Chapter 1
There was a young camellia tree on the side of the road in the mountains.
Risuke-san, the cow puller, tethered his cow to it.
Kaizou-san, the rickshaw puller, placed his rickshaw at the base of the camellia.
The rickshaw was not a cow, so it didn't need to be connected to the camellia.
Then, Risuke-san and Kaizou-san went into the mountain to drink water.
About 100 meters down the mountain from the road, there was always a spring of clean and cold water.
The two of them took turns drinking the water like deer, putting their hands and stomachs on the ferns of the spring edge and smelling the cold water.
They drank so much that their stomachs were full of water.
In the mountains, spring cicadas were already chirping.
"Oh, they've already started to chirp. It makes me hot."
Kaizou-san said, wearing his hat.
"From now on, we will drink this spring water every time we go back and forth."
Risuke-san was sweating after drinking the water, so he wiped it off with his hand towel.
"It would be better if this was closer to the road." Kaizou-san said.
"That's exactly right." Risuke-san replied.
After drinking the water here, everyone always said such things to each other as if they were greetings.
When they came back to the camellia, a man was standing there with his bicycle parked.
At that time, bicycles had just been introduced to Japan, and people who owned bicycles were usually rich people in the countryside.
"I wonder who he is." Risuke-san said in a frightened voice.
"Maybe the mayor." Kaizou-san said.
When they came close to him, they found out that it was an old landowner who owned the land in this neighborhood.
Another thing they found out was that the landowner was very angry.
"Hey, hey. Whose cow is this?"
When the landowner saw them, he yelled at them.
The cow belonged to Risuke-san.
"It's my cow."
"Your cow? Look at this. It ate all the camellia leaves and turned into a tree without leaves."
When the two looked at the camellia tree to which the cow was tethered, they saw that it was just as the landowner with the bicycle had said.
The tender leaves of the young camellia had been completely plucked off, and all that was left was a shabby cane-like thing standing there.
Thinking that he had gotten into a big trouble, Risuke-san, turning his face red, rushed to pull the rope from the tree.
Then, to make his apologies, he struck the cow in the neck with the reins.
However, the landowner would not let him off the hook for such a thing.
The landowner scolded Risuke-san, who was an adult, as if he was scolding a child.
Slapping the saddle of his bicycle, the landowner said.
"Now, anyway, put the leaves back on like before."
This was an impossible task.
So Kaizou-san, the rickshaw puller, also took off his hat and apologized for Risuke-san.
"Oh well, please forgive him this time. Risuke-san did not know that the cow would eat the camellia."
At last, the landowner was able to calm down.
However, he was yelling so much that his body seemed to be shaking and he failed to ride his bicycle a couple of times.
Then he rode away.
Risuke-san and Kaizou-san started walking toward the village.
But they didn't talk to each other anymore.
Kaizou-san, who was pulling the rickshaw, sympathized with Risuke's feelings, thinking that it was shameful for an adult to be scolded by an adult.
"It would be better if that spring water was closer to the road." Kaizou-san said at last.
"That's exactly right." Risuke-san replied.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered
Risuke-san, the cow puller, tethered his cow to it.
Kaizou-san, the rickshaw puller, placed his rickshaw at the base of the camellia.
The rickshaw was not a cow, so it didn't need to be connected to the camellia.
Then, Risuke-san and Kaizou-san went into the mountain to drink water.
About 100 meters down the mountain from the road, there was always a spring of clean and cold water.
The two of them took turns drinking the water like deer, putting their hands and stomachs on the ferns of the spring edge and smelling the cold water.
They drank so much that their stomachs were full of water.
In the mountains, spring cicadas were already chirping.
"Oh, they've already started to chirp. It makes me hot."
Kaizou-san said, wearing his hat.
"From now on, we will drink this spring water every time we go back and forth."
Risuke-san was sweating after drinking the water, so he wiped it off with his hand towel.
"It would be better if this was closer to the road." Kaizou-san said.
"That's exactly right." Risuke-san replied.
After drinking the water here, everyone always said such things to each other as if they were greetings.
When they came back to the camellia, a man was standing there with his bicycle parked.
At that time, bicycles had just been introduced to Japan, and people who owned bicycles were usually rich people in the countryside.
"I wonder who he is." Risuke-san said in a frightened voice.
"Maybe the mayor." Kaizou-san said.
When they came close to him, they found out that it was an old landowner who owned the land in this neighborhood.
Another thing they found out was that the landowner was very angry.
"Hey, hey. Whose cow is this?"
When the landowner saw them, he yelled at them.
The cow belonged to Risuke-san.
"It's my cow."
"Your cow? Look at this. It ate all the camellia leaves and turned into a tree without leaves."
When the two looked at the camellia tree to which the cow was tethered, they saw that it was just as the landowner with the bicycle had said.
The tender leaves of the young camellia had been completely plucked off, and all that was left was a shabby cane-like thing standing there.
Thinking that he had gotten into a big trouble, Risuke-san, turning his face red, rushed to pull the rope from the tree.
Then, to make his apologies, he struck the cow in the neck with the reins.
However, the landowner would not let him off the hook for such a thing.
The landowner scolded Risuke-san, who was an adult, as if he was scolding a child.
Slapping the saddle of his bicycle, the landowner said.
"Now, anyway, put the leaves back on like before."
This was an impossible task.
So Kaizou-san, the rickshaw puller, also took off his hat and apologized for Risuke-san.
"Oh well, please forgive him this time. Risuke-san did not know that the cow would eat the camellia."
At last, the landowner was able to calm down.
However, he was yelling so much that his body seemed to be shaking and he failed to ride his bicycle a couple of times.
Then he rode away.
Risuke-san and Kaizou-san started walking toward the village.
But they didn't talk to each other anymore.
Kaizou-san, who was pulling the rickshaw, sympathized with Risuke's feelings, thinking that it was shameful for an adult to be scolded by an adult.
"It would be better if that spring water was closer to the road." Kaizou-san said at last.
"That's exactly right." Risuke-san replied.
- To return to table of contents of A camellia tree to which a cow was tethered