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diff --git a/old/55939-0.txt b/old/55939-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2e20f64..0000000 --- a/old/55939-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3127 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of When I Was a Boy in Japan, by Sakae Shioya - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: When I Was a Boy in Japan - -Author: Sakae Shioya - -Release Date: November 11, 2017 [EBook #55939] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN I WAS A BOY IN JAPAN *** - - - - -Produced by MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: SHIO YA SAKAE] - - - - - WHEN I WAS A BOY - IN JAPAN - - BY - SAKAE SHIOYA - - _ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS_ - - [Illustration] - - BOSTON - LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. - - - - - Published, August, 1906. - - - COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO. - - - _All Rights Reserved._ - - - WHEN I WAS A BOY IN JAPAN. - - - Norwood Press - Berwick & Smith Co. - Norwood, Mass., U. S. A. - - - - -PREFACE - - -Japanese boys have not been introduced very much to their little -American friends, and the purpose of this book is to provide an -introduction by telling some of the experiences which are common to -most Japanese boys of the present time, together with some account of -the customs and manners belonging to their life. I can at least claim -that the story is told as it could be only by one who had actually -lived the life that is portrayed. I have endeavored to hold the -interest of my young readers by bringing in more or less of amusement. -The little girl companion is introduced to widen the interest and add -somewhat more of the story element than would otherwise be present. The -sketches composing the various chapters are necessarily disconnected, -but they form a series of pictures, priceless at least to the author, -which foreign eyes have seldom been allowed to see. - - SAKAE SHIOYA. - - YALE UNIVERSITY, 1905. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER I.: MY INFANCY. - How I Looked--My Name--Walking--In Tea Season--My - Toys--“Kidnapped”--O-dango 9 - - CHAPTER II.: AT HOME. - Introduction--Dinner--Rice--Turning to Cows--A Bamboo - Dragon-fly--A Watermelon Lantern--On a Rainy Evening--The - Story of a Badger 23 - - CHAPTER III.: THE VILLAGE SCHOOL. - A Mimic School--Preparations--The School--How Classes Are - Conducted--Out of Tune--A Moral Story--School - Discipline--Playthings--“Knife Sense” 35 - - CHAPTER IV.: IN TOKYO. - Where We Settled--A Police Stand--Stores--“Broadway”-- - Illumination--The Foreign Settlement 51 - - CHAPTER V.: MY NEW SCHOOL. - Tomo-chan--The Men with Wens--A Curious Punishment--How I - Experienced It--Kotoro-Kotoro 62 - - CHAPTER VI.: CHINESE EDUCATION. - My Chinese Teacher--How I Was Taught--Versification--My - Uncle--Clam Fishing--A Flatfish 76 - - CHAPTER VII.: AN EVENING FÊTE. - My Father--His Love for Potted Trees--A Local Fête--Show - Booths--Goldfish Booths--Singing Insects--How a Potted Tree - Was Bought 91 - - CHAPTER VIII.: SUMMER DAYS. - A Swimming School--How I Was Taught to Swim--Diving--The Old - Home Week--Return of the Departed Souls--Visiting the Ancestral - Graves--The Memorable Night--A Village Dance 102 - - CHAPTER IX.: THE ENGLISH SCHOOL. - A Night at the Dormitory--Beginning English--Grammar-- - Pronunciation--School Moved--Mother’s Love 114 - - CHAPTER X.: A BOY ASTRONOMER. - What I Intended to Be--My Aun View--My Parents’ Approval--My - Uncle’s Enthusiasm--The Total Eclipse of the Sun 128 - - CHAPTER XI.: IN THE SUBURBS. - A Novel Experiment--Removal--Our New - House--Angling--Tomo-chan’s Visit 143 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - SAKAE SHIOYA _Portrait Frontispiece_ - - A JAPANESE HOUSE 22 - - A JAPANESE SCHOOL SCENE 40 - - THE JAPANESE “BROADWAY” 56 - - A TYPICAL JAPANESE STREET 90 - - A JAPANESE SCHOOL OF THE PRESENT DAY 120 - - - - -WHEN I WAS A BOY IN JAPAN - - - - -CHAPTER I - -MY INFANCY - - How I Looked--My Name--Walking--In Tea Season--My - Toys--“Kidnapped”--O-dango. - - -I suppose I don’t need to tell you exactly, my little friends, when -and where I was born, because Japanese names are rather hard for you -to remember, and then I don’t want to disclose my age. Suffice it to -say that I was once a baby like all of you and my birthplace was about -a day’s journey from Tokyo, the capital of Japan. I wish I could have -observed myself and noted down every funny thing I did when very small, -as the guardian angel, who is said to be standing by every cradle, will -surely do. But when my memory began to be serviceable, I was well on -in my infancy, and if I were to rely on that only, I should have to -skip over a considerable length of time. How I should dislike to do -this! So, my little friends, let me construct this chapter out of bits -of things my mamma used to tell me now and then. - -When I was born, my father was away. Grandma was very proud to have a -boy for the first-born, and at once wrote him a letter saying that a -son was born to him and that he was like--and then she wrote two large -circles, meaning that I was very, very plump. Do you know how a plump -Japanese baby looks? I have often wondered myself, and have many a -time watched a baby taking a bath. Let us suppose him to be one year -old and about to be put into warm water in a wooden tub. His chin is -dimple-cleft, his cheeks ripe as an apple, and his limbs are but a -continuation of his fat trunk. And how jolly the elfin is! After the -queer expression he has shown on being dipped has passed away and he -realizes what he is about, he will make many quick bows--really, I -assure you, to show his thanks for the trouble of washing him. At this, -mother, sister, and the maid assisting them give a burst of laughter, -when, with a scream of immense delight, he will strike his fists into -the water, causing a panic among the well-clad and not-ready-to-get-wet -attendants. With royal indifference, however, he will then try to push -his fist into his mouth, and not grumbling at all over his ill-success, -he will set about telling a story with his everlasting mum-mum. Now he -is taken out and laid on a towel. Glowing red, how he will move his -arms and legs like an overturned turtle! Well, that is how I looked, I -am very sure. - -In Japan, in christening a child, we follow the principle of “A good -name is better than rich ointment.” I was named Sakae, which in the -hierographic Chinese characters represents fire burning on a stand. The -idea of illumination will perhaps suggest itself to you at once, and -indeed, it means glory or thrift. And my well-wishing parents named me -so, that I might thrive and be a glory to my family. So I was bound to -be good, wasn’t I? A bad boy with a good name would be very much like a -monkey with a silk hat on. - -Now begins my walking. Now and then mamma or grandma would train me, -taking my hands and singing: - - “Anyo wa o-jozu, - Korobu wa o-heta.” - -But my secret delight--so I judge--was to stand by myself, clinging to -the convenient checkered frames of paper screens, which covered the -whole length of the veranda. When I went from one side to the other, at -first without being noticed--of course walking like a crab--and then -suddenly being discovered with a shout of admiration, I used to come -down with a bump, which, however, never hurt me--I was so plump, you -know. I must describe here a sort of ceremony, or rather an ordeal, I -had to pass through when I was fairly able to stand and walk without -any help. For this I must begin with my house. - -My house stood on the outskirts of the town, where the land rose to a -low hill and was covered with tea-plants. We owned a part of it hedged -in by criptomerias. - -We were not regular tea dealers, but we used to have an exciting -time in the season preparing our crop. Lots of red-cheeked country -girls would come to pick the leaves, and it was a sight to see them -working. With their heads nicely wrapped with pieces of white and -blue cloth, jetting out of the green ocean of tea-leaves, they would -sing peculiarly effective country songs, mostly in solos with a short -refrain in chorus. But they were not having a concert, and if you -should step in among them, they would make a hero of you, those girls. -And then we had also a good many young men working at tea-heaters. - -Here they likewise sang snatches of songs, but their principal business -was to roll up steamed leaves and dry them over the fire. But when -work is combined with fun, it is a great temptation for a boy, and I, -a lad of five or six, I remember, would have a share among them, and, -standing on a high stool by a heater and baring my right shoulder like -the rest, would join more in a refrain than in rolling the leaves. - -But I was going to tell you about the ceremony I had to pass through, -wasn’t I? Well, it happened, or rather somebody especially arranged it -so, I suspect, that I should have it just at the time of this great -excitement. The ceremony itself is like this. They take a child fairly -able to walk, load him with some heavy thing, and place him in a sort -of a large basket shaped like the blade of a shovel. Now let him walk. -The basket will rock under him, the load is too heavy for him, and he -will fall down. - -If he does, it is taken for granted that he has in that one act had all -the falls that he would otherwise meet in his later life. So, if he -appears too strong to stumble, he will be shaken down by some roguish -hands before he gets out of it. - -I was to go through this before august spectators--country girls. -They liked to see me plump, because some of them were even more plump -than I. At any rate, from everywhere they saluted me as “Bot’chan,” -“Bot’chan.” If I had returned every salute by looking this way and -that, I should have broken my neck. But it was customary to make a bow -anyway, and I was ordered by my mamma to do so. On this occasion I -made two snap bows with my chin, which excited laughter. Now a basket -was produced, a brand-new one, I remember, and I was loaded with some -heavy rice cake. I stood up, however, like Master Peachling of our -fairy-tale, who is said to have surprised his adopted mother by rising -in his bathtub on the very day of his birth! I was then placed in the -basket and made to walk. - -I looked intently at the basket, not because it was new, but because it -gave me a queer motion, the ups and downs of a boat, a new sensation -to me, anyway. Attracted, however, by the merry voices of the crowd, -I looked at them, and suddenly, being pleased with so many smiling -faces, raised a cry of delight, when down I came with a loud noise. A -roar of laughter broke out with the clapping of hands. The noise buried -my surprise and I also clapped my hands without knowing who was being -cheered. - -As the first-born of the house, I must have had lots of playthings. But -there were two things I remember as clear as the day. One was a sword, -all wood, however. As the son of a samurai, I should have had to serve -my lord under the old régime and stake my life and honor on the two -blades of steel. And so even if the good old days were gone, something -to remind us of them was kept and made a plaything of. But really, I -liked my wooden sword. The other thing was a horse--a hobby-horse, I -mean. I don’t know just how many horses I had, but I wanted any number -of them. I had some pictures, but they were all of horses. If not, I -would not accept the presents. And with these two kinds of treasures I -enjoyed most of my childhood days, the sword slantingly on my side, and -the horse, which I fancied trotting, under me, while I shouted “Haiyo! -haiyo!” - -Although I had my own name, people called me “Bot’chan,” as I have -said, because it is a general term of endearment, and papa and mamma -would call me “Bô” or “Bôya.” Among those who addressed me thus, I -remember very well one middle-aged woman who often came to steal me -from mamma, and by whom I was only too glad to be stolen. - -We had a long veranda facing the garden, on which I passed most of -my days. There I rode on my hobby-horse or played with my little dog -Shiro, who would go through all sorts of tricks for a morsel of nice -things. Suddenly my laugh would cease and nothing of me would be heard. -Wondering what the matter was, mamma would open the paper screen -to see, and lo! not a shadow of me was to be seen. Even Shiro had -disappeared. Attacked with a feeling something akin to horror, she used -to picture--so I imagine--a winged tengu (a Japanese harpy) swooping -down and carrying me away to some distant hill. But soon finding -recent steps of clogs on the ground, coming to and receding from the -veranda, she would nod and smile at the trick. She knew that I had been -kidnapped by a good soul! - -Now I want to give you some reasons why I liked this woman. First of -all, it was because she always carried me on her back. The only way to -appreciate what it is to be tall, would be to be a grown-up man and -a small child at the same time. And that is exactly the feeling that -I had. I could see lots of curious things over the forbidden hedges. -I could even see things over the house-tops; they were all one-story, -and built low, though. In a word, I always felt while on her back like -a wee pig who had first toddled out into a wide, wide world. And then -she would carry me through town. What life there was! After crossing -a bridge which spanned the stream, coming from the beautiful lake on -the north and going a little way along a row of pine-trees, we would -come on a flock of ducks and geese on their way to the water. What a -noise they made,--quack, quack! Then we would begin inspecting rows -of houses, open to the street and in which all sorts of things were -sold. Men, women, and children, as well as dogs, seemed to be very much -occupied. Then I would spy some horses laden with straw bags and wood. -Real horses they were, but I was rather disappointed to find them so -big and their appearance not half so good as in my pictures. My faith -in them always began to shake a little bit, but still I used to persist -in thinking that my hobby-horses and pictures were nearer the reality -than those we met on the street. And wasn’t it curious that my belief -was at last substantiated by seeing a Shetland pony in America after -some twenty years? Ah, that was exactly what I had in mind! - -Then I would hear a merry prattle on a drum--_terent-tenten, -terent-tenten_. Ah, here would come boy acrobats dressed in something -like girls’ gymnasium suits, with a small mask of a lion’s head with a -plume on it, on their heads. A funny sort of boy, I thought, but on my -woman’s giving them some pennies, they would perform all sorts of feats -which interested me never so much. The woman used to shake me to make -sure that I was not dead, as I kept very quiet, watching. - -The woman’s house was just behind the street, and she was sure to -take me there. Here was another reason why I liked her very much. -She seemed to know just what I wanted. She would set me on the sunny -veranda and bring me some nice o-dango (rice dumpling). This she made -herself, and it was prepared just to my liking, covered well with soy -and baked deliciously. I was in clover if I only had that! - -I will describe one of my visits, which will well represent them all. -The day was calm and bright, and while we were feasting--she had some -of the good things, too--her pussy sat on one end of the veranda and -was finishing her toilet in the sun. Even the sparrows in this peaceful -weather forgot that they were birds of air, and fell from the trees and -were wrestling noisily on the ground. Only the pussy’s move broke up -their sport. By this time we were very near the end of our business. -Turning from the sparrows, my woman glanced at me and sat for a moment -transfixed with the awful sight I presented. There I was with my -cheeks and nose all besmeared with brown soy, stretching my sticky -hands in a helpless attitude, and licking my mouth by way of variation. -She now broke into laughter and was scrambling on the floor, weak with -merriment. But my mute appeal was too eloquent; indeed, I was all ready -to shed tears with an utter sense of helplessness when she hastened to -bring a wet towel and wipe my face and hands clean and nice, with, -“Oh, my poor Bot’chan!” - -[Illustration: A JAPANESE HOUSE.] - - - - -CHAPTER II - -AT HOME - - Introduction--Dinner--Rice--Turning to Cows--A Bamboo Dragon-fly--A - Watermelon Lantern--On a Rainy Evening--The Story of a Badger. - - -Our family consisted of father, mother, grandmother, and two children -besides myself, at the time when I was six years old. I don’t remember -exactly what business my father was in, but my impression is that he -had no particular one. He had been trained for the old samurai and -devoted most of his youthful days to fencing, riding, and archery. -But by the time he had come of age, that training was of no use to -him professionally, because, as