The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-06-16
BUDDHASGI
u RosE WEILER.

sfss<Sss9@<<s<~sss -,
Nowhere in the world doe, fhe sun.
90 iis spring greeting meet uiIh such
joyous iespunse frum nature as In flr
away heauiy-aoWerei japan.
Hl, caii 10 lfe. reached Ia 80 ifs
compelling sweetness, garden in
tliai Honery isle. and ioyously ihe an-
client cherry tree in the center Of fio
garden heard. aud burst into pins-
peiaied spiendor redolent with deii-
cate perfume, w00ing bee aud butter
fy.
Under its waving branches dropped
q maiden, driicaiely lovely as fle
cherry blossoms above. Her head WAS
bowed. epery line OF her figure de-
noted detection.
lukl Wan was sad; that morning
Size Dad. after the Japanese custom.
bccn promised in marrluge by her
parents i0 a man the age of her la-
iher
only last year at this very SEASON,
She had pnlked meath 1he cherry
blossoms with an English youth. tie
prince Of her maiden dreams and
even as the SUMS can 10 sleeping na-
iure had been the can of youth ID
youth, beauty 70 beauty, love ID love
And nOw-th the agony of % am The
Injustice of iil THE uselessness u
lti For had she not heard that in
fhaf other country. where he lived.
girls married Tor love, youth mated
with youth?
Was there no appeal from parental
authority Must She submit 10 the
Inevitable?
Her soul cried ont in agony, "MHst
u be- %. Bnddha, must IL beg
Ever since those dream days when
love was AN, there had lain. carefully
hidden beneath the folds Of her kimo-
no. q tiny heari-shaped pendant fash
ioned from sapphlres and pearls. the
parting gifi OF the English youth as
he had said 10 her. 1T Is Ike tho
sky and the cherry blossoms Of Japan
Wear It until my ship sails back
again.
with one long pressure Of The locket
to her heart She clasped the memenio
90 her hand. and passed with falter-
ing steps ont Of The garden and along
d road toward the temple of Buddha.
Ascending the worn stone steps. She
made her way hesiiatingly to the altar
IN front Of the huge stone image. tim
Idly laid her cherished pendant at its
feet and fell on hands aud knees IN
application.
Then, with a Quiyering sob she hur-
riedly retraced her steps
Back IN the garden Yuki Wan threw
herself desolatoly on the soft grass
beneath the cherry tree. Presently
she turned her face toward the
patches % blue sly deeply hued as
sapp,dres showing through the riffs
~ the pink-petnled blossoms In the
broken English she had loved to use
because IL was the language Of her
youthful lover, she Whispered: "Ah,
Buddha, now you more better help
me, or maybe So wash my heart clean
from wish for love which is not for
japanese girl"
Then, gently, very gently, her eye
lids iuttered and closed, blue tints on
lyory-hued cheeks. Like a child, she
slept.
In a dream there came to Yuk Wan (
the great Buddha, no longer awesome,
but with look Of compassion and
understanding. Softly he touched her
forehead. saying 1T is welln
Yuki Wan awoke, sat up and looked I
about All was the same, yet not |
the same. A new glory seemed to
lape crepy into sky and sunshine.
"Yuh WAN came a gentle voice,
Slowly Yuki turned her head, and
there, stalwart, smiling, arms out.
stretched, stood the English boy. His 4
ship had sailed back again.