Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-03-25
CHAPTER v.
Gafford Begins Training.


of Moon Faces was at its highest
N'tn Gafford arrived. Lights
cleaned from its lacquered walls and
ceilings and reflected from its booth
partitions of he nmered brass, picked
out the. gliding of it's carven wood
work and lit up the tinseled ideo-
grarhs of its Haunting banners and
streamers.
Music set it's air aquiver with a
rhythmic pulsing. An orchestra be-
fore raised platform at one end of
the room furnished the tempo to
which four geishas performed their
languorous dance of contortions.
Other geishas, their faces painted,
their naked torsos festooned with
strings of flashing ornamentation,
perfumed with scents, their hips cine
tured by tinseled girdles from which
depended diapha anous fabrics in mock
concealment, fitted with swaying
gait about the apartment, ,at at the
tables with the patrons, or danced
with voluptuous suggestion before
the booth of some especial guest.
Other slave girls, equally nude and
unashamed, flashed their bodies from
table to table, carrying on liftei
arms the tray of various drinks
or the steaming pots of. tea and
plates of sweetmeats and cakes.
A blue cloud of smoke from
cigar and cigarette asccnded and
clung to the ceiling, Jogging the
glowing lights. A babel of chatter
ing voices, broken now and then by
Caucasion laugh or roundly raped
oath; the cries of the dancers on the
stage, the shrill cachinnation of a
geisha, sprawled half on a table, and
the throb Ind beat of the music com
pieted the atmosphere Of the room.
Japanese-soldiers, officers from
the vessels in the harbor, merchants,
men about town, government officials.
and clerks; white - Englishmen.
Americans, Frenchmen, travellers, ad-
venturers, men-of-war's men; sat
about the tables and made up the
patronage of that place.
Into that atmosphere of sensuous
pastime, of limitless license, where
human nature pandered to all it's ma
terlal appetlties at once, Gafford
came from the cool dust of the Nip
pon's garden, and brought the sound
of young girls voice.
For moment he paused at the door
of the room of revels and surveyed
the scene. For years it had been with
him as matter of course, something
accepted in place of more whole
some enjoyment, part and parcel of
the mode of life he had made his
own. Tonight, with the influence of
the sweetness of that hour spent with
girl in garden strong upon him,
it struck jarring discord upon his
mood. The brazen display Of uncon-
cea!ed passion seemed almost prof
anation of something sacred. He
threw up his head, bit his teeth over
a resolve formed on his way thither
in the rickshaw. and plunged into the
maelstrom of bizarre and perverted
life.
He made his way to a booth and
sat down at a teak-wood table, well
to the rear Of the tea-room, with his
back to the bibbing crowd.
A geisha, her face and body whit
ened to the appearance Of chalk, her
mouth crimson blot of carmine, an
erotic odor of musk about her-her
| gauze- -draped limbs etched by the
lights behind her, slid in and dropped
down, facing him as he sat. Her
body ornaments tinkled and clashed
as she leaned forward toward his
white-clad figure, and leered an inv,
tation for drink and talk.
Gafford shuddered an unwonted re-
pulsion. The mood of the garden was
still upon him. He lifted his face.
go away, will you? ?" he said in
Japanese.
The girl started.
"Misser CATER" she cried in sur
prise, me did not sabe you in so
much clo'," she simpered and rose to
move to more likely patronage.
wait" Gafford checked her.
"Send me girl with some sake, and
tell Kate / want to see her right
away. She's across the room" He
dropped his face in his cupped hands
and waited for White Kate and the
sake to arrive.
A slave girl brought the latter and
retired He lifted it and half drained
it at a gulp. A swish of heavy silk
paused at the end Of the booth and
Kate came in.
She was clothed in kimono of
heavy black silk, faced with red.
Across it's somber background swan
fight of golden butterflies done in
stiff giilded thread, A crimson sash
girdled her body above the hips. Her
| cyco "CiC -uoihCilSuy HcT CHechs
rouged, her lips carmined. Crimson
tinting glistened on her finger nails
Her dark hair was rolled high and
caught with jeweled pins. Slippers
stiff with gold embroidery, peeped
from below the kimono's edge. She
came in and sank into the seat which
the geisha had left.
"Ah, well, my Romeo" she said
lightly, chow went the balcony
scene?"
Gafford raised his head and met
her eyes in straight, level glance
Some new element in that gaze
seemed to penetrate to her under.
"Kate," remarked Gafford, "this /.
hell of a placeW
White Kate rested her elbows OF
the table and dropped her chin OF
her locked fingers. & 5
~ have felt the same way abou
IT," she admitted. "Now just wha