The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-10-14
KO-HANA-SAN.

She was little, winsome, light heart
ed Geisha, with cleft in her rounded
chin and evanescent dimples. Cupid g
pitfalls, coming and going in her soft
cheeks, whereby she had earned the
name of "She-who-smiles.
In all her 1S years Of happy, dancing
life she had never known trouble,
never felt the approach Of sorrow, ex-
cept in the tender disguise Of lovers
plaint, either real or imaginary, or the
fancied woes Of forsaken maiden in
one of the poems she could chant so
prettily to her samisen.
Yet all the sultry hours of the fore
noon she had sat at the window of her
own small apartment lost in reverie.
with pensive expression on her usual
ly sparkling face.
Her small head, weighted with its
massive loops and coils Of shining black
hair and decorated with many a fanci-
full comb and pin, rested on the ledge,
and the sweet dark eyes looked wistful.
ly toward the corner of the narrow
street-so narrow that by leaning far
out you might have touched hands with
your opposite neighbor. There had
been sounds Of music and Of rhythmic
footballs from the adjacent houses,
glin2ses of futtering fans, gay rlpples
of laughter and snatches of song, show
ing that the Geishas were practicing
their accomplishments, but Ko-hana-san
had neither stirred nor replied to any
passing salutations.
Her thoughts were engrossed with
the memory of the handsome English
man whom she had seen not once, but
thrice, lately and again last night at the
house of Takunara, whittier she had
been sent to amuse the guests.
The recollection filed her mind Of q
pair Of bold, blue eyes glancing at her
with amused admiration, Of the fash
ing Of white teeth in merry smile un-
der the sweep Of fair mustache. Of
sunburned hands olapping in applause
at the close Of her favorite chrysanthe-
mum dance and of exclamations in q
voice whose information seemed to her
more musical than that Of her compa-
triots.
"Bravo!" she murmured to herself.
"Encorep'-she could scarcely manage
the queer little foreign words-"I Won
der what he meant? They were words
Of kindness, am sure.
She rose, and spreading out her fan,
with it's inlaid ivory sticks and gay de.
vice Of gauzy flowers and birds, slowly
began the weaving PAGES and waving
hands of the maple dance he had liked
so well.
Ko-hana-san knew that its graceful
movements showed her at her very best.
The willowy. slender figure swaying
80 daintily in its kimono Of pale bro.
cade, the tiny feet stepping to and fro,
the small, plump hands were all dis
played to advantage, and, besides an in
nate grace and refinement, she was also
possessed of the highest order Of Japa-
nese beauty.
No Geisha had longer or finer hair,
or more dazzling whiteness CT skin to
contrast with its dark beauty, or lips
that were more like % cherry when it
glows in the sun.
And as she stood there, her black eyes
cleaning from between half closed lids,
the languid mischief in them accentu-
ated by the upward curl of dark lashes
at the corners, she looked as seductive 8
little witch as mans heart could desire.
A quick step in the street, firm and
strong footed, drew her quickly to the
window, and, half involuntarily, she
snatched lotus bud that rested in the
folds Of her obi and leaned out with it
in her hand.
Some one passing looked up, and,
with a smile of recognition, lifted a
straw hat and revealed thick crop Of
waving, brown hair.
Ko-hana-san's s heart beat fast beneath
the embroidery of her han-zeri, and the
dimples appeared for the first time that
day.
"Komban.wau" C"Good evening!")
said the handsome stranger.
so me wa noshi no 20 nj kireiW
("Your eyes are as-beautiful as the
starsr') The dimples deepened, and a
soft glance from the dark eyes betrayed
encouragement.
But the strangers vocabulary in the
Japanese tongue was limited.
He was an artist by inclination, not
by profession, rowing in search of novel
scenes and stray bits Of color, and he
was seized with desire to sketch then
and there the attractive picture in its
bamboo frame above him.
He took out his book and pencil.
and leaning against the opposite wall,
with sign to her to remain still, began
rapidly touching in outlines.
Several pretty forms and faces ap-
peared at the surrounding windows, and
little murmur of pleasurable interest,
with smothered laughs, hoated round
them, but Paul Verulam sketched on,
and Ko-hana-san still preserved he,
careless attitude and gracious smile, one
little hand, from which dangled the
lotus bud, dropping, with studied negli.
gence. over the sill.
Presently be held up the sketch. She
looked and nodded approval, and then,
smitten with sudden shyness wholly
new and unaccountable to her, withdrew
from the window, but not before she
bad dropped into his outstretched hand
the lotus.
She caught 8 glimpse, as he turned,
of his putting the flower into the but.
tonhole Of his coat, and then she wait
ed till the sound of his steps diminish.
ing told her he was near the end Of the
street.
Then she looked out again and softly
called, "Sayonaral" wGoodby!"). and
he, glancing round, raised his hat in
farewell.
But, alas, as he did so the flower fell
from his coat, and, unteeding his loss,
he passed Oh, turned the corner and was
gone,