Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-05-12


mothers sweep, dust and polish every.
thing to an Immaculate cleanliness,
and the little nomads live and play,
and apparently eat all their meals in
the streets.
The shops are open to the streets,
and closed at night with wooden shut
tiers. At the back of every shop may
be seen the paper covered sliding
screen leading into the little home.
This screen is almost invariably open,
disclosing the entire family group.
The hair-dresser, building up the Won
derful coiffure-rolled over tiny boil
sters, and creased with cocoa-oil to
shining blaskness affected by the
Japanese women; shampooing, sew
ing, writing, reading every occupa-
ton is in full view Of the passer-by.
Speaking of shops and making one
self understood, felt that after my
experience in the Hawaiian tongue
was fully justified in letting the jap
anese severely alone. I never got
much beyond the two words, "O-hay-o"
(good morning) and ''sayonara" good
by. The good morning is pro.
nounced as near like Ohio as they can
make 1t.
suppose If they wanted to bid
anyone good night" they would say
Philadelphia.
But did try to learn something
about the Japanese money and its va
rious divisions, only had bad luck
from the start. I got hold Of the
wrong customer, or else he did.
/ started in to buy some sandals
and a hat know that one yen, at
par, is worth almost exactly SO cents
American money, and that ten rim go
to a sen, and 100 sen to yen. But
the old man who waited on me either
knew no more than / did, or was ex-
plotting some new and original meth
DDS of his own; for he held up the
sandals in one hand and the hat in
the other, the while he calculated in
q low cultural: Mon! mont"
ooh, yes! gotta da mont" re.
piled, pulling out my purse. and
spreading some Japanese coins in my
palm.
But he shook his head and held up
his forefinger, saying: "Shy!"
ooh, I'm shy one, am I? Well, take
this!" and / threw the largest coin
had into the little basket before him.
But this seemed to excite him. He
wagged his forefnger at me and
cried: "Bunkyu!" at the top of his
| voice.
"Bunco me? guess not, my friend!'
I replied. I'm from New York;"
At this he threw down the hat and
sandals, and, shaking his hands as
though he were trying to get rid OF
soap-suds, cried: "Shi-mon! shi-monn
ooh, was shy one, and now I'm
shy the whole business! Well,
| don't think you and will make deal
to-day" and sweeping the coins into
my purse, was preparing to be
gone.
Suddenly he leaned forward, thrust
| his face close to mine, and in the most
indescribable manner Kissed through
his teeth: 'Ichi-bu! ichi-bu!'
| wen, say! Dld you ever play that
idiotic game with six or seven
months old infant, sayyed Kitch-a
boo? The baby lies in the cradle, or
on Its mothers lap, as the case may
be, and you, wishing to make your.
self solid with the family, lean over
and. assuming a CHASTITY grin, teeter
over toward the infant and then
teeter back again, and then teeter for.
ward, sputtering: "Kitch-a-boo! Kitch.
a-boo!" until it's ten to one that the
kid either goes into fits or lets out 8
howl that makes the mother wisl
that murder was not punishable of
Tense.
Hyou have ever INDUCED in that ten
der little pastime, then you can have
some idea of my frame of mind wher
the old Jap performed this strange
antic. Backing away from him,
shook my head violently and thrus
my purse into my pocket; when he
plucked me by the sleeve, and with {
whine that would have done credit
TO a Hester street old clothes man