quickly as you can turn the palm of -your hand, Japan went through a wonderful change from the old feudal -régime to the era of new civilization. So my father, and many, many -others like him, were just in mid-air, so to speak, being thrown out of -their proper sphere, but unable to settle as yet to the solid ground -and adapt themselves to new ways. My mother came also of the samurai -stock, and, like most of her class, kept in her cabinet a small sword -beautifully ornamented in gold work, with which she was ready to defend -her honor whenever obliged to. But far from being mannish, she was -as meek as a lamb, and was devoted to my father and her children. My -grandmother was of a retiring nature and I cannot draw her very much -into my narrative. But she was very good to everybody, and her daily -work, so far as I can remember, was to take a walk around the farm -every morning. She was so regular in this habit that I cannot think -of her without associating her with the scent of the dewy morning and -with the green of the field which stretched before her. She died not -many years after, but I often wonder if she is really dead. To me -she is still living, and what the great poet said of Lucy Gray sounds -peculiarly true in her case, too. - - “--Yet some maintain that to this day - She is a living child; - That you may see sweet Lucy Gray - Upon the lonesome wild. - - “O’er rough and smooth she trips along, - And never looks behind; - And sings a solitary song - That whistles in the wind.” - -Only you would have to make Lucy seventy years old to fit my -grandmother. - -The introduction being over, let us attend a dinner, or rather -give attention to a description of one. We do not eat at one large -dining-table with chairs around it. We each have a separate small table -about a foot and a half square, all lacquered red, green, or black, and -sit before it on our heels. A rice bucket, a teapot, some saucers, a -bottle of soy, and so forth, are all placed near some one who is to -specially serve us. We used to sit in two rows, father and grandmother -facing each other, mother next to father, with the young sister -opposite my brother and myself. The younger children usually sit next -to some older person who can help them in eating. No grace was said, -but I always bowed to my elders before I began with “itadakimasu” (I -take this with thanks), which I sometimes said when I was very hungry, -as a good excuse and signal to start eating before the others. - -Rice is our staple food and an almost reverential attitude toward it -as the sustainer of our life is entertained by the people. And I was -told time and again not to waste it. Once a maid, so my mother used to -tell me, was very careless in cleaning rice before it was cooked. She -dropped lots of grains on the stone floor under the sink day after day, -and never stopped to pick them up. One day, when she wanted to clean -the floor, she was frightened half to death by finding there ever so -many white serpents straining their necks at her. She really fainted -when the goddess of the kitchen appeared to her in her trance and bade -her to take all those white serpents in a basket and wash them clean. -As she came to herself, she did as she was told, trembling with horror -at touching such vile things, some of which, indeed, would try to coil -themselves around her hands. But as the last pailful of water was -poured on them, lo! what were serpents a moment ago were now all turned -into nice grains of rice ready to be boiled. Now if there is one thing -in the world I hate, it is a serpent; the mere mention of it makes my -flesh creep. So you see I took care to pitch every grain of boiled rice -into my mouth with my chop-sticks before I left my table. - -Another story was told me concerning the meal. The Japanese teach home -discipline by stories, you know. This was a short one, being merely -the statement that if anybody lies down on the floor soon after he -has eaten his meal, he will turn into a cow. Now a number of times I -had found cows chewing their cuds while stretched upon the ground. So -I thought, in my childish mind, that there must be some mysterious -connection between each of the three in the order as they stand: -eating--lying down--cow. So, naturally, I avoided the second process, -and, after eating, immediately ran out-of-doors to see what our man, -Kichi, was doing. - -Kichi worked on our little farm, and I usually found him cleaning his -implements after the day’s work. We were great friends, and he used -to present me with toys of his own making, which were very simple but -indeed a marvel to me. Once he picked up a piece of bamboo and made a -chip of it about a twelfth of an inch thick, a third of an inch wide, -and three inches and a half long. Then he sliced obliquely one-half -of one side and the other half of the same side in the opposite -direction, so that the edges might be made thin. He also bored a small -hole in the middle and put in a stick about twice as thick as a hairpin -and about four inches long, the sliced side being down. He then cut off -the projecting end of the stick, when it was tight in the chip. The -dragon-fly was now ready to take flight. He took the stick between his -palms and gave a twist, when lo! it flew away up in the air. - -I was delighted with the toy, and tried several times to make it fly. -But when I used all my force and gave it a good long twist, why, it -took such a successful flight that it hit the edge of the comb of our -straw roof and stuck there, never to come down. I was very sorry at -that, but Kichi laughed at the feat the dragon-fly had performed, and -said that the maker was so skilful that the toy turned out to be a real -living thing! It was perched there for the night. Well, I admired his -skill very much, but did not want to lose my toy in that way. So I -made him promise me to make another the next day, reminding him not to -put too much skill in it. - -It was summer, the season of watermelons. We had a small melon patch -and an ample supply of the fruit. Here was a chance for Kichi to try -his skill again. One evening he took a pretty round melon and scooped -the inside out so as to put in a lighted candle. So far this was -very ordinary. He scraped the inner part until the rind was fairly -transparent, and then cut a mouth, a nose, and eyes with eyebrows -sticking out like pins. He then painted them so that when the candle -was lighted a monster of a melon was produced. How triumphant a boy -would feel in possessing such a thing! I hung it on the veranda that -evening when the room was weirdly lighted by one or two greenish paper -lanterns, and watched it with my folks. I expressed my admiration for -Kichi’s skill, and with boyish fondness for exaggeration mentioned -the fact that a toy dragon-fly of his making had really turned out -to be a living thing. All laughed, but of course I made an effort to -be serious. But no sooner were we silent than, without the slightest -hint, the melon angrily dropped down with a crash. I screamed, but, -being assured of its safety, I approached it and found the skull of -the monster was badly fractured, in fact, one piece of it flying some -twenty feet out in the garden. The next morning I took the first -opportunity to tell Kichi that his toy was so skilfully made that it -sought death of its own accord. - -Well, I started to tell what I did evenings, but when it was wet I -had a very tedious time. Nothing is more dismal to a boy than a rainy -day. To lie down was to become a cow. So one rainy evening I opened -the screen, and, standing, looked out at the rain. But this was no -fun. The only alternative was to go to one of the rooms. Now there -is no chair in a Japanese house, and to sit over one’s heels is too -ceremonial, not to say a bit trying, even for a Japanese child. So -my legs unconsciously collapsed, and there I was lying on my back, -singing aloud some songs I had learned. Presently I began to look at -the unpainted ceiling, and traced the grain. And is it not wonderful -that out of knots and veins of wood you can make figures of some living -things? Yes, I traced a man’s face, one eye much larger than the other. -Then, I had a cat. Now I began to trace a big one with a V-shaped face. -A cow! The idea ran through me with the swiftness of lightning, and -the next moment I sprang to my feet and shook myself to see if I had -undergone any transformation. Luckily, I was all right. But to make the -thing sure, I felt of my forehead carefully to see if anything hard was -coming out of it. - -The room now lost its attraction. And I ran away to the room where my -grandmother was. Opening the screen, I said: - -“Grandma!” - -“Well, Bô?” - -“May I come in? I want you to tell me the story of a badger, grandma.” - -I was never tired of hearing the same stories over and over again from -my grandmother. There was at some distance a tall tree, shooting up -like an arrow to the sky, which was visible from a window of her room. -It was there that the badger of her story liked to climb. One early -evening he was there with the cover of an iron pot, which he made with -his magic power appear like a misty moon. Now a farmer, who was still -working in the field, chanced to see it, and was surprised to find -that it was already so late. He could tell the hour from the position -of the moon, you know. So he made haste to finish his work, and was -going home, when another moon, the real one this time, peeped out of -the wood near by. The badger, however, had too much faith in his art -to withdraw his mock moon, and held it there to rival the newly risen -one. The farmer was astonished to find two moons at the same time, but -he was not slow to see which was real. He smiled at the trick of the -badger, and now wanted to outwit him. He approached the tree stealthily -and shook it with all his might. The badger was not prepared for this. -Losing his balance, he dropped down to the ground, moon and all, and -had to run for his life, for the farmer was right after him with his -hoe. - -I laughed and grandma laughed, too, over her own story, when the paper -screen was suddenly brightened. - -“The badger’s moon!” I cried, and climbed up to my grandmother. - -“Yes, I am a badger,” said a voice, as the door was opened. And there -stood my mother with a paper lantern she had brought for the room. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE VILLAGE SCHOOL - - A Mimic School--Preparations--The School--How Classes - Are Conducted--Out of Tune--A Moral Story--School - Discipline--Playthings--“Knife Sense.” - - -At the age of six I was sent to school. For some time before the -fall opening, I was filled with excitement and curiosity and looked -forward to the day with great impatience. As our neighbors were few and -scattered and I did not have many playmates, I wondered how I should -feel on coming in contact with so many boys, most of whom were older -than I. And then there was study. I had a faint idea what a learned -scholar such as Confucius was, and felt as if a plunge into school a -day or two would half convert me into that obscure ideal. Weeks before, -I insisted on having a mimic school at home to prepare myself a little -for the august event, and with my mother as teacher I learned the -numerals and the forty-eight letters of the Japanese alphabet by heart. -I wished to do just as I would at school, and so I used to go outdoors -and with measured steps approach the porch. Entering the house, I sat -down before a table and bowed reverentially. When my mother was there -before me, I cheerfully began to study, well, for five minutes or so, -but when I found her not quite ready I was mercilessly thrown out of -humor, and only her exaggerated bows for apology would induce me to dry -my sorrowful tears. - -The few days before the opening of the school were taken for my -preparation. I needed copy-books, a slate, an abacus, which is a frame -strung with wires on which are wooden beads to be moved in counting -and reckoning, and a small writing-box, containing a stone ink-well, -a cake of India ink, a china water-vessel, and brushes. I must have -also a round lunch set, the three pieces of which can be piled one -upon another like a miniature pagoda, and then, when empty, be put one -within another to reduce the size. A pair of chop-sticks went with -the set of course. Now all must be purchased new as if everything had -a new start. And then a new school suit was procured together with a -navy cap. These were all ready a day before, and were exhibited on the -alcove. - -My younger brother was possessed of the school mania at the sight of -these last, and insisted that he would have his set, too. And so mimic -ones were procured, and these formed a second row together with his -holiday suit. - -And then came the night before I was to go. I played the part of a -watch-dog by sleeping right near my property. In fact, I went to bed -early, but I could not sleep till after everybody had retired for -the night. And then I dreamed that my abacus stood up, its beads -chattering on how to start the trip in the morning. It was joined by -the copy-book, made of soft, Japanese paper, which parted hither and -thither in walking, as a lady’s skirt,--a Japanese lady’s, I mean. The -chairman was my navy cap. I did not know how they decided, but they -must have come to a peaceful agreement, as they were found, when I -awoke in the morning, exactly in the same place, lying quiet. - -The next morning I set out with my father for the school. The faces of -every one in the house were at the door looking at me. I made every -effort to be dignified in walking, but could not help looking back just -once, when my face relaxed into a smile, and I felt suddenly very shy. -But as I heard my younger brother struggling to get away from my mother -to follow me, I hastened my steps to turn round a corner of the road. - -The school was a low, dark-looking building, with paper-screened -windows all around like a broad white belt, and with a spacious porch -with dusty shelves to leave clogs on. When we arrived, we were led into -a side room, where we met the master or principal, and soon my father -returned home, leaving me to his care. I felt somewhat lonesome with -strangers all around, but kept myself as cool as possible, which effort -was very much like stopping a leak with the hands. A slight neglect -would bring something misty into my eyes. But now all the boys--and -girls, too, in the other room--came into one large room. Some forty of -the older ones and fifteen of those who had newly entered took their -seats, the older ones glancing curiously at the newcomers. But we were -all in back seats and so were not annoyed with looks that would have -been felt piercing us from behind. The desk I was assigned to was a -miserable one; not only was it besmeared with ink ages old, but cuts -were made here and there as if it were a well-fought battleground. But -I did not feel ashamed to sit there, as I thought that this was a kind -of place in which a Confucius was to be brought up. - -Looking awhile on what was going on, I found the boys were divided into -three classes. The method of teaching was curious; one class alone -was allowed to have a reading lesson, while the other two were having -writing or arithmetic, that is, the teaching was so arranged that what -one class was doing might not disturb the others. I was struck, even in -my boyish mind, with the happy method, and learned the first lesson in -management. And then reading was done partly in unison with the master, -in a singsong style, and the effect was pleasing, if it was not very -loud. The class in arithmetic, on the other hand, sent out a pattering -noise of pencils on the slates, which in a confused mass would form -an overtone of the orchestra. A writing lesson taken in the midst of -such a company was never tiresome. Indeed, anything out of tune would -send the whole house into laughter, and such things were constantly -happening. - -[Illustration: A JAPANESE SCHOOL SCENE.] - -I was not slow in becoming acquainted with the boys. As I went into the -playground for the first time, I felt rather awkward to find nobody to -play with. But soon two boys whom I knew thrust themselves before me -and uncovered their heads. And from that moment the playground became -a place of great interest to me. Two friends grew into five, eight, -ten, and fifteen, and in three days I felt as if I possessed the whole -ground. - -As things grew more familiar, I found almost every boy was striving -a little bit to be out of tune. When singsong reading was going on, -pupils echoing responsively the teacher’s voice, some wild boy would -suddenly redouble his effort with gusto, and his voice, like that of a -strangled chicken, would soar away up, to the great merriment of the -rest. And then often a boy, whose mind was occupied with a hundred -and one things except the book, engaged in some sly communication -with another, unconscious of the teacher’s approach, when he would -literally jump into the air as the master’s