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Show Tills SlTOIsBUIssVKI.IL Tliero nil once In Japan at a llmo ro renioto that rAvants hardly dnro speak of it a loor llttlo atcnobrcaker vho was eniflorcd upon the hlghwn)a lis workeil upon tho lilglinays, nlillo It was daylight, all tlio time, during all seasons under tho rain, the snow or tin tun. IIo was alwu)s half tbstit with fatlgne, three-quarters dead from linn ger, and was not at all eontcutml with I Is fate ' Oil how t wool I thank heaven " ral 1 lie, ' If I coul 1 one day lio but rich enough to sleep Ilia wliolo uicnilnf through and tat an 1 drink my fllL It Is said Ihero evlit peuple blessed I y fortune, for-tune, who thus lire in cost and comfort htntclieil upon thick mats before my door, my back covered with soft vest, tnmtsof silk, I nonld make a siesta to bo broken eiery quarter of an hour by servitor who shonl I recall to mo that I hid nothing to do and that I could sleep without remorse." sn angel passing hard tlieto words aul alitllswl rhy pra)er bo granted poor man," said he. ,nl suddenly tho stonehreaker. en- cloid In stuni tuoos a i atineiils of silk, foun 1 hlinielf tin tcluel njs n some thick mats, lifitn tho iksir of n slemlll dwelling lie was no longer hungry or thinly, no longer tired, an 1 all this ap-js-ared to him as ngreeablo as It was tur-I tur-I rlalng Ha tailed during rt luilf hour nnknown hniplneae, when tho mikado chineed to liass. Tlio lulka lo! That was no small lustier not Tho tnika luls tho emperor of Japan and llio t tuivror of Japan wus, at that time, above all, the most powerful power-ful of the rmprrors of the orient. Ireceded b) couriers the mlki lo was trarellng for t!cAsitn, inrronndctl by cavaliers all decorated an 1 lanltxentnl, llko the grand Turk of Turkey, follow vl lyfainus warriors, escorted by must clans, accompanied by women the most btitiitlftil In the worll, who doaetl In thelrsllver bowdatis lurched uiwiiwhlU elelihautai. 'fho mikado reposed upon ellerdown In a iinlanquln of film go) 1 studded with I reelous stones. Ills prime minister lutd the uuparallolcd honr of hoi ling abovu bis head n great tinkling tantsol all fringed wllh little bills. Tho cmfchtd sttmebreaker followed, with an invlous co Hie tuiiH-rial cortege. cor-tege. "1 haven't gained much," ho sail to lilmsclf "I afu not much hnp ler for tlio few jvallry ploaauree 1 am enabled t gho in) self. Oh, that 1 wero tlio nil-bail nil-bail it 1 Moull travel In grand state, lolling f i u gol len iialaitqnln blacln wllh preclo is stones, attended by my prime minister holding a great glittering glitter-ing luirajo) over me, whllo my .on 1 lulnltler slioul 1 cool my fieo wlthnf-in nsilo or peaoock s feathers. Aht Hut I could In tlio nilka lor " Yonr w Is Ii Is granted," slid the angl. And immediately ho sniv lilmsilf strctcheil in tho palanquin of finogold, starred with ttcclout atones, mil sur-rounded sur-rounded by his inlnlateri, his warriors, his women and his slaics, who tall to him In Jntvinesei ".Mikado, thou art inperlor to tho sun thou art eternal tlnni art Invincible. All that tliosirttof man can conceit o thoiicanttciccue Jnsllceltaelf Ii subordinate sub-ordinate to thy will, and Uo.l, treinbllu;, aw Hits fliy counsels." snd the stonebreaker sal 1 to himself, "-Mil happy duyl now hero ro icop.Io who know my anlno " Tlio snn, w Well ha I been very fierco f r soino da) s, ha 1 parched tho country. Tho ronlo was dully nnd his glaro fatlgncd Iho c ) ea of tho uenmadu ml-kilo. ml-kilo. AUressIng his mlniiljrwlio carried tlio tinkling parasol, ho illji ".Mnko known to tho sun that ho troubles mo. Ills familiarities dlspleaao mo. bay to him tint tbo gran I vinjieror of Jniaii commandi him to retire, tjot" Tho prlmo mluiitcr couilleil to a chamberlain the honor ot out Ins tmi tinkling paraaot an 1 went am a), IIo returned prwently wllh llio great-eat great-eat consternation written