Cañon City record., 1905-09-07
THE MIDSHIPMAN
AND THE GEISHA

She was a geisha In Tokyo. In Japan
girls are named Star. Sunshine. Cherry
or some such word, while boys are
called Stone, Tiger or Bear. This re
minds US of the children's saying that
girls are made of sugar and spice
and all that's nice" while "boys are
made of snakes and snails and puppy
dogs tails The geisha's name was
Cherry, and 1t suited her exactly.
though she was an OK heart. Through
her dusky skin the red blood showed
Itself, her eyes were liquid, while the
lashss frInged them like the rushes on
the verge Of minute twin lakes.
Bob Hyatt, young American mid
dy, went with a party of naval omcers
to the tea house where Cherry danced
and sang. accompanying herself on her
samson. The next day Hyatt went
again to the same tea house. gazing at
the geisha out of pair Of blue eyes
which spoke admiration far more
plainly than he could have expressed
It In words. He had barely passed
twenty, ana Cherry was several years
behind that milestone of life. She had
been trained for a geisha just as girls
in America are trained to work in fac
tories. The love songs she sang were
meaningless to her. When the little
god few between her and the midship-
man she did not recognize him for the
same Cupid with whose antics she had
entertained strangers. He was some
thing new and beautiful to her. She
caught him In her hands and Rugged
him to her bosom with all the delight
Of child clutchlng fiuttering bird.
None of the officers on the cruiser
knew how Bob Hyatt made the ac-
Quaintance Of the geisha. They noticed
that when he was granted shore leave
he invariably made some excuse to go
| on by himself. Little attention was
paid to this till one day a number Of
his shipmates met him face to face
walking with his little sweetheart on
one Of the side streets Of Tokyo where
he had hoped to avoid them. When at
breakfast the next morning they all
sat at the Junior officers mess they at
tempted to rally him on his conquest
but he frowned them down, and they
had the delicacy to let him alone.
The cruiser remained in japanese
waters some time, going from point to
point, then sailed for Manila. The
night before she weighed anchor the
last time Bob came aboard with an
air that showed a change In the fair
weather Of love in which he had been
sailing. There was a faraway look In
his eyes that now and again gave place
| to one of pain. He was SO engrossed
that he forgot lotus flower In his but
tonhole, and when he did see 1t with
a hand that trembled little he took
but a pocketbook and put 1t away as n
souvenir. During the voyage to Ma
nila he was not himself. His brother
officers smiled and remarked that Hy-
att had been quite badly hit for a
sailor and that he would not likely get
over 1t during the voyage to the Amer
lean islands. This, however. would
not Indicate very serious damage.
since the trip lasted but few days.
| with time the young officer regained
an interest in what was going on about
him. though he would permit no refer
ence to his Intimacy with the geisha.
Indeed whenever any one ventured on
forbidden grounds a strange terror
was noticed to pass over his young
face, and for this reason his comrades
unanimously resolved that thers must
be something painful connected with
the AFFAIR, and they would not irritate
| - wound.
y o. morning - American sunbsst