whip descended sharply -on his desk. We sat by twos on benches, and when one boy saw his -companion carelessly perching on the end of the bench, just right for -experimenting the principle of the lever, he would not miss a moment -to stand up, presumably to ask some question. But no sooner had he -called to the teacher, than the other fellow would shoot down to the -floor with a cry, and the bench come back with a tremendous noise. But -this was not all. When the boys could not find a pretense to make a -noise, they would stealthily paint their faces with writing brushes. -Two touches would be enough to grow a thick mustache curling up to -the ears. When the teacher faced a dozen of those mustache-wearing -boys who were unable to efface their naughty acts as quickly as they -had committed them, he could do nothing but to burst into undignified -laughter. - -One day a strange method of discipline was instituted. The teacher -must have been at a loss to bring the urchins to behave well. It was -the last hour, the only hour, I think, the boys kept quiet. They did -so partly because the course bore the great name of ethics, but more -because moral stories were told. And the boys did not care whether the -stories were moral or not, as long as they were interesting. Here is -one of the twenty-four Chinese stories that teach filial duty: - -There was once a boy by the name of Ching who had an old mother. He was -a good boy, and did what he could to please her. The mother, however, -often asked for things hard to get. One day in winter she wanted some -carp for her dinner. It was very cold, and the lake where Ching used to -fish was all frozen. What could he do? He, however, went to the lake, -looked about the place to find out where the ice was not thick, and, -baring himself about his stomach, lay flat to thaw it. It was a very -difficult thing to do, but at last the ice gave way, and to his great -joy, from the crevice thus made, a big carp jumped out into the air. So -he could satisfy his mother’s want. - -Not only the boys who listened intently, but also the teacher, got -interested as the story grew to the climax, and the latter would -gesticulate and eventually impersonate the dutiful boy, showing -surprise at seeing a carp jumping ten feet into the air. This called -forth laughter which was meant for applause. But the teacher soon came -to himself and called silence. One day, after telling this story, he -said that it was yet half an hour before the time to close, but he -would dismiss us. “But,” he continued, “you can go only one by one, -beginning with those who are quiet and good. This is to train you for -your orderly conduct in study-hours, and if any one cannot keep quiet, -even for half an hour, he shall stay in his place till he can do so.” -This was a severe test. An early dismissal, even of five minutes before -the time, had a special charm for boys, but to-day we could march out -half an hour earlier. And then what a lovely day it was in autumn! The -warm sun was bright, and the trees were ablaze with golden leaves. -Persimmons were waiting for us to climb up and feast on them. After -a moment the boys were as still as night. One by one a “good” boy -was called to leave; they went like lambs to the door, but no sooner -were they out, than some stamped on the stairs noisily and shouted -and laughed on the green, which act showed that the teacher did not -always pick the right ones. I naturally waited my turn with impatience. -I thought I was a pretty good boy. At least I had Confucius for my -ideal, and those who had it were not many. I never did mischief, except -once, and that was really an accident. I dropped my lunch-box in my -arithmetic class, and chased it, as it had rolled off quite a distance. -Half the school laughed at me, and that was all. I was now musing on my -ill-luck when a call came to me at last. It was still a quarter of an -hour before closing time, and I thought the teacher knew me, after all. - -Within a month after I entered the school, I made a new discovery as -to a schoolboy’s equipments. I had thought that they consisted only -of books, copy-books, an abacus, and such things. But these form only -a half of them. The other half are hidden to view: they are in the -pockets, or in the sleeves, I should have said. During the recess a -strong cord will come out and also a top about two and a half inches in -diameter, and with an iron ring a quarter of an inch thick. A Japanese -top is a mad thing. When it sings out of the hands and hits that of -the opponent, sending it off crippled, it makes you feel very happy. -Another thing is a sling. It is as old as the time of David, but it -was perfectly new to me. When a pebble shoots out and vanishes in the -air, you feel as though you were able to hit a kite circling away up in -the sky. And another thing! It is a knife, the broad-bladed one. With -it they cut a piece one and a half feet long out of a thick branch of -a tree and sharpen one end of it. Selecting a piece of soft ground, -the boys in turn drive in their own pieces and try to knock over the -others. The game depends much on one’s strength and the kind of wood -one selects. But there is a pleasure in possessing a cruel branch that -will knock off three or four pieces at a blow. Oh, for a knife and a -top! I thought. I disclosed the matter to my mother, who thought a -top was all right and bought me one. But as for the knife, she gave -me a small one, fit only to sharpen a pencil with. I felt ashamed (I -blush to confess, though) even to show it to my schoolmates. If I had -had money, I would have given my all just for a knife. But money was -a mean thing; the possession of it was the root of all evil--so it -was thought, and, indeed, I was penniless. But I must have a decent -knife--decent among boys. If I could only get one I would give my -Confucius for it. - -One day I saw my Kichi--we had kept up our meeting ever since. I talked -to him about a knife. He did not tell me how I could get one because -I talked only about what the possession of a good knife would mean to -a boy. It was a rather general remark, but I disliked to go right to -the point. It would be too much to presume on his kindness, you know. -And then I rather wanted him to offer. He, however, produced his own -favorite knife and cut a thick piece of deal right away to show how -sharp it was. Well, I thought he had a knife sense, anyway. So I kept -talking about it day after day, and each time I talked of it he showed -me his, and tried it on a piece of wood. - -One day there was a town festival and in the evening I was allowed to -go with Kichi to see it. Kichi’s manner that night was very strange; -he appeared as if he had a chestful of gold. He asked me in a fatherly -manner what I liked, and said he could buy me all the booths if I -wished him to. I never felt so happy as then. I thought my patience had -conquered him at last. And to make a long story short, I came to own a -splendid knife, better than any other boy’s at the school! That night I -slept with it under the pillow. - -The next morning the first thing I did was to go to thank Kichi. - -“Hello, Kichi,” I shouted. “Thank you very much for the knife.” - -“Oh, good morning, Bot’chan. Let me see your knife,” he said. “But I am -sorry that I played a joke on you last night. It was your mother who -paid for it. You must go and thank her for it.” - -“Well, never!” I gasped. But being told how she handed him the money -when we started, I gave him a slap--a mild one, though--on his face -and ran immediately to my mother, thinking that after all she had -something more than a mere knife sense. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -IN TOKYO - - Where We Settled--A Police - Stand--Stores--“Broadway”--Illumination--The Foreign Settlement. - - -About two years after I entered the village school I had to leave it -for good and all. My father, as I have said, was in mid-air between the -heaven of old Japan and the prosaic earth of the new institution. He -would fain have remained there, had he had a pillar of gold to support -him. And it is wonderful to see how this glittering pillar does support -one in almost any place. It was a very serious matter for him to launch -in the new current without any helpful equipment. But he had to do it, -and made up his mind to try his fortune at the very centre of the new -civilization, Tokyo. And so one day we said good-by to our friends -who came to see us off, and started for the capital. “Parting is such -sweet sorrow,” as the poet sang, but I hardly remember now whether I -shed tears or not. As I, however, look back to the day, I cannot but be -grateful for the new move, for the immeasurable benefit it brought at -least to us children. - -In Tokyo we settled very near where my aunt lived. The street was -by no means in a noisy quarter, but I can hardly think of anywhere -in the city which was so well situated for being in contact with so -many places of interest, at least for a boy just from the country. It -was near to the “Broadway” of Tokyo, and just as near to the foreign -settlement and to the railroad station, the only one of the kind in the -city in those days. And if I wanted a touch of the old order of things, -there was a big temple, a block on the east, which made its presence -known to the forgetful people by striking a big bell every evening. I -cannot say they rang the bell, because the bells at Buddhist temples -do not chime, but boom. They are so big--bigger than a siege-gun. I -liked the sound very much, as it brought to me like a dream the vision -of a hillside sleeping under the setting sun. But I must not forget to -mention a large piece of grassy ground very near us, where we could -romp, fly kites, or play at a tug-of-war. - -Now the first thing I did when I came to the new place was to -familiarize myself with the neighborhood for the sake of running -errands, or just to keep myself informed. First I started eastward and -turned the corner to the left, where I found a wee bit of a house, or -rather a box, six feet by nine, where two policemen were stationed. It -was the first time I had ever seen any of them, and I thought they were -a queer sort of people, who looked at me suspiciously whenever I looked -at them in that way. But I thought as long as I did not do anything -wrong, they would have no reason for coming at me. I also had great -faith that if a thief should break into our house, they would soon come -to our help. So I made several trials to see how quickly I could cover -the distance to give them notice. They must have thought me a strange -boy as I came panting to the police stand and stopped short to look at -the clock inside. - -A little beyond began the market. First a grocery store, then a fish -stall, a bean-cake shop, and so on. I remember that the house I most -frequented was a sweet potato store. I could get five or six nice hot -baked pieces for a penny. And how I liked them! At regular intervals -fresh ones were ready and we waited for them, falling into a line. -When we got as much as we wanted, we would run a race lest they -should get too cold. At the end of the street, just opposite a tall -fire-ladder, standing erect and with a bell on the top, was a big meat -store. Beef, pork, everything, they had, and sometimes I found a bill -posted saying, “Mountain Whale, To-day.” Whatever that might be, I -never cared to eat such doubtful things. You never tried sea-horse or -sea-elephant, did you? - -Then, going in another direction from my house, I made my way to -“Broadway.” I first crossed a bridge which spanned a canal and came -to an object of much interest. It was a telegraph-pole. I was never -able to count the wires on it unless I did it by the help of a -multiplication table, as there were so many of them, coming from all -parts of the country to the central station. A strange thing about -them was that they sang. When I put my ear to the pole, even on a -windless day, I could hear a number of soft voices wailing, as it were. -I thought they must come from messages running on the wires, many of -which were indeed too sad to describe. And then there was something -which made me think that boys in that vicinity had a very hard -time. Many a time I saw kites with warriors’ faces painted on them, -entangled in the wires. The faces which looked heroic, now seemed only -grinning furiously for agony! But I must not be musing on such things, -for if I did not take care in that crowded thoroughfare, a jinrikisha -man would come dashing from behind with “Heigh, there!” which took the -breath out of a country boy. - -[Illustration: THE JAPANESE “BROADWAY.”] - -Broadway was built after a foreign style,--I don’t know which -country’s, though. There were sidewalks with willow-trees,--and there -are no sidewalks in ordinary Japanese roads,--and brick houses, two -stories high, and with no basement. Horse-cars were running, but they -would not be on the track after ten in the evening. Many jinrikishas -were running, too, and some half a dozen of them were waiting for -customers at each corner. But not a shadow of a cab was to be seen -anywhere. To tell the truth, I never thought of finding one then, its -existence in the world being unknown to me at that time. There were a -good many wonders in store for me in the shops, and I never grew -tired of inspecting them. One curious thing was that here and there -at the notion stores boys were playing hand-organs, probably to draw -customers in. So I thought, anyway, and every time I passed I obliged -them awhile by listening to their music. As I strolled on, I came -across a sign with “Shiruko” in large letters on it. Shiruko is a sort -of pudding, made of sweet bean sauce and rice dumpling, and served hot. -To be sure, it made my mouth water, but I went on reading a bill over -the wall. There were twelve varieties of shiruko, it said, styled after -the names of the months, and any one who could finish eating all of -them at one time, would get a prize besides the return of the price! -How I wished that I had a big stomach! - -The sight of Broadway was prettier in the evening, when the sidewalks -would be lined with hundreds of stalls. I shall have occasion to -describe them later, and so let me now mention one thing which I -never remember without a smile. It was an illumination on a holiday -evening--not of the whole street, but of only one building, and that of -two stories, I remember. It was a newspaper office. And as newspapers -are always giving us something new, this building, I think, awoke one -morning to give us what was very new at that time. It girdled itself -just once with an iron pipe half an inch in diameter, which twisted -itself into some characters in the front, and awaited a holiday -evening. The paper advertised that everybody should come to see how -they were going to celebrate the holiday evening. So the whole city -turned out, and all my folks, too. Hand-organs in the stores around -began a concert, and people waited with their mouths open. The time -came, and lights were seen running from both ends like serpents, -closing up in the centre. Wonder of wonders! “DAILY NEWS OFFICE” in -gaslight appeared! - -I must tell you one more adventure I had, and that was an excursion -into the foreign settlement. As I came to the city I met with a -foreigner once in a while. I wondered how I should feel if I but -plunged into their crowd and spoke with them, if possible. So one day, -with a curious mind, I started for the place where the foreigners lived -together, about a mile from my home. As I neared the settlement I made -several discoveries. First, the houses looked very prim and square, -straight up and down, painted white, or in some light color. When -viewed from a distance they looked as if they were so many gravestones -in a temple yard. Unfortunately, it was the only comparison that -occurred to a country boy. As I looked again, I found out another fact. -That was, that while Japanese houses were nestling under the trees, -foreign houses were above them. In fact, there was nothing more than -low bushes around the houses. So my conclusion was that foreigners -lived in gravestone-like houses, and did not like tall trees, being -tall themselves, perhaps. As I entered a street I found everything -just contrary to my expectation. Streets were deserted instead of -being thronged; only one or two people and a dog were seen crossing. -I went on, when, as luck would have it, I neared a Catholic temple -from which two men, or women,--I could not distinguish which,--dressed -in black, with hoods of the same color, came! How dismal, I thought, -and immediately took to my heels till I came to another part of the -street where the houses faced the sea. I wanted to see a boy or a girl, -anyway, if I could not find a crowd. As I looked I saw something white -at one of the gates, and what was my delight when I found it to be a -little girl! I approached her, but not very near, as we could not talk -to each other. I just kept at an admiring distance. I stood there, one -eye on her and the