Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-25
CHAP-E- J.


deck as the black ocean levfathan svyept
on. toward its harbor resting place.
All that Japanese April CAV SIZE had been
In state OF tremulous excitement She
had crept from her berth at dawn 70 see
the hazy sun come mp n a Rosicrucisn
nush as weirdly soft as e mirage. TO strain
her eyes for the first hlmy feather Of
land. Long before The rray-Ereen visp
showed on the horizon. the sight OF a Ium-
bering Junk with its square sail laced
across with white stripes, and it, bronze
seamen, with white loin cloth and sweat
band about the forehead. NAKED and tbeved
like sculptures. az they swayed from the
clumsy tiller. had sent n thrill through
her. And as the first far peaks etched
themselves on the robin s-egg blue, as i'm
palpable and ethereal as a perfume. she
felt warm drops coming with a rush 70
her eyes.
For japan, every sight and sound Of Il.
had been woven with the earliest imaain-
ings Of Barbaras orphaned life Her
father she had never seen. Her mother
she remembered only. az a vague widowed
figure In japan the two had met and had
married and after single year her motSer
had returned to her own place and people
broken hearted and alone. In the month OF
80 ANNNAh AatAAHAAA nAQ 0een born. \
year ago her aunt, to whom she owed the
care OF her young girihood. had died and
Barbara had found herself at q. mistress
OF a liberal fortune and OF her own fu-
ture. Japan had always exercised a po-
tent spell over her irnaEfnation. She pic,
tured It as a land OF strange glowing trees
Of queer costumes ard weird. fantastic
buildings. More than all, It was the land
OF her mothers life romance where her
father had loved and died There was one
oSher tangible tie-her uncle her mothers
brother. was Episcopal bishop Of Toxic.
lie was returning now from half years
visit TO America, and this fact coupled
With an invitation from Patrica Dan
bridge. the daughter OF the American am
bassadOr, with whom Barbara had
chummed one California winter. had con-
sttuted an opportunity wholly alluring
a shadow fell beside her and she turned
II was her uncle. His clean shaver face
oesmed at her over his clerical collar.
Isn't Il glorious?" she breathed It's
better than champagne. It's like pins and
needles In the tips OF your ngers. There's
positively an odor in the air like cameIlas.
And did any one ever see such cOlors9''
She pointed TO the shore dead ahead, now
a serrated background OF deep tones, swim.
ming in the infinite gold OF the tronic
afternoon
Bishop Randolph was bachelor. past
middle age rudy and with eyes softened
b. habituaI good humor
Japan gets into the blood. he said mus
ingly. Il often think Of the old lady who
committed sulcias at Nilko She left a
letter. which said; BY favor Of the gods,
l am too dishonOhably old to hope to re-
7
anguishly to remain here for ever.
have had something OF the same feeling
sometimes. remember yet the first time
] saw the. coast. That was twenty-five
years ago We watched II together-yOur
father and I-just as we two are doing
now
She looked at him with sudden eager
ness. for OF hts own accord he had never
before spoken to her OF her dead father
The latter had always seemed very real
parsonage, hut how little she knew Goout
him! The aunt who had brought her up
her mothers siste7-bad never talked OF
him, and her uncle she had seen but twice
since she had been old enough to wonder
But, little by little cleaning a fact here
and there. she had constructed a slender
history OF him. II told or mingled 5lood, a
birthplace on a Mediterranean island and a
gypsy childhood. There was thin sheaf OF
yellowed manuscript in her possession that
had been left among her mothers scanty
papers. fragment of old diary OF his.
Many leaves had been ruthlessly cut rom
It, but in the pages that were left she had
found bits OF flotsam; broken memory
pictures of his own mother which lad
strangely touched her, OF a bitter youth in
England and America, ovtrshadowed by the
haunting fear OF blindness. Of quests TO
West Indian cities, told in phrases that
dripped liquid gold and sunshine. The voy-
age to Japan had been made on the same
vessel that carried her uncle, and they two
had thus become comrades The latter
had been an enthusiastic young missionary.
one OF a few chosen spirits sent 20 defend
FAR deld-easement thrown forward By the
batteries OF Chr.steadom. Her sister had
come out to visit him and few months
later he'd married Dis friend
such was the story, as Barbara knew
H. OF her father and mother-a love chapter
which had soon closed with a far-away
grave BY the inland sea. Her fancy had
made Of her father pathetic figure. As
child. she had dreamed OF some day placing
monument OF his memory in the japanese
capital. She possessed only one picture OF
him. a uny profile photograph which Aas
wore always IN q lOcket engraved With her
name. Il showed q dark face, clean-shaven
finely chiseled and passionate. with the
large, full eye Of the dreamer she rad
liked 20 think Il looked like the paintings
Of St John Perhaps this though, lad
caused the projected monument 70 take the
form OF Christian chapel From a nebu-
lous idea, the plan had bec0me a bundle OF
blue prints, which she had sent 70 her
uncle. with the request thar ne purchase
FOR her suitable site and beEiu the build
ing. lie had done this before his visit 70
America and now the chapel was completed.
save In one paTu -uiar-the memorial win
dow OF rich, stained glass slowed az teat
moment IN the ship hold. The bishop rad
not seen IT, From some feeling which she
had not tried 10 analyze Barbara had said
nothing TO him OF the chapers especial siE-
nineanee. Now. however. at his unexpected
Difference. the feeling frayed. and she told
him all % her plan.
lie CARED az her a moment IN a startled
fashion. then looked away his hand shad-
ing his eyes. When she finished thers va