Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-07-13
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE MIDSHIPMAN AND GEISHA.
fOriginal-l

(Originall
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 IT suited her exactly,
though she was an OK heart. Through
her dusky skin the red blood showed
itself, her eyes were liquid. while the
| lashes fringed them Ike the rushes on
the verge of minute twin lakes.
Bob Hyatt, a young American mid
| dy, went with a party OF naval officers
! 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 a pair of blue eyes
which spoke admiration far more
plainly than he could have expressed
1t In words. He had barely passed
twenty, and Cherry was several years
behind that milestone OF life. She had
bfCn lEdAlAtd ibI a kCA6ld just dS 81 10
in America are trained 10 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 I'm her hands and Rugged
him TO her bosom with all the delight
OF a child clutching a fiuttering bird.
None Of the officers on the cruiser
knew how Bob Hyatt made the &C
suaintance Of the geisha. They noticed
that when he was granted shore leave
be invariably made some excuse 10 go
off by himself. Little attention was
paid 10 this till one day a number of
his shlpmates met him face to face
walking with his little sweetheart on
one Of the side streets of Tokyo where
he had hoped 10 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 q change I'm the fair
weather Of love in which he had been
sailing There was PARKWAY look in
his eyes that now and again gave place
to one of pain. He was so engrossed
that he forgot Il lotus flower in his but
tonhole, and when he did see It with
a hand that trembled a little he took
out a pocketbOOk and put 1t away as a
souvenir. During the voyage TO Ma
Mia he was not himself His brother
officers smiled and remarked that by
att had been quite badly hit for a
sailor and that he would not likely get
over it during the voyage TO the Amer
lean islands. This, however, would
not indicate a 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 there must
be something painful connected with
the affair. and they would not irritate
the wound.
One morning an American gunboat
came into the bay, and when she sig
nailed that she was from Tokyo one of
the young officers standing beside Hy-
att noticed a dread pass over his face,
as If he might receive some bad news.
When an ensign from the gunbOat
came aboard and went straight up TO
him he caught at n raH to steady him
self. but when the officer gave him an
message he recovered at once. |
All these Indications were remembered |
afterwaTd by Hyatts companions.
Finally the cruiser steamed out OF |
Manila harbOr, and IL was announced
that she was to go back to Tokyo with |
government dispatches for the emper |
or, after which she was to return to |
America Midshlpman Hyatt caught |
his breath as though he was to face |
some trial, but bore up bravely under |
the scrutiny OF others. Before the YES |
sci reached Tokyo several of his friends |
among the juniors made up their |
minds that he should not go ashore I'M |
less watched. Upon reaching port he |
was one of the first To ask for leave,
and when he was rowed to the dock /
two of his best friends went In the |
same boat. Hyatt seemed to be too
much absorbed to suspect that they |
would dog his footsteps. and they had
little trouble in doing so unseen.
When the two officers returned to the
ship they carried with them In a rick
shaw Midshipman Hyatt TO the dock
and thence by boat to the cruiser.
There they reported that they had
been attacked ia the streets by some
low grade Japanese and Hyatt had
been wounded Hyatt recovered, but
he was a changed man. He was never