Sharp County record., 1881-03-10
Tho Wonderful Teakettle..-A japanese
Fairy Story.


lono time ago there was an old
o,.;est Who lived in the temple OF Nor
hi; in the Province of Hitachi. tie
obed his own rice, boiled his own tea,
swept his own floor and lived trugally'
as an honest priest should do.
One day he was sitting near square
fro,,Iace. in the middle of the floor. A
rome and chain to hold the pot and ket-
tla bunc down from the covered hole
in the ceiling, which did duty as chin
new. A pair of brass tongs was stuck
in The ashes and the fire blazed merrliiy.
Attic side of the fireplace, on the
aoor was tray filled with tiny tea
ems a pewter tea -caddy, a bamboo tea
st,rrer and a little dipper. The priest
hayino finished sweeping the ashes OH
the hearth with a little whisk of hawk S
featbers. was just about to put on the
tea when "suzz," "suzz," sang tne
teakettle spout, and then "pattari, "
"nattari," 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 hej with
start as the spout of the kettle turned
into a, badgers nose with its big whlSk-
ers. while from the other side sprouted
out long, bushy tail.
..Yohodo medzurashi," shouted the
priest, dropping the tea-caddy and
spillinc the green tea all over the mat
tine 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 a shelf, puf1ed out its belly and be-
oan TO beat tune with its fore paws as
# it were drum. The old bronze S
pupils, hearing the racket rushed in
and after lively chase, upSetting piles
of books and breaking some of the tea
cups. secured the badger and squeezed
him in o keg used for storing the
pickled radishes called diakon (Or jap
anese sauerkraut.) They fastened down
the lid with a heavy stone. They were
s,lre that the strong odOr of the rad
ishes would kill the beast, for no man
could possibly survive such a smell and
it was not likely a badger could.
The next morning the tinker OF the
VILLAGE called in, and the priest told
him about his strange visitor. Wish
ing to show him the animal, he cautious
lylifted the lid of the cask, lest the
bad yer might, after all, be still alive, in
snite Of the stencil of the sour mess,
when lo! there was nothing but the old
iron 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 shaGed
lamp. Just back of his head. About
midnight, hearing strange noise like
the haDping up and down of anirOn pot
lid, he sat up in bed, rubbed his eyes,
and there was the iron 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 It's one hind leg, waving the fan with
its iorepaw. 1t played many other
tricks until the man started up, and
then the badger turned into teakettle
again.
I'll DECLARE" said the tinker, as he
woke up next morning and talked the
matter over with his wife. IN just
raise Il mountain (earn my fortune) on
this kettle. 1t certainly is a very highly
ACCOMPLISHED teakettle. I'll call it the
Bumbuku Chagama (the teakettle ac-
complished in literature and military
art), au exhibit it to the public"
SO the tinker hired q professional
Snowman for his business agent. and
built Il little theater and stage. Then
he gave an order to a friend of his, an
artist, to paint scenery, with FIJI Yama
and cranes flying in the air, and Grim
son sun shining through the bambo and
red moon rising over the waves, and
golden clouds and tortoises, and the
Sumiyoshi couple, and the grasshoppers'
picnic, and the procession of Lord
Longlegs and such like. Then he
Stretched tight rope of rice straw
across the stage, and the hand bills be-
ing stuck up in all the barber shops in
town, and wooden tickets, branded with
Accomplished and Lucky Teakettle
Performance; Admit One" the show
was opened. The house was full and
the people came in parties, bringing
their teapots full of tea and picnic boxes
full of rice and eggs, and dumplings
made of millet meal, sugared roast pea
cakes and other refreshments; because
they came to stay all day. Mothers
brought their babies with them, for the
children enjoyed it most of all.
Then the tinker, dressed up in his
wide ceremonial clothes, with a big fan
in his hand, came out on the platform,
made his bow and set the wonderful tea
kettle on the stage. Then, at a wave
OF his fan, the kettle ran around on four
legs, half badger and half iron, clank-
ing its lid and wagging its tail. Next
it turned into a badger, swelled out its
body and beat tune on it like drum.
1t danced Il jig on the tight rope and
walked the slack rope, holding fan or
an umbrella in his paw, stood on his
head, and, finally, at flourish of his
masters fan, became cold and rusty