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<div class='maintitle'>Our Little Japanese Cousin</div>
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<h2>The Little Cousin Series</h2>
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<tr><td align="left">Our Little Japanese Cousin</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">By Mary Hazelton Wade</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><br/>Our Little Indian Cousin</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">By Mary Hazelton Wade</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><br/>Our Little Brown Cousin</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">By Mary Hazelton Wade</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><br/>Our Little Russian Cousin</td></tr>
<tr><td align="right"><span class="smcap">By Mary Hazelton Wade</span></td></tr>
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L. C. PAGE & COMPANY,<br/>
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<div class="figcenter"><SPAN name="frontispiece"></SPAN> <ANTIMG src="images/i004.jpg" width-obs="339" height-obs="500" alt="little girl with parasol" /> <div class="caption">LOTUS BLOSSOM.</div>
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<td align="center"><h1>Our Little Japanese<br/> Cousin</h1>
<div class='center'>
By<br/>
<span class='author'>Mary Hazelton Wade</span><br/>
<br/><br/>
<i>Illustrated by</i><br/>
L. J. Bridgman<br/>
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<br/>
Boston<br/>
L. C. Page & Company<br/>
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<div class='copyright'>
<i>Copyright 1901</i><br/>
<span class="smcap">By L. C. Page & Company</span><br/>
<small>(INCORPORATED)</small><br/>
<br/>
<i>All rights reserved</i><br/>
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<b>Colonial Press:</b><br/>
Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.<br/>
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<hr class="chap" />
<h2>List of Illustrations</h2>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations">
<tr><td align="left"> </td>
<td align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Lotus Blossom</span></td>
<td align="right"><i><SPAN href="#frontispiece">Frontispiece</SPAN></i></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left">"<span class="smcap">She is soon sound asleep</span>"</td>
<td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_26">18</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Toyo Feeding the Pigeons</span></td>
<td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_11">26</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Candy Man</span></td>
<td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_33">33</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Aunt Ocho's Garden</span></td>
<td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_37">37</SPAN></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">A Lesson in Arranging Flowers</span></td>
<td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_50">50</SPAN></td>
</tr>
</table></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>Our Little Japanese Cousin</h2>
<p><span class="smcap">Lotus Blossom</span> is the dearest little girl in
the world. I beg your pardon—I mean in
the Eastern world, for she lives far away across
the Pacific, on one of the beautiful islands of
Japan.</p>
<p>Lotus Blossom is very pretty. She has a
round face, with a clear, yellow skin, and her
teeth are like little pearls. Her black hair
is cut square across the forehead and braided
behind. It is never done up in curl-papers
or twisted over a hot iron; the little girl's
mamma would think that very untidy.</p>
<p>Lotus Blossom does not smile very often,
yet she is always happy. She does not remember
crying once in her life. Why should<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</SPAN></span>
she cry? Papa and mamma are always kind
and ready to play with her. She is never
sent to bed alone in the dark, for she goes
to sleep, and gets up in the morning when
her parents do. She does not play so hard
as to get tired out and cross with everybody.
She takes everything quietly, just as the big
folks do, and is never in a hurry. Her playmates
do not say unkind words to make her
sad, for the children of Japan are taught to
be polite above everything else. Why, I
have heard that once upon a time one little
yellow boy so far forgot himself as to call a
lady bad names. His parents were terribly
shocked. They felt that they had been disgraced,
and at once sent for a policeman to go
to the lady's house and ask for their child's
pardon. As for him! well, he was severely
punished in a way you will hear about later
on in my story.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i011.jpg" width-obs="338" height-obs="500" alt="children feeding birds" /> <div class="caption">TOYO FEEDING THE PIGEONS.</div>
</div>
<p>Besides all these things which help to make<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</SPAN></span>
Lotus Blossom happy, she is dressed comfortably.
Tight, stiff shoes could never be
thought of for a minute. She wears white
stockings made of cloth, with a separate place
in each one for the big toe. In fact, they
resemble long mittens. That is all Lotus
Blossom wears on her feet in the house; but
when she goes out-doors she has pretty sandals,
if the walking is good. These sandals
have straps, which are fastened on the foot
between the big toe and around the ankle.
If the ground is muddy or covered with snow,
Lotus Blossom puts on her clogs. They are
queer things, raised high on strips of wood.
Of course one can't walk very fast on such
clumsy affairs, but the Japanese dislike getting
their feet wet as much as kittens do, and
would wear anything to prevent such a mishap.
But if Lotus Blossom stops at a house
or store while she is out walking, she is polite
enough to take off her clogs or sandals before<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</SPAN></span>
going inside. That is one reason why every
building can be kept so clean.</p>
<p>The little Japanese girl's clothes are pretty
as well as comfortable. It is not possible for
pins to prick her tender flesh, because they
are never used about her dress. In summer
she wears a silk or linen garment made very
much like your papa's dressing-gown, except
that it has immense sleeves. Beautiful scarlet
flowers are embroidered all over it, and a wide
sash is wound around her waist and tied in a
big, flat bow behind. She is very fond of
red, so she has a bow of red crape in her hair,
and a small red bag is fastened to her belt in
front. What do you suppose she carries in
the bag? Paper handkerchiefs! Not linen
ones like yours, which are washed when they
get soiled, but rather of soft, pretty paper.
As soon as each one is used it is thrown away.
Don't you think that is a very nice and cleanly
custom? Indeed, there are many things about<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</SPAN></span>
the Japanese which we might copy with profit,
for they are the cleanest people in the world.
Perhaps another reason why our little cousin
is so happy is because she is always clean.</p>
<p>Lotus Blossom carries another bag at her
belt, filled with amulets. These are charms
to keep away any evil spirits that might do
her harm. In the bag with the charms, there
is a brass plate, which tells her name and
where she lives. So if she should get lost,
her mother need not worry, for she will be
brought safely home without loss of time.
But what can be the use of such big sleeves?
When her mamma cut them, she made them
long enough to nearly reach the floor. Then
they were doubled up inside and fastened in
front so that they could serve as pockets.
How you would laugh to see Lotus Blossom
and her brother tuck away their playthings
in their big sleeves when their mother calls
them away to do something for her! It is<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</SPAN></span>
enough to make an American boy's heart fill
with envy. He may boast of six pockets,
but what of that? They could all be filled
and stowed away in one of Lotus Blossom's
sleeves, and room would be still left.</p>
<p>The little girl's life is like a long playtime.
In the first place, she lives in a sort of play-house.
There is nothing to get out of order;
no chairs in the way, no table-scarfs to pull
down, no ink-wells to tip over. There is
only one big room in the house, but there
are many beautiful paper screens, so her
mamma can divide the house just as she
pleases by moving the screens about. If
company should arrive suddenly, there need
be no question whether there is a guest-room
or not. One can be made with screens in a
moment. Even the front of the house is
made of screens, which can be closed at night,
and folded away in the morning to open up
the whole house to the fresh air and sunshine.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</SPAN></span>
There are no carpets on the floors, but instead
of these there are pretty mats made of rushes.
They are exactly alike in size, and are shaken
every morning. There are no chairs, for
Lotus Blossom's family sit on the mats or
on cushions on the floor. They cannot lean
against the walls either, for remember, there
are no walls! And if they should lean against
the screens they would tumble over.</p>
<p>The only tables are six inches high. They
are pretty and delicate, and are highly lacquered.
When Lotus Blossom has nothing
else to do, she likes to look at the pictures
on these little stands. But where are the
stoves? How do the people keep warm
in the cold winter days? And where is
all the cooking done? In the picture do
you see a little box with smoke rising from
it? It is lined with metal, and charcoal is
burned in it. All the food is prepared over
these little fire-boxes. If any one is cold, he<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</SPAN></span>
has only to get a fire-box, light some charcoal,
and sit down beside it. And when Lotus
Blossom goes to breakfast, she has a fire-box
beside the lacquered table, so that water for
her tea can be kept hot.</p>
<p>Tea! you say. That little girl, nine years
old, drinking tea? Yes, we have to admit
that the Japanese child drinks tea at a very
early age; and with no milk or sugar, either.
