Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/124

108 Strange to say, after having lived there for two hundred years life began to be somewhat dull and monotonous. He wanted a change, for it was the same thing day after day, and year after year. He began to think that perhaps the other people were not so foolish when they wanted to die!

It would be fine if he could see his own country again; things would never be any different where he was now, and how wearisome it was getting to be!

Now he wanted to die, but couldn't, and it was no use trying to.

One day he happened to think that his prayers to Jofuku had resulted in bringing him to this country. He would pray to Jofuku to take him away from it. Why did he not think of this before?

So he prayed, and to his surprise the paper bird came into his hand. It grew and grew as it had done before in the temple of Jofuku, and soon it was large enough for him to mount. It spread its wings, and they went flying through the air.

On and on they flew, stopping neither for rest nor food, and at length they reached the