Anthony Trollope - "He Knew He Was Right"

George Barr McCutcheon - "Jane Cable"

James Oliver Curwood - "Nomads Of The North"

John Lothrop Motley - "The Life of John of Barneveld, 1618"

New Philadelphia Book Publisher Highlights Local Talent
Book and Publishing News from Publishers Newswire(tm)

Looking for Child to be on Cover of a New Book, 'The Model Child'
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The Philadelphia literary world will celebrate the launch of two new players today, April 10th: Kay Square Press, a new publishing company focused on Philadelphia-area artists, their stories, and their art; and Kay Square's first release, 'With the Rich and Mighty: Emlen Etting of Philadelphia' (ISBN: 978-0-9815129-0-7), a critical biography by Kenneth C. Kaleta.

FlatSigned Press Alleges Don Imus Remarks Damage Legacy of President Gerald R. Ford
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Nathan Yungerberg, an accomplished model scout and professional child photographer is launching a nation-wide casting call to find the cover model for his highly anticipated book release, 'The Model Child: A Parents Guide to the Child Modeling Industry' (ISBN: 978-0-9817018-0-6).

Books: Japanese Fairy Tales

Y >> Yei Theodora Ozaki >> Japanese Fairy Tales




The thought that something might be hidden beneath the tree, and
that the dog had scented it, at last struck the old man. He ran back
to the house, fetched his spade and began to dig the ground at that
spot. What was his astonishment when, after digging for some time,
he came upon a heap of old and valuable coins, and the deeper he dug
the more gold coins did he find. So intent was the old man on his
work that he never saw the cross face of his neighbor peering at him
through the bamboo hedge. At last all the gold coins lay shining on
the ground. Shiro sat by erect with pride and looking fondly at his
master as if to say, "You see, though only a dog, I can make some
return for all the kindness you show me."

The old man ran in to call his wife, and together they carried home
the treasure. Thus in one day the poor old man became rich. His
gratitude to the faithful dog knew no bounds, and he loved and
petted him more than ever, if that were possible.

The cross old neighbor, attracted by Shiro's barking, had been an
unseen and envious witness of the finding of the treasure. He began
to think that he, too, would like to find a fortune. So a few days
later he called at the old man's house and very ceremoniously asked
permission to borrow Shiro for a short time.

Shiro's master thought this a strange request, because he knew quite
well that not only did his neighbor not love his pet dog, but that
he never lost an opportunity of striking and tormenting him whenever
the dog crossed his path. But the good old man was too kind-hearted
to refuse his neighbor, so he consented to lend the dog on condition
that he should be taken great care of.

The wicked old man returned to his home with an evil smile on his
face, and told his wife how he had succeeded in his crafty
intentions. He then took his spade and hastened to his own field,
forcing the unwilling Shiro to follow him. As soon as he reached a
yenoki tree, he said to the dog, threateningly:

"If there were gold coins under your master's tree, there must also
be gold coins under my tree. You must find them for me! Where are
they? Where? Where?"

And catching hold of Shiro's neck he held the dog's head to the
ground, so that Shiro began to scratch and dig in order to free
himself from the horrid old man's grasp.

The old man was very pleased when he saw the dog begin to scratch
and dig, for he at once supposed that some gold coins lay buried
under his tree as well as under his neighbor's, and that the dog had
scented them as before; so pushing Shiro away he began to dig
himself, but there was nothing to be found. As he went on digging a
foul smell was noticeable, and he at last came upon a refuse heap.

The old man's disgust can be imagined. This soon gave way to anger.
He had seen his neighbor's good fortune, and hoping for the same
luck himself, he had borrowed the dog Shiro; and now, just as he
seemed on the point of finding what he sought, only a horrid
smelling refuse heap had rewarded him for a morning's digging.
Instead of blaming his own greed for his disappointment, he blamed
the poor dog. He seized his spade, and with all his strength struck
Shiro and killed him on the spot. He then threw the dog's body into
the hole which he had dug in the hope of finding a treasure of gold
coins, and covered it over with the earth. Then he returned to the
house, telling no one, not even his wife, what be had done.

After waiting several days, as the dog Shiro did not return, his
master began to grow anxious. Day after day went by and the good old
man waited in vain. Then he went to his neighbor and asked him to
give him back his dog. Without any shame or hesitation, the wicked
neighbor answered that he had killed Shiro because of his bad
behavior. At this dreadful news Shiro's master wept many sad and
bitter tears. Great indeed, was his woful surprise, but he was too
good and gentle to reproach his bad neighbor. Learning that Shiro
was buried under the yenoki tree in the field, he asked the old man
to give him the tree, in remembrance of his poor dog Shiro.

