is a little tedious), both father and son fairly sat down to the mess, and never left off till they had dispatched all that remained of the litter.

Bo-bo was strictly enjoined not to let the secret escape, 5 for the neighbors would certainly have stoned them for a couple of abominable wretches, who could think of improving upon the good meat which God had sent them. Nevertheless, strange stories got about. It was observed that Ho-ti's cottage was burnt down now more frequently 10 than ever. Nothing but fires from this time forward. Some would break out in broad day, others in the nighttime. Ho-ti himself, which was the more remarkable, instead of chastising his son, seemed to grow more indulgent to him than ever. At length they were watched, 15 the terrible mystery discovered, and father and son summoned to take their trial at Pekin, then an inconsiderable assize town. Evidence was given, the obnoxious food itself produced in court, and verdict about to be pronounced, when the foreman of the jury begged that some 20 of the burnt pig, of which the culprits stood accused, might be handed into the box. He handled it, and they all handled it; and burning their fingers, as Bo-bo and his father had done before them, and nature prompting to each of them the same remedy, against the face of all the 25 facts, and the clearest charge which judge had ever given, to the surprise of the whole court, townsfolk, strangers, reporters, and all present without leaving the box, or any manner of consultation whatever, they brought in a simultaneous verdict of not guilty.

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The judge, who was a shrewd fellow, winked at the manifest iniquity of the decision; and when the court

was dismissed, went privily, and bought up all the pigs that could be had for love or money. In a few days his Lordship's town house was observed to be on fire. The thing took wing, and now there was nothing to be seen but fires in every direction. Fuel and pigs grew enor- 5 mously dear all over the district. The insurance offices one and all shut up shop. People built slighter and slighter every day, until it was feared that the very science of architecture would in no long time be lost to the world. Thus this custom of firing houses continued, till 10 in process of time, says my manuscript, a sage arose, like our Locke, who made a discovery, that the flesh of swine, or indeed of any other animal, might be cooked (burnt, as they called it) without the necessity of consuming a whole house to dress it. Then first began the rude form 15 of a gridiron. Roasting by the string, or spit, came in a century or two later, I forget in whose dynasty. By such slow degrees, concludes the manuscript, do the most useful, and seemingly the most obvious arts, make their way among mankind.

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Without placing too implicit faith in the account above given, it must be agreed, that if a worthy pretext for so dangerous an experiment as setting houses on fire (especially in these days) could be assigned in favor of any culinary object that pretext and excuse might be found 25 in ROAST PIG.

Says a Chinese manuscript: it is needless to say that this is an imaginary Chinese manuscript. Con fu'cius (she us): a Chinese philosopher and teacher 551-479 B.C. Mast: food such as nuts, acorns, etc. Youn'kers youngsters. Něth'ĕr: lower. Booby: clumsy. Crackling the rind of roasted pork.

The Parting of Hector and Andromache

FROM THE "ILIAD" OF HOMER-LANG, LEAF, AND MYER'S TRANSLATION

Homer, the greatest of Greek poets, is said to have flourished about one thousand years before the Christian era. The two epic poems attributed to him are the "Iliad," describing the siege of Ilium or Troy by the Greeks, and the "Odyssey," describing the adventures of Odysseus and other Trojan heroes after the downfall of Troy. This selection is from Lang, Leaf, and Myer's prose version of the "Iliad." It describes the parting of Hector, the bravest of the Trojan heroes, from his wife Andromache as he goes forth to battle.

Hector hastened from his house back by the same way down the well-builded streets. When he had passed through the great city and was come to the Skaian gates, whereby he was minded to issue upon the plain, then came 5 his dear-won wife, running to meet him, even Andromache, daughter of great-hearted Eëtion, Eëtion that dwelt beneath wooded Plakos, in Thebe under Plakos, and was king of the men of Kilikia; for his daughter was wife to bronze-harnessed Hector. So she met him 10 now, and with her went the handmaid bearing in her bosom the tender boy, the little child, Hector's loved son, like unto a beautiful star. Him Hector called Skamandrios, but all the folk Astyanax; for only Hector guarded Ilios. So now he smiled and gazed at his boy silently, 15 and Andromache stood by his side weeping, and clasped her hand in his and spake and called upon his name.

"Dear my lord, this thy hardihood will undo thee, neither hast thou any pity for thine infant boy, nor for me forlorn that soon shall be thy widow; for soon will

the Achaians all set upon thee and slay thee. But it were better for me to go down to the grave if I lose thee; for nevermore will any comfort be mine, when once thou, even thou, hast met thy fate, but only sorrow.

"Moreover, I have no father or lady mother: my 5 father was slain of goodly Achilles, for he wasted the populous city of the Kilikians, even high-gated Thebe, and slew Eëtion; yet he despoiled him not, for his soul had shame of that, but he burned him in his inlaid armor and raised a barrow over him; and all about were elm trees 10 planted by the mountain nymphs, daughters of ægis-bearing Zeus. And the seven brothers that were mine within our halls, all these on the selfsame day went within the house of Hades; for fleet-footed goodly Achilles slew them all amid their kine of trailing gait and white-fleeced 15 sheep. And my mother, that was queen beneath wooded Plakos, her brought he hither with the other spoils, but afterward took a ransom untold to set her free; but in her father's halls was she smitten by the Archer Artemis.

"Nay, Hector, thou art to me father and lady mother, 20 yea, and brother, even as thou art my goodly husband. Come now, have pity and abide here upon the tower, lest thou make thy child an orphan and thy wife a widow. And stay thy folk beside the fig tree, where best the city may be scaled and the wall is assailable. Thrice came 25

two Aiantes

thither the most valiant that are with the and famed Idomeneus and the sons of Atreus and Tydeus' valiant son, and essayed to enter; whether one skilled in soothsaying revealed it to them, or whether their own spirit urgeth and biddeth them on.' Then great Hector of the glancing helm answered her :

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