world, at last the time came to separate the earth from the heavens.
This was hard work, and if it had not been for the coolness and skill of
a young goddess all would have failed. This goddess was named Lu-o. She
had been idly watching the growth of the planet, when, to her horror,
she saw the newly made ball slipping slowly from its place. In another
second it would have shot down into the bottomless pit. Quick as a flash
Lu-o stopped it with her magic wand and held it firmly until the chief
god came dashing up to the rescue.

But this was not all. When men and women were put on the earth Lu-o
helped them greatly by setting an example of purity and kindness. Every
one loved her and pointed her out as the one who was always willing to
do a good deed. After she had left the world and gone into the land of
the gods, beautiful statues of her were set up in many temples to keep
her image always before the eyes of sinful people. The greatest of these
was in the capital city. Thus, when sorrowful women wished to offer up
their prayers to some virtuous goddess they would go to a temple of Lu-o
and pour out their hearts before her shrine.

At one time the wicked Chow-sin, last ruler of the Yins, went to pray in
the city Temple. There his royal eyes were captivated by the sight of a
wonderful face, the beauty of which was so great that he fell in love
with it at once, telling his ministers that he wished he might take this
goddess, who was no other than Lu-o, for one of his wives.

Now Lu-o was terribly angry that an earthly prince should dare to make
such a remark about her. Then and there she determined to punish the
Emperor. Calling her assistant spirits, she told them of Chow-sin's
insult. Of all her servants the most cunning was one whom we shall call
Fox Sprite, because he really belonged to the fox family. Lu-o ordered