Bloomington High School - Aepix Yearbook (Bloomington, IL)

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THE AEGIS her mouth. Nor did she relish the raw fish, but our obliging maid brought her two tiny bantam eggs to cook over the alcohol lamp. Lunch over, we went out to where coolies were waiting with our kagos. Our friend was surprised at seeing the vehicle, in which she was to ride up the mountains, resembling a large clothes basket, a pole through the handles, a roof over the pole, the sides cut away, and the ends and bottom cushioned. However, she managed to squeeze in as the rest did, the coolies lifted the poles to their shoulders, and we started off down the old Tokaido road. Hakone, our destination, was a little one-street village, full of tiny thatched houses, way up in the mountains, at one end of a large lake, with hot springs across the hills and a summer palace of the Mikado nearby, a most delightfully retired spot to spend a hot Japanese summer. We expected to row, fish, swim, tramp through nearby temple-groves, picnic, and fbest of allj to get up in the morning, and, looking out across the glittering waters of the lake to see Fujiyama, snow-capped and majestic, the pride of Japan. . Our coolies were jogging along the old road, which in this early May was already crowded with a luxuriant growth of wild flowers-top-heavy delicately tinted pink and white lilies, fragrant phlox, backed by a magnificent glow of mag- nolias and camilias and a mass of pine. A turn in the road suddenly brought to our view a party of returning coolies, with empty Ycagos, and as they stopped to talk with our men, we learned that there was a matsuri ffestivalj in the next village and tha.t by hurrying, we could see the procession as they left the village for the temple. We hastened onward and at length were richly rewarded. The whole village was on parade, banners floating, children waving huge branches of cherry and wild plum blossoms, in stately procession with their elders, the big drum beating a monotonous rumble. None stayed at home. We could still see the head of the procession where the white haired old priest led the way, some coolies from a neighboring town had returned home for the matsuri, the grandam, crippled with rheumatism, hobbled after on her crutch, a clean blue towel knotted around her head, and her blackened teeth showing through a twisted smile, a. pilgrim with his bell and staff was there, too, and Hnally all the little nurse maids of the village in gala array, their charges strapped on their backs, thc babies contentedly sucking either their thumbs or the holiday share of mikan. Fol- lowing the procession, surrounding it and mingling with it were the inevitable mongrel curs of the East. While this crowd filed by, we stayed and watched and did not continue our journey until they were left in the depths of the forest and the lone cottages were left standing in the bare sunlight, with their prim scarlet poppy beds, and the lilies on the thatched roofs nodding at us. We plunged into heavy tropical forest now, and wild scenery delighted our eyes. To the right the cliffs towered above the trees, while to the left there was a deep ravine through which a tumbling, foaming mountain rivulet ran, the little pools along its banks showing thc purple blossoms of the iris and the flaming red azaleas on its banks. All this was left behind soon, and as we still climbed, the mists began to surround. us and soon only a. few feet could be seen on either side of the road, which was now flanked by evergreens. As we made our way through 22

