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The wonderful stone (2)
"In that case," said the old man, "it is back again;" and going
into the inner room, they found the stone in its old place. "The
jewels of this world," observed Hsing's visitor, "should be given
to those who know how to take care of them. This stone can
choose its own master, and I am very pleased that it should remain
with you. At the same time I must inform you that it was in too
great a hurry to come into the world of mortals, and has not yet
been freed from all contingent calamities. I had better take it away
with me, and three years hence you shall have it again. If,
however, you insist on keeping it, then your span of life will be
shortened by three years, that your terms of existence may harmonize together. Are you willing ?" Hsing said he was; whereupon
the old man with his fingers closed up three of the stone's grottoes,
which yielded to his touch like mud. When this was done, he
turned to Hsing and told him that the grottoes on that stone represented the years of his life; and then he took his leave, firmly refusing to remain any longer, and not disclosing his name.
More than a year after this, Hsing had occasion to go away on
business, and in the night a thief broke in and carried off the stone,
taking nothing else at all. When Hsing came home, he was dreadfully grieved, as if his whole object in life was gone; and made all
possible inquiries and efforts to get it back, but without the slightest result.
Some time passed away, when one day going into a temple, Hsing noticed a man selling stones, and amongst the rest he saw
his old friend. Of course he immediately wanted to regain possession of it; but as the stone-seller would not consent, he
shouldered the stone and went off to the nearest mandarin. The
stone-seller was then asked what proof he could give that the
stone was his; and he replied that the number of grottoes was
eighty-nine. Hsing inquired if that was all he had to say, and
when the other acknowledged that it was, he himself told the
magistrate what were the characters inscribed within, also calling
attention to the finger marks at the closed-up grottoes. He therefore gained his case, and the mandarin would have bambooed the
stone-seller, had he not declared that he bought it in the market
for twenty ounces of silver, -- whereupon he was dismissed.
A high official next offered Hsing one hundred ounces of silver
for it; but he refused to sell it even for ten thousand, which so
enraged the would-be purchaser that he worked up a case against
Hsing, and got him put in prison. Hsing was thereby compelled
to pawn a great deal of his property; and then the official sent
some one to try to purchase the stone. Hsing, on hearing of the
attempt, steadily refused to consent, saying that he and the stone
could not be parted even in death. His wife, however, and his
son, laid their heads together, and sent the stone to the high
official, and Hsing only heard of it when he arrived home from
the prison. He cursed his wife and beat his son, and frequently
tried to make away with himself, though luckily his servants
always managed to prevent him from succeeding.
At night he dreamt that a noble-looking personage appeared to
him, and said, "My name is Shih Ching-hsu -- (Stone from
Heaven). Do not grieve. I purposely quitted you for a year and
more; but next year on the 20th day of the eighth moon, at dawn,
come to the Hai-tai Gate and buy me back for two strings of
cash." Hsing was overjoyed at his dream, and carefully took
down the day mentioned. Meanwhile the stone was at the
official's private house; but as the cloud manifestations ceased,
the stone was less and less prized; and the following year when
the official was disgraced for maladministration and subsequently
died, Hsing met some of his servants at the Hai-tai Gate going off
to sell the stone, and purchased it back from them for two strings
of cash.
Hsing lived till he was eighty-nine; and then having prepared
the necessaries for his interment, bade his son bury the stone with
him, which was accordingly done. Six months later robbers
broke into the vault and made off with the stone, and his son
tried in vain to secure their capture. However, a few days after-wards, he was traveling with his servants, when suddenly two
men rushed forth dripping with perspiration, and looking up into
the air, acknowledged their crime saying, "Mr. Hsing, please
don't torment us thus ! We took the stone, and sold it for only
four ounces of silver." Hsing's son and his servants then seized
these men, and took them before the magistrate, where they at
once acknowledged their guilt. Asked what had become of the
stone, they said they had sold it to a member of the magistrate's
family; and when it was produced, that official took such a fancy
to it that he gave it to one of his servants and bade him place it in
the treasury. Thereupon the stone slipped out of the servant's
hand and broke into a hundred pieces, to the great astonishment
of all present. The magistrate now had the thieves bambooed and
sent them away; but Hsing's son picked up the broken pieces of
the stone, and buried them in his father's grave.
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