. A'Chu and other stories. s the way sick childrenare treated in Christian homes. But little Pearls father and mother were not Chris-tians. Their hearts were filled with a dreadful super-stitious . fear, stronger than the parent-love for theirchild. They thought the child was sick, not becauseshe had eaten too much preserves and sweetmeats orroast pork or salt\ fish, but because an evil spirit wastormenting her body. Evil spirits would delight totorment to death a child loved by its parents and wantedin the home, but would not trouble themselves the leastabout an uncared-for, beggar child. So,
. A'Chu and other stories. s the way sick childrenare treated in Christian homes. But little Pearls father and mother were not Chris-tians. Their hearts were filled with a dreadful super-stitious . fear, stronger than the parent-love for theirchild. They thought the child was sick, not becauseshe had eaten too much preserves and sweetmeats orroast pork or salt\ fish, but because an evil spirit wastormenting her body. Evil spirits would delight totorment to death a child loved by its parents and wantedin the home, but would not trouble themselves the leastabout an uncared-for, beggar child. So, to deceive thespirits, her mother had taken off the good clothes anddressed her like a beggar. Where Was the Pearl? 301 So they set her in a corner. No one in all the housespeaks of the precious gem, as they called her whenshe was well. Everybody puts on a make-believe say, Where did this beggar come from? Whyis she here in this house? just as if they did not ownher at all, or even know who she was. If one should. A LITTLE BURDEN BEAKER wish to speak a word of pity, it must be done so slylythe spirits will not notice it. As her part in the game of deceiving the evil ones,little Pearl must sit in the corner bundled up to the chinin old clothes, with a cap on her hot forehead, whileher little body is burning with fever and her head swimswith the dizzying pain. The mother suffers, too, for all night long she hasnot slept one little wink. She has been going back and 302 AChu and Other Stories forth preparing dainties to feast the gods. She hasbowed for hours at a time on the cold tile floor beforethe idol, begging it to spare and protect her child. Shehas burned, for an offering to the spirits, red paper cutinto small pieces and covered with gilt to look likemoney. She has thrown out into the street handfulsof copper cash pieces, hoping the spirits will be at-tracted by the rattle of the money on the stones. Maybe,she thinks, they will be satisfied with the money, andtake
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