Untitled

66 THE WONDERFUL CITY OF TOKIO.
"Please tell us about the sage Tai-ko-bo?" urged Sallie.
* You must not notice my brother's remarks."
"I do not," said the lacquer-maker, in a gentle tone.
rr He
is very young and does not venerate the sages. This is what
I know about Tai-ko-bo. Although he was a very learned
man he was exceedingly poor. He lived in the town of I on
the Isui (river I). For a long time he was in the habit of
going to fish in the stream, but, instead of using a barbed hook,
he tied a piece of straight copper wire to the end of his line,
and did not carry any bait. {Smiling.) You see I have represented
that on the cabinet. People often said to him:
'
Honorable Tai-ko-bo, what do you expect to catch?'
'To which he would, reply:
fA big fish!'
rr
I should think he was not quite right in his mind," inter-
terposed Fitz.
The man regarded him pityingly, then calmly continued:
"One day Tai-ko-bo's wife came to him and said:
?
Honorable husband, why do you not work and make
some money, instead of trying to do what is impossible? You
have been fishing here for several years, and have not even
caught an ai (minnow).'
r Women never know what is passing in a man's mind,' he
replied. 'Wait, I will catch a big fish.'
'
She pulled up his line, and on examining the hook became
very angry, saying:
'You have been making fun of me all the time, I will not
live with such an idiot. Please divorce me.'
" One morning after Tai-ko-bo had done as she requested,
the emperor came by, and seeing the sage, asked what he was
about. Tai-ko-bo replied in his usual fashion, whereupon
the emperor questioned him, when he said: