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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I have heard
That the Plain of Fat Melons
Is more than flat.
It is hollowed like a bowl.
And my purse
Was quite as flat.
Then the Philadelphia North American,
And What To Do, of Elgin,
Bought some of my stories—
Paying good round money—
Which the baker was quick to take from me.
Furthermore,
These papers
Have given permission
To put the stories in a Book.
And the Book
Is open before you.
The North American,
And What To Do,
Have been as kind to me
As Wu Ta Lang was
To the red cherry tree.
And I thank them—
Not once—but twice—
And twice that—
More times than there are leaves
In Hu Pei Forest.
vii