But then the cups are so tiny they do not
hold much. They are no bigger than those
in a doll's china set. How quickly the little
tea-table is set at meal times. Each member
of the family has one all to himself. There
is no table-cloth, no knife, or fork, or spoon;
instead of these one sees a pair of chop-sticks,
a small cup and saucer, and a plate from
which he eats the steaming rice and the
minced fish. But suppose that the tea or
rice should be spilled on the beautiful table?
Please don't imagine such a thing. Japanese<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</SPAN></span>
children are too carefully trained by their
kind mammas to be so careless. They handle
their chop-sticks so daintily that no grain of
rice nor bit of fish falls as they lift the food
to their pretty mouths.</p>
<p>Where does our little Japanese cousin sleep
in this funny house? There are no bedsteads,
or mattresses, or blankets, or sheets. When
bedtime comes, her papa and mamma move
the screens around so as to shut themselves
off from the rest of the house. Then they
go to a cupboard and take down some wadded
quilts and queer wooden blocks, whose tops
are slightly curved. A quilt is spread on the
floor, and a wooden block serves as a pillow.
Some paper is laid on it so that it may be
kept clean. And now, you think, Lotus
Blossom may get into her bed after she has
undressed and put on her night-dress. Not
so, however. She must bathe in a tub of
such hot water that it would turn your body<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</SPAN></span>
very red, if you were only to hop in and out
again. The whole family bathe in the same
tub of water, one after the other, and it is kept
hot by a tube which runs to a fire-box. The
little girl puts on her day-dress after her bath
is finished, and, lying down on the quilt, she
rests her head on the hard pillow. Mamma
covers her with another quilt, and she is soon
sound asleep.</p>
<p>When Lotus Blossom was two years old
her brother Toyo was born. How the family
rejoiced at having a little son! When he was
only seven days old a very important ceremony
was performed. He had to receive a
name. His papa, who believes in the religion
of Shintoism, fully wrote out five of his favourite
names on pieces of paper. Then he
took his baby in his arms, and, carrying the
papers, he went to the temple where he worshipped.
The papers were handed to the
priest, who placed them in a bowl. After<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</SPAN></span>
some ceremony, the priest began to fish in
the bowl with a sacred wand. The first paper
he lifted out bore the name of Toyo. This
was the way that Lotus Blossom's little
brother received his name. When he was
about four weeks old he was again carried to
the temple by his father and nurse. The
Japanese believe in one great power, or god,
but under him there are many others; as, a
god of flowers, a god of art, and so forth.
This time he was put under the care of his
special god, who was then expected to protect
him for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>All this time Toyo's head was kept perfectly
smooth. In fact, his first visit to the
barber was very important, for all his hair was
shaved off then except a little fringe at the
back and sides. When he was four months
old another important ceremony was held.
Toyo left off baby clothes and was given his
first solid food. That was rice, of course,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</SPAN></span>
which he would continue to eat at every meal
for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>Toyo and Lotus Blossom are always happy
together. His sister was the first one to help
Toyo squat on his little heels. Japanese
babies never creep. The little brother had
no baby-carriage or cradle, but he never
missed them. He was always such a happy
little fellow; never perched up in a high-chair
with his body fastened in by a wooden tray,
but always moving around, sometimes on the
floor, sometimes fastened on mamma's or
nurse's back, again on the older children's
backs, when Lotus Blossom was out playing
in the garden with them. When he got tired
he would simply go to sleep, while the children
would keep on with their play. But
when he woke up, he would look about with
a dear little smile, as much as to say: "I'm
all right, thank you, don't fret about me."</p>
<p>It was a most important time when he cut<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</SPAN></span>
the first tooth, and not only that, but the
second and the third,—in fact, every tooth
in turn had its arrival celebrated. A poem
about each one was written by his loving papa,
and a little festival was held in the home.
Such happy, childlike people are the Japanese!
They are ready to enjoy everything. Even
the funerals are cheerful, and have nothing sad
and dreary about them. Why should they,
when the people believe that they always will
live, and that they will come back to earth
again to enjoy the beautiful fields and flowers
and sunshine in new bodies?</p>
<p>Almost the first words that Toyo learned
to speak were, "Thank you," and "If you
please." Don't think for a moment that he
ever did such a rude thing in his life as to
answer "no" or "yes" without some very
polite expression with it. For instance, if his
mamma asked him a question, he would answer
with his baby lips, "No, thank you,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</SPAN></span>
most admirable mother," or, "If you please,
my adorable, honoured parent," at the same
time bowing his little body over till his
head reached the ground. Why! he and
Lotus Blossom are taught to speak respectfully
even of the potatoes or the dishes or
the table. For example, they say, "the
highly respected cup," etc. Isn't it funny?
But, after all, isn't it nice, too, to act
kindly toward every one and everything in
the world?</p>
<p>If her little brother should step on Lotus
Blossom's doll and break its arm, what would
she do? Give him a slap and say, "Oh, you
bad, bad boy?" By no means. A slap is
unknown in her land. The little woman
would not even let herself look cross or unhappy,
while Toyo would spend five minutes
in telling her how unutterably sad and broken-hearted
he was made by his cruel, ungentlemanly
carelessness. And then, to make them<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</SPAN></span>
forget all about it, mamma would bring a new
doll from the cupboard.</p>
<p>But perhaps Lotus Blossom is tired of
playthings, so she and Toyo run out in the
garden to have a frolic with their pets. They
have new ones nearly every day, for they are
fond of every creature that is alive. To-day
they are going to hunt for some big beetles,
as Toyo has planned a little carriage which
he will make out of paper, with pasteboard
wheels and reins of silk thread for the paper
doll. The beetles will be harnessed, and the
children will train them to draw the carriage.
Jolly fun! The whole afternoon is spent in
finding some black beauties and playing with
them.</p>
<p>Another day the children will catch some
grasshoppers and tame them. Toyo will
make a pretty paper cage to hold them, while
both he and Lotus Blossom will be very careful
to feed them regularly on the dainties<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</SPAN></span>
they like best. When night comes the turtles
must be looked after and fed, for Toyo has
some beauties. He likes to fasten a string
through the shell and take them walking, just
as his American cousins do, but he would not
willingly torture them.</p>
<p>Lotus Blossom has a globe full of gold-fish
different from any you have ever seen. Their
tails are fan-shaped, and are as long as their
bodies. During the long summer days the
globe of fish is set out on the broad balcony,
and many children stop to watch them as they
pass. Toyo loves his little dog more than
all his other pets. He is the dearest little
fellow, and wishes to follow his young master
wherever he goes. He looks somewhat like
a spaniel, except that he is white. His nose
is turned up at the end, so that he looks all
the time as if he would say, "Humph! I
am very wise. You poor people don't know
much." And he looks all this in such a<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</SPAN></span>
way as to make you wish to laugh. Toyo's
mamma has made a big scarlet ruff for the
dog's neck, and it makes him feel very fine,
I dare say. His master has fastened a wooden
label on his collar to tell where he belongs.</p>
<p>I know you will be disappointed when you
learn that Lotus Blossom's dear little kitten
cannot play with her tail. No fun for her,
poor kitty, you are thinking. But why is it?
Because she <em>has</em> no tail, or at least only the
stub of one. So of course she is quite calm
and solemn—that is, for a kitten. But then
she lives in Japan, and so she ought to be
more dignified than kittens of other lands.
Don't you think so?</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i021.jpg" width-obs="348" height-obs="500" alt="Girl asleep on floor" /> <div class="caption">"SHE IS SOON SOUND ASLEEP."</div>
</div>
<p>We must leave all these pets now and go
to church, or rather to the temple, with Toyo,
Lotus Blossom, and their parents. There is
no set day for worship, for there is no such
thing as Sunday in Japan. The temples are
always open, and the children are fond of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</SPAN></span>
going to them to offer prayers, and also to
have a good time. As they near the temple
they see stands of sweetmeats and good things
of all kinds. The way is lined on both sides
with these stands. Great numbers of people,
rich and poor, high and low, are coming and
going. Pigeons are flying in and out of the
sacred building, and no one harms them.