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THE AEGIS pay the money, but now that telegram has come! I suppose I will not have any further use for the ring. f'Why Grant, pleaded Genevieve, I always keep my word. Yes, but not to a condemned man. You said you were innocent, protested Genevieve. I ani, but they do not think soft Well, I do,', replied Genevieve, Oh, Genevieve! will you accept this then? Grant took the beautiful dia- mond ring from the box. The tears in her eyes answered as he slipped it on her finger. They were at the station now. The agent came out with the telegram and gave it to Grant. Grant controlled himself as he opened it, and read: Clayton confessed. I want you to forgive me. Come to New York, and I will employ you at a better salary, or I will send you the thousand as a gift to atone for my hasty temper. I-3IcNvr'rr. Grant Richards showed it to Genevieve 5 they danced like two children. Finally, after their rejoicing had subsided, Grant questioned: Shall we go, or stay ?,' Why, thatis for you to decide, answered Genevieve. Grant closed his eyes and saw New York, with its pleasures and its miseriesg then he opened them and saw the beautiful Californian scenery, with the spring sun shining happily down. And then he saw Genevieve, the real cause of his wanting to stay, so he said: Let us stay. Genevieve nodded, and replied, Before you tell fa.ther, Grant, you had better send a telegram to Mr. Bennett, thanking him and telling him that hc might send the thousand as a wedding present. UP TO HAKONE IN A KAGO Donornv Woon. How refreshing the mountain breeze was to us when we left the train at Kozul Hungry and tired, we made straight for the tiny tea-house a.cross the roa.d Qlabellcd for the benefit of English-speaking travellers, 'fHere lunch-time served alwaysfll for lunch and rest. We removed our shoes on the porch and were 'shown into a. cool, straw-matted inner room. A little dark-eyed maid in brilliant, parti-colored robes, soon followed, first with an immense wooden bowl scoured white and piled high with rice, and then a little tray apiece Cwhich had short legsl, and placed them before us as we sat on the Hoor. The trays contained soup in rich lacquer bowls, raw fish, salted plums, radish pickle, shoyu kind of Worcester saucej for the fish, and chopsticks. Our family was able by this time to use chopsticks, but our newly arrived friend from the States wa.s not, and her efforts were rather amusing. She made the usual mistake of taking one in each hand, but by dint of much instruction she managed them both in one hand, and carefully conveyed a few grains of the rice to 21

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THE AEGIS the mist we were startled by a wizened face peering through, and as the rest of the body appeared we saw a tiny shriveled blackened man, a charcoal burner, who had his ,hut near by. He brought us a cup of tea and we gladdened his heart by a few sen and passed on. ' We could begin to see through the mist now, to the tops of the mountains, that looked blue in the distance, and then as we got a little lower, the evergreens changed to a long avenue of eryptomeria. The road was strewn with delicate pink blossoms, and the air was so fragrant that we wondered where it came from until We saw, high up in the branches of the cryptomeria, numberless orchids which were responsible for the petals and the fragrance. The coolies were hastening to the end of their road now and as we drew nearer we could hear the temple bell and soon could see the lake. Passing under the stone Lorii fgatewayj we saw, as we passed the last bit of rough scenery, a hugh idol, Kwannon, cut from living rock out of the side of the cliff, and some peasant women with their offerings laid at her feet. She is the patron goddess of women, and is represented in many different ways, throughout Japan. The village now spread before us, in one long wavy line along the lake, and as we entered it the sun was sinking at its farther end, spreading its rays over the water and tinging the sober thatched roofs of the cottages a bright orange. The fresh woody smell from the wood-carver's cottage mingled with the orchid's frag- rance, and when we entered Hakone at sunset, Fuji brokfe from her mists to give us one glorious glimpse of promise of the coming pleasures. DICKENS AND JERRY CRUNCHER MARION AUSTIN. . Dickens, desire when he wrote A Tale of Two Cities was not to have a book of jokes nor a light romance, but a book of careful thought, deep and intricate plots and true historical events. But in order to relieve the strain on the mind of the readgr, he has put in many very humorous touches that readily appeal to one. From the time when Jerry Cruncher gallops up to the Dover mail that Friday night in November, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-iive, until we reluc- tantly leave him, going out of Paris with Miss Pross, he is the source of much amusement. He is described as having a very hoarse voice, a very spiky head and very' rusty finger-tips. Everything he says is more or less ridiculous. He has a great tendency to tangle up his sentences, especially when excited and has his own ideas about the proper pronunciation of certain words. For example, he lovingly styles his wife an aggera.wayter, and believes that the year' of our Lord is called Anna Dominoesfl named for the lady who invented that popular game. Like Sam Weller, he always pronounces uv as NW. The characters of Dickens are usually recognized by some individual attribute or action. Mr. Cruncher is always known by his spikly head, Miss Pross by her energy and her strong right arm, and Mr. Stryver by his perpetual shouldering. Thus when we are introduced to the home life of Jerry Cruncher, the first thing 23