The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1904-09-28
CHERRIES

shipped in the April weather-the bios
som of the cherry.
Sewall thought there was only one
name for her, and, though his vocabu-
larry was indistinct and incomplete, he
managed to make her understand that
he would call her Cherries.
Honorable Yellow Hair" she said,
falling into his mood. ut thangks me,
yaes."
And so that was the meeting of Sew
called Cherries.
Sewall was writer Of fiction. His
friends said he wrote the ''fctionest"
kind Of fiction-the kind that doesn't
sell-but somehow he had managed to
get book published, and the sales
had given him royalty which he re-
ugiously saved in order that he might
go to Japan
So, after he had come in the spring
season to the mountains of Yamato,
he had found one day in the gardens
was not of the Japanese type. In the
first place, her hair lacked the ebony
blackness which so surely denotes the
type. And then her eyes were not
black, like those Of her sisters, and
her cheeks flushed readily, which is
another thing that indicates the mix
ture Of foreign blood. But beyond this
there was no difference. She wore the
costume Of the people, and her walk
was that uncertain and attractive tod
die which the American sees only in
In years as well as i'll actions, and
when Sewall found her she talked to
him in the manner Of one who but in
distinctly understands the construction
Of the western language.
From that day Sewall seemed to see
her everywhere. In the celebrations
In the garden and in the tea places
where he went for refreshment there
was always the vision of the little girl
he had seen in the day when the cher
ries blossomed in the groves. But it
was not in her physical being that he
saw her, for after that first day lie
could find her nowhere. He simply
dreamed of her, and cherries" came
to be word that stood out on every
page Of the white paper upon which
he tried to write his impressions Of
Japan.
Who she was he did not know. The
American consul had presented him to
her, and the American consul had gone
away to Kobe on mission, so Sewall
could not ask him the name of the girl
who had charmed him out Of his days
work.
But one day, after two weeks which
had seemed as many years to Sewall,
he found her in the gardens with her
brushes, painting cherry blossoms on q
dainty screen. He approached, and
she recognized him instantly.
"Most august Yellow HAIR she
said, sit is of pleasantness that my
miserable vision is greeted with thy
sight"
Il am very glad to see you again.
said Sewall gently, though in his heart
he wanted to say, Il have wanted tc
see you all these weeks
"Yaes?" said Cherries.
YES" said Sewall as lie sat down or
the ground beside her
And then he told her how his mother
was coming out from America and
how she was very great woman.
"Bigger'n thaet?' said Cherries
stretching her arms out as far as they
would go.
well. no." replied sewall, "hardlJ
that big, but mean that she is grea
woman because she is president Of {
lot of societies, and she writes book!
and reads papers at clubs, and all tina
sort of thing
"Yaes," said Cherries, and tina
was as near as she ever came to say
ing yes"
"And now" continued Sewall, {"
want you to meet my mother She will
be here tomorrow, and l am to give
little tea for her at the hotel Will 70,
and the sisters Gomez"
1T gives me mooch thangks, mos
Honorable Yellow Hair" said Cherries
as she bowed low and showed the mos
marvelously beautiful neck and the un
usual little curls that clustered at tn
back.
The next day sewall gave the tea a
the hotel His mother had arrived, an,
Cherries and the sisters and the consu
and his wife and lot Of other Amer
leans We're there.
Sewall presented Cherries to tn
mother. The great woman" raise
her lorgnette and regarded the littl
girl critically.
Beautiful she exclaimed. "Wh,
don't you marry her, my boy, and tax
her to New York ?" She spoke play
fully in English.
But what was it that the Honorabl
Great Woman was pleased to say?
asked Cherries.
''She asked why didn't marry you
you be my wife, you know" said Sew
l..