Читать книгу Kibun Daizin; Or, From Shark-Boy to Merchant Prince онлайн

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“A nice bamboo dragon-fly,” Bunkichi answered; and, taking the knife, he split a bit of the bamboo, shaved it fine and smooth, and fixed a little peg in the middle of it.

Sadakichi, quickly guessing what it was, said: “Ah, it’s a dragon-fly. I know! I once went with the banto^[10] to Kada-no-Ura, and every one there was flying those dragon-flies, and, now I think of it, the boy who was selling them looked just like you.”

ssss1.Clerk.

Not a bit disconcerted, Bunkichi replied: “Yes, you are quite right. I was the boy who made them and was selling them.”

“Bah! Mr. Dragon-fly-seller!” blustered out Sadakichi, with a face of disgust.

“Don’t speak like that,” said the little girl, turning sharply upon him, and then to Bunkichi: “What made you sell them?” she asked, speaking out to him for the first time.

“My father was ill in bed,” he answered, continuing to scrape the bamboo, “and, as our family was poor, I managed to buy him rice and medicine by selling these dragon-flies.”

Child as she was, this touching story of filial piety made her respect Bunkichi all the more.