THE EARTHEN TEA-POT.

When the Sung sovereigns, eight hundred years ago,
Ruled over China,—at the famed Ting chou
There lived a worthy merchant, named Li-'hao,
Together with a magistrate, named Pao.

Both men were popular and much admired;
One for his wealth-by industry acquired-
The other for his wisdom, skill, and tact,
And even justice of his every act.

One day the merchant a short journey made
Into the country, on affairs of trade.
Returning homewards with a purse well-lined,
And being in a happy frame of mind,

He blandly thought that he could do no less
Than take a glass to wet his late success.

He did so.

Had he but been content

With that one glass, and on his journey went,
Then all were well, he had got home all right,
And slept securely in his bed that night;
But that one glass sharpened his appetite.

He drank it up; but soon he craved for more,
Nor left, till he'd imbibed some half-a-score ;
He then proceeded on his homeward way—
Going but slowly too, for sooth to say,
At every inn he felt compelled to stop

And quench his thirst-with "just another drop ;"
Until at last, when nearly at Ting chou,

The drink on Li 'hao's frame began to show;
He staggered on a bit, when down he fell ;-
What happened him the next few lines will tell.

A potter, named Chou,

Had occasion to go

To his kiln, to attend to and make up his fires;
As he passed, the mere sight

Of Li 'hao's drunken plight

Stirred up in his breast avaricious desires.

For he saw, peeping out from the drunken man's waist, A purse. Still Li 'hao never stirred.

"There's no one in sight." Chou snatched it in haste,

And the purse to his own waist transferred.

But then came the thought, "The moment he wakes" (Here he trembled in every limb)

"He'll miss it. Suppose strict inquiry he makes,

And the crime should be traced home to him ?"

The thought of discovery filled him with dreadThe theft was with great danger fraught. "Shall I kill him? No tales can be told by the dead.” (Even now, he had killed him in thought.)

The theft had been done, murder came in its train;
He determined the poor wretch should die.
"But how?"

brain,—

In a moment it flashed through his

“I'll burn him, my kiln is close by."

The senseless Li'hao to the kiln he conveyed,
And the ill-fated man in the furnace next laid;
Then igniting the fuel, the door he closed-to,
And shut out the still living man from his view.

"God! what a fearful cry! My very heart
Stayed its pulsations for a time, and then
Appeared as if 'twere knocking 'gainst my breast
To quit so vile a place.

"Faugh! What a smell of roasting flesh!
The summer air seems laden with its
Sickening scent. The passing breeze,
To my distempered fancy, breathes
Only murder.

The very birds, on every tree and bough,

Seem but to twitter 'murder,' and 'Li hao.'

The fire blazed up fiercely, it crackled and seethed; Through the flues of the kiln a faint atmosphere wreathed,

Which slowly rose up in the evening sky,

And appeared like a film to the murderer's eye.

Soon nothing remained save a few calcined bones; These he pounded to ashes between two large stones; Then the ashes he mixed with some clay, which he got, And made of the mixture an earthen tea-pot.

When the earthen pot into the furnace was placed,
He felt certain the murder could never be traced;
"Who would dream that the corpse of the ill-fated man
Would ever be used as a pot or a pan?"

The pot was soon baked; he'd the money secure;
No one could suspect him, of that he felt sure :
So he hurried off homewards, nor once did he stop,
Till he'd placed the tea-pot on a shelf in his shop.

For poor folks to use,

Who cotton or silk cannot buy.

Those who like their shoes neat,

And set well to the feet,

Come here, and old Chang's straw shoes try!

"Here you are, neat and strong!
There's no telling how long
They'll last, if they're treated with care.
You had better make haste,

And not precious time waste

Buy my straw shoes, at one tiao a pair!"

While hawking his shoes, Chang drew near the door
Of his old friend the potter's small crockery store;
"Twas so long ago since he'd passed by the shop,
That he stared with surprise, then he came to a stop.
No wonder, indeed, that he stood still to view it-
The place was so changed that old Chang hardly knew it.

"Ho! ho!" murmured he, "Chou looks pretty thriving, No doubt he's a capital business driving.

Let me see, the last pair of shoes that he had

He has not paid for yet-this is really too bad!
As I'm passing the shop, here, I may as well get it;
If he hasn't the money-why, then, I'll outset it."