The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-02-03
The kokuro
Vase
How II Established .
Mans Good Name
BY CLARIssA MACKIE

1t Is UNDERSTOOD Cndt purcudse Inc
house as 1t stands now. with all OF Its
contents" warned John Day, as he SAT
In the office Of the Japanese agent.
The Japanese bowed deferentially.
Eyes. Mr.. Day. it shall be as you
desire. My clerk has made an inven-
tory Of the contents Of the Tatsayo
house, and you will find that not even
q shoji is out of place or a kakemono
missing from the walls"
John Day nodded approval, and be-
fore the day closed he found himself
the owner Of the Tokyo residence OF
the late Henry Burdick. self exiled
American. whom he had known many
years ago In the United States.
The house sat back from the street
perhaps a hundred feet and was sur
rounded by a high stone wall without
q door or any other sign OF entrance TO
break its rough surface.
At the end Of the wall was q red
lacquered gate that led into u narrow
lane bordered on either side by bam-
boos, whose feathery tops interlaced
and formed pale green roof overhead.
Halfway down this lane OF bamb0os
was a door set In the wall leading
straight into the garden Of the house
purchased by John Day. This was the
main entrance and led up flower Dor
dered path to the veranda of the house.
Farther down the lane there was an
other door in the wall that gave en-
trance to the kitchen gardens and the
servants quarters.
The Tatsayo house, as the place was
called In reference to the original
builder and owner of the pretty resi-
dence, was now the home Of John Day.
On that first evening spent In his
new home Day wandered from one
room to another with the inventory In
his hands. checking OF the contents
OF each apartment, until he felt as
sured that since the day Of Henry
Burdick's death not one article had
been disturbed.
Henry Burdick's will had been
brief one. It directed that the house
he sold and the proceeds. together
with certain securities, be given to his
relatives in New England. To John
Days surprise, he found himself
named as an executor Of the will
1t was surprise because he and
Henry Burdick were bitter enemies
and had been ever since Day had dis
covered that Henry Burdick had deep
ly wronged him in business matter
and fed to Japan Days appearance
In Tokyo few days before Burdick's
death was purely accidental. and he
did not know that Burdick was aware
Of his presence. But the hastily drawn
will and naming of Day as IN executor
gave color to his suspicion that Bur-
dick had known Of his presence In the
Japanese capital and for some reason
had desired to bring him in close touch
with his affairs.
In their youth these two men had
both been employed by the same firm.
Of jewelers.. A magnificent diamond
was missed from the safe, and suspi-
cion was divided between John Day
and Henry Burdick. Burdick managed
to clear himself Of blame. but John
Day was judged guilty by his firm,
but permitted to remain with 1t and
repay the value of the missing gem.
BY denying himself of everything.
even the barest necessaries, by remain
ing unmarried and devoting himself
entirely to earning and saving money
to pay back something which he had
never taken. John Day had worked for
twenty years. And now. forty five
years old. he found himself clear Of
debt to the jewelry firm of which he
had been elected an honored member
and was taking well earned vacation
and trip around the world. 1t was
q strange coincidence that landed him
In. Tokyo few days before Henry
Burdick's death. and that brought him
into close touch with the affairs Of the
man who had deeply wronged him. for
Day had always believed Burdick
guilty
IF Burdick had that diamond and
never disposed Of 1t. and l can find no
trace Of It In any Of the markets Of
the world. then 1t is either untouched
among his possessions or else he
dropped it In midocean." unused John
Day as he completed the inventory Of
the contents of the house.
he was strongly of the opinion that
Burdick had concealed the diamond
somewhere in the house. trusting to
John Day to discover 1t and thus, in a
fashion. right the great wrong that had
been done.
The drawing room Of the house was
the most promising place. for it was
furnished In style that combined the
rich simplicity of the orient with all
the comforts of the occident.
John Day fingered long In this room
before he went into the library ad-
Joining. This room was replica Of
the other, save that the walls were
lined with bookshelves. which were
burdened with curios.
Here Henry Burdick had spent many
hours, and this was the room which
must have witnessed his remorse II he
had ever felt any for the dishonor he
had brought upon John Day.