Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-10-05
The Legs of the Honorable Cat 9
By CLARENCE L. sRowNELL

4 \ UDGE IPPAI NIHAI lived in Japan ieJ in the good old days when Japan was really Japan. He had to decide upon all the kinds of cases that the ingenious subjects of the shogun were able to everything from mur- der and manslaughter to mistaken marriages. Once he had to decide upon a cat It happened thus: [ MT. Mountain (Oyama San), Mir Pinetree (0matsu), MT. Forest (Hay- ashi San), and MT. Temple (Otera San) had gone into partnership. They were rich merchants. Oyama San was q small bit of man, even for a Japanese; Omatsu San was fat and round like ball.. Hayashi San was like bean pole, and Otera San had such small head, one wondered were i.here room in it for any brains at all ] These four men lived in village near Nagoya, where the golden dolph- 1ns stand on their heads on the ridge gsole of the roof of the ancient castle palace. and considering the size of the village. they did an excellent business. Just as in this country folk speculate in wheat, over in Japan they speculate in rice. They had produce ex- change there, or 8 rice exchange, long before anyone in this country thought of that sort of thing.
 Being partners, they belonged to the same gulld-an ancient one that clung to customs that dated back to nobody ], knew when. Among these customs one had to do with dress.n If the market went against the members of this guild in winter time, they appeared on the streets in the gauziest of summer cos tunes. If the market went wrong in summer, they walked about muffied in tippets to their eyes, thick hoods on their heads, and their bodies wrapped in the heaviest padded kimono. No one has been able to trace the origin of this custom, but only recently has it disappeared. Probably were one 10 scrutinize carefully he would find traces of it even to-day.
 We'll, one summer day the market had behaved badly, and the four part ners went down the street together looking like bales of cotton on parade. Hayashi San led the procession. He looked like two bales, one on top of the other. Then came otera San; he looked like cotton pyramid. Omatsu San followed. looking like nothing but a ball of wool; and Oyama San brought up the rear looking like a little Omatsu San.
 As they drew near the exchange where the trouble of the day had come about, 0yama San saw a cat He rolled towards it, saying:
 "Aha! the very thing Now we shall have good luck"
 What Is it?" asked the three in front, through their wraps and per- spiIation.
 "Tbe cat" replied the panting Oyama-
 | "And what of the cat? There are many cats. We see cats every day and hear them every night"
 ' "It is true indeed, augustly, honorably true"
 'Well, then?" All were exceeding 1y warm, and not patient, probably, but Oysms San managed to pun suffi- eiently to explain.
 Behold, the cat has four colors brown, and black, and white, and gray; and we are four-that is a sign Then. like all cats, she has four legs, and our warehouse has four corners. Thus have we four and four, and four and four. The sixteen sacred emblems of the mystic double eight. We must buy this cat"
 By appealing to IS sacred emblems. the perspiring oyama San persuaded his perspiring partners to toin him in purchasing the cat. The four pro- ceeded through the gate before which the cat sat, and at the entrance 10 the house within. On reaching the en- trance to the house. Oyama San. in voice lined with flannel, called out: ~August pardon deign!" He meant shat he wished the master of the mouse to pardon him for venturing to npprosch-that Is. theoretically. he meant thst-praetieslly. he was doing 20 more than letting the servant know enat he was there; knocking with his voice. so to speak; there are neither door bells nor door knockers In Japan. Tn this lack they are neither Amer lczn nor English j There was a reply to Dramas .sAugust pardon dsin," It sounded ike the word high" long drawn ont: { sHzLi-ii-ii-i"
 Then the door slid to one side. and the face of a maid appeared
 Oyams San blew out through his tippet another August pardon deign," and asked If the honorable cat august- ly sitting at the honorable gate. au-