🧚 Opening, part 1

The Jewel Series1

THE DIAMOND STORY BOOK.2 Compiled by PENRHYN W. COUSSENS.3 Illustrations in color by Ethel Green.4

THE EMERALD STORY BOOK.5 _Stories of Spring, Nature, and Easter.6 _ By ADA and ELEANOR SKINNER.7 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.8

THE RUBY STORY BOOK.9 _Tales of Courage and Heroism.10 _ Retold by PENRHYN W. COUSSENS.11 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.12

THE SAPPHIRE STORY BOOK.13 _Tales of the Sea.14 _ Collected and retold by PENRHYN W. COUSSENS.15 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.16

THE TOPAZ STORY BOOK.17 _Stories and Legends of Autumn, Hallowe’en, and Thanksgiving.18 _ Compiled by ADA M. and ELEANOR L. SKINNER.19 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.20

THE TURQUOISE STORY BOOK.21 _Stories and Legends of Summer and Nature.22 _ By ADA M. and ELEANOR L. SKINNER.23 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.24

THE PEARL STORY BOOK.25 _Stories and Legends of Winter, Christmas and New Year’s Day.26 _ Compiled by ADA M. and ELEANOR L. SKINNER.27 Frontispiece in color by Maxfield Parrish.28

THE GARNET STORY BOOK.29 _Tales of Cheer both Old and New.30 _ Compiled by ADA M. and ELEANOR L. SKINNER.31 Frontispiece in color by Dugald S. Walker.32

THE JADE STORY BOOK.33 _Stories from the Orient.34 _ Compiled by PENRHYN W. COUSSENS.35 Frontispiece in color by Dugald Stewart Walker.36

THE JADE STORY BOOK37

_Stories from the Orient_38

BY39

PENRHYN W. COUSSENS40

_Author of “The Diamond Story Book,” “The Ruby Story Book,” “The Sapphire Story Book.”41 Editor of “One Thousand Books for Children,” “A Child’s Book of Stories,” “Poems Children Love,” etc._42

