Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-24
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! she-the Lady Wistaria, the dainty, cultivated,
| oaLefully guarded and nurtured lady-an Eta
glrll Her mind could not grasp, would not hold
! the thought
Listen" said her father, slowly. "I was born
IN city of the SOUTH the scat of daimio of
eight hundred thousand koku. NV fathers
house stood within the outer Notifications sur
rounding this princes castle. ] was trained in
the school of the samurai i grew up, hodoring
and swearing by this prince. When | became
| OF age L entered his service. No love of man
for woman was more persistent than my loyalty
| to his cause. Devotion to him was my highest
| ideal
MY prince had bitter rival and enemy. He
was good and powerful lord though Shotgun
tavorite This lord loved my sister and was
loved by her. In an evil moment / listened to
her entreaties, and forgot my allegiance to my
prince IN so far as to assist his rival TO win and
wed my sister, now the Lady of Catzu Imme-
diately [ brought down upon my head the bit.
terest detestation OF my own prince. | was as
signed to the poorest and most degrading Of
posts, that of the spy and the suppressor Of pet
ty bros, and finally detailed to live in and pro-
tect certain Eta settlement. So much of my
time was thus torcibly spent among these peo-
pie that l came to study, to understand and
finally to sympathize with them.
~ was young as / have sad impressionabe,
and had been trained in the school Of chival-
ry. 1t fell to my lot to be the protector of an
Eta maiden of such beauty of person and purity
Of soul that"
He broke off in his recital and, to clear his
husky voice, raised with shaking hand tum.
bier of sake to his lips and swallowed it at
gup. He began again, with passionate fierce
ness. His eyes glittered with inward fire.
IT married the maiden!"
With a sudden little sob, Wistaria moved
closer to him and drew his hands up to her
lips,
''My mother?" The words passed her lips as
a quick, burning question
"Thy mother" he repeated, and then she saw
in the dim light Of the room the great, shining
tears roll down the hard crevices in her faith
ers face. She moaned and crept closer to him.
"For her | became Eta-an outcast DO
not shudder, my daughter. Has the word, then,
so evil sound? Then / perceive you have
been wrongly bred--in the school of prejudice.
The Eta, though an outeast, is human being
more human, indeed than many of our disdain-
full lords who ride over their heads and trample
them like insects beneath their feet
'"Iell me of my mother" she whispered,
"Of her antecedents | know naught and care
less. Her honorable grandmother still abides
here in my house"
"Old Madame Mume?"
eyes"
Continue Pray do so."
"After my marriage | was cast off Immediately
by my prince, my titles and honors were taken
from me, my property contiscated. For all this
cared nothing | content and happy to be
left at peace with my wife"
His long, thin fingers clinched and unclinched.
He moistened his lips, biting into them.
"Did ] say that this prince under whom
served was arrogant and cruel? Did tell you
he had heart of flint and pride so indounta
BILE that he would not brook one of his samurai
being other than of noble birth? Six of his vas.
sails, the most graceless and worthless in the
province, to humor his pleasure, undertook to
seek me out in my exiled happiness and engage
to make life intoerable for me. Whether their
actual intention was evil or not 7 caunot say
that they wrought evil is all I know, and that
they came with the express knowledge and con-
sent of their prince
Wistaria observed that her father was trem
bling so violently that he scarce could speak
She pressed his hands convulsively within her
own.
Speak quickly my father she implored.
'"rhey murdered her," he whispered, hoarsely
Courses and maledietions upon their soulsl"
To He Continued Next Sunday