The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-05-12
A Short Story. :.
THE SCHEMER. .
BY ROGER SPLINTER


bringing would allow her This one
l mused, regarding that covertly re-
sentful face that would have been
pretty in the pe,el-skinned way of
Japanese igrls, will be a problem 1
would have no trouble finding her
husband. or a prospective hus-
band vino would appreciate those
charms. But l certainly would have
trouble convincing her that he was
satisfactory.
Aloud | said: I'm surprised.
little that you ask me to be a
marriage broker in the first place,
Mrs. Taguchi,'
The girls mother lifted her har-
assed face and blinked at me with
tired eyes.
Our family is no longer prosper
GUS, Oda-san You're thinking in
terms of the past when we had po-
sition and money. Sachiko was a
child then and now she's grown and
we know no nice families with eli
gible sons That's why I'm here"
Sacniko was staring out of the to
little glass square in my office door
and ] noted her nice profile. 1t was
| the tiniest bit defiant . almost ar
rOgant l sensed why This girl was
of the new generation of girls of
Japan She resented any effort
made to match her with an eligible
young man. She wanted to pick
her own life partner
l could sense that any selection
and meeting l would arrange would
be a failure And then my plagu-
ing conscience wriggled and l knew
I'd try my best. Deep in my mind
pictures flicked Myself as a raw
man from the country . and Ia
guchi-san, the father of this pretty
girl guiding me, counseling me a.
though l were a brother. No
couldn't demur here. The con
science that Taguchi-san had help.
ed create wouldn't allow me. Their,
was still loyalty in my mercenar,
heart.
I exhaled with my decision, wind.
lily. II shall do my best, Mrs. Ia
guchi I think ah. 1 thin
perhaps you should talk to Sachik
49,. a little, yes?'
Understanding reflected back a
me from the tired eyes and Mrs
Taguchi nodded slightly Il hav
started
, Good l mulmured and was a
bout to escort them to the doc
, when the thought struck me Ode
how irrational thoughts dart fror
nowhere, isn't it? This was logica
+ really and l almos, smiled in Mr.
, Taguchis face. Shed have though
o me mad if l had SO l caught it an
snuffed it before it was more tina
! a convulsiYe Jremor of my throat
q phrased my question carefully. "A
o J.. 1 think you said that Sachiko
san works as a seamstreSs in la
! loring shop. where Is it?"
\ The question was innocuous .
nough. 1t had to be Sachiko woul
$ overhear, OF course. and would /
9 alert enough to my plan. At leas
o she'd discern some scheming
Mrs. Taguchi mentioned a sire,
Il in Shibuya and I thrust it into n
o 4 memory, hoping Id remember N
memory is uncertain at its best &C
yes I answered casually, as OF
would a routine pleasantly Then
ushered them to the door and mu
INJURED the usual banalitieS al
went back to my old leather chat
1 was melancholy. 1t seemed crue
ly ironical that the wife of my b
nefactor should have to come to n
with such a request.
was asked to be a marriage br
ker of sort but actually l was
lawyer. and a prosperous OF
Maybe almost as prosperous as T
guchi had been.
Suddenly she was my wife, sha
by. tired-eyed. leading my daught
into the office of a protege of mi
a gently desperate woman as
ing for an arrangement for I
daughter. My wife with evident 2
verify crying out from old mend
- clothes. My wife was dead, ant
Ia had no daughter but my imagir
ion was vivid.
sat there a long time staring
papers I should work on immedia
ly Papers I didn't really see a
then I called a familiar telephc