The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-17
A Japanese Fairy Tale.

UEOho SIoueS 1TOW Cn6 size OF u nlRn
mountain, made them into doorsills
and gravestones, and then sold them.
The saying went that where he work
ed there lived a mighty spirit Of tho
mountains, who sometimes appeared
to men and helped them to prosper;
turned to his hard work with a sigh.
"Were I only rich, L need not plague
myself SO. and could, like others, sleep
but the s~tonecutter had as yet seen
nothing of this spirit, and always
shook his head when he heard him
talked about. One day, IS he deliv-
cred a stone at the house of a rich
man, and saw how finely the rich live
and what a good time they have, he re.
on a bed with red silk curtains and
golden tassels." Thereupon a voice
sounded through the air which said:
"Thy wish is fulfilled; thou shalt be q
rich man T. and when he reached home
the spirit of the mountain had changed
his hut into a stately and luxurious
mansion. He entered and made him.
self at ease. But n day, when the
sun was SO hot he dare not venture
out, he saw a gorgeous procession pass
by. In the midst of a group of brill
liant knights Il costly litter was
bourne by liveried servants, and in
the litter sat a prince, over whose
head was held a changeable gold UNI
brella, that the rays of the sun might
not strike him. Disseminated, the for
mer s~tonecutter looked after the pro-
cession. and, as it disappeared from
sight, he cried out: "Oh, would !
were a prince | then I could be carried
thus and have a golden umbrella to
protect me from the rays Of the SUM-"
AS he uttered the words there sounded
again the voice Of the spirit of the
mountain: "Thy wish is accomplish.
ed; thou shalt be a princel" And now
he was a prince. Many riders pre-
ceeded his litter, and as many followed
him; he had honor, splendor and riches
abundantly; in fact, all he desired,
and, of course, the golden umbrella
with which to protect himself. New
ertheless, he was not contented; he
continually looked about, and sought
wherewith he could make his condi-
ton still pleasanter; and he saw how
the mighty sun burned around
him, and in his rays the
grass dried up, and even his
own face, in spite of the golden
umbrella, turned from the heat of the
sun Il deeper brown; his life pleased
him no longer, and angrily he cried:
"The sun is mightier than I; 1 would
like to be the sun" Again spoke the
spirit of the mountain: "Thy wish is
given thee; thou shalt be the sun" So
he was the sun, and scorched the grass
of the earth and the skin of the princes.
But. as he saw that the clouds placed
themselves protectingly between him
and the earth, he acknowledged the
clouds as mightier, and was now, with
the spirits help. changed to clouds.
He received the beams of the sun, and
let the earth grow green and bloom,
and then, to show his power still more,
he sent the rain down for days and
weeks. Streams and rivers swelled,
dams and dikes broke and all the fields
weretdevastated. Only the rock stood
tranquil and looked scofingly at the
powerless floods; all this confusion
troubled him not, and of not even a
little bit Of his hard stone could the
raging element rob him. The cloud
cried, what | the rock is stronger
than 1? No n shall be mightier
than /, and therefore 1 should wish to
be the rock" The spirit fulfilled his
wish. Become rock, grown strong
and fast together with the earth, he
needed not to trouble himself about
the clustering Of the elements. How
ever, one day he heard a remarkable
sound at his feet, and, as he sought
for the cause, he saw an insignificant
stonecutter, who drove iron wedges in
his stone and loosened great pieces
which fell laundering to the earth.
AS he saw this he cried out e~xasperat-
ed. $50 a little human being is might
Ter than 1, the strong rock? That
shall not be; then will I rather be a
man." The voice Of the great spirit
resounded anew-there he was, the