CIHM Microfiche Series (l\/lonographs) ICMH Collection de microfiches (monographies) Canadian Institute for Historical Microredroductions/lnstitut cai.adien de microrepuductions historiques ©2000 Technical and Bibliographic Notes / Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming are checked below. □ n □ n Coloured covers / Couverture de couleur Covers damaged / Couverture endommag6e Covers restored and/or laminated / Couverture restauree et/ou pelliculee Cover title missing / Le litre de couverture manque Coloured maps / Cartes g^ographiques en couleur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black) / Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations / Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material / Relie avec d'autres documents Only edition available / Seule edition disponible Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin / La reliure serree peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long de la marge interieure. Blank leaves added during restorations may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming / Use peut que certaines pages blanches ajoutees lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texte, mais, lorsque cela etait possible, ces pages n'ont pas et6 filmees. Additional comments / Commentaires supplementaires: L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6te possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exem- plaire qui sont peut-etre uniques du point de vue bibli- ographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m6tho- de normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages / Pages de couleur I I Paces damaged / Pages endommag6es □ Pagfis restored and/or laminated / Pages restaur^es et/ou pellicul6es r~y Pages discoloured, stained or foxed / L\ZJ Pages d6color6es, tachet6es ou piqu6es I I Pages detached / Pages d6tach6es Showthrough / Transparence I I Quality of print varies / D D Quality inegale de I'impression Includes supplementary material ' Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image / Les pages totalament ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont 6te filmees a nouveau de fafon a obtenir la meilleure image possible. Opposing pages with varying colouration or discolourations are filmed twice to ensure the best possible image / Les pages s'opposant ayant des colorations variables ou des decolorations sont filmees deux fois afin d'obtenir la meilleure image possible. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below / Ce document est filme au taux de reduction indique ci-dessous. lOx 14x 18x 22x 26x 3nx *' 12x 16x 20x 24x 28x r»9v The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: National Library of Canada The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Ongmal copies in printed paper covers art filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when eppropriata. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ^ (meaning 'CON. TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning 'END") whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be antirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire film* fut reproduii grace i la gAnArositA de: Bibliotheque nationale du Canada Lm imagts suivantes ont «t« reproduces avec la plus grand snin. compte tenu ce la condit.on et d» Is neneti de lexemplaire film*, et en "fHa"""'^* '^" '*' ^""*^'»'°"» du contrat de Las exemplaires origineux dont la couverture en papier est imprim«e sont film«s en commencant psr le premier plat et en terminant soit par la derni*re page qui comporte une empreinte d impression ou d'illustration. soit par le second plat, selon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film«s en commenpant par la prami*ra page qui compona une empreinte d impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derni*ra page qui comporte une telle ampreinta. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la darniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — i^ signifie "A SUIVRE" le symbole V signifie "FIN". Las cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent etre Tiimas * des taux da reduction diff*rents. Lorsque la document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul clich*, ii est film* i partir de I angle sup*rieur gauche, de gauche i droite et de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d-images n*cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants itlustrent la mithode. 