Even the cross old neighbor could not refuse such a simple request,
so he consented to give the old man the tree under which Shiro lay
buried. Shiro's master then cut the tree down and carried it home.
Out of the trunk he made a mortar. In this his wife put some rice,
and he began to pound it with the intention of making a festival to
the memory of his dog Shiro.

A strange thing happened! His wife put the rice into the mortar, and
no sooner had he begun to pound it to make the cakes, than it began
to increase in quantity gradually till it was about five times the
original amount, and the cakes were turned out of the mortar as if
an invisible hand were at work.

When the old man and his wife saw this, they understood that it was
a reward to them from Shiro for their faithful love to him. They
tasted the cakes and found them nicer than any other food. So from
this time they never troubled about food, for they lived upon the
cakes with which the mortar never ceased to supply them.

The greedy neighbor, hearing of this new piece of good luck, was
filled with envy as before, and called on the old man and asked
leave to borrow the wonderful mortar for a short time, pretending
that he, too, sorrowed for the death of Shiro, and wished to make
cakes for a festival to the dog's memory.

The old man did not in the least wish to lend it to his cruel
neighbor, but he was too kind to refuse. So the envious man carried
home the mortar, but he never brought it back.

Several days passed, and Shiro's master waited in vain for the
mortar, so he went to call on the borrower, and asked him to be good
enough to return the mortar if he had finished with it. He found him
sitting by a big fire made of pieces of wood. On the ground lay what
looked very much like pieces of a broken mortar. In answer to the
old man's inquiry, the wicked neighbor answered haughtily:

"Have you come to ask me for your mortar? I broke it to pieces, and
now I am making a fire of the wood, for when I tried to pound cakes
in it only some horrid smelling stuff came out."

The good old man said:

"I am very sorry for that. It is a great pity you did not ask me for
the cakes if you wanted them. I would have given you as many as ever
you wanted. Now please give me the ashes of the mortar, as I wish to
keep them in remembrance of my dog."

The neighbor consented at once, and the old man carried home a
basket full of ashes.

Not long after this the old man accidentally scattered some of the
ashes made by the burning of the mortar on the trees of his garden.
A wonderful thing happened!

It was late in autumn and all the trees had shed their leaves, but
no sooner did the ashes touch their branches than the cherry trees,
the plum trees, and all other blossoming shrubs burst into bloom, so
that the old man's garden was suddenly transformed into a beautiful
picture of spring. The old man's delight knew no bounds, and he
carefully preserved the remaining ashes.

The story of the old man's garden spread far and wide, and people
from far and near came to see the wonderful sight.

One day, soon after this, the old man heard some one knocking at his
door, and going to the porch to see who it was he was surprised to
see a Knight standing there. This Knight told him that he was a
retainer of a great Daimio (Earl); that one of the favorite cherry
trees in this nobleman's garden had withered, and that though every
one in his service had tried all manner of means to revive it, none
took effect. The Knight was sore perplexed when he saw what great
displeasure the loss of his favorite cherry tree caused the Daimio.
At this point, fortunately, they had heard that there was a
wonderful old man who could make withered trees to blossom, and that
his Lord had sent him to ask the old man to come to him.

"And," added the Knight, "I shall be very much obliged if you will
come at once."

The good old man was greatly surprised at what he heard, but
respectfully followed the Knight to the nobleman's Palace.

The Daimio, who had been impatiently awaiting the old man's coming,
as soon as he saw him asked him at once:

"Are you the old man who can make withered trees flower even out of
season?"

The old man made an obeisance, and replied:

"I am that old man!"

Then the Daimio said:

"You must make that dead cherry tree in my garden blossom again by
means of your famous ashes. I shall look on."

Then they all went into the garden--the Daimio and his retainers and
the ladies-in waiting, who carried the Daimio's sword.

The old man now tucked up his kimono and made ready to climb the
tree. Saying "Excuse me," he took the pot of ashes which he had
brought with him, and began to climb the tree, every one watching
his movements with great interest.

At last he climbed to the spot where the tree divided into two great
branches, and taking up his position here, the old man sat down and
scattered the ashes right and left all over the branches and twigs.

Wonderful, indeed, was the result! The withered tree at once burst
into full bloom! The Daimio was so transported with joy that he
looked as if he would go mad. He rose to his feet and spread out his
fan, calling the old man down from the tree. He himself gave the old
man a wine cup filled with the best SAKE, and rewarded him with much
silver and gold and many other precious things. The Daimio ordered
that henceforth the old man should call himself by the name of Hana-
Saka-Jijii, or "The Old Man who makes the Trees to Blossom," and
that henceforth all were to recognize him by this name, and he sent
him home with great honor.

