Show flirtation AMERICAN IN JAPAN how a yankee went to certain death to see his oriental sweetheart the famous richardson incident told by a jap tor which his country paid and a city wiped out bythe american navy within four miles or so haina and art well away from the toil andain of the busy town at the back of bluff old and half deserted kaining willow temple half hidden by the surrounding crypto cerias and wild camellia trees in the midst of a thicket of feathery bamboo that dip their stems gracefully to the light summer breeze is the shrine once a gorgeous glittering building brave with its massive carvings of red and gold now dimmed and darkened by age as likewise is the old bronze temple bell that each night sends out its deep yet liquid notes in a solemn monotone as the gray haired bellringer bell ringer swings his wooden staff and chants in his juav cring voice his invocations of camu amida hail and save us amida buddha to the right of the temple leading through a deep shady lane where the plum and maple trees almost intermingle their leanee and branches overhead up stairway of stone steps carpeted with thick green moss is the cemetery where for centuries and centuries past the villagers ibave brought the ashes of their dead thousands upon thousands of little tombe of gray stones moldering mold cring away and covered with lichens are there to tell the talc of pitiless scourges urges of disease famine and bloodshed that have swept this land of dai nippon from time immemorial on the morning of september U at an hour when the streets were noisy and crowded with their throngs of clog shod passengers came mesan otherwise the graceful tall seventeen year old daughter of the proprietor of a neighboring inn on her daily errand alic loving tending of her mothers grave each morning the girl wandered out of the dusty sunshine into these slumbering suburbs bs there to refill the hollow bamboo at each side of the tombstone with fresh water and to arrange her tribute of the seasons blossoms often lighting the little incense sticks that diffused their fragrance on the air as the tiny wreaths of blue smoke curled upward busily intent upon the arranging of the great white and roe colored lotus lowers gathered from the temple ponds mesan was on this morning startled by the sound of fast approaching footsteps and voices talking in the foreign tongue by jove old man there is a pretty picture for you if you like that native girl leaning over a grave her doubt they are a romantic rp mantic lot these japs you know and the speaker turned to alic others of hie party with a questioning look pager for their approval at this chance glimpse of onnatal life mr moore and 31 Ui chardson two hale and hearty englishmen from the leading silk hong in yokohama had brought their newly arrived scotch friend and his charming young bride just out from aberdeen to this quaint and picturesque for a picnic tiffin they had all ridden out on the chort legged ponies brought down from the northern island of hok kaido and which are the best to be had in the way of oriental horseflesh with appetites whetted by the brisk canter over the hills the riders dismounted to enjoy the dainty al fresco meal spread out under the fast reddening maples by tatsu mr boy or butler who had left town at an early hour anxious to do credit to his masters entertainment first impulse was one of flight at the brusque intrusion of the foreigners but finding that impossible she drew her skirl down from the red sash in ehe had tucked it out of harms way from the dew dampness slipped her bare dept into straw landals and advanced toward the party two iupps from them she fell on her knees bowing cpr head to lle ground in the customary salutation of the country hanged if it little black eved susan it moore good rooming you arc a long way from home arent yon why we know her well amri murray she belong at the rata inn where we men often ston for lesht refreshments on our way to yeddo she is a bright little capner Jap ner and it is awfully amusing to talk lo 10 arr dont you know ill tell her we will stop at the inn on our way home for acme tea and you will vt find this quaint dieco of womanhood out in her gay et to receive us and richardson greatly pleased with the idea of chow iny sirs a fair specimen of an hostelry turned and rattled ahead in his wretched but fairly comprehensible japanese to who hearing that she would abon see them at her fathers houe hurried off eye and cheek dyed a taint telltale tell tale pink with suppressed sur pressed excitement tiffin over the little of merry makers were preparing to mount tor alio homeward trot when mr moore suddenly exclaimed gad I 1 had forgotten about it ns I 1 bet you hae richardson but came around to the office yesterday and requested that no foreigners should go on abo tomaido today as some aich daiil o m poin that way en route tor yeddo and herer we billy people are about to commit such piece of folla cheer I 1 