The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1904-09-23

"
ever heard before, for the fine, fat
bugs that live in the mud are just
to frog taste. Looking down on the
fields from high up on the mountain
side it looks as though someone had
made them to order, leveled off a ter
race on the steep slope and showed
each one in, for there is level space
with a rice field slid over it, then
climb and another field, sometimes
four or five in succession. When the
rice begins to ripen the birds must
be kept away by boys with wooden
clackers, something like those our
boys play with, But the fields are
wide and the birds so hungry and ag-
gravating, that it could net by any
stretch of the word be called fun for
a wide-awake boy.
But we must go back to the little
village with matched roofs and the
merry crowd in the streets. There
were women in gay kimonos of silk
and crepe, with huge sashes and
wooden clogs, their hair piled high in
black coils. There were little maids
like women Of small size, only the
wee maids sash was soft and the
grown-up sash was stiff and wide. The
babies were strapped on the back of
mother or sister, but some learned to
cling and get a comfortable position.
Their heads, bare and shining, ex-
60 A,1ff 81 6oiv
wobbled and bobbed as if they would
roll off, but their soft, tiny hands
chung tightly to the neck of the bear
err, and they never cried.
There were little men in long robes,
jinriksha runners in washbowl-shaped
straw hats, laborers with bare brown
legs wearing blue coats with big let
ters stamped on the back, and over
head danced gay banners and Ian
terms.
Of all the crowd, only the little
brown babies were silent, all the
others were chattering and laughing.
AS l went up the street at a good
pace in my two wheeled baby cab,
which they call a jinriksha, with the
gay crowd lodging out Of the way of
the runner who held the shafts and
acted as my horse, I felt just like a
page out of a story book, or like one
of the pictures.
We were all going to see the cherry
trees at the park. Now l had seen
the cherry trees at home, but moth
ing like those pink-tinged double bios
SONS as large as double rose, cover
ing every branch and twlg; nothing
like these clouds of odorous pink,
caught and held down by the clinging
black branches. There were no green
leaves, these come later on the cul-
tiyated trees; only the fieecy pink
cloud of bloom, and under the trees
was a drift of pink snow from fallen
petals.
Benches were set close together I'M
der the trees, and people were drink
ing tea served by tidy maids from the
teahouse near by. Yet they were not
benches, they were tiny low tables,
about like a doll table, before which
they squatted on their heels. Now my
muscles are not timber enough to sit
long or comfortably in that position.
Even the babies Of that land are
taught to sit on their heels, instead
of putting their feet out in front of
them, as our babies do, so their mus
cles are trained to it. But l went a
little to one side and sat down on the
grass with my American walking
shoes sticking their toes out in front
of me and enjoyed the scene.
Japanese people are very polite and
kindly, and as watched the darling
children in scarlet, yellow and laven-
der, chattering and catching at their
odd toys of paper and feathers, one
solemn little girl, looking like bit
Of rainbow, came timidly toward me