Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1912-10-11

moodily.
"And that is?' questioned.
"Death to me because looked upon
her face and evil to my family"
"What can do to help you, O-Honu?
Would you like to go to your fam
n.y."
"1t would be best to go and set my
affairs In ORDER" he said in a melan.
choly tone. Il will start in the morn.
ing if may be spared
Certainly, O-Honu," l said cordially
Remember if nothing happens / shall
want you back again.
ayes, master, if nothing happens
He made obeisance and left the room.
went out into the peaceful quiet of
the mOonlit garden and pondered what
O-HOnu had said to me. / knew that
for these Asiatics the earth, air and
water are people with good and evil
spirits. Demons haunt the groves and
springs, and the night brings forth a
thousand terrors to the timid mind.
So there was the fox woman who had
frightened my servant so badly. If
walked in the cedar grove would l
meet her or must l be an oriental to
see with his eyes and to be affected
by his evil spirits?
| So l walked through the tiny garden
of the house had leased threaded
the maze of miniature flower beds
| stepped over baby streams, brushed
past dwarfed trees, until came to the
bamboo fence that had gate in it,
| Through the gate l passed into a
back lane much used by tradespeople
and bordered on either side by straight
| young pear trees.
The moon shone down through the
trees, and the leaves fickered on the
path under my feet A fresh sweet
breeze brushed my cheek. 1t was all
| very beautiful and peaceful. One did
not want to think of fox women OF
| other evil demons on night like this.
The pear bordered lane ended in the
grove Of dark cedars, and entered the
grove with an involuntary thrill, fol
| the moon only threaded the thick
foliage here and there and made a
delicate tracery of light on the slip
perry needles underfoot.
When the trees had closed quite
around me l was prepared for almost
anything to happen except what really
did happen.
All at once l was conscious that
| was not alone. Some living thing was
near me, something that moved and
breathed and had life.
looked down and saw nothing
/ looked up and saw the moonlight
altering through the boughS looked
to the right of me-nothing. l WhirIed
around to the left-nothing! And yet
/ could have sworn something disap
peared beyond my reach with every
movement made.
/ spread out my arms and whirled
like a dervish and some sound came
out of the dim grove of cedars. II
sounded like a soft chuckle.
/ paused then and argued with my
self against the cold terror that was
creeping up my spine in spite Of the
strong common sense thought I pos
seSsed.
Something was in the grove with me
What it was I would discover even ii
had to gaze upon the face of the fox
woman herself If the fox woman was
spirit, she would be cold and deaC
and lifeless. She would not be warm
and breathing and vital as was the
person or thing that was near me.
would find out.
Whistling carelessly I walked slowly
on and almost instantly felt the pres
ence close beside me again. Now
was sure that it walked behind and az
we were coming to an open moonli1
space / waited until we reached it
Then l turned suddenly and looked
And l saw the fox woman. She haC
the form of a graceful woman and hel
gown was rich with gold embroidery
She wore a queer sort of silk hood anC
from the hood there peered her face
1t was dreadful. l cannot describe it
was the fox woman, the evil spirit
who had inspired such terror in thu
heart Of my simple servant l did no
blame him.
was scared myself.
Then with sudden impulse grasp
ed her armand it was warm flesh be
meath the silken sleeve. She struggled
to free herself, but held on and drew
her into the moonlight. I tore off tn
silken hood, and with 1t came her aw
full face.
Then there shrank before me tn
form of a frightened japanese woman
mot spirit-but a woman in the flesh
made her turn her face to the moon
light and then / smiled.
For it was 0Honu's pretty wife VIII
had so frightened us in the horrid dis
guise
She wept stormily when reproache
her. Her pride was injured that
should have unmasked her. At las
she swore me to secrecy and told m
"A tho STORY s.