger-boys. The Yankoons welcomed their hero with music and fire-works and five-o'clock-tea; and they held a mass-meeting on the Yankoon Common todecide what should be done with the prisoner of war. He now lay on the ground bound hand and foot, in front of Ttfri-Hie's house* Then the noble, victorious giant sat down on his roof, and said: "My friends 1 Cream of Tartar naa been conconquered an 4 badly' frightened, but I do not wish to hurt him, and X would like to let him j live hero peacefully with us* if you have no objection. He can have a room in my house, and j he can black my boots every day aa I Bit on the roof. He can also polish the great handles of the gates. His legs are so short that it will be rapoadble for him to get over the vt alL* ' They all agreed to this with- pleasure-; the ropes were untied, and the Tartar giant lived quietly with the Yankoons for ever after. But his name they changed to Cream Soda, Ab for the great and good Tori-Hie, he wss busy enough for the rest of Ills days, for the gates were never opened again 1 The official goteman was never found, and the keys had gone with him ; but it made no difference, for, morn and noon and night, Tori-Hie was ready to lift the workers back and forth from the teafields.—St. Nicholas