"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?"
"The mystic sign that warns off evil spirits."
"Did I not say there are no evil spirits here?"
Here little Sky-High's eyes began to blink. "Why did master put a horse-shoe over the stable-door?"