Toyo stops and buys a yen's worth of corn
and scatters it for the birds to eat. They
flock around him without fear. They are so
tame that the children could catch them with
no difficulty. But Lotus Blossom and Toyo
pass on to the entrance, and, bowing low, take
off their clogs.</p>
<p>The inside of the building is almost bare.
There are no statues of gods or goddesses,
no ornaments,—nothing except an altar with
some queer sticks standing upon it. Festoons
of white paper hang from these wands, or
"gohei," as the Japanese call them. A priest<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</SPAN></span>
stands behind the altar, and a large cloth is
spread out on the floor in front of it. Lotus
Blossom and Toyo clap their hands. This
is to call the attention of the gods. Then
they say a little prayer and throw some money
upon the cloth. If they are very good and
devout children, perhaps the gods will descend
into the temple. The queer papers on the
wands are to be the clothing of these great
beings. No images are needed, you see, only
plenty of paper. Rather hard to understand
this, and yet all that is necessary for Toyo
and Lotus Blossom is to worship their ancestors
properly, and believe that the great spirits
are working everywhere in nature. This is
the reason they are taught to obey their
parents at all times, and never to harm anything
living. The children are also taught to
believe that the Mikado, the Emperor of
Japan, is descended from god-kings who once
ruled over the country. This is why such<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</SPAN></span>
great honour is paid him wherever he goes.
Until a few years ago the people thought him
so sacred that they ought not to look at
him, so he was obliged to stay inside his
beautiful palace like a prisoner. But times
have changed, and his subjects have a little
more common sense nowadays.</p>
<p>After our little cousins have said their
prayers and given their money, they go to a
dance-hall in another part of the temple. You
know by this time that the Japanese like to
enjoy themselves. But isn't it a strange idea
to have dancing, praying, and feasting in the
same place? The dancers are dressed like
butterflies. They have beautiful red and gold
wings. They are very graceful, but the music
is unpleasant to us. Toyo thinks it is fine,
and wishes he could play as well.</p>
<p>Now for a good dinner in the restaurant in
the next hall, for the boy's father has promised
to treat his family to all the dainties of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</SPAN></span>
the season,—candied lotus-leaves, and everything
they like best. It is a happy day, and
the children wish they could go to the temple
oftener.</p>
<p>One morning not long after this, poor little
Lotus Blossom woke up with a bad pain in
her stomach. Her face and hands were hot.
She was not able to get up and go to school.
Mamma felt very sad, and at once sent to ask
the priest for something to make her little
daughter well. You say at once, "Is the
priest in Japan a doctor? And will he prepare
medicine marked in some such way as this:
'One teaspoonful to be taken each hour?'"
No, indeed. Lotus Blossom's mamma received
from her queer physician two "moxas,"
with orders that one of them should be placed
on the back of the sick child, and the other
on her foot. The direction of the priest was
followed, although it made Lotus Blossom
very unhappy. I think you would not like<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</SPAN></span>
it, if you were in her place, for a moxa makes
a burn far worse than a mustard plaster does.
You know the punk that you use on the
Fourth of July to light your firecrackers and
fireworks? The moxas are made of a certain
kind of pith, and burn slowly just as the
punk does. The Japanese believe in the use
of moxas for many things,—bad children,
sickness, and I can't tell you what else. The
impolite boy I told you about, at the beginning
of the story, was burned with a moxa,
in such a way that he never forgot himself
again. As for fevers, why, the moxa is certain
to drive away the bad spirits that cause
them.</p>
<p>No doubt you wonder at it, as I do myself,
but Lotus Blossom got well enough in two
or three days to sit up and be dressed. But
she did not care for her dolls or games; she
felt tired all the time. Her loving and most
honoured father said a change of air would<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</SPAN></span>
do her good. It would be well for her to
spend some days at the house of an aunt
who lived several miles out in the country.
Toyo was allowed to go, too. How were
they to get there? In steam or electric cars?
What can you be thinking of to ask such
questions? Two jinrikishas were brought
to the door; one was for Lotus Blossom and
one for her brother. Strong men were hired
to draw them. I wonder if you ever saw
anything like a jin-riki-sha, or man-power-carriage,
for that is what the word means. They
are very comfortable, much like baby-carriages,
and are lined with soft cushions. The
men look strong and kind. They are nearly
naked, so that they can run easily and rapidly.</p>
<p>It will take only an hour to carry the
children to their aunt's, if they do not stop
on the way. But there are so many things
to see to-day that Lotus Blossom forgets all
about her sickness and burns, and wants her<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</SPAN></span>
runners to stop every few minutes to rest.
The children spend at least five minutes bidding
their mother a proper good-bye. Then,
at the word, off they go, down "Dog" Street
into "Turtle" Street. There are no sidewalks,
but they are not needed, for horses
and wagons are rarely seen.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i037.jpg" width-obs="342" height-obs="500" alt="man sitting by candy cart" /> <div class="caption">THE CANDY MAN.</div>
</div>
<p>But look! Here is a man standing in the
middle of the street, dancing and singing a
funny song. The sober Japanese who are
passing stop and laugh. The man has a little
stand by his side, and on this stand are a
dish of wheat-gluten and a bamboo reed. As
Lotus Blossom and Toyo draw near, the man
ends his song and calls out, "Now who wants
me to blow him a candy dog? Or shall it
be a monkey eating a nut? You, my most
honoured little lady, want one surely."</p>
<p>This he said to Lotus Blossom, who was
sitting up straight in the jinrikisha, full of
interest. She thought a moment or two, and<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</SPAN></span>
then asked for a stork with wings spread out
to fly. She had hardly stopped speaking before
the man seized a bamboo reed, dipped
it in the sticky paste, and blowing now this
way, now that, fashioned the graceful bird.
Pinching it here and there to make it more
perfect, he put on some touches of colour
from a box of paints. It was wonderfully
done. Lotus Blossom gave him five yen for
the candy toy, the runners took hold of the
jinrikisha, and away the children went on
their journey.</p>
<p>They came soon to another crowd of boys
and girls gathered about a batter-cake man.
He had a little stand on which a pan of charcoal
was burning. A large griddle rested over
the coal, and a tiny little urchin was standing
on his tiptoes and baking cakes. The man cut
them out for him in pretty shapes. See the
pleasure on the youngster's face! All this fun
for ten yen, or one cent. The other children<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</SPAN></span>
watch him in envy. As Toyo and Lotus
Blossom draw near, the jinrikisha men make
a place for them in the crowd, and Toyo
jumps out to get a lunch. He has the next
turn, and so he asks the pleasant-faced man
to cut his batter-cakes in the shape of turtles.
Lotus Blossom does not wish any, but lies
back in her easy carriage under her pretty
sunshade, and watches Toyo cook and eat
them. Umbrellas and sunshades are of the
same material in Japan. They are made of
several layers of tough, strong paper, and
will last a long time. When they are worn
out, they are thrown away just as the paper
handkerchiefs are, and new ones are bought
for a very small sum of money. In stormy
weather Lotus Blossom and Toyo not only
carry umbrellas, but wear long capes of oiled
paper to keep off the rain, while very poor
people have coats made of grasses. Funny
looking things these are! If you should see<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</SPAN></span>
a man with one of them over his shoulders,
and a queer mushroom-shaped hat on his
head, you would feel like laughing, I know,—that
is, if you had not already acquired some
of the politeness of the Japanese themselves.</p>
<p>But let us return to Turtle Street and find
out what is now attracting the attentions of
our little cousins. Would you believe it?
They can't be in very much of a hurry to get
to aunty's, for they have stopped again. You
would also stop if you saw what they do. A
travelling street show is entertaining numbers
of men, women, and children. Babies
are on the backs of some of them, laughing
and crowing, too. See that clever fellow
in the middle. He is making butterflies of
coloured paper and blowing them up into the
air. He keeps them flying about, now in one
direction, now in another, by waving his fan.
