Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-22
THE LOOKING GLASS.

dents of 1.-The MlkadO' as recently pro-
duced in the Fifth Avenue theater, New
| York, might be enacted there any day in
| the midst of the populace without evok
| ing one particle of comment. Among the
| agents and helpmatos of civilization COM
| plctely unknown in Jowcuski on account
| If its all forlorn situation, which enables
the people to live so happily among them
selves, is the looking glass. One day sew
bral years ago a party Of English tourists
| passed through .Jowcuski in their usual
hurried style, but staid at any rate long
enough for one of the ladies to lose n hand
| glass in the jinrikisha. in which she had
ridden.
When ki-Tsum, the owner of the We
| hiclc, saw his find, he looked it over in
| tently and with the most astonised face in
the world.
As live" he cried this is the por-
trait of my dear father, dead these four
years. There is his good brown face, which
always seemed to wonder at something or
other; there indeed are his piercing eyes,
only he appears so much younger and
sturdcr than he was when last | knew
him But what does it meanf Perhaps it's
n warning from the gods; perhaps it's "a
| present from some saint
Kiii- Tsum wrapped the mysterious ar
tice in his silk handkerchief and placed it
carefully in the pocket of his wide shirt
When in the evening he arrived home, he
looked for Il hiding place for his treasure
and finally he resolved upon an old pot of
earthCnware, which was not in actual use
and therefore never troubled. There was
no more secure spot in his household, he
thought. Kiki-Tsum said nothing to his
young wife about his adventure, for, he
calculated, women are too curious and
too talkative, and do not want all the
neighbors' advice of my good or bad luck,
whatever it may be.
During the next few days KikiTSum
laborcd under great excitement Day and
night he thought about the portrait he had
found, and frequently he left his bed or his
work to 90 and see if his treasure was still
in his possession. Lili-Tsee, the young
mans lovely bride, could not make out
what brought her husband so frequently
to their hut when engaged outside. She
never knew about his leaving her bed
That would have made her unhappy. First
she was content with Kiki-Tsum's expla
nation that he had come home just to see
her lovely face, but when he kept it up day
after day she grew suspicious.
why should he appear with an anxious
face and leave with one stepped in impor
tancef" she unused. Still later she discov.
cred that Kiki-Tsum before going out
made it a point always to remain in the
little back room for minute or two. The
key to his secret behavior must be some
where in that room. LiliTsee made 1t
her business to investigate and there was
~ IF {, . IN,
the room she did not turn inside out, but
her work was all in vain. Finally she
mousctrappcd her husband at the mo-
ment he was hiding the pot in which she
kept her rose leaves. Kiki-Tsum, like all
guilty men, quickly invented an excuse or
explanation of his carvings on. He lied.
The pot had stood on one end only, and he
had been obliged to correct the negligence
of others.
''Ah, yes, poor man. said Lii, kissing
the decciycr goodby, but he had scarcely
got across the street when she clambcred
upon chair and discovered-whatf A
mysterious something She lifted it with
care and brought it up to her face to OK
anime it. Oh, cruel truth, the portrait of
a woman, and Lii had considered Xxi
Tsum a model husband! The poor girl sat
down upon the floor and cried bitterly
That, then, was the reason why he came
home so often The feeling Of injury
gave way to that of Indignation, of wrath.
Again she looked for tho portrait and now
wondered that Kiki-Tsum could love a
woman with such face-eyes swollen,
cheeks pale and dirty, and now the eyes
expressed rage and contempt. Lili-Tsce
became frightened. No. she would never
look at the thing again. Then she grew
Respondent. Life indeed was not worth
living and as to cooking dinnCr-sh"
could not think of it. When Xxi Tsum
arrived home in the evening, he was as
tonishcd to find neither meal nor wife
awaiting him. Searching for both, he made
his way to the back room.
$50 that is the way you treat your wife
after only few months of marriage:
Where is your fidelity, you who are al.
ways talking about your manlinCsSY"
1.-THE woman is crazy" said kikiTsum
to himself and then he added aloud:
"What ails you, LiliTsce? Tell me the
meaning Of this nonsense"
"Nonsense!" cried Lili-Tscc. You
hide the portrait of your paramour in my
rose pot and dare dispute its sinful pur-
port2 Take it; watch over it; carry it on
your heart don't want to see it. The
monster-the ugly faceH'
But | don't understand" gasped the
husband.
You don't, don't you?" cried the little
woman. "Ah, but l understand it ALL
You love that woman in the frame more
than myself"
Now it became KikiTsum's turn to
grow angry. That picture" he said
represents my late father. i found it
some time ago in my carriage, thinking
the gods had sent it to me. To save it and
keep it secure placed it in the rose pot. "
You must think me an idiot, cried
the wife Have l not known your father
and am l unable to distinguish between
the face of man and that of woman?
The two continued their wordy BATTLE
which became more fierce every minute
until the neighbors were aroused. They
sent for the village priest to restore order
The bonze came. my children, " he said
what are you quarreling for? Tell me
at once, SO l may try to decide who is the
guilty party|
Father" exclaimed LiliTsee, my
husband secreted the picture of a woman
in my rose pot. That caused all this trou
BILE.
II swear never possessed another por
trait but that of my sainted sirel' And
the husband raised his hands to heaven.
Children, children" said the holy IA