Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-05-11

are quito comfortable now" And he
told Inari about his visit TO tho Bizcn
palace.
The god said nothing for a few min
utes, and then he asked. ~ shall be re-
turning here in fortnight's time; could
you make it convenient TO lend me fifty
| riyospn
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 fortnight
Inari returned to the peasants house,
and said: "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
am" The astonished and delighted
couple fell on their knees in an ecstasy
of joy. Inari disappeared, and thepoor
peasant prospercd ever after, until he
became the owner of the largest tea
house in Kawasaki.
Another story is called:
A CURE FoR DIsooNTENT.
In that low quarter of the city of
| Yeddo, called Shinagawa. there lived q
poor sandal-maker. He was very poor,
and belonged to the prescribed tribe OF
Etas, arace which, previous to the pres
cnt era of refinement and enlighten-
ment, lived by themselves, the spurncd
and despised of men, able only to fol-
low certain trades of mental charac-
ter, such as the flaying 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 l could be great lord for lew
days, to do nothing, to eat and drink
of the best, and never to be obliged to
think about spending n tempo.n "Don't
be stupid, Denkich," replied his wife,
''you would never do to be lord; va
might just as well try TO swallow
Fuii, (the great mountaiD. But the
god 1nari, who was prowling about MS
was his wont, heard this, and resolved
that he would teach the poor man u
lesson of contcntment. So when the
sandal-maker was asleep between his
filthy quilts, he appeared to him and
said: 'You want TO be lord. Very
well; you shall try il for week"
| The sandal-makcr rubbed his eyes and
awokc. He wasin beautiful room, the
walls of which were hung with curious
ly painted scrolls, the mats We're of the
finest and whitest straw; his quilts were
of the softcst silk, and his pillow was of
camphor wood with roll of the best
bamboo paper tied upon it. -
As he awoke n servant approached
him kneeling with tray OF sweetmeats.
Denkichi took handful and swallowed
them, smacked his lips and cleared the
dish. The servant prostrated himself
to the mats and retired as he came,
kneeling. "Well," said Denkichi,
"this is luck! / suppose I'd better
dress" His old garments were gone,
and in their place was II 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. ." But where's . Taki?" asked
Denkichi. The man shook his head.
"Well, rs I'm regular lord, thought
Denkichi, 81 may rs well see what it's
like; but should have liked o Taxi to
have seen me. And these clothes arc
confoundedly hot and heavy. But nev-
'er mind, here goesn' So he went into
the ante-room, where there must have
been at least q hundred people assem-
blcd, who all made obeislnce as he ap-
peared. The ma ior-domo showed him
to 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 eye of
the maior-dQmo 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 rs was his wont,
half-naked, with his pipe between his
lips and bowl of wine beside him,
when the maior-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
appreciate the jokes by which he had
won for himself the name of the "Shina-
gawa Wit" that he would much rather
have had his plain, homely o Taxi by
his side. The meat was splendid, but
Denkichi would have preferred dish OF
stewed eels, a 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. 1t was long affair, too, and
when it was over he exclaimed with a
sigh of relief: "Well, 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 a 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 Denlichi, by the infusion OF
cherry flowers refreshed him,
and for the first time during the day
he was enabled to get " 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 Denllichi presided, and again he
had to sit listening to dry arguments on
questions of law, petty differences oi
opinion, long speeches and statements
about matters in which he did not fee
the slightest interest. This was fol.
lowed by the evening meal, an enter
tainment just as formal and twice rs
lengthy as that at midday. He was al
most asleep with WEAKNESS and fatigue
...a,.1 4 ;.,t L. ,,a,,.