St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-20
A VICTIM OF THE "MIKADO."
Experience of London Bachelor Afflicted
With the Craze.
His Rooms Decorated by Workmen
From n japanese Village.
The Horrible Change That Came over
His Life.


fectiouS malady from which the metropolis
at present suffers.
1t is now about four months since Robin
son strobe into my Office one afternoon TO
tell me that he had become the fortunate
householder Of suite OF japanese cham
berS i'm BaySwater. At that time he was
hale and hearty; his laugh was loud and
merry. and he looked like man with many
years of happiness before him. l see him
still as he stood on my hearth rug that
foggy afternoon, gay and strong; and hard
it Is to credit that this joyous barrlSter OF
but few weeks since is the same win the
nervous invalid who to-day takes his eNer-
else in a Bath chair.
Robinson (of course do not give his real
name) showed me his new rooms with all
the pride of 4 schoolboy just come into pos
session of box of tools l saw at glance
for in London we can hardly avoid be-
coming authorities on this Subject-that
RobnSonS new chambers were genuine
japanese. WOrkmen from the Japan
ese village" had been commissioned to de-
sign and hit them up precisely as if they
We're in their own country: and ali you had
10 90 to dream yourself in Japan was TO
draw the curtains. The ceiling was sort
OF great Japanese Christmas card represent
ing the heavens; heavy clouds tloated round
pale moon, and with the dusk the stars
came out. The walls instead of being
papered. were hung with a soft japanese
cloth, and fantastic figures frolicked round
a fireplace that held a bamboo fan. There
was no mantiepiece. The room was very
small. but when you wanted blue velvet
desk to write on you had only 10 press a
spring against the wall; and ii you leaned
upon the desk the Japanese workmen were
H. ,,..I-.
were springs everywhere, shaped like
birds and mice and butterflies; and
when you touched one of them something
was sure to come out. \ blood colOTed
curtain separated the room from the alcove
where Robinson was 10 rest by night and
his bed became bath by simply turning it
upside down. On one side OF the bed was
a wine-bn. with a ladder running up TO it;
the door of the sitting-rOom was a SYM
phOny in gray, with ShadOwy reptiles crawl
ing across the panels, and the tioor-dark,
mySteriOuS-preSented a fanciful picture of
the Internal regions. Robinson said hope
fully that the place would look coZier after
he had his own things in it, but he stopped
me when began to fill my pipe. The
fact was. he said, that smoking was not
japanese custom; the proprietor had told
him SO: and there was no use going in for
Japanese chambers unless yOu lived up to
them. Here was a revelation. Robinson
proposed. perhaps had promised, TO live his
life in harmony with these rooms. l felt
too sad at heart TO say much 10 him then,
but, promising to look in again soon,
shook hands with my happy friend and
went away.
1t happened. however, that Robinson
had been established in his new quarters
for some weeks before l was able to visit
him again. My hand was on the dOor-bell,
when / noticed a figure l thought | knew
lounging in my direction. II was Robinson
himself, and he was smoking a cigar
felt much relieved at the sight of it. We
greeted each other warmly on the doorstep,
Robinson assuring me that Japan in Lon
don was grand idea. 1t gave a Zest to
life, banishing the poor, weary common
placeneSS Of ones surroundings. This was
said while we stood at the door, and be-
gan to wonder why Robinson did not enter.
"A beautiful night" he said rapturously.
a nasty east wind was blowing. He in
sisted that evening was the time for think
ing, and that east winds brace you up.
Would l have 4 cigar? l would if he would
ask me in to smoke it. My friend sighed.
Il thought ] told you," he said, that l
don't smoke in my chambers. 1t isn't the
thing then he explained hesitatingly
that he hadn't given up smoking.
al come down here" he said,
with my cigar. and walk up and
down. l assure you it is quite new SEN
sation, and l much prefer it to lolling in an
easy chair" The poor fellow shivered as
he spoke, and noticed that his great coat
was tightly buttoned up to the throat. He
had nasty cough and his teeth were chat
tering. Let US go in" I said; Il don't
want to smoke" He flung away his cigar,
and assembled the stairs with an aifectation
OF gayety.
The room looked somewhat more home
like now. but it was very cold. Robinson
had not had a fire yet. He had been told
that the smoke would blacken the moon.
Besides, question if he would have dared
to remove the fan from the fireplace with
out consulting japanese authority. He
did not even know whether the japanese
burned coal. l missed n number OF the
articles OF furniture that had graced his
former rooms. The smoking table was
gone; there was none Of the old etchings
on the walls, and he had exchanged his
comfortable, plain old screen for one with
lizards crawling over it. But if his
pipes had gone, three photographs of the
same young lady had the place of honor
over his fireplace in three plush frames, and
l was glad to see them. 1t would
never have done" Robinson explained, ITO
spoil the room with English things, so I got
i'll some more japanese things" | asked
him if ne had sold his books wheTeupon lie
signed to ne to follow him to the wine bin.
1t was full of books. There were no news
papers lying about, but Robinson hoped to
manage TO take one in by-and-by. lie was
only feeling his way at present, he said.
IN the dim light shed by japanese lamp
tripped over rainbow-colored slipper that
tapered to the heel and turned up at the toe.
81 wonder you can get into these things"
whispered. for the place somehow depressed
one; and he answered with similar caution
that he couldn't. Il keep them lying
about" he said, but after l think nobody
is likely to call put on an old pair of Eng
lish ones" At this point the housekeeper
knocked at the door, and Robinson sprang
like an acrobat into a japanese dressing
gown before he cried, Come inv' Before
l left l asked him how he felt now. and he
said that he had never been SO happy in his
life. But his hand was hot, and he did not
look me in the face.
Nearly two months elapsed before we met
again. I was Mortified by the change that
had come over him. Face and figure had
shrunk until he looked like a small edition
OF himself. Two OF his three photographs
had disappeared, and the one left hanging
was in a Japanese frame. The unfortunate
man had Japanese rug over his legs to
keep out the cold, and he was gazing de-
jectedly at an Outlandlsh mess which he
called his lunch. 1t had been made by the
cook under the surveillance of the house
keeper. He insisted that it was not at all
bad. but it had evidently been on the table
some time when L called and he had not
made beginning of it. He ordered cof-
fee for my benefit, but | do not care for