The Portland daily press., 1893-08-17

did L not keep to my bamboo cutting
and leave ambition for the rich!'
His father grieved deeply to see hins
set forth, but in spite of his sadness was
buoyed up by his evident anticipation
of his sons success. The envious STEP
mother, affecting equal regret, offered
to arrange a basket of lunch for him
with her own aristocratic hands. She
prepared all of his favorite articles OF
food, and then, for fear that some lucky
accident might save him from the rob-
bers, put small portion of deadly poi
son in each piece Of food as she laid it
in the hamper.
Yo,nei, unconscious cf this double
danger, babe them all sorrowful fare
well and rode away with his eyes bent
upon the ground. At one time he
thought of turning his horse and making
his escape, but then he reflected that
death would be no worse than disgrace
and the old life of toll, and SO listlessly
kept on toward the infested mountain.
Flo had reached the foot of this when
he heard loud, hoarse shouts, as il of tri-
umph, and filled with terror he sprang
from his horse and rapidly climbed a
tree. In a few moments the robberD
were upon him. where is the rider?"
called out one, looking about him with
an aspect of such ferceness that Yomei
well nigh fell to the earth.
'The horse is miner cried another.
'"This is my saddle!' exclaimed a third.
"See! It is heavy with silver"
"Ah!' from fourth as he tore open
the hamper. 81 have found the dainty
fellows lunch. Let us feast upon it be-
fore we find and kill the owner"
YoEnei, knowing nothing Of the hidden
poison, thought these moments his last.
With tho apathy of despair he gazed up
on them as they portioned out, with
many a rude jest and remark, the food
which had been destined for him.
'sWllat carrion the aristocrats do eatr'
cried the captain, throwing from him the
remains of small devil fish stuffed with
rice, sugar and vinegar. ''The thing is
filed with medicine! It is bitter! By
all the devils of earth and sea! 1t is poi
sonl We are tricked!''
s'It is poison! It is poisonH' they all
shrieked, running frantically past one
another with horrible EXPLANATIONS and
contortions of physical agony. "Where
is the MANI" they cried. 1--WE are poi
soned like frogs in WE'LL Where is he
who has tricked u.s."
"There he isl" called the dying chief,
who had just caught sight of the COVER
So. vo,.,-; ssol,oo+ b;,nt TTy, oftor hin, I
Burn the tree! Ah-h-hi" But it was too
late. They lay about on the lush noun
tain grass in various attitudes of violent
death, and their CLASSY eyes were all
turned upward toward Yomei. The fears
of that valiant youth, however, were at
an end. He descended with bold and
careless air, and walking from one to an
other stuck an arrow deep into the left
eye of each. Then mounting his horse
he rode home.
The first person to meet him was his
stepmother. At the sight of him she
fell to the ground, faint and stricken
with fear.
care you not pleased to see me, moth
er?' he asked brightly. II must thank
you for the delightful lunch you pre-
pared for me. Seer opening the hamper,
''every morsel has been eaten!"
His fathers joy at seeing him alive
was deep and sincere. ''Why, my son."
he said after the ceremonials of welcome
were through, ''your armor is untouched,
your hair is as smooth as when you left
the house. How did you slay such a
fierce body Of men with SO little exer-
tiong"
'sOh! It was simple matter" said
Yomei proudly. sWhen they caught
sight Of me, they came toward me, run
ming side by side. took the II arrows,
fitting them all to my bow, which held
horizontally, instead of in the usualman
ner, and the arrows were placed so ex-
actly that, as they flew, each was point
ed toward robber and struck him d.
rectly in the left eye. You will find
them all there now, each with the arrow
sticking upright"
ssYour skill Is more than mortal!' cried
the happy father. 'sNowyou are noble
man in your ownright and win be given
daughter Of the mikado in marriage.
foresee that you viii add luster to the
ancient name which you BEAR" And he
fell upon his sons neck and wept with
pure joy.
After this the stepmother ceased in her
evil designs, fully convinced of Yonei's
supernatural powers.
He married princess, built a great
castle for himself, and to this day his
name is synonym in Japan for shrewd-
ness and luck.-Translated From the
japanese For Romance.
Remedy Against Plum Knot.
The Rural New Yorker states that
correspondent paints portions Of his plum
trees on which the plum knot appears
with coal oil and that this eventually
stops the growth of the swelling known
as ''the knot" By taking it in time he
says that the disease does not spread and
that the knots eventually peel Of, leav-
ing only scar to mark the spot. Nee
han, commenting on the foregoing, says:
As this disease is caused by a minute