Delta chief., 1885-10-21

lnto my mouse, screaming Suu UegSlnS
far me to lock her into room up
stairs. for ku has declared that he
would cut her all to pieces, and that
sharp knife BY fleeing for her life, and
that if Ku did not kill her, Shinski
would" She had locked her in, as
she desired, and came to me at once. I
Immediately went in search of Waka's
husband. and asked him what was the
matter with Waka. He looked greatly
surprised, and l saw he was not aware
of what had taken place. / then
sought an explanation from Ku, who
came into my presence bowing and
smiling, and from him l could elicit
nothing touching the case. SO put on
my hat and walked back with Mrs. A.
to her house. Going upstairs ! found
Waka in an agony of tears and distress
and it was long time before l could
calm her sufficiently to enable her to
tell what had caused her trouble.
The whole story was then told. For
some weeks ku had been holding be-
fore her the brilliant proposal that she
should leave her husband and my ser
vice: that he would take house for
her in Homora a suburb of Yokohama;
she should become his second wife;
and that all the money he could save
after the support of his wife and chill
dren in kanegawa he would give to
her. She treated his proposal at first
with ridicule, and when he persisted,
and made her understand that he was
very much in earnest, she was so
frightened she knew not what to do.
She dared not tell her husband, for
then she knew that he and Ku would
fight, and. as she expressed il, both
being in the consufs house, that
would never do. The feeling of n
large class of Japanese toward foreign
as well as their own officials is that
of the deepest reverence. Hence
Waka's idea that she must !, yer drop
a word that would make trouble be-
tween two of the consufs servants,
no matter how great her grievances
might be; therefore she kept her own
counsel, thinking that by always re-
fusing to comply with ku's plan, he
would after little while give it up al
together. In this conclusion she had
found herself entirely mistaken, and
now that the storm had burst, she
knew not where to turn for shelter 1t
was too late now to tell her husband.
who would consider himself irretrieva-
bly disgraced. and would never for
give his wife for being the recipient of
such proposals. and withholding them
from him.
A mutual friend Of Shinski's and
Waka's had just come in-Skazo, the
head servant of the United States Min
lister. who was visiting Us from 1eddo
and as he listened to her plain state
ment of the case, his face grew very
grave, and he evidently thought her
cousre wrong. and that it must result
| in serious consequences. He had come
as the first friend of Shinski, to gath
er up all the facts in the case, and
then to place them before his friend.
Although Waka talked very freely and
calmly with Skazo. it was quite evil
dent that she had no hope of favor or
forgiveness from her husband. We
now found that japanese law permit
ted the husband to take the life of his
wife under such circumstances with
impunity, or. if he should so elect, he
might give her bill of enforcement
and send her away.
As was crossing the street to return
to my house, that 1 might find Shin
ski, and use all nv influence with him
in Waka's favor. l saw ku standing
Just outside the gate. and said to him:
"Ku, come into the house, want you"
Without answering 4 word he COM
menced a very rapid retrograde move
ment. and the last view that l ever had
of this Oriental free-loyer was that he
was running At full speed toward his
kanegawa home.
As soon as 1 saw Shinski. l knew
| that he comprchended the whole situ-
alton. His face wore an expression
that fairly chilled me. said to him:
do not blame Waka; she has done no
wrong" His reply came quickly: If
l see Waka must kill her" All rca-
soning founl to be entirely useless.
and knowing that Waka was perfectly
safe in her self-imposed durance.
thought it best to leave him with his
friend Skazo. hoping that when his
first feeling Of bitter modification and
vindictiveness had had its course, q
better feeling would succeed.
Late on the afternoon of the same
day, during another interview with
Waka, . scene occurred such as no for
eigner had ever before witnessed in
Japan. Skazo entered. and with great
ceremony, approaching Waka, deliv-
cred an commissioning envelope into
her hands. She hastily broke the seal.
and examined the contents; then. with
wild cry OF despair, Frustrated her.
self upon the floor. and for time gave
way to unrestrained sobbing and grief.
Skazo was evidently greatly moved.
but had no word of comfort for the