It seems as though they must be alive, he
does this so cleverly. That yellow butterfly<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</SPAN></span>
is made to alight on a baby's hand. Hear
the little fellow crow with delight. Another
flies over Lotus Blossom's jinrikisha, and
then, by the dexterous waving of the showman's
fan, goes off in another direction before
she can catch it.</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i043.jpg" width-obs="341" height-obs="500" alt="pond with lilies and pagoda" /> <div class="caption">AUNT OCHO'S GARDEN.</div>
</div>
<p>After the butterfly show another man performs
some wonderful tricks with a ladder.
He places the ladder upright on the ground
without any support; he climbs it, rung by
rung, keeping its balance all the time. Finally
he reaches the very top and stands on one
foot, bowing and gracefully waving a fan.
There is not time to tell you all the wonderful
feats of the Japanese. Toyo and Lotus Blossom
are delighted, although they have seen
performances like these many times before.</p>
<p>But they must really hasten on their journey,
for aunty will be expecting them, and it
will soon be sunset. In a few moments they
leave the city behind and are out in the beautiful<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</SPAN></span>
country. They pass tea plantations. The
glossy green leaves are almost ready to pick.
See the man in that field, running wildly
about, making hideous noises. Is he crazy?
Our little cousins do not seem disturbed as
they pass by, for he is only a hired scarecrow.
You remember that the people in Japan think
it wrong to kill any living thing. But there are
great numbers of birds in the country which
are likely to eat the crops and do much damage.
So men are hired to act as scarecrows
and make noises to frighten the birds away.</p>
<p>At last Uncle Oto's rice plantation is
reached. The children draw up in front of
a large, low house with wide verandas. It is
more beautiful than their own home. The
roof is magnificent with carvings, and must
have cost a great deal of money. It is the
pride of Aunt Ocho. The gardens contain
the choicest plants and trees, besides a pond
and an artificial waterfall. Lotus Blossom and<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</SPAN></span>
Toyo are sure of a good time and much fun.
They will have a great deal to tell their
mamma when they return to their home.</p>
<hr class="tb" />
<p>Time passes by. The children have been
back in their own home a long time. They
are now looking forward to New Year's day.
Everything is excitement about the house.
Mamma has hired an extra servant to help
clean the house from right to left; not from
top to bottom, as we say, for there are no
stairways or rooms overhead. Everything is
on one floor, remember. The screens are
carefully wiped, the mats receive an extra
shaking, and then mamma brings out her
choicest vase from the storehouse and places
it on a beautiful, ebony stand in the place of
honour. The Japanese are not at all like us.
They are so simple in their tastes, and love
beautiful things so much, that they have only
one or two pieces, at the most, on view at a<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</SPAN></span>
time. They think they can enjoy them more
fully in this way.</p>
<p>The most honoured father orders some
workmen to come and set up some tall pine
branches in front of the gateway. One is of
black, the other of red pine, and tall bamboo
reeds are placed beside them. A grass rope
is stretched from one reed to the other, and
some funny strips of white paper are hung on
it. You saw many of these papers at the
temple where the children worship. This
work is very important to the childlike people.
They think that the rope, with papers fastened
to it, will keep away all the evil spirits that
are ever ready to spoil the happiness of human
beings. They are demons, who take the shape
of foxes, badgers, and wolves, and are frightful
enough to the imagination of Lotus Blossom
and her brother. Of course, the children are
glad that the evil spirits are to be surely kept
away.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Other things are hung on the rope for good
luck. There is a piece of charcoal and some
seaweed, and a "lucky bag" filled with chestnuts,
a bit of herring and some dried fruit.
All these things will make the gods understand
they are not forgotten.</p>
<p>The day before New Year's some men
come to the house with an oven and proceed
to make the grand New Year's cake. It
must not be eaten, however, until the 11th of
January. The children stand around and
watch the men pound the sticky rice-paste
with a heavy mallet. At last it is smooth
enough, and then it is cut into rounds and
built up into a pyramid. I hear you say,
"Well, I'd rather have my mother's plum-cake,
any time." But not so with Lotus
Blossom and Toyo. They watch their
mother anxiously as she places it with great
care on a lacquered stand, to remain until
the time comes to eat it.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Now they are allowed to put on their clogs
and go to buy the "harvest ship," which they
will hang up in the house instead of the holly
and evergreens you like to see at Christmas
time. The Japanese believe that on New
Year's eve a wonderful ship comes sailing into
port. Of course, it is sent by the gods. No
one has ever really seen it. That does not
matter; there are pictures of it, nevertheless,
and no New Year's decorations are complete
without a miniature harvest ship. The shops
are as full of them as our markets are of evergreen
trees at Christmas time. They are
made of grasses and trimmed with gaily coloured
papers. The selection of this ship is
a very exciting event, not only for Lotus
Blossom and Toyo, but also for their mother.
How anxiously they look at one after another
as the shopkeeper shows them. Finally one
is chosen that suits the children's mother as
to price and beauty. But the shopping is by<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</SPAN></span>
no means ended, for presents must be bought
for friends and playmates.</p>
<p>And now, children of America, please don't
get envious of all the pretty things which your
cousins can buy for a few pennies. Lotus
Blossom and Toyo have been saving money
for a long time. Each has a number of square
copper coins strung on a string. They are
not like our pennies, for they are larger and
thinner, and each one has a square hole in
the centre. Ten of these are equal in value
to one of our cents, and there are many pretty
things that Japanese children can buy for a
yen, as this piece of money is called. Such
pretty picture-books made of the lovely Japanese
paper! Dolls that are dressed in the
same fashion as the two children, only the
dresses are of paper; pictures of the Japanese
gods and goddesses; games and tops and candies.
At length the shopping is over and the
last yen has been spent. The family are glad<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</SPAN></span>
to go home and take a hot bath and nap, for
they are very tired.</p>
<p>On New Year's morning Lotus Blossom
and her brother receive their own presents, and
although they do not shout and jump up and
down as you do when you are very happy,
they are much pleased. Toyo has a drum,
some lovely books and a new game of battledore
and shuttlecock, which is the game of all
games to be played at New Year's. The
shuttlecock is a large gilded seed with feathers
stuck all around it; the battledore is a bat, flat
on one side to strike with, while the other side
has a raised figure of a beautiful dancing-girl.
Lotus Blossom has, among other things, a doll
which her mother has dressed in flowered silk,
and a set of lacquered drawers in which to
keep her ornaments. But the greatest surprise
to the children is a white rabbit. These little
creatures are the dearest of all pets in Japan,
because they are so rare. It cost the loving<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</SPAN></span>
father several dollars, but he is more than
repaid by his children's delight.</p>
<p>Lotus Blossom's mamma has spent many
weeks in embroidering gowns for each member
of the family. They are of silk, and are worn
for the first time on New Year's day. This
good mamma has had her hair arranged for the
grand occasion with the greatest of care. You
would hardly believe it, but the hair-dresser
spent hours upon it, rolling it up in wonderful
shapes, sticking it in place with a kind of paste,
and fastening many ornaments in it. It was
done two days ago, and you may be sure that
the Japanese lady placed her head very carefully
on the pillow every night so that nothing
should disarrange it. She has had her teeth
blackened afresh for the greatest holiday of
the year, while both she and her little daughter
paint their necks and faces white and their
cheeks red before their toilets are finished.</p>
<p>I believe I have not yet told you that the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</SPAN></span>
pretty Japanese women spoil their good looks
as soon as they are married by colouring their
teeth black! Isn't it a shame? I'm glad we
don't have this custom in our country, aren't
you?</p>
<p>And now the New Year's calls begin.
What a bowing and bending! Men, women,
and children are all calling and lavishing
many-worded compliments on each other.
