New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-05
A JAPANESE BRIDE.
nrruAM EDWARDS, AUTHOR OF KITTY

- Il a.,
took place uP pa the strange story of when thaU
years "s UneTiencc formed the prologue VIII az
aasvoT to relate briefly as PosS,' nnulJ indeed
desso, ,,ere | enabled to make thein' coIiu norra
tons Wte3 iG charm or interest TO such nara
tso nor is it necessary 10 eA9sFohto,ing tLe
smallest particular by WAY "a are there naturally
9necI to- use technical phrase seems u n"'0
cc.aposed ISL Tho nipht before at the little town OF
p n Rresse that shrine OF fehGtSsd"oo 80, a."
tSa heart of French Bpota, ana hele ov Of
exnress at midnight picked me up III ~ october
another stragger or two IL was eaS ots IN from
anV'uh an The great tide of tourists sets ~ 10
S;tzerand and as the train was cIpmIJo -, nstow
stoppage of few minutes only, we wa could Not
ouInnt 70 snare for choosing slnOking' Hu E
isss haf-flled carriage; took possc sennted Nv
hrst einp,y ~ n v0nth of fifteen. The lad, VINO
served TO keep in countenance' WdS o,' dam 70
of the party asleep ana Oci nd ronnd af the rest
Tno of my fellow travellers called iOr no lJ'li
being SIMPLY highly respectable Eng srrn lS NV
her maid. The other two immediately
stress and maid were here also but Offering tw9
a;Stinct types fascinating alike 70 nolh .ne Thc
uf beauty and of race painter and ethnoi1Els.; ,
OF peauIy gu" ,avng Iiiudoo GIRL whose brilliant com
niexion and naive graces were heleH! .TL - rs
richness OF her purely Qtiend that scrnpulous
Ia1once and minute observance OF fashion sen III
Erenrhwomen and few Americans, ''IS tli',e'
Juutsou I'D Tho nillner was rs it should be, the
naneral enect IN the eyes of the artistic beholuer
Being somewhat perplexmg, ana Petr" ~ the Ian
factor Such beauty as hcTs-Deauty ol tllc ian i"i,
%oroHs sensuOus type-necded more HccuGn
more EXPANSION in outward lendlngs than faISlaii
fashion books allowed enc snoI aJorpmemts
IN an1dance; instead of all these she was put INTO
the barest. most prosaic OF woman S H,Ss ~
whilst 10 make matters worse. her aounuahI nan
Was twisted into microscopic Knot at tue DacA Oh
her head as the fashion OF the gay oIualnS, Su'
mounted by hideOus blt OF nlllliiiers Lh,,9 81
hat
had been made in fact, 10 translate heT from Jap
anese beauty into young lady OF fashion ana inc
hcauty she undoubtedly was, reminding me OF
those wonderfully lovely Japanese types had sen
few weeks before i'll the ethnolOglcal sNton vi
the Paris exhibition Few who were az the lIoupl1
of visiting certain little pavilion i'll the gardens Oh
the Irocadero can surely have forgotten tue impress
sion produced their minds by inc ssilys oI POI
bered portraits from the life. had now Delorr me
living prototype of an especial klnd Ol oNe,ileNs
that had there taken my breath away-a loyellhee
sensnnus almost voluptuous yet imbued with the
artess witchery and UNCONSCIOUS wihhlhgHeSs oi
childhood. One hardly felt that there was sou
there much less intellect only neart 10 po hldAe
Keen your admiration TO yourself whispered
friendly voice close in my ear. She speaks English
and French as well We do You shall near htI
II was the middlc-agcd English matron, who,
under pretext of getting at her bag. thus good
naturally took note of my growing interest IN ouI
outlandsh neighbor. Then as 1T was about The tline
for refreshment she brought out VINE ana SanH-
IDENTIFY bent on bringing her out. They talked IN
French, language which always seems to come
natural when addressing foreigners.
Won must eat and drink began the motherly Eng.
lsh LADY, pleased at the others naive acceptance vi
her, hospitality. You viii have need Gi an al your
strength for the fatigues Of sightseeing Ill iars'
YES am to see everything that is to be seen in
Paris and after that London, and everything TO be
seen there. Then my education will stop. and high
'- And then p was written in nmisakablc char
acters the face OF her interlocut0r VINO however
TOO we'll bred to question merely replied suggcs-
lively You must of course, feel very happy at the
notion of seeing your own country and your own
But / am not going to see my own country or
people, reoined the girl. without the slightest touch
either Of longing or regret Ill her voice. Icihaui
i hope indeed that you will like England said
the elder lady. now dying with curiosity, yet re
framing from downright question.
sOui saitT was the careless reply. { But there is
no help for it, Then she added in the same voice OF
happy unconcern, not unmixed English or French
woman-the word seems inapplicablc to Japan
ese!-' am going to marry rich Engllshinan
NY matter-of-fact cOuntrywoman absolutely
blushed with astOnishment; became at once more
intensely absorbed than ever, while the heroine oil
our little nocturnal romance went on. 1890,
1T was he who wished me 10 be educated, and
for that purpose ] was sent 70 Switzerland three
years ago | was then fifteen, / am now eighteen,
and am to be married before the year is out
And then YOU will be an Englishwoman SAID
her neighbor delighted with that candid confession;
Could / not pass foI an Engshwoman now 2
asked the young lady with charming innocence
Il think no one could wholly OutgTOw his
nationality he il English French or JAPANESE, was
the reply: Why should you wish to lose every
i do not wish it, only want to look and behave
like an English lady. II is his wish, the wish Of the
gentleman | am about to marry. l did not
about it myself. should have been perfectly con-
Thus She pratticd on. encouraged by the ready
thto NJ hort vol lingo lft 9T a
however she declared herself drowsv; the little
HindOO sprang forward at sign to spread warm
wraps over her MISTRESS Cur little lamp was cur
tanned and all drowsed from time Ia time all alas!
but the poor little Hindoo girl: Whenever opened
my eyes, beheld the poor child nurmuring 10 her
self so cold 80 cold and in the act of gathering
her thin silk shawl closer round her. Tie night
was very chilly. she clad III rament of almost
transparent fineness and had nothing in the way of
warmer clothing. glanced from her to her mis-
tress, softly enshrined and luxuriously covered
and wondered when she would notice her hand
maids fOrlorn condition. But though she woke up
from time to time and even beckOned the girl 10
bestOw the fur rug more carefully about her own
feet, she paid heed whatever TO her little shlv-
erlng gesture and the low plant: 1t seemed as II
indeed she neither saw nor heard the little thing,
and only became mindful Of her presence when
needing a service. l confess. was somewhat
taken aback by what was 10th to believe want
Of feeling; 1t might be- so at last reasoned. that
the young waiting woman alone was to blame and
that in accordapce with the customs Of Japan.
domestic servants were expected 10 look after
themselves. it might be that her young mistress
others. She was spoilt child. settled the matter
thus Seeing, moreover, that no help was likely
TO come from other quarters. handed the poor
child spare plaid and also protfered some refresh
ments, all of which were eagerly accepted
AS the train sped on, everyone grew brewster and
brewster, only waking up at the last moment. No
more conversation took place, and in the railway
station ! fingered TO take, as | Thought hnal
glance OF my beautiful Japanese Lrlde-elect.
liz
Bone months passed, and il is hardly necessary to
say that the vision Of the Japanese beauty and her
goreeously clad attendant, soon faded wholly from
my memory. Greatly "a I had been struck with