1 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TEST CHART ANSI and ISO TEST CHART No 2 1.0 I.I 1.25 la 13,2 i: m 1.4 Z5 2.2 ZO 1.8 1.6 ^ APPLIED irvVIGE .'8P - '•gs^ fa. CANADA NATIONAL LIBRARY BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE "> ' \1 M II Ai K(.- - Ml |;kll \ III I. \rll . 1 I 111 k ^ A JAPANESE BLOSSOM ONOTO WATANNA ILLUSTRATED BY L. W. ZIEGLER NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS M-C-M-V-I 1 38 7 J 7 Copyright, ,qoh, by HAkrHR & Brothers. .4,'/ r,i:hls rtscrrrd. I'ublibhed October, 1906. i TO MY CHILDREN ILLUSTRATIONS "they called across merrily to EACH OTHER" Frcn„spu'c. "MARION SAT ON A GIGANTIC MOSS- GRtWN ROCK, LOOKING ... AT THE CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY PO^fD"- Facing p. 52 "the LITTLE WAITRESS BROUGHT HER SAMISEN, AND . . . BEGAN TO PLAY AND SING " . ... " 170 "he SEIZED HER HAND SUDDENLY IN HIS OWN AND FELL ON HIS KNEES BEFORE HER" ... '* 226 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM A JAPANESE BLOSSOM I THE children sat in a little semi- circle about their gramlmother, listening intently as she reaJ to them the last letter from their father in America. Ever since they could re- member, his business as a tea mer- chant had taken him away from Japan on long visits to the foreign countries. His latest absence had continued for three years now, and little Juji— bom a short time after his departure— had never seen him. As the grandmother finished the let- ter, the children instinctively looked A JAPANESE BLOSSOM first of all at Juji, sitting there in placid indifference, stolidly sucking his thumb. Juji had ceased to be the baby of the Kurukawa family. Afar off in America a new, strange baby had been bom, and had taken the place of Juji, just us its moth- er one year before had taken the place of Juji's mother, who was dead. When the old grandmother, with whom they made their home, had gently broken the news to the chil- dren that their father had taken a new wife from the daughters of America, she had impressed upon them the seriousness of their duty to their new parent. They must love her as a mother, rcA^ere her as their father's wife, remember her with their father in their prayers, and endeavor to learn those things which would be pleasing to her. A JAPANESE BLOSSOM Gozo, who was the eldest of the children— he was seventeen years of age— set his little brothers and sisters a bad exiimple. He grew red with anger, allowing himself to be so over- come by his feelings that for a mo- ment he could not speak. Finally, he snapped his fingers and said, as his eyes blazed: "Very well. So my father has put a barbarian in my mother's place. I cannot respect him. There- fore I cannot further obey him. / shall leave his ^ouse at once!" At these r ationary words, his old grandfati. • commanded him sternly to keep his place while he taught him a lesson. "To whom," asked the old man, "do you owe your existence, and therefore your first duty in life?" The hot-headed boy, who for a nimiber of years had had neither 3 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM father nor mother to guide him, answered, immediately: "To the Emperor I owe my exist- ence and duty, sir. He comes even before my father. Therefore, in leav- ing my father's house to enter the service of Ten-shi-sama [the Mikado] I am but doing my highest duty." The grandfather looked at the flushed face of the young boy. "You will enlist.?" "Yes, sir." "You are too young, my boy." "I can pass for much older," said Gozo, proudly. "You are but seventeen," said his grandfather, quietly. The boy's heart heaved. "Life would be unbearable here," said he, " with such a change in the family." "Do not use such expressions be- fore your young brothers and sisters," 4 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM saifl the grandfather, sternly. "You alnK)st make mc think you arc un- fit to be an elder brother." At this Gozo winced and became pale. He had always been proud of his position as the young master of the family. Then his grandmother spoke, and her words reached the heart of the boy. "Be not rash, my Gozo. Our dearest daughter, your mother, would have been the first to urge you to filial thought for your father." "Grandmother," cried the boy, "I can't bear—" He flung his hand across his eyes as though to hide the tears. Now all the children began to weep in sympathy with their big brother. Miss Summer, the daugh- ter of their father's friend, set up a great wail, declaring between her sobs that never, never, never could 5 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM she be induced to wash the feet or be the slave of a barbarian woman. For