d said one day. "You
must worship his spirit, for he was a good man, far better than your
dad. If I had obeyed him in all things, I, his only son, should not now
be living in this miserable hut."

"But didn't he live here, too?" asked K'ang-p'u in surprise.

"Oh, no, we lived in a big house over yonder in another village; in a
big house with a high stone wall."

The little fellow had gasped with surprise at hearing this, for there
was not such a thing as a stone wall in his village, and he felt that
his grandfather must have been a rich man. He had not asked any more
questions, but from that day on he had been rather afraid of the carved
wooden box in which his grandfather's spirit was supposed to live.

So, on this day when his father left him alone, the boy stood looking at
the tablet, wondering how a big man's spirit could squeeze into such a
small space. He put out his finger cautiously and touched the bottom of
the box, then drew back, half-frightened at his own daring. No bad
results followed. It seemed just like any other piece of wood. Somewhat
puzzled, he walked out of the house into the little garden. His father
had told him to re-set some young cabbages. This was work which
K'ang-p'u had done many times before. First, he gathered a basket of
chicken feathers, for his father had told him that a few feathers placed
at the roots of the young plant would do more to make it strong and
healthy than anything else that could be used.

All day K'ang-p'u worked steadily in the garden. He was just beginning
to feel tired, when he heard a woman screaming in the distance. He
dropped his basket and rushed to the gate. Down the road at the far
side of the village he saw a crowd of women and children running hither
and thither, and--yes! there were the soldiers--the dreaded foreign
soldiers! They were burning the houses; they were stealing whatever they
could find.

Now, most boys would have been frightened--would have taken to their
heels without thought of consequences. K'ang-p'u, however, though
like other lads afraid of soldiers, was too brave to run without first
doing his duty. He decided to stand his ground until he was sure the
foreigners were coming his way. Perhaps they would grow tired of their
cruel sport and leave the little house unharmed. He watched with
wide-open eyes the work of pillage. Alas! these men did not seem to
tire of their amusement. One after another the houses were entered and
robbed. Wome