Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-17


might be expected to hasten instantly
to cast him out from their province or have him
imprisoned as trespasser and impostor. But
Japanese craft is more subtle Besides, the right
of Judgment lay in the hands of the father of
Wistaria who her natural and legal guar
dian. 1t was necessary, therefore, that the young
man should, for the time being gather no sus'
picion of their discovery. Consequently the Catzu
family redoubed their expression of good will
and friendship for their guest while the only one
who could have warned him was placed where
she was helpless to do so.
With excessive sweetness, the Lady Evening
Glory informed the courter that she had heard
such good reports of him from her honorable
husband that she had risen prematurely from
her bed of sickness in order to greet him and
assure him of her solicitation for his comfort
and pleasure during his stay in Catz1.
All these marks of friendship and compliment
from the honorable lady of the house, besides
the increased cordality of the Lord of Catzi,
would have been very delightful to the lover,
but for the Fact that almost coincident with the
return to health of her aunt it was announced
that the Lady Wistara unable to leave her
apartments because of sudden illness. The
lover, therefore. in an agony OF apprehension
for the health of Wstaria had heart ears
for the words of compliment pressed upon him by
her family.
He spent his time rowing restlessly about the
Wistara's easement, but the blinds were drawn
tightly, morning. noon and night, and there was
only the memory of the girls exquisite face at
the window to torture the lover,
The arrival of Shimadzu, the father of Lady
Wistara, created no stir in the Catzu palace
He came silently at night. Ii any of the servants
or members of the household knew of his pres
ence they were dumb concerning the matter. The
lover consequently, was wholly unaware Of his
coming
Shimadm was closeted for some hours with
his sister and sster-n-law The Lady Evening
Glory was bitter against her niece. Not merely
the fact of the indelcate and unconventional
manner of the courtship, nor even the fact that
the lover was member of their rival clan, and
through his residence among them must have
acquired information concerning their province
which would be of value to his prince-not these
things infurated her much the thought
that her son, the pride and JOY of her life, the
heir of CatzI, had been led by this stranger into
an undertaking both perilous and shameful, the
outcome of which was most uncertain.
The Lord of Catzu milder and more lenient
towards the guilty parties, possibly realizing in
his inmost soul a measure OF the responsibility.
He endeavored to paliate their offense.
As for Shimadzu himself, he had not one
word to say. He listened to the separate speeches
of his sister and brother-in-aw, and when they
had concluded he simply requested that his daugh |
ter be ordered into his presence at once.
Wid-eyed and trembling, Wistaria was brought |
in. Gone from her face, pale and drawn with
the intensity of her sufferings all the sun.
During the three days preceding the arrival Of
her father she had been locked up alone in an
interior room of the palace. No one had ap-
preached save her august aunt, who brought food
with her own hands, and whose absolute silence
inspired her with a great dread She would
speak no word, or even degn to look at the
unhappy girl. Wistara, rendered frantic by her
fears for her lover, had ofttimes thrown herself
at her aunt's feet, piteously beseeching that she
would enlighten her as to the fate of her lover |
But the Lady Evening Glory would shake her
skirts icily and contemptuously from her grasp. |
to retire without word of response
Now Wistaria prostrated herself before the pa
rent who had always inspired her with such in |
COMPREHENSIVE fear, He motioned her to he !
seated, though he himself remained standing.
Mutey, mechanically she obeyed him.
For moment there was silence. The deep-set |
eyes of the father looked out at the young girl, |
noting the piteous trembe of the hands, the |
small bowed head, the down-dropped eyes which
dared not meet his own, and all the other evil
dences Of her suiferings. Whatever the thoughts
of the father, whether merciful OF cruel. his
impassive face revealed not his inner feelings.
In some strange way this samura seemed steeled
against the pain OF the world itself. Suddenly
he spoke, his hollow voice shifting with a shock |
the irail highly-strung girl.