Page:Chinese Merry Tales (1909).djvu/19

5] HEN a visitor calls, the host should of course prepare tea to entertain the guest. One day a visitor came. The host did not have any tea leaves. He told a young servant to borrow some from a neighbor. Having gone for half a day, he did not return. As the pot was boiling, water was added from time to time, until the pot was full of water. The tea was, after all, not ready. His wife called him aside and said: "The visitor is not likely to get any tea to-day; you had better ask him to stay and take a bath."

HERE was a district magistrate who was in terror of his wife. One day he was sitting at court, when he heard quarrelling in one of the writer's quarters; he told a servant to see what was the matter. The servant returned and said: "It is in the house of a writer in the barracks. A secretary and his wife are fighting." When the magistrate heard of this, he grit his teeth with rage, and said: "If it is, I- I- I-" Who knows but the magistrate's wife heard this. She came out, shouting very loud: "If it is you, what will you do?"

The magistrate laughingly said: "It is I," and immediately knelt down to his wife, saying: "If I were in his place, how dare I beat her."

HERE was a cat who was very clever at catching rats.

One day the cat chased a rat into a vase. The cat was reluctant to leave and stayed by the side of the vase, patiently waiting for the rat to come out. The rat was in terrible fear,