Lucy Fitch Perkins

“ Then they came back and sat down on the top step of the porch.
"I think you've had just as good a time on your birthday as I had on mine," Take said.
"Better," said Taro.
"Taro, we are getting very old, aren't we?" Take went on.
"Yes," said Taro, "we are six now."
"What are you going to be when you are seven or eight years old and grown up?" asked Take.
"Well," said Taro, "I'm not sure, but I think I shall be either a general or a juggler," Taro said. "What are you going to be?"
"There's only one thing I can grow to be," said Take. ”

“ That's the way we want our Japanese boys to be. Their lives must be brave and strong, like the carp."
"And clean and bright like the sword, too?" Taro said.
"Yes," said his Father. "I'm glad you remember about the sword."
When the fish flags were bobbing about in the air, the Father and children went back into the house.
There were the steps in the side of the room again, just where they were when Take had her birthday. And Taro had his dolls, too. They were not like Take's. They were soldier dolls, enough for a whole army. Taro set them up in rows, as if they were marching! ”

“ A Samurai should never do a mean thing. He should keep his life clean and shining, like the sword. And he must always do what is best for Japan, whether it is best for him or not."
This was a long speech. The Twins listened with all their ears,— four of them,—but they did not quite understand it all. They understood that their Father loved the sword, and that some time it was to be Taro's, and that he must be a brave, good boy or he would not be worthy of it; and that was a good deal, after all.
"May I touch it?" Taro asked.
"You may take it in your own hands," said his Father. ”

“ Take.
"When you are grown up you will marry and live with your husband's family and serve them in every way you can," her Father answered. "You will belong to them, you see. Now, you must just be a good girl and mind your Father and Grandmother, and Mother, and your brothers."
"I'm just as old as Taro," said little Take, "and I think I know just as much. Why can't he mind me some of the time? I think it would be fair to take turns!"
"But Taro is a boy," said her Father. "That makes all the difference in the world. Japanese girls must always mind their brothers!"
"Must I mind Bot'Chan, too?" ”

“ The Twins and their Father walked on. They soon found the dolls' garden. In it were many tiny pine trees like theirs at home. There were little plum trees, and bamboos, and a tiny tea-house in it. There was a pond with a little bridge, too.
"Oh!" cried Take, "if it only had little bells on the plum trees, this would be the very garden I sang about to Bot'Chan; wouldn't it?"
She stooped down and peeped under the little trees.
"Let's play we are giants!" she said to Taro.
"Giants roar," said Taro.
"You roar," said Take. "It wouldn't be polite for a lady giant to roar!"
"Giants are different. ”

“ The nurse looked so happy and smiling that the twins knew at once there must be something very nice in the bundle, but what it was they could not guess. Taro thought, "Maybe it's a puppy." He had wanted a puppy for a long time. And Take thought, "Perhaps it's a kitten! But it looks pretty large for a kitten, and it doesn't mew. Kittens always mew." And they both thought, "Anyway, it's alive." ”

“ There are always plenty of fires for boys to see in Japan.
Taro had seen ever so many, before he was five years old, and the Twins had both felt ever so many earthquakes. They were so used to them that they didn't mind them any more than you mind a thundershower.
All of Taro's kites were kept in the Kura. The big dragon kite had a box all to itself; Take's thirty-five dolls were there, too;—but, dear me,—here I am telling you about kites and dolls, when I should be telling you about the picture of the crow, and what they did with it! ”

“ Take called to him.
"And it's no fair unless you brush your teeth hard!"
Taro didn't say anything. His toothbrush was in his mouth, and there wasn't room for words too. So he just scrubbed away as hard as he could. Then he ran back to his room and dressed so quickly that he was all done and out in the garden before Take began to put on her little kimono! You see, all Taro's clothes opened in front, and there wasn't a single button to do up; so he could do it all himself—all but the sash which tied round his waist and held everything together. ”

“ He wasn't used to such sounds from the Twins. He turned back.
"What is the matter?" he said.
He picked Take up and set her on her feet.
"We're giants," sobbed Take.
"Her head was in the clouds," said Taro.
"It is well even for giants to keep an eye on the earth when they are out walking," the Father said. "Are you hurt?"
"Yes, I'm hurt," Take said; "but I don't think I'm broken anywhere."
"Giants don't break easily at all," her Father answered. "I think you'll be all right if we go to your castle!"
"My castle!" cried Take. "Where is it?" ”

“ He was a beautiful child, with a tender, fine skin and bright eyes. He lived with his parents in a little town among the rice-fields. The fields were so wet in the spring that there were millions and millions of mosquitoes around their home. Everybody was nearly bitten to death by them. The little boy saw how miserable and unhappy his parents were from the mosquito-bites. He could not bear to see his dear parents suffer; so every night he lay naked on his mat so the mosquitoes would find his tender skin and bite him first, and spare his father and mother."
"Oh, my!" said Take. ”

“ And then, "Tum-tum-t-y-y-rum" rolled a great drum.
"Hark!" said Taro. "There go the Temple bells, and the priests are beating the sunrise drums! It's not so very early, after all."
"Now, you'll hear Grannie's stick rapping for the maids to get up," Take answered. "The Temple bells always wake her."
And at that very minute, "Rat-tat-tat" sounded Grannie's stick on the woodwork of the room where the maids slept.
In the little house in the garden where the Twins lived, there are no thick walls. There are only pretty wooden screens covered with fine white paper. ”

