Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/225

                  MR. SIN, THE CARP                         209 like an eel. "This is happiness," he said; "who would live on land who could live in water?"

Just then he heard close to him a funny sort of chuckle, and turning round, he saw a large fish staring at him with round eyes, and with a peculiar twist of its mouth which Sin could see was caused by laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked.

"You," replied the fish..

"Why do you laugh at me?" he inquired.

"I laughed at what you said," answered the fish. "The idea of a man knowing what the delight of living in water is was so funny that I couldn't help laughing, and it has made me feel very uncomfortable, because I am not used to doing that."

Then Sin asked why a fish should enjoy the water more than a man, and the fish replied that a man would like to swim and dive for a little while, but his ugly limbs, which made him look like a frog, would soon tire. And then, when a man is hungry, he has to seek his food on land, while a fish can find nourishment while gliding