The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-04
A JAPANESE
Love DRAMA.
Romance Of a Bold SaInurai and a Lovely
MuSnGG.
Saved From Murderous Band by Her Devo-
ton, He Is Afterward Executed for
High Crimes-Joined in Death.

The following interesting japanese love
story recently appeared in the London Tele-
graph from the pen of Sir Edwin Arnold ::
We find our way to a door in wooden
fence, leading into an old bury ground.
Here, under a tiny penthouse of weather.
worn boards, are two moss-covered stones
projecting from the damp earth with two
little cisterns of stone in front of them, one
containing rain water and the other sand
and ashes. The musmees have brought
with them n bundle of senke. which we
stick up in the sand and light. The fragrant
blue smoke OF the incense curls among the
bamboo stems and leaves and diffuses agree
able watts while somebody reads to us what
is written on the stones and on the sotoba
or wooden tablets planted in the ground
around the grave. This is the tomb of
the Shiyoiu." it says. The Shiyoku We're
fabulous birds. which always flew with their
near wings joined together. and became the
emblem of love and fidelity. Another stone
says: " In the old days his beauty was like
that of tie cherry flower, and she looked
upon it with love like that of the sun
shine. These two birds have died in their
too short flight; the cherry blossoms have
persisted without fruit"
Shirai Gompachi was young Japanese
gentleman, two-sworded Samurai, in the
train Of Daimio of Tnaba, who by the age
of is had become widely known in his own
province for great personal beauty and
courage and perfect skill in the use of the
sword. Those were the days when the
sword was the :: life and sword of the Sa-
mural The etiquette of the sword gov
erned all japanese society. Once drawn, it
must never be sheathed until redeemed by
blood, and must never be unsheathed with
in the precincts of the palace.
Young Gompaehi on a certain unlucky
day
QUARRELED WITH COMPANION
And DRAWING hia sword unor n In, l., +b,
court, fought with and killed him. For this
he had to fly to Yeddo, then but small city,
and to hide in the suburbs. 1t was wild
time everywhere, and he put up one nightin
an inn where gang OF robbers lived, some
six or seven, who could not see the richly
ornamented sword and dirk without coyet-
ing them, and also concluding that the
owner must have plenty OF gold coins in his
girdle.
AS little could the musmee of the house,
Sngularly lovely girl, wait upon the hand
some young stranger without interest. In
the dead of the night Gompachi was sleep
ing SOundly after his long flight, when he
was lightly touched by some hand, and,
starting up. saw the musmee kneelng by
the side of his futon. He had not noticed
before how beautiful she was this damsel
of 20 years, which in japan Is maturity.
Dominate, do not speak," she said. II
crave your honorable pardon for arolsing
you; but you must know this is q den Of
ioDOtLo WIZ idSl year Carried ME
off from my fathers house in Kikawa. under
the hill OF Azabu. Tonight they will muir
der you to get your sword and clothes and
money. GU seem to be as brave as you are
handsome. If you are really skillful with
the sword prepare yourself and | will try to
help you, and, If you can get away safely,
take me with you for / love you and am
risking my life to tell You all this" Com
pachi answered: "Greatly | thank Won.
o Ko-Murasah Sanl but | will not have
you hazard one hair of your beautiful head
for my sake. Steal out of the house and
wait in the shadow of the bamboos for me.
AS soon as have tied up my sleeves and
fastened back my hair l will come to you,
and ii any seek to stay me will kill Them
Accordingly she went out, and while
Gompachi was putting on his day dress the
thieves steaithily entered by another door
with drawn swords, but were discouraged
to find the young Samurai leap upon them,
his long sword in one hand and in the other
the ALkuchi, the dirk, to guard and do
patch.
TWO OF THE KNAvEs
lie instantly cut down, slashed the arm