The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-06-18
The Epening Story
The Koson Mirror.
(By Thomas G. Wilkes. }


the depths of her most comfortable
armchair and looked long at the
photographs held in either hand.
One pictured Arthur Merwin's in
tenectual face, fair and hghteyed.
with a heavy sweep of pale hair
brushed back from his high forehead.
The other showed Lynn Frary's blum
ter features-dark, good looking, with
brows.
Arthur's chin lost it's strength by
the merest fraction, Lynn's was
square and determined. The former
had money and social position; the
other was the American agent for a
firm in Japan. Beyond his salary,
Lynn had few expectations.
Lynn was thousands of miles away
in Toxic. Arthur was firmly estab-
lished in his fathers business in New
York.
The night before Arthur had pro-
posed to Ruth, and that very morn
ing she had received Lynn's letter de-
claring his love and asking for her
answer.
..Which?'' she asked herself. Her
heart answered, Lynn. Ambition
suggested Arthurs name. Ambition
won.
So a letter wendell its way over
land and sea to reach Lynn Frary in
a fairylike bungalow in the suburbs of
Toxic. He was sitting on the veranda
when Rutl's letter was handed to him
and he held it unopened in his hand
for a long time, his dark eyes bent
musingly on the ground
1t was a thin letter-but why pro-
long the agony of suspense? He tore
open the envelope and read the few
lines of regret.
He laughed shortly.
I'm ga eed TO Arthur Merwini'
Then the cryptomerias at the end
of the garden became a dark blur be-
fore his eyes. He muttered at his
own weakness and, examining the let
ter into his pocket, called his ricksha
boy and went down to the dull round
of daily duties.
Months passed and Lynn heard no
further news of Ruth Chisholm until
one day he received a bundle of New
was soon to bes=smarried to Arthur
Merwin. t3e-
He must pick out wedding pres
ent for her-for the girl he loved who
was going to be another mans bride.
Lynn drew a deep breath and squared
his shoulders. Well, other men had
been through. the same bitter expert
ence, he was game too.
His quest led him to the shop of
a japanese friend Sen Aru Amid a
some, and fine porcelains, Lynn was
bewildered.
"A wedding gift for a friend?" re-
peated Sen Aru, noble-looking old
man.
Lynn WINGED. Something very
nice, Sen Aru," he said The very
incest thing you have in the shop"
The Japanese looked keenly at his
friend.
THE very incest thing 1 have in
the shop would be this Koson mir
ror.' He brought forth from a san
dalwood box a round hand mirror of
highly polished steel set in a frame of
carved ivory.
Lynn uttered a gasp of admiration.
That's quite the finest thing I've
SEEM" he muttered. Il must have it,"
Sen Aru nodded shrewdly. Some
time, if you will honor my humble
shop and drink tea with me, will
tell you the history of that mirror"
Thank you, will. Now, # you
will pack it carefully I'll get it down
to Yokohama. A steamer sails to-
morrow for San Francisco-it should
reach New York by the 18th
And the wedding day is?" ques-
toned Sen Aru.
March Is, I believe Here, please
put my card in with it. Here is the
address to which 1t is to be sent"
81 will send it with immediate dis
patch" promised Sen Aru.
He watched Lynn leave the shop
and he shook his head sadly.
Such a splendid young man--and
grown so thin and worn with unhap-
piness. 1t must be this woman who
has hurt his he art. Perhaps the mir
ror of Koson will cure the hurt, who
knows? Only the gods can tell
Several weeks later Lynn dropped
into Sen Aru'S shop for the promised
cup of tea and the story of the Koson
mirror.
Sen Aru's onyx eyes became points
of glittering light as ne poured the
tea and served little rice cakes to
his friend.
The story of the Koson mirror was
a short one.
"Koson was a young man, son OF
the Samurai; of noble birth, but quite
poor in this worlds goods. He loved
the daughter of a prince and, although
there was no parental opposition to
their marriage, the girl was ambitious
and favored a man of great wealth;
so, in spite of her love for the poor
youth she went about her prepara-
tons for her marriage to the rich man.
'.Koson wished to send her we'd
ding gift and, possessing TINS ancient
mirror, he set about cleaning IL TO
make it fit to offer to the bride The
mirror was dull and unpublished, and
there were spots of rust upon it. But
Koson worked night and day upon the
mirror, rubbing and polishing 1t with
the greatest labor and nicely, all the
while his heart wrung with anguish
for his lost love-
so long did he labor over the mir
ror that it seemed he had impaired
some of his own personality to the in
animate thing of steel and ivory. So
often was his sad face bent over the
mirror that it verify reflected his fea-
lures All this he did not know.
"a few days before the wedding he
sent his servant with the Koson mir
ror. The next day it was rumored
that the birdie refused to leave the
mirror: she sat before 1t hour after
hoIr ND anil