Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-05-17

koyias. am very poor. and can not
afford TO 90 to one of the great tea
houses: perhaps you will let me rest
here a while and refresh myself in re-
turn for what few tempos l can give. :"
The peasant took Inari's arm gently
aud led him in. "Oh, Kiku.' he cried
to his wife. there. quick. bring some
warm water and something to eat and
drink: here is poor, old pilgrim tired
and hungry" \ pleasant-looking old
woman approached at the summons
and saluted Inari. Then the warm
water was brought and she bathed the
feet of the god, while her husband
scraped together what little food and
wine there was in the house and set it
before him. Il feel ashamed said
Inari. "at trespassing upon the good
nature of those who are as poor as my
self" .Do not mention it, SIR said
the peasant. 1--WE have to work hard
for our living. but we have always
something to spare for poor travellers
like yourself.
And how do you get your living, if
it is not a rude question:" asked Inari.
Il cut wood for the great tca-honSes,'
replied the man. land at busy times l
help the ferryman. But | had such
great good luck the other day that we
are quite comfortable now And he
told Inari about his visit to the Bizen
palace.
The god said nothing for Il few min
utcs, and then he asked Il shall be re-
turning here in a fortnight s time: could
YOU make it convenient to lend me fifty
riyOs?'
Willingly. SIR said the peasant,
and he counted out the sum from his
bamboo stem and placed the paper in
the hand of the god. In a fortnight
Inari returned to the peasant house,
and said: s.Hcre are the fifty riyoS YOU
were kind enough to lend me-and, ,
taking from his own pocket a roll of
notes, '.here are five hundred more. |
only borrowed from you to test your
heart, and perhaps you can guess who |
am The astonished and delighted
couple fell on their knees in an ecstasy
of JOY. Inari disappeared. and the poor
peasant prospcrcd ever after, until he
became the owner of the largest tea
house in Kawasaki.
Another story is called:
CURE FOR Discomfort.
In that low quarter of the city of
Yeddo, called Shinagawa. there lived Il
poor sandal-maker. He was very poor.
and belonged to the prescribed tribe of
Etas. trace which, previous to the pres
ent era Of refinement and enlightcn-
l. 4 4 4
and despised of men, able only to fol-
low certain trades of a mental charac-
ter, such as the fiaying of animals, the
execution of criminals and the making
of sandals and clogs, to which the free
born citizens would not stoop. Poverty
and misery preyed upon the mind of the
poor sandal-maker so much that one
night he said to his wife: "Oh, Taxi, |
wish could be great lord for a few
days, to do nothing, to eat and drink
of the best, and never to be obliged to
think about spendinga tempo Don't
be stupid, Denkichi,'' replied his wife.
''you would never do to be a lord; you
might just as well try to swallow
Full Uhe great mountain). But the
god mari, who was prowling about as
was his wont, heard this, and resolved
that he would teach the poor man Il
lesson of cOntentment. SO when the
sandalmaker was asleep between his.
filthy quilts, he appeared to him and
said: ''You want TO be lord. Very
well: you shall try it for a week.
The sandal-maker rubbed his eyes and
awoke. He was in IA beautiful room, the
walls of which were hung with curious
ly painted scrolls, the mats were of the
finest and whiteSt straw: his quilts were
of the softest silk, and his pillow was of
camphor wood with roll of the best
bamboo paper tied upon it,.
As he awoke Il servant approached
him kneeling with tray OF sweetmeals
Denkichi took handful and swallowed
them, smacked his lips and cleared the
dish. The servant Frustrated himself
to the mats and retired as he came,
kneeling. "Wcll," said Denkichi.
''this is luck! l suppose I'd better
cress." His old garments were gone,
and in their place was suit of splen-
didly embroidered silk, fitted with stiff
cardboard wings and adorned with huge
white crests OF oak leaves. A person
age who seemed to be a sort of major
domo appeared, and informed him that
the suitors were waiting in the ante
room. But where's o Taki?' asked
Denkichi. The man shook his head.
"Well, as I'm regular lord, thought
Denkichi. Il may as well see what it S
like; but l should have liked o Taxi to
have seen me. And these clothes arc
confoundedly hot and heavy. But new
er mind, here goes!' So he went into
the ante-room, where there must have
been at least a hundred people assem-
bled, who all made obeisance as he APP
peared. The major-domo showed him
to a sort of raised dias on which he was
to seat himself, and for three long hours
he was obliged to remain motionless.
listening to claims and petitions, and
remonstrances and beggings of favors,
and details of estates, and of revenue,
and of hundred other things about
which he knew nothing. Several times
he felt as if he would have liked to
jump up and stretch his legs, and
hitched himself uneasily, but the eve of
the ma ior-domo spoke a silent remon-
STRANGE, and he subsidized with sigh.
When at length the business was con-
cluded, Denkichi was about to fling off
his robes and lie down as was his wont,
half-naked, with his pipe between his
lips and a bowl of wine beside him,
when the major-domo informed him
that the hour of the midday meal had
arrived. At this repast he was intro
duced to the ladies of his retinue. who
were magnificently arrayed, but SO staid
and solemn of demeanor, so unable to
the jokes by which he had
won for himself the name of The ''Shina-
gawa Wit that he would much rather
I. i L L. al, n Ell L.