Refreshments are passed, and then there is a
"show" to amuse everybody. Some men
have been hired to come to the house. They
dance and sing many songs. After this comes
the funny part of the entertainment. One
man puts on a mask and makes believe he is
an animal. He rolls around on the floor at
the ladies' feet, makes queer noises, and everybody
laughs and is delighted. The big folks
like it as much as the children. Perhaps the
funny man will now put on two masks and
represent different things at the same time,—on<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</SPAN></span>
one side he will look like a dancing-girl,
while on the other he will appear as some
strange beast. He will change about rapidly,
and keep the company watching him with
excited interest.</p>
<p>Night comes to very tired and happy
people, but it does not end the fun by any
means. Lotus Blossom's papa will not do
any business for a week at least, and there
will be new pleasures each day that he is at
home with his wife and children. After the
festival is over, the family settle down to
their daily work until the coming of another
holiday.</p>
<p>The children go to school again, but that
does not trouble them. They love their
teacher and try to please him. The school
is closed at noon. Lotus Blossom and Toyo
start out every morning with little satchels
over their backs. In these they carry their
books, a cake of India ink, and a paint-brush.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</SPAN></span>
When they arrive at their schoolroom, they
are met by a quiet, kindly man with big
glasses over his eyes. The children instantly
bow down to the ground before him, for he
is their teacher. Of course the low bow is to
show great respect. Japanese children are
taught to treat their instructors, as well as
their parents, with honour and regard.</p>
<p>And now they enter the schoolroom. But
what a schoolroom! No desks, no platform,
no seats! The teacher sits down upon a mat
with a small lacquered stand beside him. The
children squat on the floor around him and
begin to study. What queer letters in the
books! You would not be able to read one
word. Lotus Blossom and Toyo have already
learned their alphabets. You smile, perhaps,
and think, "H'm! that isn't much." Well,
just wait till I tell you there are forty-seven
different characters in one alphabet, while in
another there are several times as many. The<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</SPAN></span>
easy alphabet is the only one that girls must
know, while boys learn both. But Lotus
Blossom is a very bright child, so she studies
the more difficult characters as well.</p>
<p>Japanese books are printed very differently
from ours. The lines run up and down the
page, and keep the eyes of the reader busily
moving. The children don't have many
examples to perform, for the Japanese do not
consider arithmetic so important as Americans
do. Do you sigh now, and wish you
could get your education in that far-away land
where long division is not a daily trial? But
wait till I tell you about the writing, or rather
painting, lessons. You will certainly be envious.
When the schoolmaster gives the
signal, the children take the brushes and the
cakes of India ink from their satchels. They
mix a little of the ink with water, and then
are ready to paint their words on the beautiful
paper made in their country. Many people<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</SPAN></span>
think that the Japanese are such fine artists
because their hands are trained to use the
brush from the time they are babies.</p>
<p>It would make you laugh if I should tell
you how the teacher directs the children to
write letters to their friends. They must begin
by writing something very poetical about the
weather. They must then compose some
very flowery compliments to the friend who
is addressed; a sheet or two, at least, must be
used in this way before they are allowed to
tell the news, etc. But throughout the letter,
as in fact in all conversations, Lotus Blossom
and Toyo are taught to speak of themselves
as very mean and humble creatures.</p>
<p>Their kind school-teacher ends the morning
lessons with proverbs. You know what these
are, of course, but the ones which our Japanese
cousins learn are especially about duty to their
parents, and kindness to all living creatures.
It would be a great sin for Toyo to tease<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</SPAN></span>
the cat or kill a fly. His parents would be
shocked beyond expression.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i059.jpg" width-obs="342" height-obs="500" alt="little girl and woman on floor with vase of flowers between them" /> <div class="caption">A LESSON IN ARRANGING FLOWERS.</div>
</div>
<p>"How about punishment in the Japanese
school?" I hear a little boy ask. My dear
child, it is hardly ever needed, but when it
does come, it is not being kept after school;
it is not a whipping. The child is burned!
The teacher takes a moxa, which I told you
is a kind of pith, and sticks it on the naughty
child's hand. He then sets the moxa on fire
to burn slowly. It is a long, sad punishment
for any one who is so bad as to deserve it.
It does not need to be given every day.
Lotus Blossom and Toyo, as well as their
little schoolmates, are very attentive to their
work, and try their hardest to please the
teacher.</p>
<p>When school is done, what will the children
do throughout the long afternoon? Lotus
Blossom must work a certain time in embroidery,
and take a short lesson with her mamma<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</SPAN></span>
in arranging flowers. Why, there are whole
books on this subject in Japan. The people
are very fond of flowers, and study how to
arrange them in the most graceful manner.
They would never think of bunching many
together without their leaves in an ugly bouquet,
nor would they dream of cruelly twisting
wires around their poor little stems. In
Japan it is thought an art to know how to
place one spray in a vase in such a way as
to show all its beauty.</p>
<p>While his sister is doing her work, Toyo is
practising on his koto. This is a musical instrument
of which the Japanese are very fond.
It looks much like a harp. Toyo strikes the
strings with pieces of ivory fastened on his
finger-tips. Listen! Do you call those
sounds music? It is enough to set one's
teeth on edge. Yet Toyo's music-teacher
says that he is doing finely and shows great
talent. If that is so, I fear we would not<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</SPAN></span>
care to go to many concerts in Japan, for the
Japanese idea of music is very different from
ours.</p>
<p>Hurrah! The children are now ready for
play, and there are so many nice things to do.
If it is winter and there is snow on the ground,
Lotus Blossom and Toyo gather together with
their little friends to make a snow man. Not
an Irish gentleman with a pipe in his mouth,
such as you like to build, but a figure of
Daruma, who was a disciple of Buddha. It
is easy to make this, for it is believed that
Daruma lost his legs from sitting too long in
one position. So the snow man has no legs.
When it is made, the children knock it down
with snow-balls, just as you do.</p>
<p>Spring comes, and with it, tops, and kites,
and stilts. The stilts are very high, and Toyo
puts his toes through parts of the wooden
lifts. He and the other boys run races and
even play games on stilts, and think it great<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</SPAN></span>
fun. But the kites! Yours are just babies
beside them. Some of them are so large
that it takes two men to sail them. In
fact, grown-up people, in Japan, seem as
fond of kite-flying as the children. Many
of these toys have neither tails nor bobs. You
wonder how they manage to get up in the
air at all, till you see that the strings are pulled
in such a way as to raise them. They are of
all shapes. The boys sometimes play a game
with their kites. They dip the strings in glue
and afterward in powdered glass; then they
run with the kites and try to cross each other's
strings and cut them. The boy who succeeds
wins the other's kite. Toyo lost his the other
day, and what do you think he did? Pout, or
exclaim, as you sometimes do, "I don't care,
that isn't fair?" By no means! He made
three beautiful bows and gave up his kite
with a polite smile. Maybe he did not feel
any happier about it than you would, for it<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</SPAN></span>
was a fine new one, but he wouldn't show his
grief, at any rate.</p>
<p>Toyo sometimes wrestles with the other
boys, but they are not rough and noisy
about it. They wrestle gently, if you can
imagine such a thing. They have often
seen the trained wrestlers at the shows;
such big, fat men. They must weigh at
least three hundred pounds. The fat fairly
hangs upon them. The Japanese people are
generally slim and rather small, but if a man
is going to train himself to be a wrestler, he
eats everything that will help to make him
fat. I should think they could not get hurt,
for they look as though they were cushioned
in fat.</p>
<p>The boys of Japan have marbles and tops,
just as you do; in fact, nearly all the games
which you like best were played by your far-away
cousins long before there was a white
child on this great continent of ours. "Blind<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</SPAN></span>
man's buff," "Hide the thimble," and "Puss
in the corner," are great favourites with the
Japanese. Instead of hiding the thimble,
however, they use a slipper, and instead of
puss in the corner, they play that it is the
devil. You must not forgot that the Japanese
believe there are many devils, or bad spirits, as
well as good ones who are ready to help.
They even think of them in their games.</p>
<p>How many holidays have we in a whole
year? Stop and count. Not a great number,
we must admit. Lotus Blossom and Toyo
have so many that they can count on their
fingers the number of days between any two
of them. Next best to New Year's, our little
girl cousin likes the Feast of Dolls. It
comes on the third day of the third month.
At that time the stores are filled with dolls,—big
dolls, little dolls, dolls dressed like
princesses with flounced silk gowns, dolls
made up as servants, as dancing-girls, and<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</SPAN></span>
dolls the very image of the Mikado, the ruler
of Japan,—nothing but dolls and dolls' furniture.
