The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-26

erS or ribbons in their coiffured hair,
brought quaint little Baskets, and
couple of smiling coolies carried bun
dies of long bamboos. / was the only
alien on the platform, and in the eX-
citement of the moment my presence
was hardly noticed.
A full hour had elapsed the train
was more than thirty minutes late, and
evening was falling. The approach Of
the train was heralded by an unmusical
screech, evidently turned on for the
occasion by the patriotic engine driver,
and it was greeted with a vocifereus
Banzai!-Which sounds very like 'Hur-
ray" when shouted by a crowd-and as
it steamed slowly in, a hundred heads
were thrust from the windows and q
hundred tiny flags huttered and rust
led in response to the Banzai and
waving of the crowd. Banzai! Banzai!!
Ban Banzai! !
The little group Of soldiers on the
platform were jocularly hustled into
a compartment reserved for them, all
being presented by people in the crowd
with flags, amidst the heartlest Sayo-
naras. 1t was then that l noticed the
mother and the children. There We're
no entrances with their good byes, no
kisses, no cambria handkerchiefs. The
father merely patted the babys head
and stroked the little girls cheek and
last words" The demonstration of
the people seemed to please the wom-
an not a little, and it certainly de-
lighted the children. She was smiling,
and | wondered did she realize that
perchance her gallant spouse might
never return. The girls ON the plat
form had opened their baskets, and
were taking from them packets OF eli
garettes which they attached to the
bamboos held by. the coolies, and thus
conveyed them over the heads of the
people into the crowded compartments.
The cigarettes were called Happy"
this definition being printed OH the
packages in English beneath a pic
ture of Britannia hsnd-in- hand with
Yampto Hime (the goddess-prince
| of Japan, thus symbplzing the An
glo-Japanese alliance. The little. girl
% Hama San her mother called her
was sent to secure packet Of cigar
cites for her father and quickly re-
returned, delighted, with two packets
which she handed to him through the
carriage window.
This was the most impressive send
off" had ever Witnessed The I'M
doubted sincerity of the crowd7-many
of the young men in which would
eventually have themselves to go to
the front-was very noticeable. There
was nothing of the hilarious after-din-
ner "For-h sea- jolly goodfellow' ele-
ment about this Japanese farewell
The demonstration was voluntarily
planned to cheer the soldiers, and 1t
did much to prove to them-if indeed
such proof were neceSsary-that the
heart of the nation would be with them
wherever they might be sent in their
country's cause.
The train with its precious burden
numbered EDWARDS, the waving flags
and lanterns, the Sayonaras the
Banzais, being responded to as Justify
as at first. The after half of the train
consisted of horse boxes and vans, pc
meath the dark covers of which could
be seen the wheels of the gun car
riages. 1t was gone. Then in a fash,
the horrors of war pierced my mind.
These sombre cars as they left the
station in the semi darkness seemed
TO cruelty shut off the brave laughter
and shouting as the sound gradually
died away. There was an indescrb-
ablN silence in the ebbing crowd, and
my spirits sank as ] noticed that sweet
young mother and the two BARNS.
blissfully ignorant of her cares. The
baby was dangling miniature red
lantern on a small bamboo, which
somebody had given him; the womans
face was momentarily screened by her
long sleeve. and then by glimpse
from the weird lantern light her pow
dered face told its own story 1t was
as If the bloom had been rudely erased
from the fruit-she was crying. She
drew o Hama San to her, and as they
shuffled homewards in the darkness, !
thought Of that sentence: "The Jap
anese women never wept!" Maybe
they seldom allow their tears to be OBJ
served; but. believe me, there are many
soft brown eyes moistened in Happy
Japan" to-day