The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-11-01
The kokuro
How Il Established Q
Mans Good Name
By CLARISSA MACKE
By CLARISSA MACKE


1T Is understood that purchase the
house as it stands now. with all of its
contents" warned John Day, as he sat
In the Office Of the japanese agent.
The Japanese bowed deferentially.
"Yes, 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
J American. whom he had kpown many
years ago in the United Sttes.
The house sat back from the street
perhaps hundred feet and was sur
rounded by a high stone wall without
| door or any other sign of entrance to
break its rough surface.
At the end of the wall was a red
lacquered gate that led into a narrow
lane bordered on either side by BAN.
boos, whose feathery tops interlaced
and formed pale green roof overhead.
| Halfway down this lane Of bambOos
was 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 bor-
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 tn his
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 Burdicks will had been q
brief one. 1t 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 BurIick were bitter enemies
and had been ever since Day had dis
covered that Henry Burdick had deep
ly wronged him in business matter
and ned to Japan. Days appearance
in Tokyo a few days before Burdick'i
death was purely accidental. and ht
did not know that Burdick was aware
Of his presence. But the hastily drawn
will and naming Of Day as an 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
b0th been employed by the same arm
Of jewelers.. A magnificent diamond
was missed from the safe, and suspi'
cion was divided between John Day
and Heary Burdick. Burdfck managed
to eieaR himself Of blame. but John
Day was judged guilty BY his frm
but permitted to remain with It 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 be hai
never taken. John Day had worked fel
twenty years. And now. forty-6vs
years old. he found himself clear oi
debt to the jewelry Arm Of which hs
had been elected an honored member
and was taking well earned vacation
and a trip around the world. II was
a strange coincidence that handed Mn
IN Tokyo a few days before Henry
Burdick's death. and that brought htn
into close touch with the Affairs sf tht
man who had deeply wToueed hin, fo1
Day had always believed BuTSiek
guilty.
'Tf Burdick had that diamond and
never disposed Of II, and I can fnd N
trace Of It In any Of the markets. ei
the world. then II n either untouched
among MS possessions Or else =.
dropped It In midosean." unused Johr
Day as be completed the inventory ei
the contents Of the house.
He was strongly Of tho opinion that
Burdlck had concealed the diamond
somewhere In the house. trusting Il
John Day to discover it and thus. IN 9
fashion. right the great wrong that had
been done.
The drawing room Of the house wa.
the most promising place. for 1t vas
furnished in a style that combined the
rich simplicity of the orient with al
the comforts Of the occident-
John Day fingered long In this room
before he went into the library ad
joining. This room was a replica oi
the other. save that the walls were
lined with bookshelves. which were
burdened with curios.
Here Henry Burdick Lad spent many
hours, and this was the room which
must have Witnessed his remorse II hs
had ever felt any for the dfshonor ht
hoA hrouUhf yynox, Iobu nav