e those fellows across the street. They're
evidently old friends and each one is shaking hands with himself."

"You can't dope out anything here," said Jim. "When an American's puzzled
he scratches his head--the Chinaman scratches his foot. We wear black for
mourning, they wear white. We pay the doctor when we're sick----"

"If the doctor's lucky," interrupted Joe.

"They pay him only while they're well. They figure that it's to his
interest then to keep them well. We think what few brains we have are in
our head. The Chinaman thinks they're in the stomach. Whenever he gets off
what he thinks is a good thing he pats his stomach in approval. We put a
guest of honor on our right, the Chinaman puts him on his left."

"Anything else?" asked Clara laughingly.

"Lots of things," replied Joe. "And we'll probably find them out before we
go away."

As they passed a corner they saw a man standing there, rigged out in a
queer fashion. About him was what seemed to be a tree box, from which only
his head protruded.

"Why is he going around that way?" asked Mabel, curiously.

"You wouldn't care to know that," said Joe, hurrying her along, but Mabel
was not to be disposed of in so cavalier a fashion.

"But I do want to know," she persisted.

"Might as well tell her," said Jim, "and let her suffer."

"Well," said Joe, reluctantly, "that fellow's being executed."

"What do you mean?" exclaimed Mabel, in horror.

"Just that," replied Joe. "That thing that looked like a tree box is what
they call a cangue. They put him in there so that he's standing on thin
slabs of wood that just enable him to keep his head above that narrow
opening around his neck. Every little while they take one of the slabs of
wood from underneath him; then he has to stand on tiptoe. By and by his
feet can't touch the slabs at all, and then he chokes to death."

The girls shuddered and Mabel regretted her ill-timed curiosity.

"What a hideous thing!" exclaimed Clara.

"And what cruel people!" added Mabel.

"One of the most cruel on God's earth," replied Jim. "You see in all this
crowd there is nobody looking at that fellow with pity. They don't seem to
have the slightest tincture of it."

"Let's go back to our hotel," pleaded Mabel. "I've seen all I want to for
to-day."

The games at Hong Kong were interesting and largely attended. There was
one rattling contest between the major leaguers that after an
eleventh-inning fight was won by the Giants