of it in time arent you mur be 1 never heard of uch A rank prece of nonsense in au my life it we a party of ing englishmen tied got to skulk upa hul path or roadside because some swashbuckler of a native is coining along is a jolly sight too michot a good thing I 1 know how to deal with these people and I 1 say it will be quite nil right and perfectly safe to run the gauntlet the truth is these petty officials in authority are so afraid of trouble or some international complications they allow their zeal to go altogether too far it is to kaido or die with me and besides we have promised to stop and have tea with little black eyed susan so after much discussion and urging from richardson the party decided to venture on the tomaido To kaido hoping that the erinc e and bis guard would have passed ere they joined the main road beaching it they rode along at an easy canter followed by myriads of gaping wondering natives na tivee foreigners were a rare sight in those days of the foreign concessions ces and an english woman on horseback in her long flowing was a something almost mythical they biad nearly rondo the inn at Xaina mugi when the murmurs of the surging drifting crowd at their heels indented ome unusual event glancing down the street the riders saw advancing toward them a cortege that of S saburo alie great satsuma dani iyo let ua turn back and make for the hills there may he trouble richard fon 1 dont like me look of all thoc two fellows and it would be kiaer to give them a wide berth nonsense they all right we can rein our hori cs up along the roadside and as soon as they have passe we will turn in at eyed susan s on came the procession pio cession with all alie glitter and of a dai train a large body of Min urai or military guards in their aila and c restad coats bicad flowing trousers the long and choit swords thrust into their girdles and clean shaven chowns surmounted by the topknot queue led the way then came the great gold lacquered palanquin with its metal and kipsts heraldic proclamations of thy occupants noble birth and seated within was shimadzu Shima dzu saburo the feudal baron following carne more retainers and minor officials all armed to the daimy oa retainers as saw u teeth t an angry hum spread fast among the mounted foreigner ef actually trying to their lords procession while above their and indignant imir aurs murs cry of good god richardson are yon mad turn back turn back ob god in havck mercy for striving fighting and straining ina death struggle ada in of the two worded men who striking at his horse biad in one clean blow revered the head from the body and now flashing alidea and fierce looks bode ill for moore and murray who had pushed forward to the rescue of their comrade shouting out to mrs murray ride like mad anil ghe the alarm in town As she dashed by the retinue a slash from shining steel blade just jibed her hat inflicting a bevere bourd on her horse but fortunately not laming him for the plucky little beast kept up his furious gallop maddened with pain and fright the two englishmen seeing richardson fall a dying man covered gashes fought desperately and with renewed that et make a dash 1 or life or break through the ranks of their assailant as they spurred and charged their brutes rendered veritable wild beasts at the smell of mood at last they outstripped their would be murderers two miles out of yokohama they overtook mrs murray A terrible sight vere these three hard pressed mortals as they galloped up alie yokohama streets to home and safety murray banded by the blood streaming in lilt eyes from a cut in the forehead and moore almost fainting from the loss of blood still fast flowing from a wound in his shoulder As for poor Bi chardson when tho princely train had passed by a young girl ran out from one of the neighboring houses sobbing and choking with grief and over the poor bleeding corpse eha laid very tenderly a rough straw mat hiding the body from the inquisitive intrusion of later when the great yellow harvest moon arose full and bright mesan and her father crept stealthily out from n gate and carried body to their home the next morning when friends came out from yokohama to claim the mor tai remains of their found three or four of the native death flowers large lotus of purest white and pale pink laid on the poor wounded breast while the emoke of the sacred incense burning at the little arine in the corner of the room hung in heavy clouds and a girle soft voice smoked a prayer of namu amida to her buddha visitors to japan may now drive out on the tomaido road and see a memorial stone with an inscription in japanese charac tere that mark the spot where richardson fell A little farther on and they may call at an inn where black eyed suan the second will serve then with licht refreshment as her heroine mother bowe them smiling welcome the cost to the japanese government of thin affair was an in of bound and the bombardment bar dment of MIllA SAKE |