--- title: A Daughter of the Present — Gleanings from Chinese folklore · full text with trees description: A Daughter of the Present, «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Naomi Russell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: In Manchuria, not far from Mukden, lived a well-to-do farmer by the name of Lee. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/15/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Gleanings from Chinese folklore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/) / A Daughter of the Present # A Daughter of the Present A Daughter of the Present of «Gleanings from Chinese folklore» by Nellie Naomi Russell: the whole text, 33 sentences and 759 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. In Manchuria, not far from Mukden, lived a well-to-do farmer by the name of Lee.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") For some years the country had been much troubled by mounted banditti who terrorized the people, stealing from them right and left.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Mr. Lee called his neighbours together and after talking over the existing conditions, they bound themselves together to act as watchmen and resist the thieves even to the death.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Mr. Lee then went to the neighbouring villages and helped them to form little companies of volunteers for the same purpose.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") This, in time, reached the ears of the robbers, and they laid their plans accordingly.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") One night in the midst of the autumn harvest, while the farmers were celebrating with wine and music the “harvest festival,” the bandits came upon the village.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") Mr. Lee called his followers together and a great fight took place in the moonlight.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") At last the robbers set fire to several houses in the village, and after stealing all they could carry away with them, departed.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Every one was left weeping—grain and clothing gone, and some with their homes in ashes.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Every one was so busy with his own losses that it was daylight before it was known that Mr. Lee was missing.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") After much searching in the fields and at the near villages, they decided that he must have been taken captive and carried to the robbers’ stronghold in the mountains.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") Now, Mr. Lee had a little daughter, thirteen years old, called “Jade.”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") She was devoted to her father, and his constant companion.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") When, as the day wore on, he did not return she refused to be comforted.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") She pleaded with her mother and brothers to go with her to the neighbours and get them to form a rescue party, but the neighbours were so full of their own losses and fearful of another visit from the robbers that they refused.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") They said, “If we go, we shall certainly be captured, and either killed or held for a big ransom.”[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") Little Jade and her family knew it would do no good to appeal to the magistrate, as such raids were frequent, and nothing was done to prevent or punish; and all the family but the little daughter made up their minds that nothing could be done, and they must await whatever the gods had in store for them.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") “Not so,” thought little Jade; “I will either save my father or die with him.”[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Without saying anything to the other members of the family she learned from questioning the villagers the location of the “Tigers’ Nest,” as the fastness of the thieves was called.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") She then started off alone and after miles of weary walking she reached the place at nightfall.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") She made direct for the cave and prostrating herself before the entrance she began to weep and wail for her father.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") The robbers came and looked fiercely at her.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") How she pleaded with those hard-hearted men\![23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") They offered her food and money to go away; but she only pleaded the harder.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") They then became angry and tried to drive her away.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") For two days and nights she knelt in front of the cave; she would neither eat nor sleep.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") Many of the robbers were fathers and their hearts grew tender toward the little maid as hour after hour her wail fell upon their ears, and they saw her little face swollen and drawn with long weeping and fasting.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") At last the robber captain could endure it no longer, and after one final effort to drive her away, he commanded that Mr. Lee be set free, and that he and his little daughter be escorted beyond the hill region by the robber band.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") At the close of the fourth day they arrived at their home, where there was great rejoicing and much praise for brave little Jade.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") When Jade was seventeen the young man she was engaged to marry died and she took the vow of “widowhood,” and also that she would help support the aged father and mother of her betrothed.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") Although she had never seen any of the family this was considered very meritorious in Jade, and she was held up as a model girl to all others in the region.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") She took in sewing and embroidery and the money she thus earned was sent to the old people.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") She is at present living near Mukden, and it is rumoured that she is to be one of the teachers in a girls’ school to be opened in that city.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") - ← previous: [How the Dog and Cat Came to Be Enemies](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/14/) - next →: [T’ang Sung’s Journey to Get the Buddhist Classics](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/16/) - ↑ back to [Gleanings from Chinese folklore](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg75089/)