other on the sea, lest I should drive her in by -looking at her with both my eyes, and began to examine her. What a -pretty creature she was! With her face white as a lily and her cheeks -pink as a cherry flower, she stood there watching me. Her light hair -was parted, a blue ribbon being tied on one side like a butterfly. She -had on a white muslin dress with a belt to match the ribbon, but what -was my astonishment to find that I could not see any dress beyond her -knees! I could not believe it at first, but the dress stopped short -there, and the slender legs, covered with something black,--I did not -care what,--were shooting out. Might not some malicious person have cut -it so? “Oh, please, for mercy’s sake, cover them,” was my thought. “I -don’t care if you have a long dress, the skirt trailing on the ground.” -But was I mistaken in my standard of criticism? I looked at myself, -and, sure enough, my kimono reached down to my feet! - - - - -CHAPTER V - -MY NEW SCHOOL - - Tomo-chan--The Men with Wens--A Curious Punishment--How I - Experienced It--Kotoro-kotoro. - - -Of course I attended another school as soon as we were settled. And -every morning I went with my Tomo-chan. - -But I must tell you who Tomo-chan was. She--yes, _she_--was the adopted -daughter of my aunt, of about the same age as I, and in the same class -at school. I wish I had space enough to tell you how she came to be -adopted, but I shall have to be contented just with telling you that -the main cause of her becoming a member of my aunt’s family was all -through me. Aunty had no child, but she had found how lovely a child -is, even if he be mischievous, through my short visit two years before, -which I have had no occasion to tell you about. Now one of the first -principles in physics says that nature abhors a vacuum. This means that -it is unnatural for a place to have nothing in it. I had gone back: who -was to fill my place? So Tomo-chan, a better and certainly prettier -child than I, slipped into my shoes. - -Aunty wished us to be good friends. So I called on her every morning -on my way to school, and in the afternoon we went over our lesson -together. Arithmetic was not very hard for me, and so I helped her over -pitfalls of calculation, while she did the same for me with reading. -Girls remember very well, but do not care to reason things out, it -seems. And indeed, Tomo-chan remembered even the number of mistakes I -made in reading. Now what one can do in half a day, two can accomplish -in half an hour, was the philosophy that came to me from our case; for -our drudgery was over in no time, and we were going through Tomo-chan’s -treasure of nice pictures and books of fairy-tales. There was a -picture in one of the books of an old man with a wen on his cheek, -dancing before a crowd of demons and goblins. “Look here, what is -this?” I asked. She laughed at the picture and would not tell me about -it till she had thoroughly enjoyed laughing. That is the way of a girl. -But with “O dear!” she started thus: - -“One day, this old man with a wen happened to fall into a crowd of -those ugly monsters, and was made to dance. He danced very well, and so -was asked to come again the next day. The goblins wanted something for -a pledge for his keeping his word and so removed the wen from the man’s -cheek. The old man was very glad to part with it, and went home, when -he met another man with a wen.” She turned the leaf to show another -picture. This time the new man was dancing before the weird crowd. -“You see, this man was told how he could remove his wen, and is now -showing his skill before them to induce them to ask for the pledge. But -he did not have any practice at all in dancing and so was just jumping -round. And the goblins got angry over his deceit, and sent him back -with the wen that the old man had left.” Turning the leaf, “Here he is -with wens on both his cheeks!” - -She laughed again, and I could not help laughing with her, too. At this -moment some one was coming up the stairs. - -“Why, is this the way you study your lesson?” - -It was aunty who entered the room as she said: “I am surprised at you.” -And she laid down a tray with a teapot and cups and a dish of cakes on -it. The sight made us happy all at once, and Tomo-chan explained to her -how soon we had finished our study. - -“Why, Ei-chan helped me in arithmetic, so we finished a long, long time -ago.” - -“Well, Ei-chan is a good boy, isn’t he?” said aunty. Boys feel awkward -to be well spoken of to their face, and my speech failed me somehow. -By the way, I was no longer “Bot’chan.” - -The school I found much larger and finer than the village one. The -pupils numbered ten times more. Each class had its own room, and boys -and girls marched in and out in procession every hour. It was so much -more orderly and systematic than the village school that there was less -of “out-of-tune” matter. But then there was one thing that puzzled me. -It was that often a boy was seen standing in the hallway with a bowl of -water in his hands. Sometimes he stood there motionless until the class -was all dismissed. But I was not slow to divine the cause. What puzzled -me was the question: “How could that be the best form of punishment?” -While a boy stood there he need not attend the class. That was -certainly easy for an idle boy. And then there was no pain to endure. -As to the holding of a bowl, why, did I not hold my bowl of rice every -meal and not know even if it was heavy or light? But another solution -suggested itself to me; it might have the same effect on the offender -as wearing a cap with “I am a Fool,” written on it. He stood there, and -everybody thought he was a bad boy. “It might be, it might be,” I said, -congratulating myself on the happy solution, when a crow that had just -alighted on a branch of the elm by the gate repeated, “It might be!” I -threw a stone at him without thinking that it was a violation of the -school rule, and, if discovered, I might have undergone the punishment. - -At any rate, I was destined, it appeared, to undergo the punishment -once at least. And it happened in this way. - -At this school, boys were not allowed to carry iron tops or even -hand-balls. There were too many of them, and if they should all indulge -in these sports, there would be constant danger of breaking their legs -or knocking their noses off. So comparatively harmless footballs were -provided. Now, one noon recess, ten of us wanted to have a game. We -were divided into parties of five and played. Of course we had no rules -to go by, but tried to carry the ball within the enemy’s lines by every -means. One time we fumbled furiously near the building, and, in the -heat of our tackling, one fellow seized the ball and kicked it without -minding in which direction he was aiming. If he had had less skill the -ball would have gone only over the roof and dropped on the head of a -jinrikisha man running on the other street. But as it was, it went -madly against a window-pane and smashed it all to pieces. What a noise -it made! For a minute it made all the boys and girls playing on the -ground keep quite still. And in this awful suspense a teacher appeared -and caught the five, I among the number, who were still in the position -of fumbling, together with the poor fellow who did the kicking, and -who stood dazed, unable to recover as yet from the shock of his late -experience. I didn’t know how the other four escaped being caught, but -I was glad that they did. - -There was no question in the teacher’s mind but that all six should -be exhibited in the hallway, and so we were made to stand there, each -holding a bowl of water. Now I had an ample opportunity to learn every -significance of this form of punishment. Naturally, we felt merry -at first. In the first place, there was something unreasonable and -ludicrous in the way at least five of us came to stand there. And then -when you have companions in your bad luck, you feel surely light of -heart. And so we did. But when fifteen, thirty minutes passed, our legs -got to be stiff and the weightless bowls began to weigh very much in -our hands. Indeed, the slightest inclination would spill the water! -But why did we not drink some of it, you may say? Well, we should have -done it, but we knew that it must all be there when the teacher came. -Forty-five minutes, and the bell rang for the dismissal. All the boys -and girls poured out, leaving us alone. Ah, that is the saddest moment -for any schoolboy, for after that the school is dismal as a prison. -Fifteen minutes more, and all the teachers, except the one in charge of -us, were gone. None of us dared to look up, our heads being bent with -extreme sorrow. Presently a weak-minded fellow dropped his china and -cried out. It was not I, but we were all ready to follow his example, -when the teacher came out, and, removing the bowls, read us a lecture -before sending us home. - -We lost our courage, even to run out of the school compound, but -dragged slowly home. But when I turned the first corner whom should I -meet but my Tomo-chan? - -“Why, Tomo-chan!” I looked at her in surprise. - -“I could not go home without you. So I waited for you. But isn’t it a -shame for teacher to punish you without your deserving it?” she said. - -“We did not want to let Takeda suffer alone, you know.” - -My answer was a surprise even to me. Of course, I did not think to the -contrary, but I was not impressed with the significance of it till I -put it into words and--to her. It came as a new thought to me. Our -hearts became light, the thing was forgotten, and only the prospect -of the fine time we should have that golden afternoon in late summer -occupied our minds. - -“Come along,” I said. “Let’s go to the field!” - -And we hastened on briskly, and, throwing our things into our houses on -the way, went to the field, green with cool, cushion-like grass. About -a dozen boys and girls were already waiting for us, and we just jumped -among them. - -“What shall we play?” said one. - -“Let’s have Kotoro-kotoro,” suggested another. - -“That’s fun!” all shouted. - -To play the game, we must first select from the boys one “chief” to -protect his “sons and daughters,” and one “imp” to catch them. The boys -stand in a circle and are ready to say “Jan-ken-pon,” and to hammer -with their fists. At “pon” you make one of three shapes with your hand. -When your hand is spread, that denotes a sheet of paper; when two -fingers only are stretched, that means a pair of scissors; and when -your hand is held closed, it signifies a stone. A sheet of paper can be -cut by scissors, but the latter is ineffectual on a stone. But a stone -can be wrapped by a sheet of paper. Hence, each one can defeat one of -the rest, but is conquered by the other. To simplify the matter, you -can use only two of the three shapes. The one who wins at first is to -be the chief, the one who is ultimately defeated, the imp. So we began: -“Jan-ken-pon!” - -Only three won. Then those three tried again. - -“Jan-ken-pon!” - -I won; and so was the chief. The rest went on jan-ken-ponning till the -imp was decided. - -Now all except the imp held firmly each other’s belt on the back, in -a line, with me at the head. It is a pity you don’t have any belt on -your dress, and so play the sport. It is very convenient to us. Apart -from its use in sport, when we meet a robber, we throw him down by -jiu-jitsu, and, untying our belt, bind him up hand and foot! But to -return. I was ready with the imp in front and with my “little ones” -behind, like the body of a centipede. The imp could not touch me; he -could only seize any one behind. I stretched my arms, ran to and fro -to prevent the imp from getting round to my flanks. The line swayed, -rolled, jerked like a serpent in a rapid flight. And the motion would -all but throw weak-armed ones off their holds. But they merrily -persisted, and could have held on longer but for their mirth being -worked up too high by the very manner of the imp himself. - -The boy who played that part was a born comedian. He loved his fun more -than his bread. Once in the midst of his supper he heard a man come -with a monkey dressed in a kimono. No sooner than he recognized that by -the sound of a drum, he threw away his chop-sticks, and, running out of -his house, danced all way up the street with the professional monkey -as his wondering spectator. Now in playing his part as the imp, he did -not go about it like an eagle intent on his prey. But he brought all -his talent into full play in every motion of his body, suggestive of -some grotesque form, heightened by a queer ejaculation. When, in his -series of performances, he imitated a pig, flapping his hands from his -head like large ears of the animal and grunting, Gr-r-r-r, Gr-r-r-r, -it caused everybody to burst into laughter. At this moment he made -a sudden turn, which caused such a jerk to the line, that, being -absent-minded from merriment, they were all thrown out of their hold, -each rolling on the grass, but still laughing at the grunting. The imp -could now jump at anybody for his prey, but as a true comedian, he also -rolled on the grass, laughing with the rest. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -CHINESE EDUCATION - - My Chinese Teacher--How I Was Taught--Versification--My Uncle--Clam - Fishing--A Flatfish. - - -Some months after I entered the public school, my father came to a -conclusion that what was taught there was too modern to have enough -of culture value. My education had to be supplemented by the study of -Chinese classics. And his intention would have been of great benefit to -me if he had been equally wise in selecting a good private teacher. As -it was, I gained but a fraction of it, undergoing a hard struggle. - -There lived a Chinese scholar near by, who was second to none in his -learning within three miles. Formerly he was a priest of Zen sect, the -Unitarian of Buddhism. As it was considered most laudable to a man -of his calling, he never ate fish or meat, and had two frugal meals a -day, taking only a cupful of starch and sugar in the evening, till he -came to lead a secular life. Starch and sugar!--so he must have come to -have such white hair, I thought. Anyway, the snowy mass heightened the -expression of his earnest face, rather youthful for a man of sixty. He -was, indeed, the classic itself; the rhythm of it seemed to be ringing -in his veins, whether awake or asleep. And he delighted in nothing so -much as to eat his dinner listening to the clear-voiced chanting of -boys reviewing their lesson, as if they were minstrels entertaining at -a king’s feast! And, of course, I was sent to him. - -I started from the beginning, which was, indeed, no beginning at all. -The Chinese sages did not write their scriptures as graded school -text-books, but their descendants believed so, anyhow. Genesis was the -genesis of successful mastery. And so I began with that great sentence -in the “Book of Great Learning:” - - “Learning is a gateway to virtue.” - -I envy those boys who tore Chinese authors, and whose books, when taken -to a second-hand bookstore, were not bought even for a penny. My books -were, on the contrary, just as clean as ever, as if they had been too -loath to impart anything to the owner. And this was not from any effort -on my part to take care of them, but simply from the little use I -made of them. Now this was the way I studied them. Teacher would read -with me about four pages in advance, and see once how I could read. I -stuck; he prompted me; I stuck again; he prompted me again; I stuck for -the third time, and for the third time he prompted me, and so on, and -indeed continually, if I had gone on till I had thoroughly mastered -it. But one review seemed to him sufficient for such _easy_ passages, -and my boyish heart responded too gladly to be released after a short -lesson. And I laid my book by till the next day. I did not know how the -teacher regarded me, but he must have thought me a very bright fellow -for whom such a slow process as review was totally unnecessary. And -he immediately took up the next four pages and went on in the usual -manner. The first book was finished; the teacher’s instinct asserted -itself, and he wanted me to read a few pages by way of a test before I -proceeded. What a shame! I only recognized a box here and a starfish -there, and that was all. The teacher was angry at the result. He saw -that I was not prepared yet to take up the classics. And with his -admirable pedagogical insight, he sent me to a primer the very next -day. It was a Japanese history, written in easy Chinese prose. How I -enjoyed the change! The passages rolled off on my tongue as easily as -you might say, “Mary had a little lamb.” The teacher smiled at my -ease, and soon recovered his humor. But his eyes were so constructed -as to see nothing but the top and the foot of a mountain, and his mind -worked like a spring-board, which either stays low or jumps high up. -And on the third day I was ordered to begin the second book of the -classics, called the “Doctrine of Mean!” - -And I plodded on. I