162 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

Kiyoto. Thence we journey to Osaka. We finally reach Kobe, and
there we take the finest ship out, the Antelope. And now I have
special news. Guess—guess, if you can, who is going with us to
Australia!”

The boys made all sorts of wild, reckless guesses, but Uncle Nat said:
“You are wrong every time; for it is Dr. Walton!” —

“Dr. Walton!” they screamed.

“Yes; for some time he has been thinking of a return to America,
and has concluded to go by way of Australia, a country he was never
in. So he travels per Antelope.”

“ Good, good, good!” shouted Rick.

“ Better, better, better!” shouted Ralph; and Uncle Nat not to be
outdone, said “ Best, best, best!”

The boys thought the event ought to be celebrated.

“And how can we celebrate?” asked Rick.

“Let’s get the doctor to tell a story, for that’s the best celebration,”
suggested Ralph; and they hunted up the doctor at once.

“Ha, boys, you have me there,” said the doctor. “Well, I'll give
you a short story, one about a Japanese judge that the poop think
highly of, and a book has been written about him:

“ There was once a young mother who had a little daughter. The
mother was very straightened in her means, and was obliged to go
away from home to work; and in the meantime she left her child in
the care of another woman. By and by the mother was able to return
home, and she did so joyfully, expecting to have her child back again,
and be hers all the time. But what did the other woman do but
refuse to relinquish her, claiming her as her own child! The true
mother was heart-stricken, and took her case to Judge Oka; but what
could he do about it? Nobody had a word to say, excepting these two
women, and their testimony butted against one another like the heads