The cherry-trees were bare , for it was the season when small pots of them were sold to rich people , who kept them in hot places , so that they might blossom early and decorate their rooms . As to the trees in the open air , no one would ever think of looking for the tiniest bud for more than a month yet . The old man had not been waiting very long before he saw a cloud of dust in the far distance , and knew that it must be the procession of the Daimio . On they came , every man dressed in his finest clothes , and the crowd that was lining the road bowed their faces to the ground as they went by . Only the old man did not bow himself , and the great lord saw this , and bade one of his courtiers , in anger , go and inquire why he had disobeyed the ancient customs . But before the messenger could reach him the old man had climbed the nearest tree and scattered his ashes far and wide , and in an instant the white flowers had flashed into life , and the heart of the Daimio rejoiced , and he gave rich presents to the old man , whom he sent for to his castle . We may be sure that in a very little while the envious neighbour had heard this also , and his bosom was filled with hate . He hastened to the place where he had burned the mortar , collected a few of the ashes which the old man had left behind , and took them to the road , hoping that his luck might be as good as the old man 's , or perhaps even better . His heart beat with pleasure when he caught the first glimpses of the Daimio 's train , and he held himself ready for the right moment . As the Daimio drew near he flung a great handful of ashes over the trees , but no buds or flowers followed the action : instead , the ashes were all blown back into the eyes of the Daimio and his warriors , till they cried out from pain . Then the prince ordered the evil-doer to be seized and bound and thrown into prison , where he was kept for many months . By the time he was set free everybody in his native village had found out his wickedness , and they would not let him live there any longer ; and as he would not leave off his evil ways he soon went from bad to worse , and came to a miserable end . -LRB- Japanische Marchen . -RRB- THE FAIRY OF THE DAWN Once upon a time what should happen DID happen ; and if it had not happened this tale would never have been told . There was once an emperor , very great and mighty , and he ruled over an empire so large that no one knew where it began and where it ended . But if nobody could tell the exact extent of his sovereignty everybody was aware that the emperor 's right eye laughed , while his left eye wept . One or two men of valour had the courage to go and ask him the reason of this strange fact , but he only laughed and said nothing ; and the reason of the deadly enmity between his two eyes was a secret only known to the monarch himself . And all the while the emperor 's sons were growing up . And such sons ! All three like the morning stars in the sky !
Florea , the eldest , was so tall and broad-shouldered that no man XXXXX the kingdom could approach him .
As On before by if in like near out upon