“ The "Kura" is a little fireproof house in the garden. You can see the corner of the roof sticking out from behind the mountain in the picture. In it Taro and Take and their Father and Mother and Grandmother keep all their greatest treasures. That is why Taro and Take were so glad to go there.
Nearly everybody in Japan has just such a safe little house in the garden. Maybe you can guess the reason why. It isn't only because of fires. It's because of earthquakes too.
Every once in a while—almost every day, in fact—the earth trembles and shakes in the Happy Islands. ”

“ The air is full of dragons and boxes and all sorts of queer shapes. Sometimes the dragons have a battle in the air!
But one day I must tell you about, anyway, and that is Taro's birthday!
It isn't only Taro's birthday, you know. All the boys celebrate together. The girls—even if they are your very own twins—don't have a thing to do with it. And it lasts five days! On the first morning Taro woke very early. He was just as excited as Take was on the day of the Festival of Dolls. But Take didn't stay in bed on Taro's birthday. ”

“ It would be impolite in Japan to call anything good that you had made yourself. It would seem like praising your own work. That was why Take called them "my poor cakes."
"I should like a cake very much," Taro said.
Take poured out the batter. She watched it carefully, to be sure it did not burn. When it was just brown enough she gave it to Taro.
Taro ate it all up. Then he said to Take, "Honorable Sister, I should like to eat six."
The Father laughed. "If you stay here to eat six cakes, we shall not see the dolls' garden," he said. "Take must have one cake for herself, and then we will go on." ”

“ Just as they were finishing their rice there came the sound of steps—Clumpity—clumpity-clump!
"Who's coming?" said Taro.
"I think it's the hairdresser," Take answered.
She ran out to see. An old woman was on the porch. She had just slipped off her clogs.
In Japan no one thinks of such a thing as wearing street shoes in the house. It would bring in dirt and soil the pretty white mats. That was why she took them off.
Take bowed to the old woman. "Oha-yo?" she said politely.
"Oha-yo?" said the old woman to Take.
The Twins' Mother heard them. She came to the door. ”

“ After dinner Grannie said, "I'm going for a little nap."
"We shall keep very quiet so as not to disturb you and Bot'Chan,"
Taro said.
When the little tables were taken away, the Mother said, "Come, my children, let us sit down beside the hibachi and get warm."
The "hibachi" is the only stove, except the cook-stove, that they have in Japanese houses. It is an open square box, made of metal, with a charcoal fire burning in it. In very cold weather each person has one to himself; but this day it was just cold enough so the Twins loved to cuddle close up to their Mother beside the big hibachi. ”

“ When it was all done, they put the garden down beside the toy house. They put Glory in the garden, beside the tiny pond.
But a horrible accident happened! Glory fell over again, and this time she fell into the pond! At least her head did. Her legs were too long to go in. She might have been drowned if Take hadn't picked her out in a hurry.
Just as Take was wiping Morning Glory's face, her Mother came in dressed for the street. She had Bot'Chan on her back. He was awake and smiling.
Take ran and squeezed his fat legs. "You are the best doll of all," she said. ”

“ And that was a great deal for Taro to say, for he had wanted a puppy for ever so many weeks.
"So would I rather have him than a puppy," the Father said; "ever so much rather."
Just then the Baby puckered up his nose, and opened his little bit of a mouth—and a great big squeal came out of it! You would never have believed that such a big squeal could possibly come out of such a little mouth. And he squirmed more than ever.
Then Natsu, the nurse, said, "There, there, little one! Come to your old Natsu, and she will carry you to Mother again." ”

“ Taro took a few rice kernels from the sleeve of his kimono—which he used as a pocket—and fed the birds from his hand. They were so tame they even picked some from his lips.
"I will feed the fish too," Take said. And she ran to the kitchen where the maids were preparing breakfast. She came back with some white rice wafers in her fingers. First she threw some tiny bits of the wafer into the water. The fish saw them and came to the surface. Then Take reached down and held the wafer in her fingers. The little fish came all about her hand and nibbled the wafer without fear. ”

“ A son of the Samurai should never complain, no matter how hard his lot."
"No, of course not," Take answered.
Before they were dressed, the Mother came into their room. "The bath-tub is ready, Taro," she said. "Hop in and get your bath early to-day, for you and Take are to begin school."
The Twins had a hot bath every day, but they usually took it before going to bed. The bath-tub was in a little room by itself. It was shaped a little like a barrel, and it had a stove set right in the side of it to heat the water. Taro went to the bathroom and climbed over the edge of the tub. ”

“ They don't have to be polite," Taro explained.
"Well, you can roar," said Take, "but I shall play I'm a polite lady giant taking a walk in my garden! My head is in the clouds, and every step I take is a mile long!"
She picked up her kimono. She turned her little nose up to the sky, and took a very long step. ”

“ Take.
"Your honorable nose was tickled so that you would wake up and hear the birds sing," said Taro. "It is much nicer than sleeping! Besides, do you remember what is going to happen to-day? We are going to take Bot'Chan to the Temple!"
A temple is something like a church, only they do not do the same things in temples that we do in our churches.
The Twins loved to go to the Temple, because they had a very good time when they went there. They liked it as much as you like Thanksgiving Day and the Fourth of July. ”

“ The hairdresser stood behind her and began to take down the
Mother's long black hair.
Bot'Chan had been awake a long time. Taro was playing with him on the floor.
The Mother called Take. "Daughter," she said, "a little nap would make our baby wide awake and happy when we start for the Temple. Would you like to put him to sleep?"
Take loved to put Bot'Chan to sleep better than anything else in the world. She took him in her arms and hugged him close. Then she swayed back and forth, and sang this little song:
"How big and beautiful Sir Baby Boy is growing. ”