rned into
berries with such a horrible smell that they were obliged to run away,
after smashing the mortar in a rage and setting fire to the bits.

The old people next door were naturally very much put out when they
learned the fate of their mortar, and were not at all comforted by the
explanations and excuses made by their neighbour. But that night the dog
again appeared in a dream to his master, and told him that he must go
and collect the ashes of the burnt mortar and bring them home. Then,
when he heard that the Daimio, or great lord to whom this part of the
country belonged, was expected at the capital, he was to carry the ashes
to the high road, through which the procession would have to pass. And
as soon as it was in sight he was to climb up all the cherry-trees and
sprinkle the ashes on them, and they would soon blossom as they had
never blossomed before.

This time the old man did not wait to consult his wife as to whether he
was to do what his dog had told him, but directly he got up he went to
his neighbour's house and collected the ashes of the burnt mortar. He
put them carefully in a china vase, and carried it to the high road,
Sitting down on a seat till the Daimio should pass. The cherry-trees
were bare, for it was the season when small pots of them were sold to
rich people, who kept them in hot places, so that they might blossom
early and decorate their rooms. As to the trees in the open air, no one
would ever think of looking for the tiniest bud for more than a month
yet. The old man had not been waiting very long before he saw a cloud of
dust in the far distance, and knew that it must be the procession of the
Daimio. On they came, every man dressed in his finest clothes, and the
crowd that was lining the road bowed their faces to the ground as they
went by. Only the old man did not bow himself, and the great lord saw
this, and bade one of his courtiers, in anger, go and inquire why he had
disobeyed the ancient customs. But before the messenger could reach him
the old man had climbed the nearest tree and scattered his ashes far and
wide, and in an instant the white flowers had flashed into life, and the
heart of the Daimio rejoiced, and he gave rich presents to the old man,
whom he sent for to his castle.

We may be sure that in a very little while the envious neighbour had
heard this also, and his bosom was filled with hate. He hastened to the
place where he had burned the mortar, collected a few of