The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-13

may AOtlAOns 4C( VA tAAS OoNA ground of pleasantness and peace those other scenes of horror-such was the yehemence of his tone, the savage di- rectness in his phrases-.seemed to start up, blank and wretched apparitons, before her.
 ''At nineteen" he went on, 'I found myself in New York, delicate. difident,
 satanically proud and, without friend-one of the billion ants crawl ing in the skeleton of the mastodon. I was threadbare, and meals were scant and .uncertain--a little, penntless,
 half blind. eccentric wanderer! lived in carpenter shop and slept on the
 shavings. One week sold coral for a Neapolitan peddler. Oh, I learned my
 civilization well! The very memory
 now of walking down those roaring
 canyons of streets-all cut granite and iron fury, and hideous houses 200 feet high-moos at me in the night! It is
 frightful, nightmarish, devilish! And when one can be here under violet sky, in sight of blue peaks and an eter- nally lilac, lukewarm seaw His hand swept across the hewn wis ta to the wild. bold background of indigo hills, with it's slender phan- tor above them, swimming in the half tropical biue 'It is better" he said. .'to live in Japan in sackcloth and ashes than to own the half of any
 other country. I am as, old as the
 three legged crow that inhabits the
 sun. can't read the comic papers or
 . French novel. shouldn't go to the
 Paris Opera if it were next door.
 shouldn't like to visit the most beauti-
 ful lady .and be received in evening dress. I shall pass my life in sandals
 and q kimono, and when it's. over I
 shall be under the big trees in the old Buddhist cemetery there beside the
 nunnery, among the firefies and grass
 hoppers, with si7 laths above me. in-
 scfibed with prayers in an unknown
 tongue and a Queeriy carved monu-
 nnent typifying the i've elements into which we melt away"
 He shook his broad shoulders. Again
 Bis hand went to his brow and he half
 turned. away.
 "But now even Japan must adopt western civilization" he said bitterly. sIt is putting lily in the mouth of hellr Carpets, pianos, windows, brass bands-to make Goths out of Greeks! Who would want them changed? Who would not love them as they are. bet ter than the children of boasted west ern civilixation-industrious, pleasing, facing death with a smile, not because they are such fatalists as the Arabs, for instance, but becduse they have no fear of the hereafter. The old courtesy. the old faith, the old kindli- ness-will they weather it or vanish
 like snow in sun! The poetry. the leg end. the lovely and touching observ- ances, are going fast. Modernism gives them foreign fireworks now and for bids the ghost boats of the Bon. wish could fly out of Meiji forever.
 back against the stream of time, into
 tempo 1,4OO years ago."
 "The Bony' she said What is that?'
 'I forgot" he said. ''that Japan is all
 new to you" and told her of the Japa- nese All Souls day-the feast of Ian ternsvwhen, the spirits of the dead re- turn to be fed with tea in tiny cups
 and with the odor of incense; how, 1 when the dusk falls. on canal and river the little straw boats are launch ed with written messages and lighted paper lanterns to bear back the blessed ghosts.
 Returning, Barbara led the way.
 Once she stopped over single strange
 blossom on . long stalk whose golden
 renter shone cloudily through silky
 ilaments like the leaves of immor-
 tellee. "What is that?" she asked, Tt is wild flower found on one of my inland rambies." he said. "Per-
 haps 1t has no name. call it yume-
 no-hana-the flower of dream It will open almost any day now." Have you quite forgiven me for
 breaking in?" she asked as they walk ed along the stepping stones. For the first time she surprised him
 in smile 1t lit his face with sud-
 den irradiation. "Will you do it againY'
 May I-some time?'
 "Then you are not afraid? Remem- Der I am renegade. follower of Buddha and most atrocious and damnable tabooe'
 "Afraidr' For moment theN look
 ed at each other. and she saw a little quiver touch his lips. "I shall come
 again tomorrow to see the flower"
 'Just one thing.' he said. 'I am a
 solitary. If you would not mention to any one
 '1 understand" she answered. He walked by her side to the bamboo gate. "I am glad" she said. that I
 remind you of some one you liked" Perhaps it was some one I knew in
 a dream." he answered.
 ''Yes." she said; perhaps it was" As she spoke she saw him start. She
 looked up Across the temple yard. through the entrance torii, she saw the l bishop coming up the lane. He was
 walking absorbed in thought, his eyes
 on the ground, his hands clasped be hind him.
 "Goodby." she said and stepped through the gate.
 But Thorn did not answer. At sight
 of the approaching figure he had drawn back abruptly. Now he turned sharp lxv {x,t<, o x,okl, --As.A Iol &ox~orH