Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-11-27


himself for several weeks. At the
banquets he saw many geisha, who
. came TO dance and to sing and to play
: just as they are doing over yonder
now, pointing to tea house all open
on one side along the river bank.
Being a military man, Daredesu-
ka did not care much for geisha. lie
had the name Of a strict and severe
man. One night, however, at chaya
just at the end of this bridge, the
most famous tea house of all in
Kiyoto, Daredesuka changed his idea.
"Eikibo San was the cause of the
change. She was u geisha who did
the fan dancing most famously and
was never engaged except in the best
houses and by the richest guests.
When Daredesuka saw her dancing
he could not look from her. She
swayed this way and that way gently
as a lily when the autumn wind is
blowing, and her fan went round her
like butterfly that she had trained.
der face was white except the color
of cherry blossoms on her cheeks and
her eyebrows high as in the pictures
on these fans. Her hands were long
and fine and waved like birds wings
when she turned about playing and
tossing with the fan. So long and so
hard was Daredesuka looking that
the soups and fish the other geisha
were serving to him became quite
cold, and some Of the guests near by
were wondering. Then one of these
said:
"You have never seen Eikibo San
before? She is our best dancer.
Even the Shotgun, they say, has seen
her Many men have tried to take
her home, but she does not listen.
She has no lover. She lives with an
old aunt, as she calls her, in the gel |
sha quarter and never leaves the old !
woman alone for a single night, nor |
does she ever respond to any callers |
who 90 there to give her presents.
These gift bearers talk with the old |
aunt at the gate but no one of them
has ever had his foot inside
This, if il could be, made Darede-
suka ever the keener, so that when
the fan dancing was over and Eikibo
came round TO do her turn at pour
ing sake, beginning before him as the
chief guest, he said she must first
drink from his cup and might after
ward serve MN. She took the dainty
bit of porcelain from him, and, bow
ing low, touched it to her forehead.
Then Daredesuka poured sake from
the china bottle in front of him, but
could give her only few drops, as
she pushed the mouth Of the bottle
up with the edge of the cup, saying:
More would be a great deal She
made as though she drank it, but one
could not tell, for the geisha is skill
full to pretend Then, before she
could rinse the cup, Daredesuka took
it from her and said: Ippal dozo 60
men natal CFull, please, and excuse
mel
"Eikibo laughed because he did
not let her rinse the cup. Then she
passed on to the next guest, reaching
out the sake bottle, with her arm at
full length and her sleeve caught up
between her teeth, out of the way Of
the soup bowls and other dishes on
the mat before her.
"After this everything was differ
ent for Daredesuka. He wished to
see Eikibo San every day and all day
long. That could not be, but if he
kept his fame he might see her at the
tea house festivals while the Shotgun
remained in Kiyoto, and after that,
if he could get money, he could call
on her by himself, he hoped.
"He kept his fame for the remain
ing contests. Perhaps he made it
even greater, for he had an offer to 90
with a great daimiyo to the south,
who promised him a post as instruc-
tor of his retainers and many koku Of
rice, with a home and servants. Be
fore the fan dancing he would have
gone, l am sure, had such a good
chance come, but now he could not
travel far and leave Eikibo San be-
hind.
GAS he could not take her on the
daimiyo's train he made humble
apologies and said that SO great hon
or could not be his, for he had made
an agreement already with another