The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-03-17
A STORY OF OLD JAPAN


your majesty but moment ago?"
The emperor sighed.
You say the truth. / have gained
all things, and l am not happy. In
WEAKNESS of spirit / fell into slumber
here upon my throne of gold and
dreamed-oh! have dreamed such
things! l dreamed a magician sought
10 transform me into strange shape.
He sought to enter my very soul un-
Ger the pretense of bringing me happi-
ness"
"Son of Heaven" put In the old
man; your mood shall be your rem
edy. A life of fighting leaves no time
Tor love"
"What?"
II mean that your crown lacks q
Jewell"
"a Jewel! Is not my crown COM
plete7"
The Old man bowed humbly.
TT is not complete; it lacks the
turquoise ornament"
THE turquoise ornament" ex-
claimed the emperor in anger.
The courtiers around, as they heard
this. drew closely together in an ex-
cited group, staring at the old man and
at the emperor.
Can this be true?" said Yoritimo.
He lifted his arms and took the
crown from his head. He rested the pre-
cious thing upon the golden arm OF
the throne Then he stared down
upon it, and in the heart of the gilt
tering jewels that covered it he de-
tected vacant place.
THE turquoise is lost!" he ex
claimed.
The old man bowed humbly, smiled
cunningly, and said:
Il have found the malady-shall
md the remedy?"
Your life shall depend upon that.
What says your magic now?"
The answer took away the breath OF
ell present:
my magic says that in this the
master shall obey his slave"
mo magic can harm me-" the en-
reror said. 81 cannot be made more
unhappy than 1 am. will give this
slave his wish. Speak on"
The old man raised his head and
looked steadily before him. He
crossed his arms upon his breast and
said:
.'The Son of Heaven will obey his
slave and will sail in the boat upon
the sacred lake within the walls OF
this royal palace"
The emperor looked down upon him
suspiciously.
us that all your magic?"
1T Isl
Then let the royal boat" COM
manded the emperor, "be made ready
with all the rowers-"
1.-THE rowers must be chosen by me, "
out in the old man, quickly.
1T shall be So" agreed Yoritimo.
He came down from his throne and
Jed the way out of the palace to the
sacred lake. The courtiers followed.
But the mysterious old man suddenly
disappeared.
When the emperor came to the brink
of the lake he found the royal boat
ready, and in the boat sat 20 virgins,
with beautiful long black hair and
.ovely forms and shapely limbs; and
they were arrayed in silver nets in
stead of ordinary robes. Each maiden
held an oar, and all the 20 oars were
wade of ebony inlaid with gold.
No one could find the old magician.
But the emperor, true to his promise
that he would sail upon the sacred
lake, stepped into the boat. AS he did
so he could not help noticing the
beauty of the young girl that sat be-
hind all the others in the stern, and
seemed to be their leader. The en-
reror sat behind her, and looking at
her dark hair, his heart leaped-for
binding the shining black folds he saw
the turquoise ornament he had lost
from lis crown.
Now, instead OF hurting a command
or death at the delinquent, he found a
strange pleasure in wishing that this
beautiful girl should never lose an Or
rament which so became her. And h.
sat and kept silence.
Never had he known before any feel
Ing except proud superiority over all
the void. But now he wished to
throw himself in alteration at the feet
CO this simple virgin.
He could not restrain an impulse to
take he in his arms. He leaned for
ward.
AS II she had read his thoughts,
che bent lower over her oar to avoid
his embrace. And as she bent so low, the
long, dark strands of her hair slippea
around her and became entangled with
the silver network that clothed her.
1t interfered with ner rowing, and the
emperor with his own hands tried t,
free the entangled strands. But his
movement he disturbed the turquoise
ornament It slipped from its place,
hands trembled. and by an unhappy
tell into the lake and sunk out Of sight
t;e did not see this because the
beauty of the wearer absorbed his at
isntion, and he had forgotten the or
uament.
But she ceased rowing, and the
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