The wicked neighbor, as before, heard of the good old man's fortune,
and of all that had so auspiciously befallen him, and he could not
suppress all the envy and jealousy that filled his heart. He called
to mind how he had failed in his attempt to find the gold coins, and
then in making the magic cakes; this time surely he must succeed if
he imitated the old man, who made withered trees to flower simply by
sprinkling ashes on them. This would be the simplest task of all.

So he set to work and gathered together all the ashes which remained
in the fire-place from the burning of the wonderful mortar. Then he
set out in the hope of finding some great man to employ him, calling
out loudly as he went along:

"Here comes the wonderful man who can make withered trees blossom!
Here comes the old man who can make dead trees blossom!"

The Daimio in his Palace heard this cry, and said:

"That must be the Hana-Saka-Jijii passing. I have nothing to do to-
day. Let him try his art again; it will amuse me to look on."

So the retainers went out and brought in the impostor before their
Lord. The satisfaction of false old man can now be imagined.

But the Daimio looking at him, thought it strange that he was not at
all like the old man he had seen before, so he asked him:

"Are you the man whom I named Hana-Saka-Jijii?"

And the envious neighbor answered with a lie:

"Yes, my Lord!"

"That is strange!" said the Daimio. "I thought there was only one
Hana-Saka-Jijii in the world! Has he now some disciples?"

"I am the true Hana-Saka-Jijii. The one who came to you before was
only my disciple!" replied the old man again.

"Then you must be more skillful than the other. Try what you can do
and let me see!"

The envious neighbor, with the Daimio and his Court following, then
went into the garden, and approaching a dead tree, took out a
handful of the ashes which he carried with him, and scattered them
over the tree.

But not only did the tree not burst into flower, but not even a bud
came forth. Thinking that he had not used enough ashes, the old man
took handfuls and again sprinkled them over the withered tree. But
all to no effect. After trying several times, the ashes were blown
into the Daimio's eyes. This made him very angry, and he ordered his
retainers to arrest the false Hana-Saka-Jijii at once and put him in
prison for an impostor. From this imprisonment the wicked old man
was never freed. Thus did he meet with punishment at last for all
his evil doings.

The good old man, however, with the treasure of gold coins which
Shiro had found for him, and with all the gold and the silver which
the Daimio had showered on him, became a rich and prosperous man in
his old age, and lived a long and happy life, beloved and respected
by all.




THE JELLY FISH AND THE MONKEY.


Long, long ago, in old Japan, the Kingdom of the Sea was governed by
a wonderful King. He was called Rin Jin, or the Dragon King of the
Sea. His power was immense, for he was the ruler of all sea
creatures both great and small, and in his keeping were the Jewels
of the Ebb and Flow of the Tide. The Jewel of the Ebbing Tide when
thrown into the ocean caused the sea to recede from the land, and
the Jewel of the Flowing Tide made the waves to rise mountains high
and to flow in upon the shore like a tidal wave.

The Palace of Rin Jin was at the bottom of the sea, and was so
beautiful that no one has ever seen anything like it even in dreams.
The walls were of coral, the roof of jadestone and chrysoprase, and
the floors were of the finest mother-of-pearl. But the Dragon King,
in spite of his wide-spreading Kingdom, his beautiful Palace and all
its wonders, and his power which none disputed throughout the whole
sea, was not at all happy, for he reigned alone. At last he thought
that if he married he would not only be happier, but also more
powerful. So he decided to take a wife. Calling all his fish
retainers together, he chose several of them as ambassadors to go
through the sea and seek for a young Dragon Princess who would be
his bride.

At last they returned to the Palace bringing with them a lovely
young dragon. Her scales were of glittering green like the wings of
summer beetles, her eyes threw out glances of fire, and she was
dressed in gorgeous robes. All the jewels of the sea worked in with
embroidery adorned them.

The King fell in love with her at once, and the wedding ceremony was
celebrated with great splendor. Every living thing in the sea, from
the great whales down to the little shrimps, came in shoals to offer
their congratulations to the bride and bridegroom and to wish them a
long and prosperous life. Never had there been such an assemblage or
such gay festivities in the Fish-World before. The train of bearers
who carried the bride's possessions to her new home seemed to reach
across the waves from one end of the sea to the other. Each fish
carried a phosphorescent lantern and was dressed in ceremonial
robes, gleaming blue and pink and silver; and the waves as they rose
and fell and broke that night seemed to be rolling masses of white
and green fire, for the phosphorus shone with double brilliancy in
honor of the event.

