Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-31
c A PIT Err XIV

1TN HE young Prince Of NIori, no longer the
Shining Prince Keiki, lay huddled in
E-Ssss corner of his dungeon. Vainly he
sS1GA had thrown his weight against the
stone doors, only to rebound baf-
fled and bruised Vainly he had called in pierre
ing accents for help. There came no response
from man gods. Only his frantic voice, flee
ing like the wind through the passage ways OF
the empty prison, dark, damp, and for long un-
used, seemed to call back to him in the mock
ing tones of a demonac.
A prsoner A prsonerl He, the heir of
Mori, the hope, the idol of the brave Imperial
lists, the son of the most powerful prince in all
Japan, barring not even the Shotgun himselfl "A
prisoner! Penned like common criminal with
i'll the stone walls of loathsome dungeonl IL
could not be true IL was u hdeous nightmare,
caused by that terrible, ceaseless, excruciating
pain in his head, and the mad turmoil in his
brain.
He had been captured on the outskirts of his
fathers province. lie was alone, with not one
vassal or retainer in attendance upon him. He
had made the widest resistance More than
Que samura paid with his life for the capture
OF the Shinipg Prince. Overpowered by such
numbers that it seemed madness not to yield
KeiN could not be taken while spark of life
remained in him with which to resist Only
when he was beaten quite senseess were the
Shogun's officers and the Catzu samurai able
to capture the Prince Even then many of the
samural refused the inglorious task Of carrying
away the young Prince, who had fought against
them with such desperate bravery, To drag
his unconscious, bleeding, helpless body before
his judges would be beneath the dignity of
samura So the Office was assigned to some
of the Shogun's spies.
When Keilli had returned to consciousness he
was as one in dull dream, nightmare, where
ax, fi1I anti nntn m
which he could not stir move TO save him
self.
The trial had been brief one. A few ques-
tions multitude of proofs, irrefutable evidence,
the testimony of some false samurai now be-
come a ronin, private statement by the sa-
mural Shimadzu-that was all. No word or
question whatever was addressed to the pris-
oner nor was he given the opportunity to speak
in his own defense, had he been in condition
to do So He stood between two guards, one
on either side, while four others stood before
him and score at his back.
Keiki was quite beyond understanding the
proceedings, and only the Spartan will of the
samurai lent to him that almost unnatural
strength by which he stood stoutly upon his
feet while his head swan. Out Of u multitude
of surcing words and sentences only one word
reached his cars and penetrated to his con-
sciousness-
"Treason!"
of dark and stagnant moat wherein the sacred
lotus blossoms symbolic of the purity of wo-
man, hid the treacherous waters beneath, of
sloping bank where the grasses grew high over
his head and the willows at the bottom waved
in foot Of water. A young girls face shone out
cf this strangely mixed background 1t was
very long ago. it seemed to Keik and though
her face was quite dim to his vision now, he re-
membcred that it was like unto the lotus, per-
fectly pure and peeressly beautiful, only be-
hind her beauty, unlike that of the lotus, there
were no treacherous deeps of darkling waters.
Kciki remembered vaguely now that she had
crawled, through the willows, through the moat
perhaps, to come to him to warn him of this
treason Treason? Whose!
Thus Keiki's tangled mind followed not the
mockerv Of the trial. nor needed the sonorous
voice Of the crier, who echoed the words of the
lord Judge, and shouted mechanically:
equity! Death"
A small company of armed men led him from
the judgment-hall They made long journey,
marching by night. Passive stupidity Indifferent
to everything, Keik was led to prison.
Only when they had locked him within the
empty stone cell. did the old, passionate rebel
lion fhnt had swayed him so savagey when he
had resisted capture break out with renewed
fury. driving in flash his apathetic dulness
from him.
His captors had taken his two swords from
him the two proud swords from which a sa-
mural must never part. The Prince was TO be-
come lord over the samurai, yet he had been
trained in the same school, and with severe
a discpline as that of the simple soldier. Had
they left him these his samurai swords, in all
probability the Prince would have ended his
misery As it was, he spent the night IN fruit
less, mpotent raving. Morning found him eX-
hausted Even the samuais great power of
will over the physical body could avail MIN no
longer
When the samura Shmadzu unlocked the
door of the cell no desperate, wild-eyed prince
leaped at his throat. The young Prince OF
Mor lay stretched across the floor of the dun
geon The gittering cords of his coaC, 'he
golden hip-cape, with its bowings and embroid-
crings of dragons and falcons, all the late lux
urious finery which had earned for him the
briuuet of ''The Shining Prince" and which
were also the insignia of his high rank, were
now torn and stained with the cruelest Of colors.
The dark hair fell back, cotted with the per
spiraton on his noble brow, from which the
blue veins started through the fine skin. The
long lashes covered the eyes and swept the al
most boysh curves of the deathwhite cheeks.
His lips were parted and he was still ravng,
but in the babbling, weak, piteous fashion of
one deirious from loss of blood.
After feeling the Princes hands and head,
Sbimadzu was satisfied with his condition.
Roughly binding up a bad wound upon the
shoulder he called for stretcher Borne upon
this temporary couch, straightway the Prince
was carried TO the home of the executioner
Meanwhile Wistaria had made ready for the
reception of their expected guest. Having TAX
en- off her slken omeshi and removed the Jew
eed ornaments from her hair, she appeared in
a rough cotton kimono, OF bright red-andyel-
low pattern, such garment a laboring
man or one of the heimn would have worn.
Tut she had taken especial pans with her hair