Page:Chinese Merry Tales (1909).djvu/32

Chinese Merry Tales have calculated wrong; although our daughter is one year old, the next year she will be at the same age as his son. Why not give her away?"

HERE was a man punished with the cangue. When a friend met him, he asked: "What is your crime and why have you come to such a state?" The other replied: "It happened that I was walking in the street and saw a piece of rope on the ground; I thought it was useless, and picked it up and went on my way with it; this was the cause of all the trouble." His friend said: "If for only picking up a piece of grass rope, why should you receive such severe punishment." The man with the cangue replied: "You do not know all; that piece of rope had something attached to it." The other asked: "What was that something?" He answered: "There was a very small farm ox."

HERE was a man who was very fond of the cup. One day he went to a friend's house to dinner. The wine cups on the table appeared to him too small. He purposely pretended to be in grief. When his friend saw him, he was much frightened and asked what was the matter with him. He replied: "The present cause is in seeing an article in the room, it brings back sorry remembrances. To think of my father on the day he died; he had no sickness, but he was invited to dine at a friend's house; the cups used at that dinner were exactly the same as these used here to-day. My late father swallowed the wine and the cup also went down his throat, which caused his death. Today I see in your house the same cups; why should I not cry."