When the great day arrives, Lotus
Blossom's mamma makes a throne in the
house. She brings out the two dolls that
she herself received when she was born, besides
those of her mother and grandmother
and great-grandmother! They have been
carefully packed away in soft papers in the
family storehouse. What a sight they are,
with all the new ones that have been bought
for Lotus Blossom. The Mikado doll is
first placed on his throne, surrounded by his
court, and then the soldiers and dancers and
working people are made to stand at either
side. They are dressed in the proper clothing
that belongs to their position. But this
grand array is not all. There are all kinds
of doll's furniture, too,—little tables only
four inches high, with dolls' tea-sets, the
tiniest, prettiest china dishes. There are the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</SPAN></span>
wadded silk quilts for the dolls to sleep on,
and wooden pillows on which the doll-heads
can rest. Yes, there are dolls' fans, and even
dolls' games.</p>
<p>On this great occasion there is a dinner-party
for the whole family of dolls. Lotus
Blossom and her little friends, as well as her
father and mother, are quite busy serving their
guests with rice, fish, soup, and all kinds of
sweet dainties. Somehow or other, all these
nice things are eaten. What wonderful dolls
they have in Japan, don't they?</p>
<p>Toyo enjoys the day as well as Lotus
Blossom, but still he is looking forward to
the fifth of May. That will be his favourite
time of all the year. By that time the girls'
dolls will be put away, and the stores will be
filled with boys' playthings,—soldiers, tents,
armour, etc. Toyo's father will place a tall
bamboo pole in front of the house, and hang
an immense paper fish on the top of it. The<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</SPAN></span>
fish's mouth will be wide open, so that the air
will fill his big body. At some of the other
houses there will be a banner instead of a fish.
There are figures of great warriors who fought
in olden times on these banners.</p>
<p>When Toyo was a baby his father bought
him a banner stand. It has been kept very
carefully, and is now put in the place where
the doll's throne stood a little while ago. The
banners of great generals are hung up, and
figures of soldiers are placed on the stand.
You see Toyo has dolls as well as his sister.
Everything is done to remind boys of war at
this Festival of Banners. They have processions
in the streets. They play a game in
which they form armies against each other.
Every boy carries a flag, and those of one
company try to seize the flags of the boys in
the other. Of course the side wins which
first succeeds in gaining the flags of the
other.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>A festival which everybody loves is the
Feast of Lanterns. It is in the summer time,
and the children are dressed in their gayest
clothes. They form processions and march
through the streets singing with all their
might. Every child carries a large paper
lantern and keeps it swinging all the time.
It is such a pretty sight in the evening light,—the
bright dresses, the graceful figures, the
gorgeous lanterns. Oh, Japan is the land of
happy children, young and old.</p>
<p>One pleasant summer afternoon, as Lotus
Blossom and Toyo were playing on their
veranda, they noticed some one stopping at
the gateway and then coming up the walk
to the house. It was the man-servant who
worked at the home of a friend of theirs,
whose father was very rich. Toyo whispered,
"Oh, Lotus Blossom, I believe he's bringing
us an invitation to Chrysanthemum's party.
You know she is going to have one on her<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</SPAN></span>
birthday." Sure enough, the man came up to
the children, and, making a low bow, presented
them with two daintily folded papers
and then departed. They hastened to open
them, and found, with delight, that they were
really and truly asked to their friend's party.
It was to be at three o'clock in the afternoon
of the following Thursday. Lotus Blossom
ran to her mother, just as her American cousins
might do, and cried, "Oh, mamma, my
precious, honourable mother, what shall I
wear? See this; do look at my invitation."
It was a rare thing indeed to see the child so
excited. Her mother smiled, and answered,
"My dear little pearl of a Lotus Blossom, I
have almost finished embroidering your new
silk garment. It shall be finished, and you
shall have a new yellow crape kerchief to fold
about your throat. A barber shall arrange
your long hair about your head; and I will
buy you white silk sandals to be tied with<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</SPAN></span>
ribbons. Even though your friend is more
wealthy than ourselves, you shall not disgrace
your honoured father. Toyo, too, must have
a new garment."</p>
<p>All was made ready, and Thursday came at
last. The children were sent to the party in
jinrikishas, so that they should not get dusty.
They looked very pretty. Their little hostess
and her mamma received the guests with
smiles and with many long phrases of politeness.
Lacquered trays were brought in
and placed in front of each one. On these
were beautiful china cups with no handles.
What do you think was served in them?
Don't get up your hopes now and say
"lemonade," or "sherbet," for you will
surely be disappointed. It was tea,—simply
tea, without milk or sugar. The children
drank it in honour of their hostess and her
mamma. But something better still was to
come. The tea was removed, and fresh trays,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</SPAN></span>
covered with dainty pink papers, were brought
in. A cake made of red beans lay on the
middle of each tray, and around it were placed
sugar maple leaves coloured red and green.
They looked pretty enough to keep, but the
little guests ate them, leaves and all. After
these came other cakes and sweetmeats,
enough to delight the heart of every one.</p>
<p>Now for games! Proverbs come first of
all. It is played very much like the American
game of "Authors," and is a great favourite
with both old and young in Japan. Next
comes blind man's buff, but you would hardly
know the game, it is played so much more
quietly and slowly than you are in the habit
of playing it.</p>
<p>Wine-cakes, dainties, and tea are served
next, and then the best part of the fun arrives.
The screens are moved aside, and the children
behold a little stage. They sit, or rather
squat, down on the mats about the room while<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</SPAN></span>
some hired performers represent one of their
loved fairy stories in a play. The actresses
have lovely gowns, and are very graceful. It
is a very enjoyable occasion.</p>
<p>The time to leave comes all too soon.
The jinrikisha men arrive, and after assuring
their hostess that they never had had
so lovely a time before, Lotus Blossom and
Toyo make two deep bows and return
home very happy. I believe you would not
object to a party like that yourself, would
you?</p>
<p>Among all the joyous festivals of the year,
I must not forget to tell you of the plum-viewing.
The winter season is very short in
Japan, and the houses are not built to keep
out the cold very well, as you must have
already perceived. When the spring days
arrive and the blossoms begin to appear, the
child people are very happy. If they are
happy, of course they must show it. How<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</SPAN></span>
can they do it so well as by having out-door
picnics in the plum orchards? The children
watch for the great day's arrival when the
flowers will be in full bloom. They save up
their yen to spend, and plan for a great good
time. No school on that day! No practising
on the koto! No embroidery for Lotus
Blossom! Every one is up early on the
bright, clear morning, and baskets are filled
with the nice luncheon mamma has prepared.
There is actually an air of excitement in the
quiet Japanese household. The good father
leads the family procession as they start out
on their walk to the picnic grounds. It is
about two miles from their home. Other
families join them as they walk along. The
throng of gaily dressed and happy people
grows larger every moment. As they near
the plum-orchard they find the road lined
with stands, which have been put up for the
day. It seems as though everything one<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</SPAN></span>
could desire were on sale: cakes, tea, fruit,
fans, sweets of all kinds, toys, etc. No
wonder Lotus Blossom and Toyo wanted
to save up their money. But the orchard!