went through the “Book of Divination,” and “Odes of -Spring and Autumn,” and came out only with some phantoms of angular, -mysterious hieroglyphics dancing before my eyes. But my Chinese -education included something more than reading. It was versification. -Just think of requiring a ten-year-old boy to write verse in Latin or -Greek. But every Saturday I was required to do the same sort of thing -for two years. Oh, how I struggled! I hunted for something sensible -to write, but while all sorts of nonsense would come up, even common -sense, that most useful guide in a prosaic field, fled from me. -Outside, merry shouts of boys--a happy group who cared for balls and -kites more than dry-as-dust “culture”--were heard, and I mused in a -corner of a room, consulting such help as a phrase book and a rhyming -dictionary. Nothing but doggerel could be born of such a forced labor. -Here is a specimen: - - “Shut from the blue of skies in spring, - I sit and fret for words to rhyme. - O bird, if you have songs to sing, - Drop one for me to save my time!” - -The Chinese training did me at least one good turn. It drove Confucius -out of my head! - -I should have been a blighted boy if Sundays had not come to my rescue. -The real use to which the day should be put had not dawned on me, nor -was it in the mind of those who introduced the institution. But I am -glad to say that it did me good in many ways. With this, however, my -uncle is invariably associated. - -I have not said anything about him, but he was a well-fed man with a -goat’s beard. He was very nervous, however, and could not keep from -pulling his beard. This accounted for its scantiness. It was very -amusing to observe how easily his temper was disturbed out of its -normal mood. When he was contradicted he pulled hard at his beard and -wrung his hands furiously. His body seemed to expand with the inner -fire when he ejaculated many an “Ahem!” preliminary to an eruption. -Everybody had to find shelter and thrust his fingers into his ears, -lest the drums should break. But when he was pleased, his face melted -with laughter; he went to a cupboard to look for some nice thing for -us, ordered dinner to be hurried for our sake, and went round and round -us to see if we were really comfortable. - -He was very alert, and was always looking for a new thing. He did -well, too, to keep himself abreast of the age, and, indeed, mastered -something of the English language, of which he could well boast in his -day. His pronunciation, however, was rather painful to hear, and in his -talk with foreigners his nervous hands played a large part to fill in -the gaps in his vocabulary, with an intermixture of many a “you know.” - -One good thing about him was his love for outdoor sports. He could not -sit all day like my Chinese teacher, and if ever an eruption occurred, -it was always on the occasion of such confinement to his room. His -Sundays were scheduled for this or that kind of pleasure excursion. And -of course I was wise enough to do what I could to please him in order -that I might not be left out of his party. - -One Sunday we were to go clam-fishing. When it was announced on Friday -before, I thought of a great time and could hardly sleep for joy. After -a tedious labor of writing verse was over the next Saturday, I busied -myself the rest of the afternoon with the preparation for the next -day. I kept going to my uncle’s to see whether we had the same things -that they had, and also to suggest the necessity of providing things -we had and they had not. Many conferences for this purpose were held -at the door-sill with Tomo-chan. Small hand-rakes were bought, one for -each; small and large baskets, knives, thick-soled socks, small sashes, -and so forth, were collected from various sources. To this I added a -net three by four feet large, with two poles to meet the exigency of -encountering some large fish--perhaps a whale. But of this I did not -speak to anybody. - -Mother was also busy preparing our lunch. For this she got up very -early in the morning and boiled rice, which she made into triangular, -round, or square masses, speckled with burned sesame seeds. She -packed them in several lacquered boxes, with fresh pickles and cooked -vegetables. We relied on our clams for chief dishes; so some cooking -utensils were necessary. Also some tea and a teapot, cups and dishes, -together with chop-sticks and toothpicks, even. - -The day was not fair, but it was just the kind of weather for the -season, dull and somewhat hazy, but bespeaking a calm sea. The tide was -fast ebbing when we started in a boat. There was a good company of us, -including uncle, aunt, mother, Tomo-chan, and me. As we emerged into -the bay from the canal, the extended view was delightful. On one side -green masses of pine-trees overhung the stone mounds and merged into -a leafy hill, which stretched itself like an arm into the sea. On the -other, beyond reedy shoals, the old forts, with a lighthouse on one of -them, dotted the expanse. The view was washed in gray, and even the -sails of junks, hanging lazily from the masts, were scarcely lighter -than the background. - -All was calm. But as we sighted from a distance some other parties -already on the scene, we soon forgot everything for the excitement -and let the boatman hurry with all his strength. It was nine when we -arrived at the desired spot, and we had three hours to enjoy ourselves. -We fixed our boat to a pole, from the top of which was drooping a -piece of red and white cloth. This served as our mark to enable us to -find the boat quickly in the case of need. So each party had something -of its own design. Purple, green, white, and red in all sorts of -combinations and forms were displayed, while a coat, a shirt, or even -an improvised scarecrow was not denied use. - -So we went into water, our sleeves and skirts being tied up and -our legs bared to the knees. Each was provided with a basket and a -hand-rake--except myself, who, in addition to the implements, took out -secretly my net, wound round the poles. My people were all too busy to -observe me, however. We went on raking for clams. There seemed to be -lots of black or white shells which we did not want, but I soon found -that clams were rather a matter of chance, and a chance would come no -more than once in every fifteen minutes! I luckily struck on three nice -ones in a short time, and dug diligently for some thirty minutes, but -without any result. So I grew tired, and began inspection. Aunt had -ten, mother eight, and uncle five. When I approached him, he looked up, -red in the face. I wondered if he was not angry. But it was not so, for -he heaved a sigh and straightening up and striking his back with his -fist, said, “O dear!” - -“Uncle, you will soon be quitting your job, just as I shall, I think,” -said I. - -“Pshaw! How many have you?” - -“Three, sir.” - -“You can’t have more than that for your lunch, you understand, unless -you get more. Now don’t be in my way.” And again he doubled his -corpulent body to work. But I was right in thinking that he could not -keep himself in the same posture for another three minutes. Now I -passed on to Tomo-chan. Poor Tomo-chan had only two! She was all but -weeping for the bad luck. She, however, looked comforted to find that I -did not fare much better. But what was her surprise when I threw all my -clams in with hers! - -“Keep them, Tomo-chan. I am going to fish with this net.” Her eyes -looked gratitude. “Oh, thank you ever so much. But I’ll catch fish with -you if I don’t fare any better.” - -“All right.” And I went on thinking that if I could not get clams for -my lunch, I should have fish to the envy of all. I looked among the -rocks for some shadow of them. Surely I saw something shooting away now -and then, without waiting for me to find out whether it was large or -not. But anyway, they were all right if I could get a number of them, -and so I fixed my net and tried to drive them into it, little thinking -that the very whiteness of my net--I appropriated a net made for the -purpose of keeping flies off--scared every fish. I got irritated with -my ill-success, and finally splashed the water vigorously to punish -them. - -By this time my uncle had quit his work, as I predicted, and was -engaging with hen-like anxiety to look after his flock. He kept his -eyes on them, and would go like a shepherd dog to fetch any one who -went too far away from the boat. He looked at his watch to see if -the tide was not turning on, and went occasionally to the boat to -see if anything was lost. He seemed to like this kind of work better -than clam-fishing, for I could see even from a distance that he was -pulling at his beard, as he was wont to do when his mind was occupied. -Presently he heard me splashing the water far away, and started at once -to bring me back. Time could not be lost, he must have thought, but I -did not know anything of his approach till I heard a shriek behind me. -Surprised, I turned round when I found him just recovering his balance -and looking intently into the water. - -“What’s matter, uncle?” I hastened toward him. - -“Stop. A flatfish somewhere.” Seeing me with a net, he exclaimed, -“Quick with your net.” - -“A flatfish?” I queried in excitement. - -“Yes, I stepped on him and he gave me a slip.... Oh, here he is; cover -him quick!” And we covered him with my net without much ado. I was -surprised to see how easily I could catch him compared with other fish -that I had tried for. As I raised him, however, I found he was already -crushed dead under my uncle’s weight! - -But it was a large one, and I could have an honorable share at lunch. - -[Illustration: A TYPICAL JAPANESE STREET.] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -AN EVENING FÊTE - - My Father--His Love for Potted Trees--A Local Fête--Show - Booths--Goldfish Booths--Singing Insects--How a Potted Tree Was - Bought. - - -Evenings were not without enjoyment for me. And for this I owe much to -my father. - -My father was a silent, close-mouthed man. His words to children were -few and mostly in a form of command. They were never disobeyed, partly -because it was father who spoke, but more because we knew that he spoke -only when he had to. Indeed, he carried a formidable air about him, -apparently engrossed in thought somewhat removed from his immediate -concern. He was by no means philosophical, however, and his reticent -habit was born of the peculiar circumstances under which he was -laboring. Fortune was evidently against him. And partly out of sympathy -with him and partly out of fear of breaking his spell, when we had -something to ask of him--boys have many wants--we had some indirect -means to devise. Thus, when my cap had worn out and I wanted a new one, -I dropped a hint in his presence by way of a soliloquy: “I wish I had a -new cap. My old one is worn out.” Saying this just once at a time and -thrice in the course of one evening, if I persevered for three nights, -I used to have my old cap replaced with a new one on the next day! - -He knew that he was fighting against odds, but his spirit was never -crushed. He only persevered. One day he came back from his evening -stroll with a piece of bamboo flute. Evidently he was attracted by a -tune a man at the corner of a street was playing on it as he sold his -wares, and felt his soul suddenly gain its freedom and soar to the sky. -I remember how well he loved his instrument, and from day to day he -used to pour out low, mournful tunes. But his art was never equal to -the demand of his soul, and one evening the bamboo flute was laid aside -for a pot containing a dwarf pine-tree. - -You may well wonder how a flowerless potted tree could be preferred to -even the commonest tune for spiritual solace. But at any rate it was a -piece of nature, and was healing to behold. And then, in its fantastic -shape, there was a beauty of repose which had a very soothing effect, -but which required some study for appreciation. But in his case, there -was something deeper in the matter. A tree over fifty years old, which, -if left in the field, would have grown to an immense size, was reduced -by human art to only a foot in height, and was kept alive on a potful -of earth. My father must have read a history of his own in it and tried -to learn a secret of contentment from it. - -One by one potted trees were added to his stock,--he could afford to -buy only at odd intervals,--and presently shelves were provided for -them in the small garden. Morning and evening he attended to them, and -with patience as well as with pleasure looked forward to the time when -his care would result in a growth of just an inch and a quarter of pine -leaves and palm leaves two inches by three in size. - -One night an unexpected thing happened. A thief found his way to the -garden from the back door and sneaked away with half a dozen of the -choice trees. Naturally, my father was distressed, but after a while he -was patiently filling the vacancy one by one, of course seeing that the -back door should be securely locked every night. - -I was going to tell you something about the amusements I had in the -evening, but it was mainly due to this love of my father’s for potted -trees that I was taken regularly to a local fête, held three times a -month. The day for this was fixed; it fell on every day connected -with, the number seven; that is, the seventh, the seventeenth, and the -twenty-seventh. And as in the calendar, rain or shine, it came and -went. Naturally, I had my weather bureau open on that day to see if -the evening was all right, for a wet night would be an irretrievable -loss. At the police stand they published a forecast in the morning, but -that was not to be too much relied on. It sometimes said rain when it -was anything but wet, and fine when it was actually drizzling--though -in the latter case I rather inclined to believe the report even if it -ended in sorrow. - -I did not need any formality of asking to be taken; it was a matter -of course with me as long as I behaved well. This behaving, however, -was peculiar. I had to be waiting for my father outside and follow him -when he came out, without saying anything or shouting for delight for a -block or so. The reason for this was simple. Mother objected to sending -out the younger members of our family in the evening, and especially -to such a crowded place where they were liable to be lost. My going -there must not attract their attention. - -One evening I slipped off with my father in this way. The place where -the fête was held was not far away, and after two or three turnings -we soon came to the street. At a distance, you might take it for a -fire, for the tiny stalls and booths crowding the place were lighted -by hundreds of kerosene torches which flared and smoked. The central -section of the street was not more than two blocks in length, but it -was literally packed with six rows of booths and stalls and with such a -concourse of people that there did not seem to be room even to move. - -The approach to the scene was marked by some show booths. Hung in front -were some wonderful pictures of what was to be seen within: a serpent -over thirty feet long, which had lived in some distant part of the -country and had actually swallowed two babies; a woman who had a real -rubber neck which could be stretched so far that while sitting still -her head could wander all over the house; monkeys dressed in old-style -costume and giving some theatrical performance, and so on. The entrance -fee was a penny, and men stood outside crying the various excellencies -of their shows, and when you stopped before one of them and looked at -the sign, they would lift the curtain for a second and drop it again, -just to whet your curiosity. I naturally wanted very much to look at -some of the monstrosities, and watched to see if the inducement would -work on my father, but, much to my disappointment, he walked calmly on -with his hands in his sleeves. - -Now we came in front of the goldfish booths. It was simply fascinating -to see such a number of dear little things swimming in wooden tubs, -some being hung high in glass globes by the side of helpless turtles -enjoying air riding. In the next two or three booths were masses of -minute bamboo cages. Most of them were only three inches by two. Here -they were selling all sorts of singing insects and fire-worms. And what -an orchestra these tiny winged things were! There were bell insects -which chirped on “chinkororin, chinkororin,” in staccato, crickets -which hummed in sweet undulating “rin--rin--rin,” and katydids which -broke in with a cymbal-like “gaja, gaja,” as we say. I watched to see -if these things would tempt my father, but no, his face was set on -something else ahead. - -Now a great part of these enterprising peddlers were gardeners by -profession. And out of the six rows of booths in the central portion -three were shows of potted flowers and trees. They even had for sale -grown-up trees half as tall as a telegraph-pole! As we came to this -part my father slackened his pace. Here was something at last which -interested him. He took time to examine some of the nice potted trees, -and his progress was very slow indeed, somewhat to my annoyance. I -would rather have him stop before a candy booth than in these places. -After a while, however, he found one tree much to his liking. He was -tempted just to ask the price of it. - -“Ten dollars, sir,” was the answer. - -My father smiled dryly and passed on. - -“How much you give, Mister?” asked the man. - -No answer. - -“I’ll make it five dollars this time, Mister,” cried the man. Still -receiving no answer, he came after us. “But give me your price, Mister.” - -“Fifty cents,” said my father. - -“Ough, that won’t pay even the express. Give me a dollar, then.” - -But my father was already some distance away. The man, growing -desperate to lose him, cried aloud: - -“Mi-ster, you can have it for the price. This is the first one I have -sold this evening. I must start the sale, anyway.” - -So my father came into possession of one more potted tree. The price -was low, to be sure, but the man did not undersell his goods. - -There seemed to be nothing now to do but to wend our way home as my -father turned round at the corner and came down with the crowd. We -passed toy booths, basket booths, booths where hairpins with beautiful -artificial flowers were sold, or where all sorts of fans, bamboo -screens, and sundry other things were for sale. And we passed them -apparently without any interest, at least on my father’s part. I was -wondering what my father would buy for me, when whom should I meet but -my aunt and Tomo-chan just going round the street in the other way? -I spoke with Tomo-chan while my father and aunt were exchanging some -remarks--possibly about the potted tree. - -“Did you get something bought for you?” I asked. - -“No, not yet. I’ve just come, you know. And you?” - -“N-no. But--” - -I could not say the rest as my father and aunt parted and the crowd was -pushing between us, and so I waved my hand to say good-by to Tomo-chan. - -We soon came almost to the end of the gay portion of the street, and -after a few booths a touch of festival air would be gone, when my -father halted before a molasses candy booth, and, to my great joy, -bought a nickel’s worth of cake. We got a big, swollen bagful; this -was for me and for our stay-at-home folks. I wished that I had met -Tomo-chan once more. