Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-12-12

Tne Stone Cutters Three Wishes.

once upon time there was in Japan q
poor stone cutter, simple workman in
The quarries. His life was rude, he work.
ed much. gained little, and was not at all
contented with his fate.
'Oh, II could only be rich enough to
rest, to sleep on thick mating, wrapped
IN klrimon Of soft silk n Such was the
sigh ne breathed to heaven. An angel
heard it.
IT shall be according to thy desire,'
! said an angel to him. And he at once be-
came rich, and he rested. slept upon the
thick mating. and wrapped himself in q
kirimon of soft silk 1t Happened that the
Emperor passed by. He was preceded
by heralds on horseback, followed by
brilliant escort Of cavaliers, and surround
ed by persons who held over his head an
immense parasol resplendent with gold.
"What good does 1t do me to be rich"
murmured the man, as long as have not
the right to 60 with an escort, and my
head protected by golden parasol? Why
am not an Emperor ?"
Thou snalt be, said the angel.
And, indeed he became the Emperor.
tie had an escort before and behind him,
and people who held above his head an
immense parasol resplendent with gold.
However, the sun with its ardent beams
dried up the dusty road, quivering with
its brightness, fatigued the eyes.
1T Is great advantage to be an Empe-
ror. cried the man, "when the heat of the
day exhausts you, and the sun never ceas-
es to make you feel his power! But if one
could be the sun y
"Behold! Are you satisfied ?" the an
gel asked. For he became the sun, and
he darted his beams up, down. right and
left and all around him. And he scorched
the herbage Of the earth and the faces of
the princes upon the earth.
But now a cloud thrust itself between
the earth and him. 1t held back the rays
of the sun, and prevented them from fall
ing upon the earth's surface.
There is strength" cried the sun; "a
cloud capable of resisting my power; it
would be better if were a cloud
Very WE'LL" said the angel.
And the transformation was at once ac-
complished. The new cloud placed itself
between the sun and the earth, and so
thoroughly intercepted the rays of the
sun that it soon saw the earth covered
with shadow. Then it caused big drops
of rain and pouring showers and water
| spouts to fall on the. land so that the tor
rents burst their bounds, and the river
spread over and devastated the fields.
Nothing resisted the force of the inun-
dation only rock defed it, perfectly
motionless. In vain the believing waters
beat it in their fury-the rock yields not,
but the foaming wave died at its foot.
"A rock. then, is my SUPERIOR" said
the cloud IL would rather be in its
place
| And he was transformed into n steep
unshaken rock, insensible to the rays OF
the sun, Indifferent to the torrents of rain
and the shock of the tumultuous waves.
But he distinguished at his foot man OF
poor appearance; hardly clothed, armed
with chisel and a hammer; and the man
split pieces from the rock, which he
dressed into stones proper for cutting
"What is that ?" cried the rock; "has
man the power of rending pieces Of
stone from my baseP Shall be weaker
than he? Then it is absolutely necessary
that should be that man.
"ilave your will." said the angel and
he became again what he had been-a
poor stone-cutter, simple workman in
the quarries. His lie was rude: he
worked much and gained little. but he
had learned contentment with his lot
Japanese Fables.