he warrior a new suit of clothes to go to
Court in at the New Year.

The cooking pot was wonderful, too. No matter what was put into it, it
cooked deliciously whatever was wanted without any firing--truly a very
economical saucepan.

The fame of Hidesato's fortune spread far and wide, and as there was no
need for him to spend money on rice or silk or firing, he became very
rich and prosperous, and was henceforth known as _My Lord Bag of Rice_.

[Illustration]

THE LITTLE HARE OF OKI

_A Japanese Fairy Tale_

RETOLD BY B. M. BURRELL

Alice lived in New York, but she still had the nurse who had taken care
of her when she was a tiny baby in far-away Japan. Nurse wore the
picturesque kimono and obi of her native land, and looked so different
from other people that friends often wondered how Alice could feel at
home with her. Love, however, is the same the world over, and no one
loved Alice better than did her little Japanese nurse.

When Papa and Mama were at dinner, and Alice and Nurse had the library
all to themselves till bedtime, the little girl would often pull two
chairs up to the fire and say coaxingly:

"There is just time for a story!" And Nurse would smile her funny
Japanese smile and begin:

"Long, long ago, when the great Japanese gods ruled from high heaven,--"

This was the beginning Alice liked best, for it meant that a fairy tale
would follow. And Nurse would perhaps continue:

"--a little hare lived on the island of Oki. It was a beautiful island,
but the hare was not satisfied: he wished to get to the mainland. He did
not know how to manage this; but one day he thought of a plan. Hopping
down to the shore, he waited till a crocodile came out to sun himself,
then opened a conversation with him.

"'There are, I suppose, many crocodiles in the sea,' he began.

"'Many, many!' the crocodile answered.

"'Not so many, however, as there are hares on the island of Oki,'
returned the little hare.

"'The crocodiles in the sea outnumber the hares of Oki as the drops in
the sea outnumber the trees of the island,' declared the crocodile, in
his deepest voice.

"'It does not seem right for a little bit of a creature like myself to
differ with your lordship,' said the hare, politely, 'but I should like
to see a proof of your statement.'

"'How can we prove it?' the crocodile questioned.

"'You can call all your friends and place them from here to the
mainland, each with his nose on the ta