St. Landry democrat., 1883-05-19

Fuji'' (the greaS mountain). But the
god Inari, who was prowling about rs
was his wont, heard this, and resolved
that he would teach the poor man
lesson of contehtment. So when the
sandal-maker was asleep between his
filthy quilts, disappeared to him and
said: s'You want to be a lord. Very
well; you shall try it for week"
The sandal-maker rubbed his eyes and
awoke He wasin a beautiful room, the
walls of which Tyere 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 "a servant approached
him kneeling with a tray OF sweetmeats.
Denkichi took a: handful and swallowed
them, smacked his lips and cleared the
dish. The servant Frustrated himself
to the mats and retired as he came,
kneeling. @Well," said Denkichi,
"this IS luck!I suppose I'd better
dress" His Ole garments were gone,
and in their place was q 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 sort of major
domo appeared, and informed him that
the suitors were waiting in the ante
room. 9. But where's 0 Taki?" asked
Denkichi. The man shook his head.
s'Well, as I'm q regular lord, thought
.Denkichi, 81 may as well see what it's
like; but I should have liked 0 Taxi to
have seen me- And these clothes are
confoundedly hot and heavy. But new
er mind, here goes!' So he went into
the ante-room, where there must have
been at least hundred people assem-
bled, who all made obeisance,as he APP
peared. The msajor-domo showed him
to sort of raised dias on which he was
to seat himself, and for three long hours
he was. obliged Ito 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 soothing. Several times
he felt as if he would have liked to
jump up and stretch his legs, and
hitched himself uneasily, but the eye of
the major-domo= spoke silent remon-
STRANGE, and he subsidized with a sigh.
When at length the business was con-
Guided, DenkicHi was about to fling off
his robes and lie down as was his wont,
half-naked, with his pipe between his
lips and bowl of wine beside him,
when the majGr-domo informed him
that the hour of: the midday meal had
arrived. At this reIast he was intro
duced to the ladies "a his retinue. who
were magnificeEtly arrayed, but SO staid
and solemn of aemeanor, SO unable to
appreciate the Jokes by which he had
won for himself the name of the 'Shina-
gawa WITT tha5 he would much rather
have had his Ilain, homely 0 Taxi by
his side. The meat was splendid, but
| De u.5ichi would have preferred a dish OF
stewed eels, bowl Of Yakidofu. and a
measure of Three Virtue wine to all the
delicate dishes presented to him, so
smothered in sauces and condiments as
not to preserve an atom of their natural
flavor. It was a long affair, too, and
| when it was over he exclaimed with
sigh of relief: swell, at any rate, now
they'll let me have half an hours
peace" But the major-domo ap-
preached, and reminded him that the
fencing-master was waiting. So poor
Denkichi was: obliged to incase
himself in heavy suit of chain armor,
and for more than an hour attack and
defend, repeat, parry, cut, lunge and
dance about until he was well nigh
dropping with fatigue. After the fenc-
| ing came the master of Chinese, and
after the master of Chinese the music
Instructor. A few cups of tea-spoiled,
so thought Denkichi, by the infusion of
cherry hower-somewha refreshed him,
and for the first time during the day
he was enabled to get a few minutes
of such rest as his stiff raiment would
allow him. But the business of the
day was by no means over. A council
of the heads of the ward was held, at
which Denkichi presided, and again he
had to sit listening to dry arguments on
questions of law, petty differences OF
opinion, long speeches and statements
about matters in which he did not feel
the slightest interest. This was fol-
lowed by the evening meal, an enter
tainment Just as formal and twice as
lengthy as that at midday. He was al
most asleep with WEAKNESS and fatigue,
and would have crept into his sumptuous
bed-chamber, but the major-domo-how
he hated that ,najor-domo!-told him
that new theater had been
opened in the quarter, and that
the people would be offended if the
lord We're not to honor the first night with
his presence. A fresh suit of clothes,
if possible heavier and sitter than the
first, was necessary for this perform
ance, and not until the small hours of
the next morning could poor Denkichi
at last throw himself down between the