The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-02-05
Fhe Wonderful Teakettle...A Japanese
Fairy Story.

Aoh Ctoils
A long time ago there was an ole
priest who lived in the temple of Nor
inIi, in the Province of Hitachi. He
cooked his own rice, boiled his own tea
swept his own floor and lived frugally,
as an honest priest should do.
One day he was sitting near a square
fireplace, in the middle of the floor. A
rope and chain to hold the pot and ket
tie hung down from the covered hole
in the ceiling, which did duty as chin
ney. A pair of brass tongs was stuck
in the ashes and the fire blazed merrily.
At the side of the fireplace, on the
hoor. was tray filled with tiny tea
cups, pewter tea-caddy, bamboo tea.
stIrrer and little dipper. The priest
having finished sweeping the ashes of
the hearth with a little whisk of hawk
feathers, was just about to put on the
tea, when "suzz." "suzz," sang the
teakettle spout, and then "patiari."
"pattari," said the lid, as it tapped up
and down and the kettle swung back
wards and forwards.
What does this mean?" said the old
bronze. "Naru hodo," said he, with a
start as the spout of the kettle turned
into a badgers nose with its big whisk-
ers, while from the other side sprouted
Gut long, bushy tail.
"YohOdo medzurashi," shouted the
priest, dropping the tea-caddy and
spilling the green tea all over the mat
ting as four hairy legs appeared under
the Kettle and the strange compound.
half badger and half kettle, jumped of
the fire and began running around the
room. To the priests horror it leaped
ON shelf, pulled out its belly and be-
gan to beat a tune with its fore paws as
IT it were drum. The old bronze's
pupils, hearing the racket rushed in
and after lively chase, upsettine piles
OF books and breaking some of the tea.
cups, secured the badger and squeezed
him in keg used for storing the
picked radishes called diakon (or jan
anese sauerkraut.) They fastened dow,
the lid with heavy stone. They v,erc
sure that the strong odOr of tie rad.
ishes would kill the beast, for mo man
could possibly survive such a smel, and
1t was not likely a badger conld
The next morning f,a t;nLar ne ,ha
snlase caiied IN, AID the priest told
INN aD "p IN: -ange visitor. WISH
ing 70 snow nj. n the animal, he cautious
y in.ed tne lid of the cask, lest the
light, after all, be still alive, in
~ "a the stencil of the sour mess,
" NV "A lol there was nothing but the old
ON teakettle. Fearing that the utensil
might play the same prank again the
priest was glad to sell it to the tinker,
who bought the kettle for few iron
cash. He carried it to his Junk shop,
though he thought it felt unusually
heavy.
The tinker went to bed as usual that |
night with his andon, or paper shaoed |
lamp. just back of his head. About
midnight, hearing a strange noise like |
the Tapping up and down OF an iron pot
lid, he sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes,
and there was theiro pot covered with
fur and sprouting out legs. In short,
it was turning into hairy beast. Going
over to the recess and taking fan from
the rack, the badger climbed up on the
frame of the lamp and began to dance
On its one hind leg, waving the fan with
is forepaw. 1t played many other
hen the badger turned into teakettle
lgain.
+" 1 Declare" said the tinker, as he
woke up next morning and talked the
natter over with his wife. I'll just
aise mountain (earn my fortune) ON
his kettle. 1t certainly is very highly
accomplished teakettle. I'll call it the
'umbuku Chagama (the teakettle ac-
in literature and military
rt), an d exhibit it to the public"
So the tinker hired a professional
bowman for his business agent. and
uilt little theater and stage. Then
e gave an order to friend of his, an
rtlst. to paint scenery, with Fiji Yama
nd cranes flying in the air, and GRIM
on sun shining through the bambo and
red moon rising over the waves, and
olden clouds and tortoises, and the
umiyoshi couple, and the grasshoppers'
icnic, and the procession of Lord
'onglegs and such like. Then he
tretched tight rope of rice straw
cross the stage, and the hand bills be-
lg stuck up in all the barber shops in
,wn, and wooden tickets, branded with
Accomplished and Lucky Teakettle
erformance; Admit One" the show
as opened. The house was full and
lie people came in parties. bringing
leir teapots full of tea and. picnic boxes
Ill of rice and eggs, and dumplings
lade of millet meal, sugared roast pea
lkes and other refreshments; because
ley came to stay all day. Mothers
rought their babies with them, for the
lildren enjoyed it most of all.
Then the tinker, dressed up in his
ide ceremonial clothes, with a big fan
his hand, came out on the platform,
ade his bow and set the wonderful tea
sttle on the stage. Then, at a wave
his fan, the kettle ran around on four
gs. half badger and half iron, clank- ,
g its lid and wagging its tail. Next
turned into badger, swelled out its ,
'dy and beat a tune on it like a drum. !
danced jig on the tight rope and
Al u L n n r