Summer, though but twelve yea-s old, was some day to marry (}ozo— so their fathers had said— and in Japan a daughter-in-law is under the command of the mother- in-law. By patience and reasoning, the grandparents at last exacted from Gozo a promise that he would not leave home until his step -mother came to Japan. It was possible she might never come. Gozo, the prond and stubborn, sullenly gave the prom- ise. During the months that fol- lowed, however, he seemed greatly changed in disposition. He became studious, quiet, given to gloomy moods, when he would lock himself up m his room and brood over what he considered the wrong and insult done to his mother's memory. He 6 A JAPANKSE BLOSSOM would have found it hard enough to hear if his father had married a Japanese woman, but the thought of an American mother overwhelmed him with dismay. He pictured to his young mind her influence upon his sisters Plum Blossom and Iris, t\velve and eight years old respec- tively; in boyish indignation he saw her punishing his little ten-year-old brother Taro, who could not keep his face and hands clean nor keep his clothes whole. One night Gozo dreamed he saw his step -mother in the guise of a hated fox-woman sound- ly switching with a bamboo stick his little, fat, baby brother Juji. When he awoke in the middle of the night to find it only a dream, he got up from his couch, and, going to where Juji slept, carried him to his own bed. He held the little, warm body closely in his arms. Juji slept on, 7 A JAPANESE liLOSSOM and snuggled down comfortably in his brother's arms for the rest of the night. It was the following morning that the letter had come from America telling of the birth of the new baby. As if this news were not bad enough, the father, unconscious of the resent- ment he had awakened, announced his intention of returning at once to Japan with his wife, the jw baby, and his two young stcp-childrcn, for he had married a young American widow. The children's faces wore a fright- ened expression as the grandmother read the letter aloud. Little Plum Blossom glanced stealthily at her brother; then suddenly, to the sur- prise of them all, she spoke up: "Well," said she, "Daikoku [god of fortune] is good. He has given us another sister. / shall make him a great offering this year." 8 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM Iris, who was a ere echo of her sister, ventured a little sing-song as- sent. "I shall make a big offering, too." Taro grinned apj^rehensively in the direction of his moody brother; then said, defiantly: " As for me, / shall beat every sin- gle day of the honorable year that barbarian step - brother " ; for there was a little step-brother of the same age as Taro, and the latter, boylike, longed to try his powers upon him. Gozo ground his teeth together. "The gods only know," said he, "what you poor little ones will do. As for me, f shall not be here to bow to the barbarian. My time has come. The Emperor needs me." "Oh, please don't leave us. broth- er," said Iris, resting her face on his hand; "I shall die of fear if you are not here to help us defy her." 9 I A JAl'ANIiSE BLOSSOM "Childivn, hush!" cried the old grandmother. " Never did I dream I should hi\ir such words from my cliildreu. Ah, had my beloved dauj^hter lived, you little ones would have had more filial principles." "It is not right to distress grand- mother," said Plum Blossom, "and it is very wrong to sjjeak: evil of one we do not even know. I, for one, am going to— to — l"\-e the foreign devil!" "So am I," sciiDcd Iris, still caress- ing Gozo's hand, " b-but I shall hate her if she drives our (iozo awav!" Gozo patted the httle girl's head, but said nothing. Meanwhile, little Juji's thumb had fallen from his mouth. For some time he had been watching in per- plexed wonder the expressions upon the faces of his brothers and sisters. He could not decide in his small mind just what was troubling them lO A JAPANESE BLOSSOM % I all; but troubled they surely were. The \vee[)ing Iris had finally decided Juji. Plainly something was wrong. The l)aby's lower lip, unnoticed by any one. had gradually been swelling out. Suddenly a gasp escaped him the next moment the room resound- ed with his cries. When Juji cried, it seemed as if the very house shook Though not often given to these tempestuous storms, he seemed fairiy convulsed when once started upon one. He would lie on his back on the floor, stiffened out. First he would hold his breath, then gasp, then roar. Juji's crying could never be stopped until a pail of water was