long, long ago there lived an old man and his wife who supported themselves by cultivating a small plot of land. their life had been a very happy and peaceful one save for one great sorrow, and this was they had no child. their only pet was a dog named shiro, and on him they lavished all the affection of their old age. indeed, they loved him so much that whenever they had anything nice to eat they denied themselves to give it to shiro. now shiro means "white," and he was so called because of his color. he was a real japanese dog, and very like a small wolf in appearance.