of the city went. He put the stone in his mouth,
thus appearing in visible form, and, entering the restaurant, ordered
the best food he could find. He finished his meal quickly and went
out. The waiter, perceiving that he did not pay, followed him. The man
had no money; so he squeezed the stone and shot up into the air without
being seen. The Chinaman, alarmed by the cry of the waiter, came out
and ran in all directions, trying to find and catch the man. No one
could find him; and the people thought he must indeed be a fast runner
to escape so quickly, for they did not know of the gift of the demon.
Not far from that place he saw groups of men and women going in and out
of a large building. It was a bank. The farmer went in to see what he
could find. There he saw bags of money, gold and silver. He chuckled
with joy at this opportunity. In order to use his hands freely, he put
the stone in his mouth; but before he could fill all his pockets with
money, he was discovered by the two guards, who began to pound him on
the head. He struggled to save his life, and finally took the stone
out of his mouth and squeezed it. Instantly he vanished from their
sight; but he was vexed at the beating he had received, so he carried
off all the gold they had in the bank. The people inside as well as
outside the building became crazy. They ran about in all directions,
not knowing why. Some called the firemen, thinking the bank was on
fire; but nothing had happened, except that the farmer was gone and
the two guards were "half dead frightened." They danced up and down
the streets in great excitement, but could not utter a word.
Straight home went the farmer, not stopping by the way. His wife and
children were awaiting him. He gave them the money, and told them
all about the fortune which he had gotten from the man on their own
island,--told all his secrets. Prosperous they became, and with the
money which he had brought they purchased all they needed from the
city just opposite them.
The time passed so pleasantly that the man was surprised to discover
that his promise would be due in two more days. He made preparations
to go back to the land of his master. Arrived there, he met the same
monster under the same tree. The demon was displeased to see the
old man alone, without the family which also had been promised. He
told the man that he would shut him in a cave and then would go and
capture those left at home.
But the farmer would
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