The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-01-23
A Short Story.
O BY ROGER SPLINTER
Not far outside ri Centre in {

deep and profuse. If you take the
right side road you'll see huge
white house that stands on the sum-
init of rolling ground. This is the
home OF Anna Takata, or Anna-san
as she is affectionately known here
abouts. That's Jaanese term that
translated roughly means Anna-the
beloved and sometimes the spry.
white-haired widow is called Anna
the beloved. But. years ago. An
ma San had another name which
won't even try to approximate 1t
wasn't a pretty nor an affectionate
name.
AS a child Anna never knew her
parents Her mother died at her
birth and her father, an elderly
man, followed his wife quickly lea
wing much money. much land many
wise investments. Papa Takata had
drawn up his will carefully and lit
tie Anna was reared carefully and
efficiently and her bequeathed mo-
ney grew through the years of her
childhood.
Yes, Anna was reared we'll almost
too well, old friends of her father
and mother thought because as she
grew older. Anna drew away from
her own people. the Japanese who
had settled in the lush green valley.
They noticed the difference when
Anna, now young, pretty girl,
came home on holidays from the
fashionable schools of the East She
was aloof, carefully manicured and
couturiered with a brittle wit and
a careless cynicism
The sons and daughters of Annals
age were. we'll. they weren't the
same Their fathers and mothers
had reared them, they were child
rem OF another generation but they
were the true second generation Of
their Japanese fathers and mothers.
Not that Anna didn't make an eff
fort to mix. She did. She even
wore some of her mothers clothes
and jewelry though it irked Anna
that she couldn't find the missing
earring of a beautiful set. Anna
loved the one earring-it was one
Of the very few pieces that her mo-
ther had left her 1t was a gorge
GUS thing, this earring. cunningly
made by some skilful craftsman of
sapphires and diamonds. But. even
when she wore the one beautiful
earring. Anna-san was different
from the other second generation
sons and daughters of her own loca-
lily None of them had family je-
welry that matched the costliness of
the earring
Secretly, Anna thought of her mo-
Their as the daughter of an old aris-
tocratic family of Nippon Certain
ly the one costly earring was not
the sort of thing possessed by pea
SAINTS daughter
Then Anna graduated from col
lege and didn't bother to stop at her
home before starting on a world
tour In the quiet green valley Pa
pa Takatas old friends shook their
baadc A,,,,o u,oc MT ono of then1
They never expected to see her a
gain She would marry in some TO
reign land they told one another,
marry some brittle cynical, shallow
man. They all prepared to forget
pretty Anna Takata and then sud-
denly she was home; the old house
opened again One day, telephones
began ringing all over the valley.
Would Mr.. Shimizu come to see An
nassau? Would Mrs Oda come to-
day? And so it went everyone
was called and everyone with some
misgivings went to see Anna-san.
She greeted them all with a cor
diality that reminded the old folks
of her mother and the youngsters OF
little Anna of the vivacious, friend
ly laughter At first none was at
case. They stood in groups and
talked quietly but soon this new
Anna, this simple. friendly Anna,
thawed them all even old Mr.. Yo-
sAikun. loa--time trend cf Anna's
father was heard to remark Little
Anna Is a charming woman
Many people Of The valley wonder
ed about Anr S changed manners.
Many wondered but very few ever
knew.
Anna had determined to see the
whole world. Actually. she never
got any farther than Japan. She
met the smart set in Tokyo, OF
course and had had a social sue
cess She would have left Japan
and Tokyo the same person. If she
hadn't taken the trip to Nikko.
1t was a beautiful day, The sun
was warm and friendly and the
cherry trees had burst into sudden
bloom as if intoxic ated by the re-
surgence of spring Anna, in the
back seat of her black Cadillac,