Was there ever a lovelier sight? Hundreds
of trees loaded with fragrant pink
blossoms!</p>
<p>The people write poems about them, and
pin them on the branches, to show how much
they appreciate the beautiful sight which Nature
has given them. Tea-drinking, story-telling,
and the entertainments of travelling
showmen take up the day. Sunset bids them
leave the beautiful scene and go back to home
and work.</p>
<p>And now, children, we must bid these
dear cousins good-bye for a little while. Although
they worship in strange ways, and read
their books upside down, besides doing many
other things in a manner that seems strange
to us, yet we can learn much from their<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</SPAN></span>
simple, childlike natures. And, after all, isn't
one reason why we live in this big world and
are so different one from another, that we may
learn from each other?</p>
<div class='center'><br/><br/>THE END.</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='adtitle1'>'Tilda Jane</div>
<div class='center'><br/>
<span class="smcap">By</span> MARSHALL SAUNDERS<br/>
<br/>
<small>AUTHOR OF "BEAUTIFUL JOE," "FOR HIS<br/>
COUNTRY," ETC.</small><br/>
<br/>
<i>Fully illustrated</i><br/>
<br/>
1 vol., 12mo, $1.30<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<p>A charming and wholesome story for girls, handled
with unusual charm and skill, which was issued serially
in the <i>Youth's Companion</i>.</p>
<p>'Tilda Jane is a runaway orphan from a Maine asylum,
who wanders over the Canadian border into the settlements
of the habitants. The simple lives of the peasants,
their fine characters and racial traits give a characteristic
charm to the story, and the delightful girl heroine will
endear herself to young and old readers.</p>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>THE</div>
<div class='adtitle1'>Rosamond Tales</div>
<div class='center'><br/><span class="smcap">By</span> CUYLER REYNOLDS</div>
<p><i>With many full-page illustrations from original photographs
by the author, together with a frontispiece from a
drawing by Maud Humphreys.</i></p>
<div class='center'>
Large 12mo, cloth, $1.50<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<p>These are just the bedtime stories that children always
ask for, but do not always get. Rosamond and Rosalind
are the hero and heroine of many happy adventures in
town and on their grandfather's farm; and the happy
listeners to their story will unconsciously absorb a vast
amount of interesting knowledge of birds, animals, and
flowers, just the things about which the curiosity of
children from four to twelve years old is most insatiable.
The book will be a boon to tired mothers, as a delight to
wide-awake children.</p>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='adtitle1'>Prince Harold</div>
<div class='center'><small>A FAIRY STORY</small><br/>
<br/>
<span class="smcap">By</span> L. F. BROWN<br/>
<br/>
<i>With ninety full-page illustrations</i><br/>
<br/>
Large 12mo, cloth, $1.50<br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<p>A delightful fairy tale for children, dealing with the
life of a charming young Prince, who, aided by the Moon
Spirit, discovers, after many adventures, a beautiful girl
whom he makes his Princess. He is so enamored that
he dwells with his bride in complete seclusion for a
while, entrusting the conduct of his kingdom meantime
to his monkey servant, Longtail. The latter marries
a monkey princess from Amfalulu, and their joint reign is
described with the drollest humor. The real rulers
finally return and upset the reign of the pretenders. An
original and fascinating story for young people.</p>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>THE</div>
<div class='adtitle1'>Woodranger Tales</div>
<div class='center'><br/><span class="smcap">Volume III.</span></div>
<div class='adtitle2'>The Hero of the Hills</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> G. WALDO BROWNE<br/></div>
<div class='center'><br/><span class="smcap">Volume I.</span></div>
<div class='adtitle2'>The Woodranger</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> G. WALDO BROWNE<br/></div>
<div class='center'><br/><span class="smcap">Volume II.</span></div>
<div class='adtitle2'>The Young Gunbearer</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> G. WALDO BROWNE<br/>
<br/>
Each large 12mo, cloth, fully illustrated, $1.00<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<p>There is the reality of history behind these stories,
the successful series of "Woodranger Tales," the scope
and trend of which are accurately set forth in the title.
While full of adventure, the interest in which sometimes
rises to the pitch of excitement, the stories are not sensational,
for Mr. Browne writes with dignity, if with liveliness.
The books will not fail to interest any lively,
wholesome-minded boy.</p>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='adtitle1'>Our Devoted Friend<br/>
the Dog</div>
<div class='center'><br/>
<span class="smcap">By</span> SARAH K. BOLTON<br/>
<br/>
<small>AUTHOR OF "GIRLS WHO HAVE BECOME<br/>
FAMOUS," ETC.</small><br/>
<br/>
<i>Fully illustrated with many reproductions from original<br/>
photographs</i><br/>
<br/>
1 vol., small quarto, $1.50<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<p>This book of the dog and his friends does for the
canine member of the household what Helen M. Winslow's
book, "Concerning Cats," did for the feline.
No one who cares for dogs—and that class includes
nearly all who do not care for cats, and some who do—will
admit that the subject of Mrs. Bolton's book is a less
felicitous choice than that of its predecessor; while the
author's well-known ability as a writer and lecturer, as
well as her sympathy with her subject, are a sufficient
guarantee of a happy treatment.</p>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>NEW JUVENILES</div>
</div><div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>THE</div>
<div class='adtitle1'>Cosy Corner Series</div>
<div class='center'><br/><small>A SERIES OF CHARMING ILLUSTRATED<br/>
JUVENILES BY WELL-KNOWN AUTHORS</small></div>
<p>We shall issue ten new volumes in this well-known
series of child classics, and announce four as follows:</p>
<div class='adtitle2'><br/>A Little Puritan Pioneer</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> EDITH ROBINSON<br/></div>
<p>Author of "A Loyal Little Maid," "A Little Puritan's
First Christmas," etc.</p>
<div class='adtitle2'><br/>Madam Liberality</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> MRS. EWING<br/></div>
<p>Author of "Jackanapes," "A Great Emergency,"
"Story of a Short Life," etc., etc.</p>
<div class='adtitle2'><br/>A Bad Penny</div>
<div class='center'>
<span class="smcap">By</span> JOHN T. WHEELWRIGHT<br/></div>
<p>The other seven will include new stories by Louise
de la Ramée, Miss Mulock, Nellie Hellis, Will Allen
Dromgoole, etc., etc.</p>
<div class='center'>
<i>Forty-four volumes previously published</i><br/></div>
</div>
<div class='bbox'>
<div class='center'>SEND FOR CIRCULARS, ETC.</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='adtitle1'><br/><span class="smcap">L. C. Page & Company's</span><br/>
<br/>
Cosy Corner Series<br/>
<br/>
<small>OF</small><br/>
<br/>
Charming Juveniles<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<div class='center'><br/>
Each one volume, 16mo, cloth, Illustrated, 50 cents<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Ole Mammy's Torment.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston.</span></div>
<p>Author of "The Little Colonel," etc.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Little Colonel.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<p>Author of "Big Brother."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Big Brother.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<p>Author of "The Little Colonel," etc.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Gate of the Giant Scissors.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<p>Author of "The Little Colonel," etc.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Two Little Knights of Kentucky,</b> who were "The Little
Colonel's" neighbors. By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<p>A sequel to "The Little Colonel."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Story of Dago.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<p>Author of "The Little Colonel," etc.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Farmer Brown and the Birds.</b> By <span class="smcap">Frances Margaret
Fox</span>. A little story which teaches children that the birds
are man's best friends.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Story of a Short Life.</b> By <span class="smcap">Juliana Horatia Ewing</span>.</div>
<p>This beautiful and pathetic story is a part of the world's
literature and will never die.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Jackanapes.</b> By <span class="smcap">Juliana Horatia Ewing</span>.</div>
<p>A new edition, with new illustrations, of this exquisite and
touching story, dear alike to young and old.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Little Lame Prince.</b> By <span class="smcap">Miss Mulock</span>.</div>
<p>A delightful story of a little boy who has many adventures
by means of the magic gifts of his fairy godmother.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Adventures of a Brownie.</b> By <span class="smcap">Miss Mulock</span>.</div>
<p>The story of a household elf who torments the cook and
gardener, but is a constant joy and delight to the children.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>His Little Mother.</b> By <span class="smcap">Miss Mulock</span>.</div>
<p>Miss Mulock's short stories for children are a constant
source of delight to them, and "His Little Mother," in
this new and attractive dress, will be welcomed by hosts
of readers.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Little Sunshine's Holiday.</b> By <span class="smcap">Miss Mulock</span>.</div>
<p>"Little Sunshine" is another of those beautiful child-characters
for which Miss Mulock is so justly famous.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Wee Dorothy.</b> By <span class="smcap">Laura Updegraff</span>.</div>
<p>A story of two orphan children, the tender devotion of the
eldest, a boy, for his sister being its theme.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Rab and His Friends.</b> By <span class="smcap">Dr. John Brown</span>.</div>
<p>Doctor Brown's little masterpiece is too well known to
