A SHORT TRIP. 165

of two enraged animals. At last the judge thought of this plan:

“* Rach of you take hold of that girl,’ I imagine him saying. ‘Now
pull! Who is the stronger of you two shall have her! Pull! Pull!
I say!’

“ Both women seized the girl, but the true mother handled her child
gently, and when the latter cried out, on account of the pulling, the
true mother ceased, not being willing to hurt her child. The other
woman had been straining like an anaconda on an ox. The friends of
the mother thought she had better pull again, and the lying contestant
defied her to do it; but the mother’s heart said, ‘I can’t pull and
- hurt my child’ Judge Oka saw at once that this was the real mother,
and gave the girl to her. The other contestant went home, probably
looking sour as a pickle, but the spectators were full of praise for
the judge.”

“T am glad,” said Rick sympathizingly, “ that the woman got
her daughter, or there would have been many a lonely meal for
the poor Japanese mother.”

_ “The story,” said Ralph, “makes you think of what Solomon did
with the two mothers claiming the same baby.”

“So it does. Stories, like folks, may travel from one country to
another. And in their travels, their aes may be changed like oo
of the new people they happen among.”

“Oh another story!” cried Rick.

“Yes, yes! Do, please!” added Ralph.

“Doctor, you are in for it.”

“Tam afraid I am, Capn. Well, let me think! Hum! Let
me think !”

He sat with bowed head a minute; then raised it.

“T have something now. Do you remember about our American
story of Rip Van Winkle?”