rain for him.

A good many summers passed by, and Raitaro had grown to be a tall and
handsome lad, almost a man and eighteen years old. On his birthday the
old farmer and the good wife made a little feast for their foster-child.
They ate and drank and talked of the thunder-storm, out of which Raitaro
was born.

Finally the young man said solemnly:

"My dear parents, I thank you very much for your kindness to me, but I
must now say farewell. I hope you will always be happy."

Then, in a moment, all trace of a human form disappeared, and floating
in the air, they saw a tiny white dragon, which hovered for a moment
above them, and then flew away. The old couple went out of doors to watch
it, when it grew bigger and bigger, taking its course to the hills above,
where the piled-up white clouds, which form on a summer's afternoon,
seemed built up like towers and castles of silver. Towards one of these
the dragon moved, until, as they watched his form, now grown to a mighty
size, it disappeared from view.

After this Kanemochi and his wife, who were now old and white-headed,
ceased from their toil and lived in comfort all their days. When they
died and their bodies were reduced to a heap of white cinders in the
stone furnace of the village cremation-house, their ashes were mixed, and
being put into one urn, were laid away in the cemetery of the temple
yard. Their tomb was carved in the form of a white dragon, which to this
day, in spite of mosses and lichens, may still be seen among the ancient
monuments of the little hamlet.

THE TONGUE-CUT SPARROW.

There was once an old man who had a wife with a very bad temper. She had
never borne him any children, and would not take the trouble to adopt a
son. So for a little pet he kept a tiny sparrow, and fed it with great
care. The old dame not satisfied with scolding her husband hated the
sparrow.

Now the old woman's temper was especially bad on wash days, when her old
back and knees were well strained over the low tub, which rested on the
ground.

It happened once that she had made some starch, and set it in a red
wooden bowl to cool. While her back was turned, the sparrow hopped down
on the edge of the bowl, and pecked at some of the starch. In a rage the
old hag seized a pair of scissors and cut the sparrow's tongue out.
Flinging the bird in the air she cried out, "Now be off." So the poor
sparrow, all bleeding, flew away.

When the old man came back and found