Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-07-01
BUDDHA'S GIFT
By ROSE WE'LL R.

Nowhere in the world does the Sun, in his spring greeting, meet with such joyous response from nature as in far away, beauty-dowered Japan.
 His call to life, reached in all It's compelling sweetness, garden i'll that flowery isle, and joyously the an- cient cherry tree in the center of the garden heard, and burst into pink petaled splendor, redolent with deli cate perfume, wooing bee and butter fly. | Under its waving branches dropped a maiden, delicately lovely as the cherry blossoms above. Her head was bowed, every line of her figure de- noted dejection.
 Yuki Wan was sad; that morning she had, after the Japanese custom, been promised in marriage by her parents to a man the age of her fa- ther.
 Only last year at this very season, she had walked heath the cherry blossoms with an English youth, the prince of her maiden dreams; and, even as the Suns call to sleeping na- ture, had been the call of youth to youth, beauty to beauty, love to love. And now--ah, the agony of 1t all The injustice of it! The useleSsness Of it! For had she not heard that in that other country, where he lived, girls married for love, youth mated with youth?
 Was there no appeal from parental authority? Must she submit to the inevitable?
 Her soul cried out in agony, "Must 1t be, o, Buddha, must it bel" Ever since those dream days when love was all, there had lain, carefully hidden beneath the folds of her kimo- no, a tiny, heart-shaped pendant fash toned from sapphires and pearls, the parting gift of the English youth as he had said to her: Ut is like the 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 memento in her hand, and passed with falter ing steps out of the garden and along q road toward the temple of Buddha. Ascending the worn stone steps, she made her way hesitatingly to the altar i in front of the huge stone image, tim l idly laid her cherished pendant at its I feet and fell on hands and knees in application.
 Then, with quivering sob she hur riedly retraced her steps.
 Back in the garden Yuki Wan threw herself desolately on the soft grass beneath the cherry tree. Presently she turned her face. toward the patches of blue sky, deeply hued as | sapphires showing through the rifts ] in the pink-petaled blossoms. In the l broken English she had loved to use 1 because it was the language of her youthful lover, she whispered: "Ah Buddha, now you more better helI lne, or maybe so, wash my heart clean from wish for love which is not for Japanese" girl"
 Then, gently, very gently. her eye lids fluttered and closed, blue tints OF ivory-hued cheeks. Like a child, she slept.
 In dream there came to Yuki Wan the great Buddha, no longer awesome but with look of compassion and understanding. Softly he touched her forehead, saying: Ut is well.''
 YuIi Wan awoke, sat up and looked about! All was the same, yet not the same. A new glory seemed to have crept into sky and sunshine.
 "Yuki Wan," came gentle voice l Slowly Yuki turned her head, and there. stalwart, smiling, arms out stretched, stood the English boy. His ship had sailed back again. A Different Cut Altouether.