A Chinese Wonder Book. Norman Hinsdale Pitman

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       Norman Hinsdale Pitman

      A Chinese Wonder Book

      Published by Good Press, 2019

       [email protected]

      EAN 4057664158185

Table of Contents

       ILLUSTRATIONS

       THE GOLDEN BEETLE OR WHY THE DOG HATES THE CAT

       THE GREAT BELL

       THE STRANGE TALE OF DOCTOR DOG

       HOW FOOTBINDING STARTED

       THE TALKING FISH

       BAMBOO AND THE TURTLE

       THE MAD GOOSE AND THE TIGER FOREST

       THE NODDING TIGER

       THE PRINCESS KWAN-YIN

       THE TWO JUGGLERS

       THE PHANTOM VESSEL

       THE WOODEN TABLET

       THE GOLDEN NUGGET

       THE MAN WHO WOULD NOT SCOLD

       LU-SAN, DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN

ILLUSTRATIONS

       Table of Contents

Facing Page
"Snake's blood mixed with powdered deer-horn"	Frontispiece
"Here son!" she cried, "look at my treasure!"	8
Clinging to the animal's shaggy hair was Honeysuckle	50
Throwing herself at his feet she thanked him for his mercy	56
"Ah," sighed the turtle, "if only the good god, P'anku, were here"	102
Putting his bill close to her ear, he told Hu-Lin of his recent discovery	108
The tiger gravely nodded his head	130
All day she was busy carrying water	138
Higher and higher he climbed	154
They saw shining in the pathway directly in front of them a lump of gold	188
As she dressed herself she saw with surprise that her fingers were shapely	214

THE GOLDEN BEETLE

       OR

       WHY THE DOG HATES THE CAT

       Table of Contents

      hat we shall eat to-morrow, I haven't the slightest idea!" said Widow Wang to her eldest son, as he started out one morning in search of work.

      "Oh, the gods will provide. I'll find a few coppers somewhere," replied the boy, trying to speak cheerfully, although in his heart he also had not the slightest idea in which direction to turn.

      The winter had been a hard one: extreme cold, deep snow, and violent winds. The Wang house had suffered greatly. The roof had fallen in, weighed down by heavy snow. Then a hurricane had blown a wall over, and Ming-li, the son, up all night and exposed to a bitter cold wind, had caught pneumonia. Long days of illness followed, with the spending of extra money for medicine. All their scant savings had soon melted away, and at the shop where Ming-li had been employed his place was filled by another. When at last he arose from his sick-bed he was too weak for hard labour and there seemed to be no work in the neighbouring villages for him to do. Night after night he came home, trying not to be discouraged, but in his heart feeling the deep pangs of sorrow that come to the good son who sees his mother suffering for want of food and clothing.

      "Bless his good heart!" said the poor widow after he had gone. "No mother ever had a better boy. I hope he is right in saying the gods will provide. It has been getting so much worse these past few weeks that it seems now as if my stomach were as empty as a rich man's brain. Why, even the rats have deserted our cottage, and there's nothing left for poor Tabby, while old Blackfoot is nearly dead from starvation."

      When the old woman referred to the sorrows of her pets, her remarks were answered by a pitiful mewing and woebegone barking from the corner where the two unfed creatures were curled up together trying to keep warm.

      Just then there was a loud knocking at the gate. When the widow Wang called out, "Come in!" she was surprised to see an old bald-headed priest standing in the doorway. "Sorry, but