The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-21
THE EVENING STORY
The Nfidshipnlan and the Geisha.

The Midshipman and the Geisha.
She was a geisha in Toxic. In Jap
an girls are named Star, Sunshine,
Cherry or some such word, while boys
are called Stone, Tiger or Bear. This
reminds 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
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 like 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 hersen on ner
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
it in words. He had barely passed
twenty, and Cherry was several years
behind that milestone of life. She had
been trained for geisha just as girls
in America are trained to work IN Iac-
tories. The love songs she sang WeIe
meaningless to her. When the little
god flew between her ana the m1dship-
man she did not recognize him Tor the
same Cupid with whose antics she hao
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 a child clutching f1utterlng plro-
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 10 go
off by himself. Little attention was
paid to this till one day number OF
his shipmates met him face to face
walking with his little sweetheart on
one of the side streets IF Toxic Wnere
he had hoped to avoid ~aem. w neh al
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, ana tney
had the delicacy to let him alone
The cruiser remained in japanese
waters some time, going from point to
point, then sailed for Manila Inc
night before she weighed anchor the
las time Bob came aboard with an ar
that showed a change in the fair wealth
er of love in which he had been SAILING
There was a faraway look IN ms eyes
that now and again gave place TO one
of pain. He was so engroSsed tnaI ne
forgot a lotus flower in his buttonnole,
and when he did see it with a hano
that trembled a little he TOOK OUT d
pocketbook and put it away as SOU
yenir During the voyage to Mania ne
was not himself His brother ofncerS
smiled and remarked that Hyatt mao
| been quite badly hit for a salior anu
that he would not likely get over II
during the voyage to the American Is
lands This, however, would not mol
| cate a very serious damage, since the
| trip lasted but few days.
With time the young officer rega1neo
an interest in what was gong on aoou'
him though he would permit no refer
| ence to his intimacy with the gelsnd-
Indeed whenever any one Ventureo On
forbidden grounds a strange terror
was noticed to pass over MS youhs
| 4I,i- r-a2G OY
ma nimously resolved that there must
be something painful connected Win
the affair, and they would not lrrllate
| the wound.
| r One morning an American ,gunp ia
| came into the bay, and when sne sig
! nailed that she was from TOXIC one Oh
the Young officers standing beside ny
att noticed a dread pass over MS laee'
as if he might receive some Dad news:
1 When an ensign from the gunDoat
came aboard and went straight up 10
him he caught at a rail to steaoy MINI
self. but when the officer gave him an
ordinary message he recovered at once.
All these indications were reme1noereo
afterward by Hyatts companions.
| FINALLY the cruiser steamed out OF
| Manila harbor and it was announced
| that she was to go back TO TOXIC Win
government dispatches for the emperor
after which she was to return to Amer
ica. Midsniprnan Hyatt caught ms
breath as though he was to face some
trial but bore up bravely under the
| scrutiny of others. Before the vessel
| reached Toxic several of his friends
| among the juniors made up their mlnos
| that he should not. go ashore unless
watched. Upon reaching port he was
one of the first to ask for leaVe, anu
| when he was rowed to the dock two OF
| his hest friends went in the same boat.
! HYATT seemed to be too much absorbed
| TO s11sDect that they would dog his foot
stems and they had little trouble in co
| ing so unseen. -
When the two officers returned to
the ship they carried with them IN
| rickshaw Midshipman Hyatt to the
dock and thence by boat to the cruiser;
There they reported that they nao
been attacked in the streets by some
low Grade Japanese and Hyatt had
been wounded. Hyatt recovered, but ne
was a changed man. He was never
lapain the careless sailor boy he had
been before his first visit to Toxic
| The officers who followed MIN TO
Toxic kept the secret of what happen
ed for years, but after Hyatts death
one of them told the story as 1 have
| told il, using an assumed name. Inc
! sequel is this:
When the MILDLY left the geisha for.
as he told her, a final parting she
threatened to kill herself as soon as he
had gone. 1t was this that troubled
him. On his return he went at once
to her house, met her brother ana
learned that she had kept her word.
HYATT would have been killed by the
brother had his comrades not inter-
fere5 in time to save his life.
THOMAS BARBER JUDSON.
GLOBE SIGHTS.
|