thrown in the face of the enraged child. This time, however, he be- came the object of intense com- miseration. The children felt that hr had acquired .somehow a sense of their common calamity. II / A JAPAMiSIi BLOSSOM The scmiming child was alu>r- natcly hugged and petted and fanned, until finally, his fat little legs kick- ing out in every direction, he was carried from the room by Gozo. Out in the garden, the big brother ducked him in the family pcmd. Kind travellers in Japan have made the extraordinary statement that Japanese children never cry. Cer- tainly they could never have heard Jujt— and there are many Jujis in Japan, just as there are in every country. Juji's crying fit broke up the little family council for that day, but he was the only member of the family who slept soundly that night. The little girls cried softly together, as they whispered under the great padded coverlid of their bed. Taro was quite feverish in his imaginative battles with his step-brother. 12 * A JAPANESE BLOSSOM As for Gozo, he sat up all night long, gazing with melancholy eyes at the stars, thinking himself the most miserable being on the face of the eanh. He, too. like Juji. needed a httle pail of something dashed upon him, and sot)n he was to have it! o II H, dear, how I can ever boar tliis corset!" Plum Blossom subsided in a little, breathless heap on the floor. Early in the day both she and Iris had been dressed in their best — a plum-colored crepe kimono for little Plum Blossom, and an iris-colored crepe one for little Iris. Their hair had been carefully arranged in the pretty mode at thi^ time fashionable for little girls in Jai)an. Flower or- naments glistened a c ^xe sides of the glossy coiffures. The grandmother had regarded them with pride when the maid brought them before Ikt, '4 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM "Certainly," said she, "your father and mother will be proud to see you." "And ii'C have a great surprise, too, for her," said Iris, her bright eyes dancing. Plum Blossom put a plump little hand over her sister's mouth. "Hush! Not even grandmother shall know yet." Grandmother smiled knowingly. "And now," said she, "ean you say all the big English words— you remember?" "Yes. yes," cried Iris, excitedly. At once she began to shout in her most smg-song voice: "How de do! Ver' glad see you two days. Thanzs your healt' is good. Most honorable welcome at Japan. Pray seated be and egscuse the most unworthy house of my fadder." Plum Blo.ssom was chanting her '5 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM welcome before Iris ha«l quite fin- ishetl. " Mos' glad you cum. Come agin. Huppy see you. Come agin. Liddle girl, welcome for sister. Liddle boy, tofx Nize bebby! Please I will kees. So!" She indicated the kiss l)y putting a little, open mouth against her sister's cheek, leaving a wet spot behind. Iris wiped her cheek care- fully with one of her paper handker- chiefs; then as carefully she re- ixnvdered the spot where her sister's moist lips had rested. Ever since their father had been in America, the family had been learnmg to speak English. Their teacher was a missionary f)riest, and now. at the end of three years, even the smallest child could speak the language, though imperfectly. In unk-r to obtain fluency, they had If. A JAPANESE BLOSSOM made English the spoken language in the family. The speeches of wel- •:ome to the stop-mother were com- posed by the grandmother; the chil- dren had learned them like parrots. Madame Sano tapped both of the little girls on the shoulder and carcs.sed them. Clinging to each other's sleeves, ofT they tripped into the other ro(jm, where was the great ".secret." The secret consisted of a few articles of American attire, which the little girls had induced a jinriki- man to bring them from Tokio. All of the money Gozo had left behind for them as his parting gift had been expended thus. How the boy's an- gry heart would have stormed had he known his little sisters had spent his gift for such a purpose! Plum Blossom wore a corset out- side her kimono. Some one had told her that this was the most imj)ortant »7 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM article of a barbarian woman's ward- robe, and the ti^'hter it was the bet- ter. So the little Japanese girl had tied herself by the corset-string to a IH)St. By dint of hard jnilling slio had managed to encase her plumj) form SO tightly that she could scarcely breathe. Iris, with hands clad in large kid glo\es. was drawing on a i)air of number five shoes. Her feet were those of the a\-erage Amer- ican child of seven or eight years. At this juncture Miss vSummer (who Ix'ing engaged to (.iozo wa.