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They understood that their Father loved the sword, and that some time it was to be Taro's, and that he must be a brave, good boy or he would not be worthy of it; and that was a good deal, after all. "May I touch it?" Taro asked. "You may take it in your own hands," said his Father. And he gave it to Taro almost as tenderly as he had given Bot'Chan to Take that morning.
One morning when Bot'Chan was just one month old, his big brother Taro woke up very early. The birds woke him. They were singing in the garden. "See, see, see," they sang. "Morning is here! Morning is here!" Taro heard them in his sleep. He turned over. Then he stretched his arms and legs and sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes.
And if you want to know some of the things that happened on the very first day that the Twins and Bot'Chan ever saw each other you can turn over to the next page and read about the day the Baby came. That tells all about it, just exactly as it was. Taro and Take were standing right beside their Father early one morning when the nurse came into the room with a bundle in her arms.
He peeped into the next kettle. It was steaming hot. The steam flew out when Taro opened the lid, and almost burned his nose! That kettle had fish in it. When it was ready, Grannie and Mother and the Twins had their dinner all together. Bot'Chan was asleep. After dinner Grannie said, "I'm going for a little nap." "We shall keep very quiet so as not to disturb you and Bot'Chan," Taro said.
"Now, we can start," said the Mother. She took Bot'Chan in her arms. Natsu slid open the door, and they all stepped out on the porch. THE Twins were just stepping into their clogs when the front gate opened, and what do you think they saw! In came trotting three brown men, each one pulling a little carriage behind him! They came right up to the porch.
A string was fastened to their mouths. "There's one fish for Taro and one for Bot'Chan," said the Father. "We have two boys in our house." He tied the fish to the pole. The wind filled the great round mouths and soon away up in the air the two fish were bobbing and blowing about just as if they were alive!
When every one was ready to go, they looked very splendid indeed. They all wore kimonos of the finest silk, with the family crest embroidered on the back and left sleeve. And Bot'Chan had new clothes that Grannie and Mother had made especially for him to wear on his first visit to the Temple. When everybody else was dressed and ready, Natsu waked Bot'Chan and put his new clothes on him.
"It is Fuji, the most beautiful mountain in the world." By and by Take said, "I don't feel a bit like a giant any more." And Taro said, "Neither do I." For a long time they stood looking at it. Then they turned and crept quietly down the dark stairs, holding tight to their Father's hands. They went back to Mother and Grandmother and Bot'Chan under the cherry trees.
They soon found the dolls' garden. In it were many tiny pine trees like theirs at home. There were little plum trees, and bamboos, and a tiny tea-house in it. There was a pond with a little bridge, too. "Oh!" cried Take, "if it only had little bells on the plum trees, this would be the very garden I sang about to Bot'Chan; wouldn't it?" She stooped down and peeped under the little trees.
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