Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1891-03-19
A JAPANESE INN.
Politenass and Courtesy Abundant but
Personal Comforts Few and far He.
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Mr.. Percival Lowell, in the first Of
his series of papers, 'Noto: An I'm.
explored Corner of Japan" in the
sAtlantic. thus describes a japanese
village inn:-
We halted for the night at fishing
village called No: two lines of houses
,hugging the mountain side. and q
single line of boats drawn up stern on.
upon The stand; the day and night
domiciles of the amphibious strip of
humanity. in domestic tiff, turning
their backs 10 one another. q stones
throw apart. As our k,run,n men
knew the place. while we did not. we
let them choose the inn. They pulled
up at what caused me shndder. If
this was the best inn. what must the
worst be like! ] Thought. However,
bowed my head to fate in the form of a
rafter Intel, and passed in. A dim
light. which came in part from a hole
in the floor and in part from an inef-
fectiye lamp. revealed a lofty, grotto.
like Interior. Over the hole hung a
sort of witches caldron. swung by o
set of iron bars from the shadowy
form of Il s0Ot-begrilned rafter. Around
the kettle crOuched circle of gnomes.
Our entrance caused stir. out of
which one of the gnomes came for
ward. bowling to the ground. When
he had lifted himself up enough to he
seen. he turned out quite human. He
instantly hustled to fetch another
light. and started to lead the strangers
across the usual slippery sill and up
the nearly perpendicular stairs. Why
was not perpetually falling down these
same stairways, or sliding gracefully or
otherwise off the corridors in heap,
will always be a mystery to me. Yet.
with the unimportant exception of sit
ting down occasionally to put on my
boots. somewhat harder than l meant.
remember few such nlishaps. 1t was
not the surface that was unwilling; for
the constant scutfle OF stocking feet has
given the passage"ays a polish maho.
gany might envy.
The man proved anything but inhu.
man. and very much mine host. How
courteous he was, and in " hat pleased
mind with the world, even its whims of
weather. his kind attentions put me!
He really did so little, too. Beside
numberless bows and profuse polite.
ness he simply laid small and very
thin quilt upon the mats for me to sit
on. and put a feeble brazier by my
side. So far as mere comfort went,
the first act savored largely OF super
as the mats were already
ovo ,it al oil onl thn ~f
since the brazier served
only to point the cold it was powerless
to remove. But the manner of the
doing so charmed the mind that it al
most persuaded the grumbling body of
content.
As mine host bowed himself out, a
maid bowed herself in, with tray of
tea and sugar plums and grace that
begggared appreciation.
y on are we'll come" she said, as she
sank to her knees and bowed her pref
ty head till it nearly touched the mats;
and the voice was but a thought too
human for heaven, so unconsciously
was it the better part of caress.
Would you deign to take some teal?
Truly you must be- very tired;" and,
pouring out Il cup, she placed it beside
me rs it might have been some beauti-
full rite. aud then Withdrew. leaving me
beside the tea. the perfume of pres
ence. the sense that something exquisite
had come and gone.
sat there thinking of her in the abb
stract. and wondering how many maids
outside japan were dowried with like
grace aud the like voice. With such
one for cupbearer, could have con-
tinued to sip tea. thought. for the
rest OF my natural, OF, alas. unnatural
existence.
There l stayed. squatting on my feet
on the mats. admiring the mimic
which in the orthodox artistic
way the CHARCOAL was arranged to re-
present. and trying my best to warm
myself over the idea. But the idea
proved almost as cold comfort as the
brazier itself. TIE higher aesthetic
part of me was in paradise. and the
bodily half somewhere on the chill con-
fines of outer space. The spot would
no doubt have proved wholly heaven to
that witty individual who was so anx-
ious to exchange the necessities of life
for certainty Of its luxuries. For
here, according to our scheme Of
things, was everything one had no
right to expect, and nothing that one
had. My European belongings looked
very gross ittering t mats; aud l
seemed to myself boor beside the
unconscious breeding of those about
me. Yet it was only a poor village
inn. and its people were but peasants,
after all.