- always called "Miss" l;y the little girls) oiiened the shoji and thrust a flu.shed and excited face between the parti- tions. She was six months older ch i v,-hen Aic had Vy-ailed cdoud her determination not to wash the feet of a barbarian mother-in-law, but she seemed as childish and sillv as ever as she cainr tittering into the i , A JAPANESE BLOSSOM room, an enormous straw hat, from which (lanj,'lc" "They are niueh weighted," de- clared Summer; "I carry in them live lovedetters." "Oh! Ohdi! From our Go/.o:- Why, has he already written to you. Summer?" "I'll tell you a secret," said Sum- T"^^'", giggling. "Xo, you must not listen, Iris. You are too young." She whispered into Plum Blossom's car. Suddenly the latter thrust out her little, plump hands. "Go away. You are not good girl. Only my brother should write you love-letters!" Plaintively Summer made a gest- ure of annovance. 22 VI A JAI'AM:;SK BLOSSOM "I mui.t spend a lifetime with Gozo," .said slie. "Therefore, is it not better to have a httle fun first of all?" Iris eried out something in a very jeering voiee. Summer pretended she did not hear. "What is that?" eried her sister, exeitcdly. "Oh, 1 know who wrote '■ immer's love-letters to her." "Who did?" "She wrote them herself." "I did not." "You did." "I did not!" "You did, for your cousin told mc so." "Oh, the wicked httle fiend!" "Young ladies," called a maid from below. "Come, come; come quickly. Your father is seen. The jinrikishas! Hurry! Your honor- 23 A lI'Anhsiv hlossom aljk- jjjrandmothcr wishes you to be at the door to welcome him!" In a panic the Httle girls rushed about the room, gathering up their various articles. Then, grasping each other's sleeves, they tripped down the stairs. Ill B WHILE Iho husband assisted the children and nurse to ahght from tlie jinrikishas, Mrs. Kurukawu the second stood looking about her. She was a little woman, possibly thirty-five years old. Her face was expressive, showing a somewhat shy and timid nature. Her large, brown eyes had a look of appeal in them as she turned them towards her hus- band. He smiled reassuringly and put an affectionate hand upon her arm. Immediately her momentary restraint and fear left her. "Is this the famous Plum Blossom Avenue.?" she asked, indicating the 3 25 IM '■i\ ii\ n I i A JAl'ANHSE BLOSSOM budding trees under which they now passed, and which served as an ex- quisite pathway throuf^h the }j;ardcn. "This is Pkim Blossom Avenue," rciihed lier husband, "and as you see, I keep my promise. You know I eabk^d to Japan to have the plum blossoms all in bud for us when we should arrive." "How good of you!" she laughed. "Just as if you didn't know they bloom at the end of March! But where are the children ? You al.so promisecl that they would be under the trees waiting for us." Mr Kurukawa looked a bit worried. " It's strange," he said. " Ah, here come my mother and father-in-law." His first wife's father and mother hastened down the path to meet them. To the delight of the little Ameri- can children, the old man and woman 26 A JAPANKSrC BLOSSOM favfjrcd them with the most wonder- ful bows they hurl ever seen. In fact, the l)()y afterwards insisted that the old man's bald head had literally touched his own boots. 'i'he new wife held out both her hands with a pretty impulse. "Oh," she said, "I have heard all about you — how very, very good you have been to the children." The old couple did not quite un- derstand what she said, but feeling a,ssured that it was something com- I^limentary, they began a fresh scries of bows, repeating over and over again one of the English words they had learned. "Thangs, thangs, very thangs." Mr. Kurukawa now inquired anx- iously for his children. He had cer- tainly expected they would be at the gate to meet them. The grand- mother explained that only a mo- 27 lAI'AXKSl-. Hl-OSSO.M I ' nu'iil lieloiv tlu' Iw'i) iHU' boys hail Ix'i-n with hrr, and she liad sent iin- mc(hatcly for the Httlc ij[irls. Hut just as they came ti> {hv door thr httlo hoys had run away in frij^'ht. and were now shyly hiding sonic- wherc. "Gozo"' Wiial of iin/.it'f" The two old ])CopU' looked at each other. They did not know what to say. "Pray come into the hou.se, my son," said Nhidame Sano. "We can better sjjeak there." They had been talkinj^ in Jap- anese. Xotinj.; her husband's look of worry, Mrs. Kiirukawa anxiously inquired the rea.son. Without ex- })laining, he led her into the house. As they