The Wayside Pebble

In Meiji era Japan a sixth grade boy is smart likable and confident and owing to his academic success liked by his teacher Things are not going well at home however where his father does not work leaving the mother to toil With the boys family having no money he cannot progress his education and has to drop out of school A neighbour who is a bookstore owner offers the family money to allow the boy to continue his schooling but the father is too proud to accept and rebuffs the offer forcing the boy to work