The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-11

TINES
IN RICKSHA LAND
Actress Mary Van Buren, Butts
In Where Angels Fear
to Tread.

From my correspondent in the ORR
ent, says Town Talk, comes the follow
ing interesting paragraph anent the
arrival of Ted Frawley and his little
band of thespians in Yokohama:
First came Frawley; her Mary Van
Buren,. Forty jinrikishas were at the
hatoba, the bowlegged coolies at ease
on their launches, and watching the
landing of the first San Francisco stock
company in the Orient. The rank and
file of the players respectfully followed
their manager to the wharf, and stood
at attention. 1t was after breakfast,
the brand new steamer Korea, which
had brought them from California, was
to sail for Shanghai the next morning;
they were to play Secret Service that
night at the Public Hall; the mysteri-
Gus Orient vas spread out before them.
and Frawley said rehearsal" They
would have preferred to see what was
in this queer land of the lotus, to peep
singly into this strange corner of the
East, and mayhap adventure some
what among the Kokos and Mesdames
Chrysanthemum. But Frawley said
rehearsal" Mary got out her phrase
book and hailed the rikishas. "Oi,
%jinrikisha it-cho motto koi."
No one stirred as she repeated the
words, which the red books said meant
Here! Bring jinrikishas."
Frawley took a hand. His book had
it differently: "Jinrikisha wo tanonde
kudasai." The shafus, the human
horse Of Japan, lolled idly and grinned
at the foreigners. Just then Tom
Mckay hove in sight. Mckay is the
American beau, par excellence, of all
the Orient. He lived in San Francisco
many years, and is as well known
there IS in Japan or India. Now he
represents Hartman and his associates
in the Far East. Mackey wore a suit
of blue pongee, a waist coat of pink
satin, silk hat, and some diamonds as
big as Mary's eyes. The clothes had
all been made to greet Miss Van Bur-
en-. Mckay had never seen her, but
her pictures On the deadwalls were
enough. He introduced himself. Mean
while the company was tanning itself.
Pm Tom Mckay. You know me. I
used to represent the Burlington In
Frisco, Know 'em all. Took General
Grant across the continent. Handled
biggest business ever known. Here
seven years. Great Overland route.
Glad to see you. Everybody come up
to the Grand and have a drink. Towns
red hot for you. Every seat sold. Boys
crazy to see the ladies. What dou you
want? Jinrikishas to the Public Hall?
That's on the bluff. I'll call .'em.
Here, you South-of-Market coolie! Trot
out a bunch of those carts! Hyakul
Hustle up therei"
AN ALLURING SPECTACLE.
Mckay led the way and twenty jim
rikishas with as many Frawleyites,
male and female, followed. In Indian
file it was al imposing procession.
Merchants and clerks, laborers and
loungers, all "rubbered." Mary was in
a pink frock, with a picture hat. All
the way there was lid-dropping on all
the feminine eyes,, and much neck dis
tension on the part of the actors. Stur-
dy laborers hewed and delved, bare of
cover save for a breechelout which not
seldom had forsaken its proper sphere,
while the show of womanly charms
made even the villain sigh like a fur
mace. The kimono as worn by the
average japanese woman hides as lit
tie of her plump figure as does the
putt sui SuIl, duQ Lit dCtOlS DdI-
ted their yes at sight of exquisitely
rounded bosoms kissed by the sun, and
soft-tinted limbs wearing only snowy
socks ankle high. The musum of the
Chrysanthemum Isles does not go in
much lingerie. The men pay tribute |
to Occidental conventions by a fundu-
shi-a long piece of linen wound about
the loins, under the kimono which
flares to the wind usually, and which IS
left OF altogether by laborers at work.
womankind in the Mikado's
realm thinks all those trif1es unnec-
All those rare treasures Of
null, muslin, sheer and lace. which
make fascinating the shop windows of
Post street and Grant avenue, would |
be dross to the Japanese belle, who is |
content in her simple petticoat, of court
cut, and her flowing kimono, neatly |
tied with its coQuettish obi. There is
false modesty in Japan, nor in fact
any kind. On the way to the theatre
mothers, graceful and many mere chill
dren, sucked their babes by the road
side with no attempt to hide from the
scandalized players the process of the
dejeuner. The walking gentleman of
the company who was fascinated great
~ by the panorama of the route was for
holding converse with some of the nut
brown lasses, but was kept in leash by
Miss Elizabeth Stuart. who tried to d.
vert attention to the ~ennobling beau
ties of the landscape, the quaint fash
ion of the houses, and the magnificent
of Yeddo bay, where battle
rode at anchor, and their own !