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Southland Times, Issue 19387, 10 September 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

It wns a clear morning in the early spring. The first rays of the rising sun played on tha roofs of cottages in the little fishing village by the sea and kissed the dew drops on the ! blossoms of the blooming cherry trees. At j every little puff of tbe morning breezes the . white petals fell to the ground like snow. In the background the mighty cone of the snowcovered Fuji was plainly visible, glittering as i if incrusted with diamonds. A little boat was moored near the shore, peacefully rocking on the crest of the waves. Light, downy clouds looked down upon the , calm sea. In the village there were already signs of life, brawny, dusky, muscular men emerged from the cottages and walked toward the shore to begin their day's work. Now ' came also Ursuhima, the fisher boy, carrying hjp net, which he threw down into his boat, and seizing the oars the light skiff was soon speeding seaward. He hoisted his sail and sat dreaming as the wind carried him away from the shore. Some distance out he threw out his net and sat waiting patiently, but the sun had •already reached zenith and not one fish had he caught. Evidently he had no luck to-day. Before turning his boat toward the shore he made one mbro attempt, arid lo 1 when he again pulled up his net it was so heavy that . it took all the strength of his' muscular arms to get it aboard, but when he looked he had caught only a large turtle, a creature which he dared not keep, as it was consecrated to the God of the Sea. Carefully liberating from the meshes of the net he threw it back into the sea, and in the same moment the head of a beautiful girl with long black hair appeared near his boat. With an expression of terror Urushima looked at her, but she spoke to him in a friendly voice. %> "Do not be afraid. You have spared the life of the holy turtle and the God of the Sea will reward you. Follow me. " And .before Urushima know it his boat rushed across the waves with the speed of an arrow. A storm arose and his sail was torn into shreds. At last he landed on a small rocky island which he had never seen before. A large cave was in front of him, and this he entered without fear>. v lt was dark as night within, but soon rays of green and blue light broke through the darkness, and at last it was bright as day. He stood before a magnificent palace on the bottom of the sea. Strange fishes of wonderful colours stood guard before a portal made from beautiful corals and sea shells, and a young girl in whom he recognised the mermaid who had appeared to him before came out to meet him. She wore a kimono bright ■is the purest gold, and her long, black hair fell as a mantle to her knees. "lam the Sea God's daughter," she said in her soft, melodious voice. "Will you be uiy- husband and stay with me ?" Ho nodded assent and she took him by the hand and led him into the palace. And now began a life full of joy for the foung couple, undarkened by any sorrow; but after threo years Urushima began to long for his parents, who must be growing old md whom he would like to see once more. For many months he bore his sufferings in silence, but at last he could keep his secret no longer and told his wife, who, after many tears, permitted him to return to his home jnce move. ■* When they parted she gave him a black shrine, saying : " Promise me never to open this, but bring it back to me when you have seen your parents. If you opon it you can never return to me again." Urushima kissed her with a heavy heart md promised to obey her, and in the same moment a storm arose and a gigantic wave threw him ashore at his old home. How well he remembered the village and she snowolad peak of Fuji ! But the people were all strangers to him who had known avery child in the village. Filled with a strange fear he asked an old «voman about his parents. She looked at him m astonishment and answered : " Those for whom you ask rest in their graves in the graveyard. But Jwho are you who asks about peopie who died four hundred pears ago?" Urushima gave her no answer, but hurried ;o the graveyard and soon found the tombstones of her parents and next to theirs one with his own name saying he had been irowncd while fishing. Hot tears streamed down his face, but then tie thought of the shrine. Maybe if ho opened it the bad dream would disappear. With trembling hand he forced it open nnd he heard a sound as of a woman crying. The shrine wns empty ; only a blue vapour irose from it into the air. Then he remembered his promise and tried to catch tlie vapour, but it rose higher and higher drifting away into the air. In the same moment his hair turned whito, his knees bent under the weight of four hundred years and sank dead to the ground on his own grave.