"Sky-High," said Mrs. Van Buren, "what was that sound I heard?"

"Crackers, mistress."

"We are only allowed to fire crackers on holidays. Why did you light
crackers?"

"To disperse the evil spirits, mistress, the dragons in the air, the
imps. It is the way we serve them in China."

"There are no evil spirits here, Sky-High. What could have made you
think that there were, Sky-High?"

"The cat--she is long bewitched after my queue. I fired the crackers to
dis-power her--I saw her tail going over the fence! She is dis-possessed.
She will not jump at Sky-High's queue any more. We shoot crackers in
China when evil spirits come in the air. China is a spirit-land,
mistress. Our air is filled with bright spirits and dark ones. When the
cat begins to frisk its tail, we know there has come a company of evil
spirits. The little cat's tail this morning went snap-snap!"

"Oh, Sky-High! there are no evil spirits in this blooming garden," said
his mistress. "The little white cat is possessed by a playful spirit,
perhaps. What is that strange figure in black on the red paper flag over
the door?"

"That is the wan, mistress."

"And what is the wan, Sky-High?"