lu his f-ice. ' Ureat emiierorl bocreign of tho goile and of maul It Is imt comprelien-slon. comprelien-slon. '1 ho sun pretends not to hear and continues to shlnoon tho road," "Let him be punished " 'Cerlulnlyl lila imolenco merits It but how shall I get nt him to administer Ilia punlsluneuty' ''1 am Iho equal of tho EO.li la It not so;" "Aiiuredly, great nilJnJo-llio equal, tociytholeaat" " ou told mo but n noment ilr.ee that nothing wna luipoisiblo to mo ou btvo Hod to mo ou huvo dlaoba) ed me or ) ou huvo badly executed my orders. I Clio youflvo minutes in which to pui out tho snu, or ten lu which to commit hurl kari Uol" Tlio rlino minister went away, but ill 1 not return Tho Imperial stonebreaker was j ur) lo with rnji ' Upon my word! This Is n fino poI-Hon poI-Hon this of cmiieror,whcti ono Is obli,etl to submit lo tho familiarities, tho caprices, ca-prices, th i brutalities r f n uio log J nit t. It Is no ueo to dciiy it, tlio sun is uioro powerful thuu L 1 would llko to bo tho sun" "Von aro tho snn," said tho angel And tho Hills stonehrriikcr shone In tho high heavens, all rn Hunt, all flaming flam-ing Ho took pleasure In scorching tlio tioei, In drying up thu rivers mil tho iqiringi, nnd In covering with sweat tho iiugust i Isuges of empcrorr, uo less than HA tl ualy notes of tho stonebieitkcrs, his toltoagues of Iho morning Hut a clou I canto Ixtwcm tlio cnttli and hhn, and the cloud taldi Halt tberel in) dear Xo ono can pass." ,'H) the moonl This Is n little too inuclu A cloud, n lwor llttlo cloud, without form, calls mo 'my denr an I lars thowuyl Clouds nre innru power ti 1 Himi 1 I will bo it cloud or 1 shall burnt with jcalotuv " 'Do not lui t for so little " raid th angel, alwn) sin attendance, "liou cloud since )otl winh It," And tlio new cloud rettl roudly, In hit turn between tin eattb and thu retplendenl sun. Never In the memory of O 4 In 1 tht r fallen such showers Tlio transformed stonebreaker look leasum in pouring rain and hall tqion tlievaith In n fashloo so tcrriblo that trees fell down, lindlun only mud in w hlch to faiten Hi Ir root c Unlerhlsaquitlo rulocf see i tl houii streams became risers, rivirs becatns torrents, sens merfxl into oio anotlid and formidable waterspouts wero every where. A rock meanwhile, holt up his head lnthehbirm Jn fnceofull her nialnel lminsslvu. Upon his llanks cf granite Ihowmes ilnsheil, covering Willi froth the wntirspouls breeiklng at hl feet an 1 the thun ler invle him laugh each timo that it tickled his sides. "I am At my wits' ends!" sail tin clou 1 "This rock Ignores my iiwtr IIo resists me, nnd I eny him " Sal 1 tho muff, "Tako his place, and let us sea If ou will at last be satUHed " Th transform! clou I nt length fell at ease liiprvlou, Inaccessible, liu litsaive, under tho burning caresses cl the sun and under tho fury f the thnn der, lw believed. IiIiuhH master of th worl I. Put lo, nt his feet n little soft hammer Ingdrew his attention Iloltahcd otel ami saw n poor creature, coored with rags thin and pale as lo himself hail (ecu In the tlmo of Ids greateit inim ry who, with n lnatlet 111 Ida Inn 1, chippt-d the granlto Into ilecea to repilr Hm iielglihoring roadway. "What Is Oils cried tho superb rock "n jiour wretch, miserable among the must miserable, mutilates mo nn 1 1 can not deft n 1 myself 1 1 nut profoundly hu initiated 1 am rnluco-J to tutylng tin state of thli creature." ' Take his lace," laid tbo nngel smlb lng snd the Insatiable iieraonage lseeains that which hu was before a or Hull breaker of stone. As in the just ho worktl upon tin roads while thero was light all the time In all scaion, under the rain, thu snow, or the snn He was Always half ilewl from hun ger, nu 1 three-quarters dea l from fa eigne all of which did not hinder hlu from living perfectly contented wllh Ml lot, translated from the French of .r neat Is'Hplmt by Laura Lyou hlto foi bbort btorlcs. |