Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio, volume 1

<h2><SPAN name="chapter-52"><abbr title="Fifty-Two">LII.</abbr> <br/> PLAYING AT HANGING.</SPAN></h2> <p><span class="smallcaps">A number</span> of wild young fellows were one day out walking when they saw a young lady approach, riding on a pony. One of them said to the others, “I'll back myself to make that girl laugh,” and a supper was at once staked by both sides on the result. Our hero then ran out in front of the pony, and kept on shouting “I'm going to die! I'm going to die!” at the same time pulling out from over the top of a wall a stalk of millet, to which he attached his own waistband, and tying the latter round his neck, made a pretence of hanging himself. The young lady did laugh as she passed by, to the great amusement of the assembled company; but as when she was already some distance off their friend did not move, the others laughed louder than ever. However, on going up to him they saw that his tongue protruded, and that his eyes were glazed; he was, in fact, quite dead. Was it not strange that a man should be able to hang himself on a millet stalk? It is a good warning against practical joking.</p> <p class="pagenum-h-p"><span class="pagenum" title="355"><SPAN name="Page_355"></SPAN></span></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />