The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1874-10-30

tain thoughts of suicide, and finally
takes fight in order to accomplish
this wretched purpose. On arriving at
the banks Of the river she prepares
to drown herself, when she is seized by
two rutfians, carried off to Kamakura,
and sold as guecha (singing prostitute)
under the name of Kosan. Bunnojio
believes her to be dead. Kinguro learns
the sad news 1T Kioto. He returns in
haste to Kamakura, where he delivers
himself up in dispair. One day his
friends. in order to divert him from
his grief carry him to the
quarters Of pleasure. Chance brings
him the acquaintance Of a sister Of
Okame, whom series of adventures
have brought to the same city and the
exercise of the same profession. She
learns from Kinguro the death Of her
sister, and overcome with grief sends
for his amusement another guecha, of
whose beauty everybody is talking. 1t
is O'Kame or Kosan. In meeting
her whom he believes to be dead
in the costume Of a guecha the grief
of Kinguro is transformed into fierce
reproaches; he even gees so far as to
charge her with being a Lying appari.
ton, tanuki (badger), disguised as
woman to deceive and cajole him. She
endeavors to explain to him by what
series Of misfortunes she has been forced
to adopt this professionalism it was
actually because she would marry no
other than himself. Reduced to despair
she attempts to plunge a poinard into
her bosom; but he stops her, and then
perceiving the true state of affairs he
asks pardon for his unjust wrath. The
drama turns to an idyl and the recon-
Citation is complete. They enjoy all
the sweets Of love, and their amours
are described with singular naivette.
Redeemed from the shameful slavery
of the bagnio and installed secretly in
house which Kinguro has provided
for her, O'Kamo soon becomes moth.
er. The secret, however, cannot be
long maintained. Bunnojio discovers
the relations between his son and Kosan
or O'Kame without learning, however,
that child has been born to them. He
tries to separate the lovers, but only
succeeds in drawing them more closely
together. The son, however, agrees to
take legitimate wife; but it may be
easily supposed that he does not make a
very good husband. Bunnojio visits
Kosan, and upbraids her with the dis
orderly conduct Of his son and the neg.
lect he shows his wife. The poor girl,
up to this time, was not aware that he
was married. She yields to the au.
thority Of the father and promises TO
quit Kingura. But to renounce him is
to renounce life, and she resolves
to kill herself; then when she is
dead her son can enter the legitimate
family. Kinguro comes to see her, but
she conceals the fact Of the visit of the
father. She talks to him for long
time in regard to the future of their
young child, Kinnosukc; makes a
thousand recommendations based upon
the hypothesis Of her own death, and
does all she can to retain him with her.
AS soon as he is gone sho carries her
boy to her sister, where she leaves him
with tears and many tender adicux.
The scene is most touching one. The
child reaches out its arms and wants to
60 with her. She tears herself away,
carefully shuts up her house, writes
long letter to Kinguro, then cuts her
throat with razor. The place is sur
rounded by a solemn silence when Kin
guro arrives in the morning. He sup.
poses that having fatigued herself the
preceding evening she still sleeps and
he wishes to look upon her as she lies
sleeping. He enters, presently, and
finds her bathed in her blood. Then
the child is brought, according to
custom of the Japanese, to pray before
his mothers body. In his grief Kin
guro lets fall the letter of the poor
girl. Bunnojio finds it and first learns
Of the existence of the child. He re-
grets bitterly having pushed
the poor girl to such cxtremi-
ties. goes to see the poor child, feels
compassion for it, takes it to his home,
and causes it to be brought up by his
daug hter.in.law. Everybody, there.
fore, is comfortably reunited under the
authority Of the old chief at Kioto-
and to that end it was merely necessary
that the mother of Kinguro and the
mother Of Kinnosuke should cone to
violent ends. Principle is maintained,
and Oriental morality is satisfied. Kin.
nosuke grows up. marries, and becomes
chief Of family. Thus finishes 70.
nance which embraces three genera