three reflective heads.

It was while I was meditating on the second of these that an exclamation
caused me to turn, when I observed a prosperously-outlined person in
the act of picking up a scrip which had the appearance of being lavishly
distended with pieces of gold.

"If I had not seen you pass it, I should have opined that this hyer
wallet belonged to you," remarked the justice-loving stranger (for
the incident had irresistibly retarded my own footsteps), speaking
the language of this land, but with an accent of penetrating harmony
hitherto unknown to my ears. With these auspicious words he turned over
the object upon his hand doubtfully.

"So entrancing a possibility is, as you gracefully suggest, of
unavoidable denial," I replied. "Nevertheless, this person will not
hesitate to join his acclamation with yours; for, as the Book of Verses
wisely says, 'Even the blind, if truly polite, will extol the prospect
from your house-top.'"

"That's so," admitted the one by my side. "But I don't know that there
is any call for a special thanksgiving. As I happen to have more
money of my own than I can reasonably spend I shall drop this in at a
convenient police station. I dare say some poor critter is pining away
for it now."

Pleasantly impressed by the resolute benevolence of the one who had
a greater store of wealth than he could, by his own unaided efforts,
dispose of, I arranged myself unobtrusively at his side, and maintaining
an exhibition of my most polished and genial conversation, I sought to
penetrate deeply into his esteem.

"Gaze in this direction, Kong," he said at length, calling me by name
with auspicious familiarity; "I am a benighted stranger in this hyer
city, and so are you, I rek'n. Suppose we liquor up, and then take a few
of the side shows together."

"The suggestion is one against which I will erect no ill-disposed
barrier," I at once replied, so inflexibly determined not to lose sight
of a person possessing such engaging attributes as to be cheerfully
prepared even to consume my rice spirit in the inverted position which
his words implied if the display was persisted in. "Nevertheless,"
I added, with a resourceful prudence, "although by no means
undistinguished among the highest literary and competitive circles of
his native Yuen-ping, the one before you is incapable of walking in the
footsteps of a person whose accumulations are greater than he himself
can appreciably diminish."

"That's