John Luther Long

“ But, you must be at least courteous to Jon and daddy—even when in this devil's mood. I will make you be—even if I have to beat you."
"What?" she asks, as if it wasn't possible that it was from Dave. "Did you say that you would beat me—me—you, Dave?"
And she inches up and touches him, mighty pitiful.
Dave pays no attention to the touch, but says, hard as iron:
"Yes! That is what I said."
"None of us are like ourselves any more," says Evelyn, "but none are so far from it as you, my dear, dear David. Think what you have said to me! Is it the war has set us all at each other's throats? ”

“ His eyes were closed, the sun shone in his face, and that was pale with here and here the windings of a bandage, like an aureole. Oh, how we both wept! He was so young; and we thought that we could heal him with great care! We wept. My father did the one thing which would stop our tears—brought, him here!"
"Yes—yes!" agreed Isonna.
"Now! Shall I tell him?"
"Oh, no, Lady Hoshi, no! That is a dreadful thing to do," sighed the maid.
"It is not dreadful. It is beautiful."
"But, dear, dear mistress, you must not love a man. That is what your father pays me to prevent!" ”

“ One is old and blind. Upon his pathetic face the shadow of death has passed. Another has the smile of the simple—tortured into pain by the tight-drawn lines of want. Another is young and fair—yes—still young and fair—but not red-lipped now. For these many months which might all be years they have borne together the weariness of this watching and cold and hunger. The ice hangs just above their small thatch now, and the sea is at the door. Yet more than the hunger of their bodies—more than the cold and terror—have been the hunger and 289the cold and the terror of their souls. ”

“ The world needs just such gay fellows as you, Davy, to counterbalance such as Jon and me."
"Ah, daddy," says Dave, "you're a flatterer—an arrant flatterer! I'm afraid you love me. And those we love—we never see their faults. We just—love 'em! And, I suppose, that is why love is blind. So that the faults mayn't outweigh the rest."
He turns a bit toward the voices, which are only a murmur now, as if everything was settled, and then he repeats:
"No, we never see the faults of those we love. We just love 'em! Like a sunbeam in a dark place! Well, daddy, sunbeams are welcome after bad weather. ”

“ The railway-station you would understand in one word—money. But Shiba, the wondrous, the beautiful—no money was there, nor anything but silence and awe. Grim and ancient vaults of cryptomeria, shrines whose charms of color and form intoxicate one's eyes, tombs of Japan's ancient rulers by the sword, the shoguns, temples where art has lavished itself like libations to the gods of the place, and over all the dead silence which awes one into littleness, and somehow befits the worship of Buddha, Prince of Heaven. And here too was Kito, unhallowed, unbeautiful, like a shade, haunting the beauty. ”

“ The soldier still laughed.
"The spirit of all the goddesses thrives in you!"
And he touched her gently.
"But the gods may send it to me soon—the great crimson death."
"Then," answered the little girl, "I can die the great death, too, and still be with you—if you should wish!"
"What!" laughed Shijiro, anew, "little you—gentle Yoné—in the wild glory of the conflict, with a plunge into the fires of all the hells, in the madness of carnage, with a yell frozen on your lips? Shall little you experience that arch esctasy: your death-wound spurting your own warm blood into your own face? ”

“ The orchestra, as if answering her wish, opened a waltz. She cried out and put her hands close on her ears. But even then she swayed to the rhythm, she closed her eyes, and slowly moved to the beating of the arch tempting of the violins, as if it were all part of some spell. John Rem put his arm about her waist. She raised her head a moment and looked with a gasp of ecstasy fair into his eyes, then gave him her hands.
And, so, they danced—all the night. There were—yes—other times when they sat there behind the jasmines—but, for her, the vibration—the mad ecstasy never ceased. ”

“ Look at Evelyn, Jon! How pale! Is she dying?"
"I have been looking," says Jon, more scared than Dave. "Don't you think the best thing—the one thing—we can ask Evelyn is to tell us, honestly, whether or not she is seriously ill, and whether she is sure she will get well?"
"Yes," says Dave. "For God's sake, Evelyn, tell us that—and we'll be satisfied."
"Did you ever see me happier?" asks Evelyn.
"No!" says Jon and Dave at once.
"Are people happy who think they are sick enough to die—and go away from daddy and Jon and Dave—or even be sick enough to be kept away from them a little while?" ”

“ Then with others they put the blackened, riven little body they had found, upon the pyre, and, lighting it, gave Hoshiko's ashes to the earth, her spirit to oblivion, and Arisuga's name to honor.
It began the next day. Shijiro Arisuga was in the Tokyo newspapers, upon the dead walls, and in the hoarse voices of the people. It was a story like the terrible courage of their old warriors, and they loved it. His medal was hung in a temple. And to-day there is a record of his heroism, on the brass where it can never fade—though Shijiro Arisuga lies dead, unknown, in America. ”

“ Well, the agony of revolt was short enough to please even Kito. Saigo and his gallant, fatuous band went to death at Shiroyama with the blood of their first conflict still upon their swords. And there they lie today, in the little graveyard of Jokoji, in a huge trench—all of them but Kito. For when they drew their swords for Saigo they swore never to sheathe them until he should command it—all but Kito. And when he did command it they refused, preferring to die with him—all but Kito. They sheathed them deeply in their own bodies and died. ”

“ WAR IS GLORIOUS AT THE BEGINNING BUT NOT AT THE END Then, one day, in ’61, they formed in the town a “soldier company” to go to the “front.” No one knew much about it—nor where the front was. No one doubted that it was to be a great frolic—no one but Betsy. And there, in the front rank, all together, as brothers should be, stood Betsy’s five boys. And, as if this were not enough, there was John, too! With yellow chevrons on his sleeves—and a sword at his side—brave as a lion and proud as a major-general. ”