FRONTISPIECE BY DUGALD STEWART WALKER43

NEW YORK DUFFIELD AND COMPANY 192244

Copyright, 1922, by DUFFIELD & COMPANY45

Printed in the United States of America46

TO MY47

DEAREST PAL48

MY WIFE49

CONTENTS50

_Arranged Alphabetically_51

PAGE52

PREFACE ix53

ADVENTURES OF JUAN, THE _Tagalog_ 29854

CRANE AND THE CRAB, THE _India_ 11155

DYED JACKAL, THE _India_ 24456

EMPRESS JANQWI AND THE MAGICIANS _China_ 26057

FAITHFUL RAJPOOT, THE _India_ 1658

FEAST OF THE LANTERNS, THE _China_ 30359

FOUR FRIENDS, THE _Persia_ 29260

FOX AND THE CRAFTY CRAB, THE _China_ 6761

HE WISHED TO LIVE FOREVER _Japan_ 10262

HOW THE BIRDS SAVED THE EMPEROR’S LIFE _China_ 363

IN UNION IS STRENGTH _China_ 32364

INGRATITUDE _India_ 7065

JACKAL, DEER AND THE CROW, THE _India_ 8966

LION AND THE HARE, THE _India_ 11667

LUMAWIG ON EARTH _Igorot_ 31668

MR. SIN, THE CARP _China_ 20669

MYSTERIOUS GARDEN, THE _India_ 35770

PAPER BAG, THE _Japan_ 7771

PESTLE AND MORTAR OF JADE, THE _China_ 33872

PIGEON-KING AND MOUSE-KING _India_ 9873

PRINCE AHMED _Persia_ 14174

PRINCE VARNA _Persia_ 25075

PRINCE ZEYN ALASNAM AND THE SULTAN OF THE GENII _Persia_ 21876

PRINCESS MOONLIGHT _Japan_ 5277

PUNCHKIN _India_ 3078

RASALU, THE FAKIR AND THE GIANTS _India_ 36579

RAJAH RASALU _India_ 27180

ROSAMOND, THE SWIFT OF FOOT _Oriental_ 8481

STORY OF BANTUGAN, THE _Moro_ 32682

STORY OF CALIPH STORK, THE _Oriental_ 11983

TALE OF TWO MERCHANTS, THE _Persia_ 2384

WHY DOGS WAG THEIR TAILS _Visayan_ 24785

WIDOW’S SON, THE _Mindanao_ 19886

PREFACE87

“The Jade Story Book” contains tales gathered from the folklore of Far Eastern countries—India, China, Japan, the Philippine Islands and Persia.88 Most of those from India are adapted from “The Hitopadesa,” which is also known as “The Book of Good Counsels,” and “The Criterion of Wisdom.”89 It may also be called “The Father of All Fables.”90

These Fables were originally compiled in Sanscrit, and later, many centuries later, (about the year 600 A. D.), they were rendered into Persic.91 About two hundred and fifty years afterwards they were translated into the Arabic, Hebrew and Greek languages.92 They are perhaps best known in India today under the title of “Anvari Suhaili.”93 The translation from which these particular stories are adapted is that from the original Sanscrit made by Sir Edwin Arnold.94

The Igorot, Tagalog, Visayan, Mindanao and Moro stories are used by kind permission of A. C. McClurg & Co., publishers of “Philippine Folk Tales,” edited by Mabel Cook Cole.95

Several of the Persian stories are taken from “The Arabian Nights” and others, from Persia, India, China and Japan, are adapted from various sources, not least of which is “Gesta Romanorum.”96 One of them, “The Story of Caliph Stork,” is from the collection by Wilhelm Hauff.97

The author has on other occasions seized the opportunity to emphasize the fact that fairy tales and fables are really necessary to the child, who, without them, is being defrauded of that which belongs to him.98 They stimulate the youthful imagination and provide a good foundation for the further development of the mind.99

Most fairy stories not only amuse, but their unfolding shows the child that good invariably triumphs over evil, and the moral is that one who is kind, polite, generous, unselfish and brave wins in the end.100 Surely this is worth while.101

THE JADE STORY BOOK102

HOW THE BIRDS SAVED THE EMPEROR’S LIFE103

There was once an Emperor of China whose palace was the most wonderful in the world, being built entirely of priceless porcelain.104 In the garden were the most beautiful flowers, on some of which were little golden bells which tinkled in the wind so that you could not help looking at them.105

It was a really wonderful garden, and so large that even the Head Gardener himself did not know where it ended.106 If you should reach the end of the garden you would come to a magnificent forest in which were great trees and deep lakes.107 The banks sloped down to the water, which was as clear as crystal.108 Overhanging the lakes were the boughs of some of the trees, which were so large that ships could sail beneath them.109 In one of these trees there lived a Nightingale which sang so beautifully that a poor fisherman, who had a great deal to do, even stopped his work to listen to the bird singing.110 “How beautiful it is!” he said, but he had to attend to his duties and then forgot about the bird.111 But each night it was the same; the fisherman could not resist the temptation and he left his work to listen to the bird.112

The Emperor’s palace and garden were so magnificent that many travelers from foreign countries wrote books describing their beauty; but every scholar who wrote said that the finest thing of all was the singing of this Nightingale.113

These books were read by many people all over the world, and at last some of them reached the Emperor, who sat in his chair of solid jade and read and read and read.114 He was very much pleased that so many people who were scholars should write so much about his palace and garden, but he was surprised to find that in each book the Nightingale was spoken of as the finest and most wonderful thing of all.115

“It is very strange,” said the Emperor, “I’ve never heard this Nightingale and it does seem unusual that I should know about it for the first time from reading books written by travellers.”116

He called his First Lord to him and said, “In all of these books there is mention of a very remarkable bird which is called ‘The Nightingale.’117 The writers all say that it is the most glorious thing in my kingdom.118 How is it that no one has ever told me about it?”119

“Why, I don’t know anything about it myself,” said the First Lord, “but I will go and find it.”120

The First Lord didn’t know where it was, so he ran all over the palace and asked everybody there, but none of them had ever heard of the Nightingale.121 Then he returned to the Emperor and said it must be an invention of those who had written the books.122