Now for a time the Dragon King and his bride lived very happily.
They loved each other dearly, and the bridegroom day after day took
delight in showing his bride all the wonders and treasures of his
coral Palace, and she was never tired of wandering with him through
its vast halls and gardens. Life seemed to them both like a long
summer's day.

Two months passed in this happy way, and then the Dragon Queen fell
ill and was obliged to stay in bed. The King was sorely troubled
when he saw his precious bride so ill, and at once sent for the fish
doctor to come and give her some medicine. He gave special orders to
the servants to nurse her carefully and to wait upon her with
diligence, but in spite of all the nurses' assiduous care and the
medicine that the doctor prescribed, the young Queen showed no signs
of recovery, but grew daily worse.

Then the Dragon King interviewed the doctor and blamed him for not
curing the Queen. The doctor was alarmed at Rin Jin's evident
displeasure, and excused his want of skill by saying that although
he knew the right kind of medicine to give the invalid, it was
impossible to find it in the sea.

"Do you mean to tell me that you can't get the medicine here?" asked
the Dragon King.

"It is just as you say!" said the doctor.

"Tell me what it is you want for the Queen?" demanded Rin Jin.

"I want the liver of a live monkey!" answered the doctor.

"The liver of a live monkey! Of course that will be most difficult
to get," said the King.

"If we could only get that for the Queen, Her Majesty would soon
recover," said the doctor.

"Very well, that decides it; we MUST get it somehow or other. But
where are we most likely to find a monkey?" asked the King.

Then the doctor told the Dragon King that some distance to the south
there was a Monkey Island where a great many monkeys lived.

"If only you could capture one of these monkeys?" said the doctor.

"How can any of my people capture a monkey?" said the Dragon King,
greatly puzzled. "The monkeys live on dry land, while we live in the
water; and out of our element we are quite powerless! I don't see
what we can do!"

"That has been my difficulty too," said the doctor. "But amongst
your innumerable servants you surely can find one who can go on
shore for that express purpose!"

"Something must be done," said the King, and calling his chief
steward he consulted him on the matter.

The chief steward thought for some time, and then, as if struck by a
sudden thought, said joyfully:

"I know what we must do! There is the kurage (jelly fish). He is
certainly ugly to look at, but he is proud of being able to walk on
land with his four legs like a tortoise. Let us send him to the
Island of Monkeys to catch one."

The jelly fish was then summoned to the King's presence, and was
told by His Majesty what was required of him.

The jelly fish, on being told of the unexpected mission which was to
be intrusted to him, looked very troubled, and said that he had
never been to the island in question, and as he had never had any
experience in catching monkeys he was afraid that he would not be
able to get one.

"Well," said the chief steward, "if you depend on your strength or
dexterity you will never catch a monkey. The only way is to play a
trick on one!"

"How can I play a trick on a monkey? I don't know how to do it,"
said the perplexed jelly fish.

"This is what you must do," said the wily chief steward. "When you
approach the Island of Monkeys and meet some of them, you must try
to get very friendly with one. Tell him that you are a servant of
the Dragon King, and invite him to come and visit you and see the
Dragon King's Palace. Try and describe to him as vividly as you can
the grandeur of the Palace and the wonders of the sea so as to
arouse his curiosity and make him long to see it all!"

"But how am I to get the monkey here? You know monkeys don't swim?"
said the reluctant jelly fish.

"You must carry him on your back. What is the use of your shell if
you can't do that!" said the chief steward.

"Won't he be very heavy?" queried kurage again.

"You mustn't mind that, for you are working for the Dragon King,"
replied the chief steward.

"I will do my best then," said the jelly fish, and he swam away from
the Palace and started off towards the Monkey Island. Swimming
swiftly he reached his destination in a few hours, and landed by a
convenient wave upon the shore. On looking round he saw not far away
a big pine-tree with drooping branches and on one of those branches
was just what he was looking for--a live monkey.

"I'm in luck!" thought the jelly fish. "Now I must flatter the
creature and try to entice him to come back with me to the Palace,
and my part will be done!"

So the jelly fish slowly walked towards the pine-tree. In those
ancient days the jelly fish had four legs and a hard shell like a
tortoise. When he got to the pine-tree he raised his voice and said:

"How do you do, Mr. Monkey? Isn't it a lovely day?"