entered they were startled by the strange .sound that greeted them. It was like the sharp sigh of a wind in an empty house. In reality it 28 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM was the panic-stricken flij,'ht from the hallway of the children of Mr. Kurukawa. Grouped closely together . the four children and Miss Summer had re- treated to the far end of the hall, where they awaited the advent of the dreaded "barbarian" step- mother, for such Gozo had made them believe she must be. For many months they had conjured up in imagination pictures of their step- mother and her children. They had seen but one foreigner in their town, the missionary, who had been their teacher. Him they had held in as much awe and fear as they would a strange animal. Now their father appeared in the hall, holding by the arm what seemed to the children a most extraordinary looking creature, while behind them came, hand in hand, the strangest 29 A J.\l>ANF.Sn: BLOSSOM lookinij little hoy and jrirl, with eyes so bijj that Plum Blossom thought them like those of a j,'()hlin. The face, however, which frij,'htene(i them most was that of the Irish nurse, who bore the baby in hiT arms. The children jT:azed only a moment at this outlandish }.;;roup; tlien with one accord they fled, each in a dilferent direction. The stranj^ers comin,c[ from tlie out-door sunlij^ht into the darkened hall had barely time to see the chil- dren ere they were gone. They had a hazy glimpse of a patch of color at the end of the hall, and then its sud- den, wild dispersion. For a moment they stood looking a!)out them in blank astonishment. Suddenly Mr. Kurukaw... who was ebulHent with humor and good-nature, burst into laughter. He laughed so hard, in- ^r^' '"^r^-^prn It I I A JAPANESE BLOSSOM the small, fat face of Juji peered. Though no one so far had seen him, Juji, with the usual consciousness of two and a half years, was alternately showing and then hiding his face, be- ing divided between a desire to stand joyfully on his head, or indulge in one of his famous roars. Iris, edg- ing farther into the room, drew him after her. Mrs. Kurukawa perceived them. On the instant Juji sank to the floor, impeding the further prog- ress of his sister by clinging to her legs. "Oh, the darling little boy!" cried the little American girl, and ran to him to lift him up. Juji's lip began to protrude ominously. Plum Blos- som sprang into the breach. "Juji! Juji!" she cried, in moth- erly Japanese, "don't cry! Good boy! Give nice present to — 1-lady!" Whereupon Juji held out a grimy 34 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM little hand, from which Plum Blos- som extracted a crumpled paper package. She presented it to Mrs. Kurukawa with a smiling bow. "Peanut!" said she, in English; "nize. For you!" She had remem- bered the words now. "Oh, thank you, thank you, darling." said Mrs. Kurukawa. Wishing to show her delight in the gift, she added : "Come, we will all have some." She emptied the contents into her lap, then stared for a moment. Gradually her astonishment changed to laughter. The package contained only shells. Juji had eaten the peanuts. Plvmi Blossom and Iris felt com- pletely disgraced. Iris, from the shelter of her father's arms, whither she had gone, now flew towards the wicked Juji. "Oh. the bad boy!" she cried, 35 1 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM Juji's lip broke. One of his terrific roars ensued. He was borne from the room by the humiliated little girls. "And now." said Mr. Kurukawa, rubbing his hands and speaking in a loud voice: "Where are mv sons? Taro!" he called. Promptly the boy answered. He came literally tumbling into the hall, which, with the panels pushed aside[ had now become a large room. Taro's eyes evaded his father. For some time he had been watching intently the American boy from his peep-hole in the paper shoji. As he appeared at the call of his father, his eyes were still riveted upon his hated rival. Suddenly he made a catlike spring in the boy's direction and landed sprawling on Billy's chest. For the astonished Billy, tripped un- awares, was lying on his back. A great flame of indignation, and yet 36 % A JAPANESE BLOSSOM almost unwilling admiration, stirred within the heart of the prize fighter of a certain Chicago school. Could it be possible that this little mite of a Jap was sitting victoriously on his chest ? He growled and moved a bit, but Taro, wildly trying to keep in mind the few jiu-jitsu tricks he had lately learned, touched the boy's arm in a sensitive place. Billy rose like a lion shaking ofT a troublesome cub. As Taro caught him about the calf of his leg, Billy reached down and took the little Japanese boy by the waist and coolly tucked him under his arm; then he marched up and down, sing- ing at the t(jp of his voice : " Yankee Doodle came to town, Riding on a pony — Took a little Jappy Jap Who was a bit too funny!" 