The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-01-26
The Stone
Lantern
And liow 1t United Two
Far4lss
By CLARIsSA MACKIE
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

4 ieSSly ABOUT the studio, bringing order
4 out of the chaos that always followed
one of his masters busy days. The
priceless oriental rugs were straight
, ened. the window draperies carefully
adjusted to admit the fading glory OF
reflected sunset, and Nasogi vanished
from the room at the moment Ethan
Stanley entered from the adjoining
bedchamber.
The young man surveyed the luxuri-
GUS appointments of the studio with a
discontinued frown ON his handsome
face. With knitted brows he crossed
the room to the easel where his last
picture was hidden by curtain.
Presently he dropped the curtain and
turned to fud the Japanese standing
at attention in the doorway.
what is it, Nasogi?" asked Stanley
1.-THE telephone calls. SIR" replied the
man.
"Who is it,"
"Mr Clayton, SIR"
"Ah, how are you, Bob?" Stanley
was saying over the wire. Certainly.
Delighted. Bring the whole crowd
was going to dine alone, but Nasogi
! is magician and can spread feast
for dozen. Eight-thirty. Good. Be
sure to bring your fiddle. Goodby.
"Nasogi, Mr. Clayton and four friends
will dine with me tonight at $50
There will be three ladies in the COM
pany. Can you manage it in three
hoursT He looked at his watch.
Most certainly, sir. 1t will be
ready at the hour. l will go TO the
market again Immediately" In an in
slant the Japanese had bowed himself
from the room and Stanley was alone
He flung himself into a deep chair and
lighted a pipe.
The pagoda shape of stone lantern
was outlined against the twilight
space of the window and reminded
Stanley of the gray day he had first
seen it in a neglected garden beyond
the gates of Tokyo. 1t was what he
had been looking for ever since he had
csJne to Japan. He might have bought
score of stone lanterns in the orien-
ticular stone lantern must be found
by himself in some place where it had
stood-in the garden of some home or
among the ruins of a temple. These
things have associations or they could
find no place in his collection.
He remembered the day, gray with n
fine mist of rain. He had bowled out
Of the city with his favorite rickshaw
man between the shafts, and when the
first light shower came the runner had
turned into a tiny tangled garden
where small house stood deserted |
among the plum trees.
AS Stanley found shelter in the We
randa he spied the stone lantern near |
~ overgrown with some clnging vine
"Who owns this houseY he asked |
quickly.
The runner named a man in the
neighborhood at was his daughter
who lived in the house with her hus-
band. They were newly married. and
they called IL the abode of peace and
joy But the husband went away to
war, and he never came back. The
daughter lives with her parents. an in
widow, and the little house
is a place of sorrow"
Stanley thought over the little trag-
edy that had been briefly played out
here, and then when the rain had stop
ped he sought the house of the owner
and found it easy to purchase the
stone lantern.
xrrtT hx .I.,I -
grieves her to see even a distant
glimpse of her former abode | shall
tear down the house one day and turn
the place into a playground" said the
dignified old gentleman
1t was dark now. and his pipe had
gone out. Stanley switched on the
electrics and then extlnguished them,
lighting in their place several softly
shaded lamps
As he dressed for dinner he Won
Tered idly who the girl was that the
Claytons were bringing with them
Bob had said 1t was a friend of his
yife's, and Mrs. Clayton had so many
friends 1t was useless to puzzle his
lead over that The other couple were
he Testers. The Claytons and the
testers were his most intimate friends
md had been Oelia's. too, before she
md Stanley had quarreed and sep
rated. Celia had returned to her par
'nts, and Stanley had gone to Japan
md lately had returned to occupy the
tudio alone. Under the circumstances l
lie rather wondered at the Claytons I
ringing along strange girl.
Years of travel and hard work had
lot softened the blow Of Celia's de- 6
ertion after the bitter, foolish little
He had written snce, (
nut she had never replied to 1t. He
ried not to think Of her. In that way I
lone there was peace of mind. I
Exactly at $50 the elevator stopped y
t his floor, and Nasogi threw open
he studio door to announce the guests. 9
faud Clayton and Bessie Lester came T
4 first, and close behind them was a n
bird figure. at the sight Of which
tanley's heart jumped into his throat n
nd STAYED there for xvhila poh and | n