"A very fine day," answered the monkey from the tree. "I have never
seen you in this part of the world before. Where have you come from
and what is your name?"

"My name is kurage or jelly fish. I am one of the servants of the
Dragon King. I have heard so much of your beautiful island that I
have come on purpose to see it," answered the jelly fish.

"I am very glad to see you," said the monkey.

"By the bye," said the jelly fish, "have you ever seen the Palace of
the Dragon King of the Sea where I live?"

"I have often heard of it, but I have never seen it!" answered the
monkey.

"Then you ought most surely to come. It is a great pity for you to
go through life without seeing it. The beauty of the Palace is
beyond all description--it is certainly to my mind the most lovely
place in the world," said the jelly fish.

"Is it so beautiful as all that?" asked the monkey in astonishment.

Then the jelly fish saw his chance, and went on describing to the
best of his ability the beauty and grandeur of the Sea King's
Palace, and the wonders of the garden with its curious trees of
white, pink and red coral, and the still more curious fruits like
great jewels hanging on the branches. The monkey grew more and more
interested, and as he listened he came down the tree step by step so
as not to lose a word of the wonderful story.

"I have got him at last!" thought the jelly fish, but aloud he said:

"Mr. Monkey. I must now go back. As you have never seen the Palace
of the Dragon King, won't you avail yourself of this splendid
opportunity by coming with me? I shall then be able to act as guide
and show you all the sights of the sea, which will be even more
wonderful to you--a land-lubber."

"I should love to go," said the monkey, "but how am I to cross the
water! I can't swim, as you surely know!"

"There is no difficulty about that. I can carry you on my back."

"That will be troubling you too much," said the monkey.

"I can do it quite easily. I am stronger than I look, so you needn't
hesitate," said the jelly fish, and taking the monkey on his back he
stepped into the sea.

"Keep very still, Mr. monkey," said the jelly fish. "You mustn't
fall into the sea; I am responsible for your safe arrival at the
King's Palace."

"Please don't go so fast, or I am sure I shall fall off," said the
monkey.

Thus they went along, the jelly fish skimming through the waves with
the monkey sitting on his back. When they were about half-way, the
jelly fish, who knew very little of anatomy, began to wonder if the
monkey had his liver with him or not!

"Mr. Monkey, tell me, have you such a thing as a liver with you?"

The monkey was very much surprised at this queer question, and asked
what the jelly fish wanted with a liver.

"That is the most important thing of all," said the stupid jelly
fish, "so as soon as I recollected it, I asked you if you had yours
with you?"

"Why is my liver so important to you?" asked the monkey.

"Oh! you will learn the reason later," said the jelly fish.

The monkey grew more and more curious and suspicious, and urged the
jelly fish to tell him for what his liver was wanted, and ended up
by appealing to his hearer's feelings by saying that he was very
troubled at what he had been told.

Then the jelly fish, seeing how anxious the monkey looked, was sorry
for him, and told him everything. How the Dragon Queen had fallen
ill, and how the doctor had said that only the liver of a live
monkey would cure her, and how the Dragon King had sent him to find
one.

"Now I have done as I was told, and as soon as we arrive at the
Palace the doctor will want your liver, so I feel sorry for you!"
said the silly jelly fish.

The poor monkey was horrified when he learnt all this, and very
angry at the trick played upon him. He trembled with fear at the
thought of what was in store for him.

But the monkey was a clever animal, and he thought it the wisest
plan not to show any sign of the fear he felt, so he tried to calm
himself and to think of some way by which he might escape.

"The doctor means to cut me open and then take my liver out! Why I
shall die!" thought the monkey. At last a bright thought struck him,
so he said quite cheerfully to the jelly fish:

"What a pity it was, Mr. Jelly Fish, that you did not speak of this
before we left the island!"

"If I had told why I wanted you to accompany me you would certainly
have refused to come," answered the jelly fish.

"You are quite mistaken," said the monkey. "Monkeys can very well
spare a liver or two, especially when it is wanted for the Dragon
Queen of the Sea. If I had only guessed of what you were in need. I
should have presented you with one without waiting to be asked. I
have several livers. But the greatest pity is, that as you did not
speak in time, I have left all my livers hanging on the pine-tree."

"Have you left your liver behind you?" asked the jelly fish.

"Yes," said the cunning monkey, "during the daytime I usually leave
my liver hanging up on the branch of a tree, as it is very much in
the way when I am climbing about from tree to tree. To-day,
listening to your interesting conversation, I quite forgot it, and
left it behind when I came off with you. If only you had spoken in
time I should have remembered it, and should have brought it along
with me!"