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -SUMMER DAYS - - A Swimming School--How I Was Taught to Swim--Diving--The Old - Home Week--Return of the Departed Souls--Visiting the Ancestral - Graves--The Memorable Night--A Village Dance. - - -The third summer in Tokyo had come. The air was fresh and cool, while -the morning-glories in our back yard were blooming lavishly, and the -Ainu chrysanthemums in white, pink, and purple, and the late irises -were seen carried round the street in flower-venders’ baskets. But it -soon got warmer as they vanished from the sight till I found it hot -even in one piece of a thin garment over my body, though my mother -starched it for me just stiff enough for the air to pass through from -one sleeve to the other. - -In one of the canals near by, an annual swimming-school was opened. -The place was inviting in hot weather, besides, it was such fun to -bathe with hosts of boys, and to learn how to swim. I must confess that -I could not swim yet. I thought at first that it was quite an easy -thing, because I often saw a man swimming with his feet and performing -such a trick with his hands as peeling a pear with a knife and eating -it. But after a few trials I was obliged to correct my notion to such -a degree as to consider swimming an extremely difficult as well as -dangerous undertaking. Not only my body was found to be something -between a block of hard wood and a stone, and much nearer to the -latter, but once it stayed so long in the water, head and all, that I -experienced pretty nearly what it was to get drowned. But all this I -did in secret and did not tell to any of my folks. Indeed my mother -was keeping my younger brother from the water by telling him about the -story of a sea-monkey who would stretch his exceptionally long arm and -drag people into the depths, especially boys who went swimming against -their mother’s remonstrance. As an elder brother, I was bound to set a -good example. - -A week after the opening of the school, however, I brought the -swimming matter to my mother’s attention, and piling up such reasons -as I thought most expedient, and rounding up by mentioning names of -a number of my schoolmates, as if they were co-petitioners, who had -been enrolled in the membership, I wanted her to ask my father. I had -anticipated a refusal from both mother and father, but my mother was -all right as long as the place was safe, while my father surprised me -by his instant permission. He was an excellent swimmer himself and must -have felt it a shame that his son did not know even how to keep himself -afloat. My poor younger brother, however, was to wait another year. - -So I went to swimming. We had an exciting time in the canal, and the -heat of the sun ceased to be of any trouble to me. On the first day one -of the trainers supported me with his hands and made me move my arms -and legs according to his instruction. I made a vigorous effort, while -he carried me on as if I were making a progress myself. Now and then, -however, he would loosen his hold and see if I could keep myself going. -I was then taken with sudden fear, and, feeling that the water grew -instantly to be very deep, I gave a cry of horror and distress, and did -some splashing, too. The instructor laughed over my plight and told me -that I should be safe as he was near, and that I must try to acquire -the sense of ease with the water. As long as my limbs were moving -properly, I was sure to be floating. So I put confidence in his words -and cultivated assiduously what he called the sense of ease, which I -understood to be a suppression of fear. The first day, however, passed -without any result, in spite of my determination that I would go to -the bottom rather than call for help again. - -But, strangely enough, at the very first unassisted trial on the second -day, my body did float. How joyful I felt at this, you can hardly -imagine. I swam round and round the place--of course stopping every -quarter of a minute--till I was fairly exhausted. On my return home, -however, I mustered courage enough to impart to my brother on the -matted floor my successful experience in swimming. - -Diving came next. On my first dip I felt instinctively that man and -fish were at the opposite extremities of creation. The suppression of -breath and the closing of eyes were bad enough; but there was such a -roaring in my ears as if all the watery spirits were murmuring at the -intrusion, while my body was at once subjected to a different law of -repulsion. But it was great fun to play at being a sea-monkey and drag -the legs of idle boys, at which sport I had been a victim myself on -the very first day. So I began practising it, and in a few days was -already looking for a chance to apply my half-mastered skill. Seeing -once two boys near me engaging in splashing water, I plunged at once, -aiming at one of them. It was but a few yards to dive, but I came out -of the water without striking anything, and before I had time to brush -off the dripping water from my eyes, I was subjected to a furious -spray from the two boys, when, thud, came something on my side, and in -another second I was dragged into the water. A mouthful of water went -down my throat before I knew, and when I came to my feet with all the -water boiling around me, I noticed a third and new boy standing and -laughing over his trick! - -So passed a good part of the summer till about the middle of August, -when the Japanese “Old Home Week” came. The principal day falls on the -sixteenth day of the seventh month, according to the lunar calendar, -which is about a month after the ordinary date. It is a sort of -Decoration Day, too, because we go to the temple yards and pay a visit -to our ancestral graves. Now for three years this duty was neglected by -us, and father thought it proper for some one to visit the old place -in the country. My uncle was also in a similar position, and it was -arranged that my aunt and Tomo-chan should go from their family while -I represented my own. And two days before the date we set out in a -conveyance called a kuruma. - -I wasn’t quite sure of the significance of the graveyard visiting on -this special occasion, and so found time to ask my aunt of it. And -this was what she told me, not on the road, but in her house the night -before we started. (I had known the inconvenience of the kuruma in -keeping me separate from my aunt all the way, though it had the decided -merit, as it turned out, of packing Tomo-chan and myself in one seat.) - -Now, when a man dies, he goes either to paradise or to hell, according -to Buddhism. In the former place, he is led to his seat on a large -lotus flower floating on the cool surface of the rippling water. The -sweet calmness of the summer morn is all his, my aunt said, but beyond -that there seems to be nothing going on in that floral berth. But in -hell, all is excitement. The king of devils will mete out punishment to -each arrival according to his guilt, and he is made by red and green -demons to tread on the hill of swords, to ride in the coach of fire, or -to bathe in the boiling caldron. But, good or bad, those departed souls -are allowed once a year to pay a short visit to their earthly homes, -and this happens on the sixteenth of the seventh month. So we go to the -graves of our ancestors, clean and decorate them so that the dead may -feel comfortable, and, delivering our message of welcome and turning -about, ask the invisible to get on our backs to our homes! I wondered -if my back was large enough for the whole train of my ancestors to -ride on. - -At my native village we stayed at another uncle’s. A day’s ride in the -same narrow kuruma made Tomo-chan and me more companionable than ever, -while the strangeness of the new place kept us two always close by. -Everywhere we were welcomed as Tokyonians, and treated to melons and -rice dumpling. We had not, however, much time to spare, for we were -quite busy seeing to our family graves. We hired a man to weed and -clean the lot, sent enough offerings to the temple so that the priests, -when chanting for the rest of the departed, might think comfortably -of it, and, above all, took care that every grave might not lack -fresh flowers for two days, that is during our stay. On the sixteenth -day I was prepared to carry any number of invisible spirits from the -graveyard to the house. But as some one told me that the spirits would -not dare to come in the daylight, I was glad that my service was not -needed, after all. - -The sun set gloriously behind the castle, and the mellow booming of the -temple bell was wafted through the evening air. Presently the misty -moon, just waning, rose from the plain, and the memorable night began. -In every house the rooms were swept clean and the tiny lights were -burning in the household shrine. In front, the flames from a heap of -flax stems, known as the “reception fire,” were dazzling, and, unheard -and unobserved, the ghosts of our fathers passed into the house. - -I did not know how long they would stay, but bowing once respectfully -before the shrine, I went out with Tomo-chan to stay around. In the -temple ground there was an open space hemmed in by tall, shady pines, -where the young people of the village would assemble that night -and hold the annual dancing. And naturally our steps were directed -there. We found that already many of them were gathered, and, by the -uncertain light of paper lanterns hung here and there on the trees, we -saw that they were all dressed in uniform white and blue garments, with -folded pieces of cloth dangling about their necks. The browned faces of -the swains were not distinguishable in such dimness, but those of the -lasses looked distinctly lovely, the scratches and blemishes incidental -to their outdoor occupation being invisible. The swains grouped on this -side and the girls on the other; the former being not yet bold enough, -and the latter too shy, to mingle with one another. Presently some -sweet-voiced lad sang a ballad, and then all rose to arrange themselves -in rows, boys on one side and girls on the other. They called to the -singer to start anew, and began to trip to the song, clapping their -hands at a rhythmic turn. They never moved on, but closed in and again -drew apart on the same spot, all repeating the same movement. It was a -novel thing for both of us, and we watched them with great delight. -Song after song was sung, all bursting into laughing cheers after each -piece and sometimes going into such commotion that each lad paired with -his bonny lassie. - -“Isn’t that delightful?” I asked Tomo-chan. - -“Yes, lovely.” - -“And simple, too.” - -She nodded. - -“Let’s watch again and see if we can learn,” I said to her, and we -stood at the end of the line. - -The song went clear and plaintive and the touching trill was preying -upon the hearts of the dancers and working them into dreamy ecstasy. -The moon by this time climbed high up in the sky, and when a filmy -cloud glided off her face, the pale weird rays revealed Tomo-chan and -me dancing in the group! - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE ENGLISH SCHOOL - - A Night at the Dormitory--Beginning - English--Grammar--Pronunciation--School Moved--Mother’s Love. - - -It was September and the beginning of a new term. Father decided that -I should leave the school I had attended hitherto and go to another -one where English was taught. This was the second time that I had -left school without finishing it, but I was destined not to fare any -better at the new place. Indeed, I changed school four times without -finishing, till I finally settled in a college. But this leaping -habit--I am sorry to say that it took a semblance of habit at last--did -not come from any changeableness on my or my father’s part, but all -from the sincere desire to prepare me for life in the best way. -This it was that drove me into the three years’ study of the Chinese -classics, though I beat a rather dishonorable retreat from it, and -again this it was that directed me to take up the foreign languages -early. I was afraid, however, that I leaped too much this time, as I -found that all my new schoolmates were much older than I, and, indeed, -there were some who needed shaving every morning! - -The school was at first very near to my house. The building was of -brick; the first floor was used for the class-rooms and the second was -made into a dormitory. This last was a novelty to me; I never knew -before that boys stayed away from home in this fashion, and entertained -a secret desire to share a bed once with somebody, just to see what -it was like. This, however, was easily granted, as I soon grew to be -a favorite with everybody because of my youthfulness, and one night -I made a bundle of my night-shirt and went to the room of one of my -classmates. I was at once devoured with curiosity in watching him -make the bed. It was not such a simple process as I used to see at -home--laying one or two quilts on the matted floor and another over -them. But he had to build a bedstead first from a sliding door, and -placed one end of it on his table and the other on his bookcases. Upon -that he laid his thin quilt and blanket. I wondered why he had to do -such a crazy thing. - -“Don’t you know the reason?” He seemed to be surprised at my ignorance. -“It is on account of the fleas. You can’t sleep on the floor. Look -here.” And he showed me a bottle in which an army of captured fleas -were drowned. After all, a dormitory was not a covetable place, I -thought. But there was some fascination in the sliding door bed, which -creaked like a cuckoo with every move of my body. - -But I must tell you about my first experience in English. English -was very encouraging to start with. The alphabet consists of only -twenty-six letters, and when I mastered that and was provided with a -handful of vocabulary, I felt as if I were already half an American. I -went around and talked to everybody, especially to those who did not -know anything of English, like this: - -“It is a dog. See the dog! It is a cow. See the cow!” I could even play -a trick by way of variation like this: - -“Is it a dog? Yes, it is a dog.” - -And my family, who were constantly spoken to in this unknown tongue, -were surprised at my speedy progress. - -And indeed I thought first that any number of words might be easily -learned, because they were but combinations of letters in one way or -other, which are limited to only twenty-six. But it did not take me -long to change this view. As the length of the daily lesson increased -I came to wonder more and more whether the English words were not -charmed after all. They were as slippery as eels, and, indeed, written -like eels too. I