37 i i' H A JAPANESE BLOSSOM Here it may be well to explain that Billy, besides being the prize fighter of his school, was also the class poet. Mrs. Kurukawa rescued the little "Jappy Jap" fr„m her big son's hands, and gave the latter a repro\-- ing look, saying: "Oh, Billy, is that the way to treat your little brother.''" "Well, mother," j^rotested Billy, "he did get funny, now didn't he' father?" He appealed to Mr. Kuru- kawa, who was patting the ruffled head of the discomfited and con- quered jiu-jitsu student. Taro's expression liad undergone a change. In his little black eyes a gleam of respect for Billy might have been seen. Suddenly he nodded his head significantly, and made a mo- tion of his hand towards the garden, signifying in boy language the in- vitation : 38 A JAPANESE BLOSSOM "Come outside. I'll show you some things." Out they wandered together, ex- cellent friends at once. "Sa-ay," said Taro, pausing on the brink of his own private gar- den brook, "you— you," he touched Billy with a stiff little finger — "you — Gozo!" Billy was at a loss to understand what " say — you — Gozo !" could mean, but he liked the look on Taro's face, so grinned and said: "Me — Gozo." Taro nodded. He had paid Billy the highest compli- ment in his power, likening him to the hero of the Kurukawa family, the great, elder brother Gozo. I i' IV ,>fi MEANWHILE, in the house, Mr. Kurukawa was inquiring ur- gently for Gozo. Where was he? Why was he not the first to greet his parents? The grandparents would not respond to his inquiries, but re- mained silent, looking very dejected and miserable. Their aspect alarmed Mr. Kurukawa, who now clapped his hands loudly. Several servants came mnning into the room in answer to his summons. Immediately the mas- ter questioned them : "Where is my son Gozo?" But all the response he received from the servants was a profound 40 I A JAPANESE BLOSSOM silence, broken by that hissing, sigh- ing sound peculiar to the Japanese when moved, a drawing in of the breath through the teeth. Mr. Kuru- kawa recognized a boy who had been his own body-servant, and to him he strode, seizing the latter by the shoulder of his kimono. But the boy slipped from his hand to the ground and put his head at his master's feet. There, with his face hidden, he answered the questions put to him. "Speak, my boy, where is Gozo?" "O Excellency, young master — sir — " he broke oflf and began to cry, beating his head as he did so on the floor. Mr. Kurukawa raised him forcibly to his feet. "What is it, Ido? Has anything happened to our Gozo?" He could hardly bring the words out. The bare thought that mis- 4 41 ly I I , I m A JAI'ANKSK BLOSSOM fortuiu- hail befallen his eldest son horrified him. I(l() (Iriiul his face on his sleeve, and from his new hiding-place sjwke: " Young master, sir, gone away, O Excellency!" Mr. Kurukawa's grasp on the boy's shoulder relaxed. He stepped back and stood a moment silent, his hand against his forehead. "What is it. Kiyo? What is it?" asked his wife, going to him and throwing an arm about him. The color came back into her husband's face. He laughed a bit weakly. "I thought it possible that my boy was--" She held his hand tightly, her eyes full of tears. "Oh, I understand. I do," she said. "But where is he?" Her husband stepped back to the 42 ^ A JAPANESE BLOSSOM Spot where Ido had been. Then he saw that in almost complete silence the servants, including Ido, had slipped from the room. He fancied he heard the slight movement of their feet on the pad- ded floor beyond the shoji. Im- petuously and insistently he clapped his hands again, and silently they answered his summons. Nearly all the servants of the Kurukavva family had been in their service for years, some of them having served the grandparents. Their averted faces alarmed Mr. Kurukawa. This time he did not question them. "Send Plum Blossom-san to me at once," he said. The little girl was brought in. With her Iris and the consoled Juji came. The father took the eldest girl by the hand ; kneeling, he spoke to her almost pleadingly. 43 I i i 1^ A JAl'ANliSIi ULUSSOM "Tell father all about Goxo," he said. Plum Blossom grew very red and lo(jke(l towards Mrs. Kurukawa. Then she sp