Later in the day our Witch was in another part of the city; while walking through an alley, she saw a Chinaman carrying a large basket full of clean clothes that he was returning to the owners. The Witch also noticed several half-grown boys and heard one of them remark:

"Say we take a shot at that heathen."

So with one accord they commenced pelting him with everything available. Their victim tried to defend himself to the best of his ability, but the half dozen boys pounced on him, and in the fracas the clothes were upset into the street.

It was hard to tell how far they would carry their vicious work, which they considered a capital joke, when some one appeared among them who was also at work. Very soon they all left off, not knowing why. The Witch stood near while he gathered up the clothes, which necessarily must be washed over again.

Then she tried to solve in her mind this Chinese problem:

These Mongolians are in a measure obnoxious, but as a rule are peaceable and industrious, which is more than can be said of many other people.

They have few opportunities for making a living in their own over-populous country, but perhaps when they have become more thoroughly Christianized, the race will be less prolific, which would be beneficial to their own nation and others.

For the more a man leans to divinity the less he cleaves to his animal nature; and what is true of the Chinese applies to other densely populated countries.

Her mind reverted to an incident which she witnessed in a cemetery. It was the Sabbath and she was walking about in there as she often did on this day, for what more forcible sermon can be delivered than a thinking mind can feel while moving about among the dead?

After a time she was conscious of a disturbance of some kind going on at one corner of the enclosure. A promiscuous crowd had gathered and ere long there came a Chinese funeral train and stopped at the open grave.

Then the crowd mocked them, and by this time it was evident that they had gathered there to have sport at the expense of the mourners.

The children were cutting up all manner of antics, and the parents stood by highly amused at the proceedings. It was almost impossible to conduct the burial rites on account of the confusion made by the mob.

To be sure it was a peculiar ceremony, but some respect ought to have been due the feelings of these sorrowing ones at such a time. These children were wholly undisciplined in the matter of right and wrong; their behavior was like so many young savages.

What were their parents teaching them? To selfishly enjoy the discomfort of others, and this was all, never trying to encourage the finer and better feelings in their natures.

Our Witch did not wait till the ceremony was over. Thoroughly disgusted with human nature, she left the cemetery.