thought time and again that I had them secure in my -mental box, but when I opened the lid the next day, they vanished like -a spirit. Something must be done, I thought, to tie them down, and so -I invented a certain scheme. It was that when I looked up a new word -in my Anglo-Japanese dictionary, I put a black mark beside it to show -that on that very moment it passed into my possession. The plan seemed -to work very well, but before long I found I had to mark the same words -three or four times, till my dictionary looked very much as if it were -suffering from spotted fever! - -Then came grammar. Grammar is the least familiar part of language -study. We are never taught in that in learning vernacular Japanese. -Somehow words come out of our mouths naturally and arrange themselves -into smooth sentences. So when I had to commit to memory the -definitions of the noun, verb, adjective, and so forth, and to -classify English words into them, I came to doubt if I were not -studying botany instead of language. Fortunately I did not make such -a mistake as, “A verb is something to eat,” or “Every sentence and -the name of God must begin with a caterpillar.” But it took me months -to understand the difference between the transitive and intransitive -verbs. I finally struck an original definition of them. It is this, -that a verb is called transitive when it is ambitious and intransitive -when it is not, because in the former case it takes an object and in -the latter it does not. I wondered why some one among the learned -teachers did not tell me that right away in the beginning. It would -have saved me a lot of trouble. Again in parsing, any word parading -with a capital was a relief to me: I had no hesitation in giving it as -a proper noun, whether it appeared in the main body of a piece or--in -the title! - -Now there is one little part of speech which puzzled me a great deal. -It is the article. In translation I had the great satisfaction of -passing it over entirely, as we have no equivalent to it in Japanese, -but in composition it was the first thing that puzzled and annoyed -me. The Japanese formerly went out bareheaded, and their language -is also free from this encumbrance of a head-gear--for the article -is a head-gear to a noun--and I was liable to drop off the article -entirely, or, if I tried, to use a wrong one every time. Surely this -hat etiquette was difficult and capricious, too. I thought I could -master its secret if I knew thoroughly when and what sort of a bonnet -a girl should wear--of course including the case of wearing a derby -on horseback! This occurred to me a long time afterward in America, -however. - -[Illustration: A JAPANESE SCHOOL OF THE PRESENT DAY.] - -Let me mention another difficulty. This was the pronunciation. A number -of new sounds were introduced, the most conspicuous of which are those -in which th, l, f, and v are found. The th-sound was bad enough, -but l was next to impossible. Finding this to be the case, an American -teacher would draw a cross-section of a face on the blackboard, only -with a scant outline of the mouth and nose (once he drew the head, -too, but it caused an unusual amount of merriment among the boys, -as it was as bald as his, and he never finished the picture again), -and explain the position of the tongue in uttering the sound, which -we industriously copied. And he also would have us say, “Rollo rode -Lorillard,” instead of “Present,” or “Here,” when the roll was called. -But the semi-historical passage fell from the boys’ lips rumbling like -a thunder: - -“Rorro rode Rorirrard!” - -One year passed happily in the new school, when it moved to its new -buildings on the other side of the city, about five miles away. It was -at first a short walk from my house, but when it increased from two -minutes to two hours, with no convenience of street-cars to help my -feeble feet, I naturally hesitated to go. I had to walk if I continued -to attend, as boarding out in the dormitory was too expensive for our -means. The school, however, was too good to be given up at that time, -and so I made up my mind not to discontinue it. - -To cover ten miles a day, spending four to five hours, was not a light -task for a boy of thirteen. It was all I could do on fine days. In -stormy weather the feat would become a struggle, and I was more than -glad to accept the kind offer of one of my schoolmates to break the -trip at his home for the night. - -I had to start early to be on time at the eight o’clock exercise. Five -o’clock was the time for me to get up, but my mother rose at least at -half-past four to make me a hot breakfast of boiled rice and bean soup. - -My mother was the sort of woman who expresses herself in work rather -than in words. And in this she was regularity itself. One thing which -impressed me in this more than anything else was her management of my -dresses. Japanese decency requires eight suits a year for any one just -for ordinary use, and of course I needed, or rather my mother believed -that I needed that: eight suits--four in summer, two in winter, and one -each in spring and in autumn. The dresses were not always made from new -pieces, and so gave much more trouble. She made over the old clothes, -washed and turned or dyed, if necessary, before doing so. My notion of -her regularity, however, must be augmented five times, as she was doing -the same thing--though I did not notice it at the time--with the other -members of the family. - -And so this early rising on her part for my sake went like clockwork -morning after morning. If this means steadiness of her devotion to her -son and to all related dearly to her, she had it. - -Again she was not wordy in any case. I never had a long lecture from -her, though, I am sorry to say, I had some short ones. On the contrary, -she had the secret of speaking in silence. There was some magic power -in her touch. I love to look back to my childhood, when she used to -dress me in the morning, at the end of which she would whisper in my -ear just a word: “Be good all the day, dear child.” It was simply -pleasure. - -So at this hour when the world was still asleep, as I sat without -a word at a short morning repast before her, with the lamp shining -and every manifestation of motherly love around me, I was under an -unspeakable spell, and learned to love her most. - -I had to start soon, however. I descended to the door and opened it. It -was still dark and the sky was starry. There was something that held me -back for a moment. But I took heart and went out. Mother wanted to go -with me for some distance. Naturally, I declined the offer, wishing -not to seem cowardly, but also because I did not want to give her such -a trouble. So she just stood at the door with a lantern and saw me off -till I turned the corner. - -I thought she turned and stepped inside after that, as I heard the -noise of the sliding door being shut, and, being satisfied, I hurried -on my way. But one morning something happened that revealed the truth. -There was a bridge at the second turning, two blocks away from my -house, and from that a long street ran. I was away some distance on -this road when one of the fastenings of my clog-straps broke off. It is -sad when this occurs. We cannot walk at all. We should be provided with -material for repair, but it seldom happens that we are. To return was -to lose time, and I must be going. So I did what boys usually do under -such a circumstances. I hunted a wedge-shaped pebble, and, holding -the broken end of the fastening in the hole, where it had been kept -tight, drove it with another piece of stone. I was able to walk a short -distance, but again it broke off. I was irritated, but there was no use -in fussing: so I again went patiently to repair. I was hammering the -clog with a stone when I heard the noise of hurried steps approaching. -I was too busy to look back, but a voice came which made me drop the -stone. - -“Sakae!” - -I turned, and there my mother stood with a strip of cloth ready to help -me! I was surprised, but was too glad for help to ask any question. - -As I trod on, I reasoned to account for her appearance in this way: -that after seeing me turn the corner, my mother was wont to put out -the light, shut the door, and follow me to the bridge, and from there -was watching to see that I was safe. She saw that day that I was in -trouble, and divined the whole case by the knocks I gave at the clog. -So she was there with her help. As I thought of that, a silent tear -trickled down my cheek. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A BOY ASTRONOMER - - What I Intended to Be--My Aunt’s View--My Parents’ Approval--My - Uncle’s Enthusiasm--The Total Eclipse of the Sun. - - -Like all ambitious boys, I now began to dream of my future. - -In a daily paper to which we were subscribing, there was a story -appearing in serial form, which I happened to read, and in which I -became immediately interested. It was a scientific novel, with a -revenge motive. The title, the author, the plot--all are now forgotten -except the vague idea that the hero in the end, by his high inventive -ability, built a wonderful machine, by means of which he poured -poisonous gas into the castle where his enemy lived, and thereby took -his vengeance upon him. I was simply fascinated, and wanted to be an -engineer. - -The first one to whom I confided my intention was Tomo-chan. Of course -I did not and could not depict an engineer as the one in the story, -wrapped in the glowing splendor of his intellectual triumph. I might -have tried it if she had given me a chance to do so. But too soon her -peculiar and perhaps truer view of the profession came on me like a -blow. - -“Why, isn’t an engineer a sort of carpenter?” she asked. Reduced to -such a lowest term, even my hero looked shabby, and from that very -moment I dropped him entirely. - -I was not, however, fortunate enough to find a substitute worthy of my -admiration, and I had to go without any. But this time my mind seemed -to be able to present to me a proper object of my ambition. All my -thought gradually drifted toward the province of science (I little -knew then that it was the same engineer story which influenced me). -Of all branches of learning, science appeared to me to be the most -substantial, most worthy of serious study, and most certain of arriving -at the secret of the creation. The study, however, of a small portion -of God’s work, such as a leaf of a tree or a nameless insect, did not -appeal to me. No, any section of the earth was not large enough to lay -down my life for. I wanted to take in the earth, the sun, the moon, -the planets, and the stars--in fact, all the universe at once! So I -fixed upon astronomy as my special study. The immensity of the field -and the purely theoretical nature of the subject, coupled with the -transcendency of the pursuit over the triviality of worldly affairs, -had all its charm over me. It was simply great. - -I went again to Tomo-chan to tell her of my intention. The idea of an -astronomer was apparently beyond her grasp. She could not think of any -occupation such as carpenter, mason, and so forth, to associate with -an astronomer, and it did not take her long to admit that it was grand. - -This was my first triumph, and now I approached my aunt to see what -she would think of it. She was one of those women whose mind never -soared above the world even for the sake of observation. She could -not conceive the idea that this earth--which, by the way, was flat, -according to her view--revolves every day. I went into a whole length -of explanation by the help of a lighted lamp and my fist, to show how -the revolution would cause day and night, but to no purpose. So I -changed my tactics and told her the story of a little girl, who, in -her own way, understood this fact. She lived at the foot of a high -mountain, on the summit of which there was a lake. The little girl -could not understand how water could be found in such a high place till -she was told one day about the diurnal revolution of the earth. “That -must be true,” she said, “and so the mountain dips into the sea in the -night and carries the water from there!” - -But it was not my purpose to convince her about such a matter, and so I -proceeded to acquaint her with my intention. I soon found that it was -not exactly in the line of her approval. She presented to me at once -her worldly view of the profession, how out of ordinary my choice was. -The astronomer was to her a man who sleeps when all should be up, and -is awake when all should be in bed. He looks always at the sky, and -does not know often that he is about to tumble into a ditch. He has to -perch on a roof or a tree-top like a sparrow, to watch the stars while -everybody is enjoying some nice thing in the house. - -This, however, had no effect of a wet blanket upon me. I knew that she -was teasing me for the mere fun of it. Her humorous eyes were ready -to take in any change in my surprised countenance, which on my part I -partly assumed to please her. - -In the end, however, she frankly admitted that the constantly -increasing number of new studies in these enlightened days bewildered -her greatly, and she could not tell which profession was sure to lead -one to success. Perhaps I was right, she said, in choosing a study -which only a few might attempt. - -Two days passed, in the course of which I became surer of my choice and -was ready to face my parents. I had a secret suspicion that my father -might have some plan already laid out for me. If he had had anything in -mind outside of a scientific pursuit, I should have been non-plussed. -But, luckily, I found I was ahead of him; indeed, he and my mother, -too, seemed to trust everything to my natural inclination, and had only -a vague but bright future for me without any particular road leading to -it. So, when I laid before them, side by side, my desire or rather my -determination to become an astronomer and a future college professor, -with an income four times as great as my father’s,--I reserved the -poetic side of my choice for my own meditation,--I made such a deep -impression on them that it surprised me altogether. My mother, bending -over her sewing by lamp-light, silently passed her hand over her eyes, -while my father picked up a paper which had been read all through, -with a slightly drawn “Um,” in his throat, which in his case was to -be interpreted as indicating some pleasant feeling. My mother was -the spokesman in such a case when my father’s silence was meant for -consent. She told me that one must go heart and soul into any sort of -study in order to excel in it. I simply nodded, and presently went to -bed with a light heart, after bidding good night to the dear little -stars who would be my constant companions hereafter. - -I could not meet my uncle till Sunday, but Tomo-chan told me that he -heard everything about me from my aunt, and was very enthusiastic over -my intention. Indeed, he was always enthusiastic over new things, -though his enthusiasm was usually rather short-lived. But I was glad -that my news struck him in that light. That morning I found him -reading a paper, but as I approached he looked up, and, removing his -spectacles, and combing his beard with his fingers, surveyed me awhile -as if to see if I was capable of my word. But really he was waiting for -the return of his enthusiastic mood. I felt that Tomo-chan was smiling -over my situation from the next room, though I could not remove my eyes -from my uncle. - -“Astronomer, eh?” he said at last. - -“Yes, sir. Going to be one.” - -“That’s grand. You will be the fourth or fifth in that line in our -country. I should take one of those new studies if I were young enough. -But astronomy is indeed fascinating. Do you know that the moon never -shows her other side?” - -Here he rose up and began to pace the room. His enthusiasm served to -bring back a flood of the shallow but ready knowledge which he stored -up in a corner of his head. And he did not let me speak a word till he -had finished a lecture on the solar system. - -“Look here,”--he turned to me with the look of a man who made a sudden -discovery,--“do you know of the solar eclipse we are going to have on -the 20th?” - -Of course I did. It was still two weeks thence, and the moon was as -opposite as could be, but I had already darkened a piece of glass over -a candle and begun to observe the sun at least once a day. - -“This is the total eclipse and its rare opportunity. You may not see it -again in Japan in your lifetime,” he went on. - -In my lifetime was too strong a phrase, but I was very sorry to miss -the chance, as the zone of the total eclipse passed some fifty miles -north of Tokyo, and I had--no money. - -“Perhaps in your lifetime, too,” I ventured to suggest. - -“Yes, indeed. I did not think of myself,” he laughingly said. “Well, -then, let’s go!” - -“Go?” - -“I will take you and Tomo with me.” - -In the adjoining room Tomo-chan was seen just raising both her -outstretched hands, opening her mouth, and rolling her eyes--all -bespeaking her joy and