Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/224

208              THE JADE STORY BOOK quietly went out to enjoy himself among his fellows. He had scarcely left the room, however, when Sin became very restless, rolling his aching head from side to side.

"My head burns, and the pillow scorches!" moaned he. "I am suffocating! O for a breath of the fresh air in the fields and woods! Why should I not go and enjoy it? I will!" he exclaimed, and with that he sprang out of bed, ran out of the room and through the front door, and then down the road and into a neighboring field.

"This is delicious!" he said, as he threw himself down. "Now I can breathe, and am myself again."

But soon his tongue again became parched; his skin burned, and pains pierced his head. "Oh," he cried, "the fire-demon has followed me here! If only I could plunge into a river of cold water I should be well." He arose and wandered on until he saw before him a broad, shining river, into which he immediately plunged.

He was an expert swimmer, and he dived to the bottom, then skimmed along the top, his queue floating on the water, and looking