Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-15
4 JAPANESE ROMANCE IN REAL
LIFE

LIfh.
Some few years after the ratification of our
treaty for the purposes of trade and com
merce with the beautiful island empire OF
Japan, found myself a sojourner on its fair
shores, and, with my household, enjoying
the peculiar privileges and protection which
that government so freely accorded to the Of
fetal representatives of the foreign powers.
With deep interest we scanned the first
pages of this new and wonderful volume just
opening to the world, rich with the glowing
Of past ages, portraying far
higher civilization than had ever been deem
ed by Western nations possible under such
complete isolation While some of their laws
seemed to have come to them from the Great
Lawgiver, others seemed to US strangely bar
barous, and we sometimes looked upon the
rare spectacle of exquisite refinement clasp
ing hands with downright cruelty.
Japanese law permits polygamy, which
practice is, however, by no means common,
and it is quite an exceptional case where
man has more than one wife.
The hero and heroine of the present story
were both connected with our household.
Shinski, the butler, wes man Of rare intelli-
gence and cultivation for the position he
held. His wife, Waka, who filed the posi-
ton of nurse was petite, and graceful as
fawn, with small and exquisitely shaped
hands and feet, a refined, attractive face,
large dark eyes brimming with merriment,
or soft and earnest with deep feeling-eyes
in which you could read truthfulness and
kindness at glance, and clearly indicating
the affectionate disposition from which flow
ed most naturally all her ready, cheerful, po-
lite and winning ways. Her father, now
dead, had been farmer in very good cir
cumstances, and in that country farmer
ranks first in the social scale, always except
ing the Daimos and Yakonins-military and
civil oficials-and the logic is good. We
could not live at all, they reason, but for the
farmer, who produces the food which sus-
tains life so that class who supply susie
nance to the race, or their first need rank
first in the social scale. Next in order comes
the carpenter, who builds the houses, and
thus provides the necessary shelter: then the
merchant and manufacturer, who rank third,
as the providers of clothing for the Masses
and truly with the masses, especially in the
warm season, clothing is far from being
much of a consideration, for not only are
troops of children seen about the streets in
the uniform provided by Mother Nature, but
numbers of adult males appear, quite at their
case in most deliberately tattooed suits of ep-
iderms, with the satisfied air Of exceptional
ly well-dressed men. To this class the man
ufacturers and merchants are but supernu-
meraries in the body polite.
Waka had received the usual education and
accomplishments to which young ladies of
her rank are entitled in Japan, and was con-
sidered quite proficient in music, owning
samsing-the piano of Japanese ladies-and
having been teacher of the divine art.
Among the other servants was a married man,
Ku, whose family, wife aud children, lived
in Kanegawa, aCros, the bay. He was ii per-
son rather tall with good countenance and
pleasant manners, being much esteemed by
all the servants He was always ready to do
any of them good turn, or help about any
thing, at any time. When Waka had prepar-
ed baby for her daily airing, Ku was often
ready with the little carriage, for it was quite
a source of pleasant rivalry among the men
servants which should have the honor of
wheeling the little queen of the house, and
his strong arms were always ready to carry
her when, as was often the case, she prefer
red that mode of locomotion, and he was uu-
mistakably her favorite bearer. Thus it hap
pened that Ku often accompanied Waka and
her little charge for long strolls along the
beautiful bluffs overhanging the sea, and
through the lovely camellia- hedged, shady
lanes, enjoying the sweet sights and sounds
which Nature in this favored CLINE gathers
| from sparkling sea and leafy, fragrant hill
sides for her appreciative children, and so the
days passed on and summer grew TO its ma
turity.
| Early one morning, as was sitting alone
| in the library, the door was hastily opened
and lady, a near relative, Rho had married
an American merchant in Japan, and lived
| Just opposite to us, entered, exclaiming
| "Do you know there is great trouble among
your servants? Waka has just rushed into
my house, screaming and begging me to loci
her into a room up stairs, for hu had de
olared that he would cut her all to pieces,
and that she barely escaped the point of hi
sharp knife by fleeing for her life, and that i
Ku did not kill her, Shinski would" Sh'
had locked her in, as she desired, and CAM
to me at once. / Immediately went in searel
of Waka's husband, and asked him what wa
the matter with Waka. He looked great.
surprised, and l saw that he was not awar
of what mad taken place. then sought al
explanation from Ku, who came into M
presence bowing and smiling, the very i'm
personation of innocence, and from him
could elicit nothing touching the case, so
put on my hat and walked back with Mrs.
TO her house. Going upstairs found Wax
in an agony of tears and distress, and it wa
a long time before could calm her sufficient
ly to enable her to tell what had caused he
trouble.
The whole story was then told. For som
weeks Ku had been holding before her th
brilliant proposal that she should leave he
husband and my service; that he would TAX
a house for her in Homora, a suburb of Vol
ohama; she should become his second wife
and that all the money he could save aftt
the support of his wife and children in kai
egawa he would give to her She treate
his proposal at first with ridieule, and whe
1 he persisted, and made her understand tn
! he was very much in earnest, she was
frightened that she knew not what to d.
( She dared not tell her husband, for then 81
: knew that he and Ku would fight and,
4 she expressed it, both being in the consul
house. that would never do. The feeling
e large class of Japanese toward foreign
= well as their own officials is that of deepe
' reverence, Hence Waka's idea that she mu
a never drop a word that would make troub
y between two of the consuPs servants,
t matter how great her grievances might b'
4 therefore she kept her own counsel, thinkiI
IS that by always refusing to comply with HI
@ plan, he would after little while give 1t
J. altogether. In this conclusion she had toul
Is herself entirely mistaken, and now that
storm had burst, she knew not where to tu
IA for shelter. 1t was too late now TO tell
n husband, who would consider himself irl
= trievably disgraced, and would never forgi
a. his wife for being the recipient OF such pi
,e posals, and Withholding them from him.
4. A mutual friend of Shinski's and Wax
,e had lust come in-Skazo, the head servant
r the United States Minister, who was visit
.y us from Yeddo-and as he listened to
n plain statement of the case, his face 81
Of very grave, and he evidently thought
8. course wrong, and that it must result in "
ae serious consequences. He had come, as
is first friend of Shinski, to gather up all
! facts in the case, and then to place them