surprise. I wished very much to answer the -signal but for the presence of my uncle, who kept staring at anybody or -anything near him, and this time at me, while revolving some new plan -in his mind. - -For the intervening days I was busy making preparations for the -expedition. I had to buy half a dozen pieces of glass, frame and -darken them in a variety of shade; to adjust my watch to keep time; to -study the constellation where the sun was, and note the stars of the -first magnitude visible on the day; and to make four or five copies -of a drawing with a graduated circle in the centre for the sun, and -two other concentric circles for the orbits of Mercury and Venus. The -difficult part of the business was how to record time for the beginning -of the eclipse. We needed two, at least, for this. Tomo-chan was glad -to offer her service, but she did not want to look at the watch but -at the sun. Well, I had no objection to that, as long as she could -tell the right moment. But as I was a little in doubt on that point, -we spent several nights in drill by means of a shaded lamp which cast -a bright disc on the wall. No sooner than I moved an opaque one and -touched the other, she had to press my hand. But too often the movable -disc was a quarter of an inch inside the other when the belated touch -passed on to me. So I had to train her eyes first by giving a signal at -the time of contact by means of a pinch. And if she did not perceive it -still, she got pinched still harder. She was very unteachable in this -respect, but still wanted to look at the sun rather than the watch! - -So the day of the eclipse arrived. It was a hot, clear day in July, -and most fitted for the observation. We took an early train, as we -had a long way to go, and then we must settle somewhere to watch the -beginning and the end and the most precious middle. In the central part -of the zone of the total eclipse there was a government observatory -temporarily erected, and we wanted to get as near to it as possible. -But we did not take into account the rather slow service of the train, -and the hour for the eclipse had come before we got into the zone, and -were, of course, in the train. As nothing could be done under such -circumstances, we gave up the initial observation, and all the three -just looked at the sun through the soot-covered pieces of glass. We -did not know that we were a gainer and not a loser by this till late, -except Tomo-chan, who had already earned enough pinches merely to be -ready for the occasion. - -The train was a few miles within the zone when my uncle thought it -wise to stop at a small village and make an observation there, as the -sun was fast being overshadowed. We settled in a nice tea-house, whose -front room in the second floor with an open veranda was just the sort -of place for our purpose. And there, after a quick lunch, we awaited -the hour. Tomo-chan and I had a board and a sheet of paper which I had -specially prepared, to note the location of the visible stars and to -draw the shape of the corona. - -I never knew that the light of the sun was so strong, for till the -luminous surface was reduced to a very thin crescent, no change was -observed in the sky. But all at once, as the shadow of a man passing -on the street became weirdly faint, the color of the sky turned into -warm steel-black and the purple stars began to shine! And in no time -the crescent was changed into a mere speck of silver light, and in a -second, as it burned itself off, a beautifully soft fringe of twilight -appeared. That was the corona! - -I now assiduously set about to take down the exact shape of it. There -were only thirty seconds of this precious moment. So I just put down -important points on the paper, noting carefully the position and the -distance, and tried to take a clear impression in my mind to be traced -out later. Tomo-chan was working, too. But her process was just the -opposite of mine. Evidently she wished to follow my picture, but as -mine was no picture, she turned to the sun with a sigh, and, though she -finished it in time, she had a picture of a heavenly corona twisted -considerably by an earthly wind! - -The wonderful moment had now passed, and the corona, with a tail -trailing at the right-hand side of the sun, disappeared like a dream. -It was too brief, but we were satisfied, and did not know what to -think of our good fortune when, three minutes later, a dark cloud came -and brushed the sun off. Then we imagined what the consequence might -have been if the train had been fast and we had gone on further north. -The next day’s paper said that the government expedition was entirely -spoiled on account of the untimely shower! - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -IN THE SUBURBS - - A Novel Experiment--Removal--Our New House--Angling--Tomo-chan’s - Visit. - - -We were now to remove to the suburbs. Father got a better position with -a firm quite far from our house, and it was thought expedient for us to -do so for his convenience. - -There was one thing which made me dislike this change. And it was -about Tomo-chan. We should be separated, and might not see each other -so often; all the more so as we had grown to be quite intimate and -congenial by this time and had great fun in indulging in some novel -experiment now and then. This last was by no means of a scientific -nature. Still we went at it with something of scientific spirit to see -whether a certain innovation was applicable or not. - -Here is one such experiment we tried. Tomo-chan heard from one of -her friends, whose sister recently came home from America, that in -that enlightened country when a lady and a gentleman take a walk -together, the latter offers his arm to the former, who, of course, -never hesitates to take it. Tomo-chan thought it was a fine idea, and -asked me if we might try it. Well, I had no objection if it were only -dark enough to make the trial. So one evening, under the shade of -cherry-trees, we hooked our arms. Our cumbersome sleeves were somewhat -in the way, but still we got on famously. After that, whenever we were -in the dark, a hint would come from Tomo-chan to walk in that fashion, -and I was only glad to accept it. Curiously enough it was the girl who -suggested it every time! - -Of course we were not uniformly successful. I well remember the evening -of that memorable day of the total eclipse. My uncle’s enthusiasm -greatly abated as the event of the day passed, and as we alighted from -the train and stood before a fruit-vender’s stall, he now appeared -to be much interested in a large watermelon. Unable to resist the -temptation, he bought one and had me carry it. So I held it under my -arm and walked on. The street was not crowded and the night was dark, -and I went on behind my uncle with Tomo-chan beside me, when a touch -was felt at my unoccupied arm. It was the well-known hint, and in no -time Tomo-chan and the watermelon were hanging from my arms. It was -not an easy thing to walk in that way, especially behind the back of -my uncle, who might turn round to see us at any moment. Then I found -that even a watermelon had a bit of jealousy in it, for every minute -it would get heavier and more unmanageable as my mind inclined more -and more to my fair companion. The point was soon reached when it was -no longer endurable for the watermelon, and at my unguarded moment -it jumped out of my arm to commit suicide. The bounce at once made -my uncle turn and wring his hands for anger at my carelessness. I -was equal to the occasion, however. Quickly extricating myself from -Tomo-chan, I pounced at the sulky thing before a word was spoken, and -saved it from any harm. So we went on as before. Only both my arms were -now taken by the watermelon, and poor Tomo-chan dragged on crestfallen. - -But such fun we could no longer have now that we were to be separated -for a time at least, and we parted with heavy heart. - -The removal was a curious affair. On five or six carts, everything in -the house from paper screens to a kitchen stove was piled up. There -was an old pomegranate-tree in the back yard which we had brought from -the country some six or seven years ago. And of course we dug it up -carefully and loaded it on the cart. Also we did not forget to pull -down long poles for drying purpose and add them to the heap, together -with two or three round stones for pressing pickles. The train of the -carts pulled by coolies then moved slowly on through the city, and it -was after dark before we could unload them at the destination. - -The new house was in a charming spot. Just back of us was a low hill -thickly wooded with tall oaks and criptomerias; to the left across -a brook stretched a tilled field, fringed in the far distance with -bamboo bushes and elm groves; to the right and on the hill the eye -could command the western horizon where Fujiyama hung low like an azure -fan against the golden sky. The birds sang, the flowers bloomed, the -fire-worms glowed, and I never felt a change so delightful, coming as I -did from a town where boys believed that Indian corn either grew on a -tree, or sprang, like bamboo shoots, from the ground without planting. - -My school came to be much nearer; the potted trees of my father -increased; a baby was added to our family; and, as the sun and the moon -moved on peacefully, we were all well contented with our lot. - -There was not much to be recorded for our purpose in those days -except the angling my father and I had occasionally in a river. His -was always a calm turn of mind, and the soothing, restful pastime of -fishing suited him immensely. I love to picture him sitting under the -sheltering pine-tree by a quiet river bank, and handling the rod and -line, while quaint ripples of smiles came and went across his face as -the nibbling fish gave his line a tantalizing pull. Once, when it was -the season of smelt in the month of May, we went over to a stream about -two miles off. The scene around there was lovely. The mass of fresh -leaves covered the open field, and along the slope of the bank, with -stunted willows here and there, myriads of dandelions like golden stars -studded the green. And the breeze was fanning leisurely the warmth of -the May sun. The stream was shallow, and was singing and foaming on the -pebbly bed. - -“Let’s see what we can do about here,” said my father, as he selected -a spot where the water was going on in a cataract. And we cast our -flies and tried our luck. But, after awhile, having no success, I began -to doubt if my father had chosen the right spot, and so I thought -that I had better follow up the river and see if they bit. I left my -father to his fortune and started on my adventure. I did not know that -smelt-fishing was such a dull business, for, wherever I went, there was -the foaming pool, the steady flow, and there were practically no bites. -Yes, there was one, but I only fished a piece of some rotten wood or -dripping moss! I wondered what my father was doing, and, not without a -smile over his probable ill-luck, I went back, when I found him still -standing in the same spot. I doubted if he was not going to take root -there. I at once inquired about his success. “No, nothing remarkable,” -he gently replied, dreaming on the sparkling water. I went to his -basket dipped in the river, and lifted the lid, when a large prisoner, -disturbed by the jar I gave, snapped violently! After all, I thought, -he was of a piece with Izaak Walton. - -So days passed, and more than a year rolled on since our removal. It -was now the latter part of October, when one day we had unexpected -visitors. They were my aunt and Tomo-chan. This was not their first -visit since we came here, but I had always been out and had had no -chance to meet them. Still, they did not come very often, and so my -aunt, with many bows, apologized for her negligence to call, while -my mother, with equal courtesy, was not behind the guest in heaping -up apologies for neglect on her part. Then, as tea and cakes were -produced, inquiry after the health and condition of each member of the -family issued from both sides, and was answered modestly, followed -by amiable comment from the inquirers. Then, with equal lightness of -heart, the season was talked over, the recent events, and, indeed, -anything of timely interest. - -While such a talk was going on my eyes were secretly on Tomo-chan. I -was surprised at her change. I left her a mere child only a year and -a half ago, but the bud of yesterday was the flower of to-day. With a -snowy neck and rosy cheeks, her ebony hair done up stylishly, she sat -in striped silk of light azure and dove-gray. She no longer looked -at me straight, but, except for furtive glances, her eyes sought her -jewelled hands, idly occupied in clasping and unclasping on her knees. -A glow of bashfulness was beaming from her as most eyes sought their -focus in her. - -As the talk was about to become more personal, my mother suggested -that Tomo-chan might go out with me as a guide to look around the -place, which was beautiful at that time. My aunt seconded the motion, -and asked me to take the trouble of doing so. So there was no need of -hesitation, and in the next moment we were out for a walk on a country -road. - -At first we were speechless. She appeared to me no longer approachable -with the familiarity of “Tomo-chan.” But as the autumnal breeze cooled -down her bashfulness, and the beauty of the scenery was absorbing her -attention more and more, I ventured to falter: - -“Tomo-chan!” - -“Yes?” - -She looked at me with her eyes beaming with laughter, and there was the -same old innocent childhood, but where was the bashfulness? - -“Do you find this beautiful?” I asked. - -“Yes, certainly.” - -“It wasn’t so beautiful yesterday.” - -“You mean to say that you had a sudden frost last night that tinged the -leaves?” she archly asked. - -“Why, more sudden than that; it got to be lovelier this very afternoon. -We’ve had something better than a frost.” - -“How is it possible?” She laughed. - -“No stranger than that you are changed so _beautifully_ in a year.” - -I said what I should not have said, for she blushed to the roots of her -hair, and I repented of my forwardness. - -“But come along, Tomo-chan. I’ll show you what you have not seen yet.” - -And I took her over the hill and pointed to the faint shadow of the -peerless mountain. - -“Why, Fujiyama!” she exclaimed. “Oh, how lovely! Could you see that -every day from here?” - -“Not in rainy weather.... But she wanted to see you to-day, as -everybody else did, and waited there from morning.” - -“I wish you would thank her for that, Sakae-san.” - -“You ought first to thank him who told her about your coming.” - -“Oh,” she smilingly said, “but don’t tell me his name now, as I want to -repay him afterwards--abundantly.” - -I touched her dimple as she said so, and then we went to the secluded -part of the hill where the crimson branches of maples were projecting -from the green background, the red frosted “crows’ melons” festooned -high on the criptomerias, and the wild chrysanthemums were blooming -lavishly. In such a charming spot Tomo-chan was a child of thirteen, -and wanted me to take “crows’ melons”--I wonder if she remembered the -watermelon incident?--and to gather chrysanthemums, and laughed and -sang to her heart’s content. She was her old very self. As the setting -sun was resting on her shoulder, I decked her hair with wild flowers, -and whispered in her ear that she would remember evermore the day we -spent together. She nodded, and smiled the sweetest of smiles. - - -THE END. - - - - - BOOKS - FOR - Young Americans. - - By ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS. - -_THE POPULAR “TRUE STORY” SERIES._ - - Seven 4to volumes of from 200 to 250 pages each, profusely - illustrated and attractively bound in cloth, each $1.50. - - “A series which is worthy of hearty commendation. 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They look up places on the -map, and have a fine time while hearing the thrilling story, told in -such simple language that they can readily understand it all. Parents -and teachers will also be greatly interested in this book from an -educational point of view. - - “The tale is well told and the children will delight in - it.”--_Chicago Post._ - - “Told so simply and clearly that young readers cannot fail to be - entertained and instructed.”--_Congregationalist, Boston._ - - -For sale by all booksellers or sent postpaid on receipt of price by the -publishers, - -LOTHROP, LEE & SHEPARD CO., BOSTON - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Archaic spelling that may have been in use at the time of publication - has been preserved. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's When I Was a Boy in Japan, by Sakae Shioya - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHEN I WAS A BOY IN JAPAN *** - -***** This file should be named 55939-0.txt or 55939-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/9/3/55939/ - -Produced by MFR, David E. 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