need description.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Water People.</b> By <span class="smcap">Charles Lee Sleight</span>.</div>
<p>Relating the further adventures of "Harry," the little hero
of "The Prince of the Pin Elves."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Prince of the Pin Elves.</b> By <span class="smcap">Chas. Lee Sleight</span>.</div>
<p>A fascinating story of the underground adventures of a
sturdy, reliant American boy among the elves and
gnomes.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Helena's Wonderworld.</b> By <span class="smcap">Frances Hodges White</span>.</div>
<p>A delightful tale of the adventures of a little girl in the
mysterious regions beneath the sea.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>For His Country.</b> By <span class="smcap">Marshall Saunders</span>.</div>
<p>A beautiful story of a patriotic little American lad.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Little Puritan's First Christmas.</b> By <span class="smcap">Edith Robinson</span>.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Little Daughter of Liberty.</b> By <span class="smcap">Edith Robinson</span>.</div>
<p>Author of "A Loyal Little Maid," "A Little Puritan
Rebel," etc.</p>
<p>A true story of the Revolution.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Little Puritan Rebel.</b> By <span class="smcap">Edith Robinson</span>.</div>
<p>An historical tale of a real girl, during the time when the
gallant Sir Harry Vane was governor of Massachusetts.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Loyal Little Maid.</b> By <span class="smcap">Edith Robinson</span>.</div>
<p>A delightful and interesting story of Revolutionary days,
in which the child heroine, Betsey Schuyler, renders important
services to George Washington and Alexander
Hamilton.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Dog of Flanders.</b> <span class="smcap">A Christmas Story.</span> By <span class="smcap">Louise
de la Ramée</span> (Ouida).</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Nurnberg Stove.</b> By <span class="smcap">Louise de la Ramée</span> (Ouida).</div>
<p>This beautiful story has never before been published at a
popular price.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The King of the Golden River.</b> <span class="smcap">A Legend of Stiria.</span>
By <span class="smcap">John Ruskin</span>.</div>
<p>Written fifty years or more ago, this little fairy tale soon
became known and made a place for itself.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>La Belle Nivernaise.</b> <span class="smcap">The Story of An Old Boat and
Her Crew.</span> By <span class="smcap">Alphonse Daudet</span>.</div>
<p>It has been out of print for some time, and is now offered
in cheap but dainty form in this new edition.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Young King.</b> <b>The Star Child.</b></div>
<p>Two stories chosen from a recent volume by a gifted
author, on account of their rare beauty, great power,
and deep significance.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Great Emergency.</b> By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Ewing</span>.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Trinity Flower.</b> By <span class="smcap">Juliana Horatia Ewing</span>.</div>
<p>In this little volume are collected three of Mrs. Ewing's
best short stories for the young people.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Adventures of Beatrice and Jessie.</b> By <span class="smcap">Richard
Mansfield</span>.</div>
<p>A bright and amusing story of the strange adventures of
two little girls in the "realms of unreality."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Child's Garden of Verses.</b> By <span class="smcap">R. L. Stevenson</span>.</div>
<p>This little classic is undoubtedly the best of all volumes of
poetry for children.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Little King Davie.</b> By <span class="smcap">Nellie Hellis</span>.</div>
<p>It is sufficient to say of this book that it has sold over
110,000 copies in England, and consequently should well
be worthy of a place in "The Cosy Corner Series."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>Little Peterkin Vandike.</b> By <span class="smcap">Charles Stuart Pratt</span>.</div>
<p>The author's dedication furnishes a key to this charming
story.</p>
<p>"I dedicate this book, made for the amusement of the
boys who may read it, to the memory of one boy, who
would have enjoyed as much as Peterkin the plays of
the Poetry Party."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Making of Zimri Bunker.</b> <span class="smcap">A Tale of Nantucket.</span>
By <span class="smcap">W. J. Long</span>.</div>
<p>The story deals with a sturdy American fisher lad during
the war of 1812.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Fortunes of the Fellow.</b> By <span class="smcap">Will Allen Dromgoole</span>.
A sequel to "The Farrier's Dog and His
Fellow."</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Farrier's Dog and His Fellow.</b> By <span class="smcap">Will Allen
Dromgoole</span>.</div>
<p>This story, written by the gifted young Southern woman,
will appeal to all that is best in the natures of her many
admirers.</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Sleeping Beauty.</b> <span class="smcap">A Modern Version.</span> By <span class="smcap">Martha
B. Dunn</span>.</div>
<p>A charming story of a little fishermaid of Maine, intellectually
"asleep," until she meets the "Fairy Prince."</p>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Young Archer.</b> By <span class="smcap">Charles E. Brimblecom</span>.</div>
<p>A strong and wholesome story of a boy who accompanied
Columbus on his voyage to the New World.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='adtitle1'>Selections from<br/>
<span class="smcap">L. C. Page & Company's</span><br/>
Books for Young People</div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Old Father Gander;</b> <span class="smcap">or, The Better-Half of Mother
Goose</span>. <span class="smcap">Rhymes, Chimes, and Jingles</span> scratched from
his own goose-quill for American Goslings. Illustrated
with impossible Geese, hatched and raised by <span class="smcap">Walter
Scott Howard</span>.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., oblong quarto, cloth decorative $2.00<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>The illustrations are so striking and fascinating that the
book will appeal to the young people aside from the fact
even of the charm and humor of the songs and rhymes.
There are thirty-two full-page plates, of which many are
in color. The color illustrations are a distinct and successful
departure from the old-fashioned lithographic
work hitherto invariably used for children's books.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Crock of Gold:</b> <span class="smcap">A New Book of Fairy Tales</span>.
By <span class="smcap">S. Baring Gould</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "Mehalah," "Old Country Life," "Old English
Fairy Tales," etc. With twenty-five full-page illustrations
by F. D. Bedford.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., tall 12mo, cloth decorative, gilt top $1.50<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>This volume will prove a source of delight to the children
of two continents, answering their always increasing demand
for "more fairy stories."</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Shireen and Her Friends:</b> <span class="smcap">The Autobiography of a
Persian Cat</span>. By <span class="smcap">Gordon Stables</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Illustrated by Harrison Weir.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative $1.25<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>A more charming book about animals Dr. Stables himself
has not written. It is similar in character to "Black
Beauty," "Beautiful Joe," and other books which teach
us to love and protect the dumb animals.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Bully, Fag, and Hero.</b> By <span class="smcap">Charles J. Mansford</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>With six full-page illustrations by S. H. Vedder.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative, gilt top $1.50<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>An interesting story of schoolboy life and adventure in
school and during the holidays.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Adventures of a Boy Reporter in the Philippines.</b>
By <span class="smcap">Harry Steele Morrison</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "A Yankee Boy's Success."</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., large 12mo, cloth, illustrated $1.25<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>A true story of the courage and enterprise of an American
lad. It is a splendid boys' book, filled with healthy interest,
and will tend to stimulate and encourage the proper
ambition of the young reader.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Tales Told in the Zoo.</b> By <span class="smcap">F. C. Gould</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>With many illustrations from original drawings.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., large quarto $2.00<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>A new book for young people on entirely original lines.
The tales are supposed to be told by an old adjutant stork
in the Zoological Gardens to the assembled birds located
there, and they deal with legendary and folk-lore stories
of the origins of various creatures, mostly birds, and
their characteristics.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Philip:</b> <span class="smcap">The Story of a Boy Violinist</span>. By T. W. O.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., 12mo, cloth $1.00<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>The life-story of a boy, reared among surroundings singular
enough to awaken interest at the start, is described by
the present author as it could be described only by one
thoroughly familiar with the scene. The reader is carried
from the cottages of the humblest coal-miners into the
realms of music and art; and the <i>finale</i> of this charming
tale is a masterpiece of pathetic interest.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Black Beauty:</b> <span class="smcap">The Autobiography of a Horse</span>. By
<span class="smcap">Anna Sewell</span>. <i>New Illustrated Edition.</i></div>
<div class='hang2'>With twenty-five full-page drawings by Winifred Austin.</div>
<div class='center'>
1 vol., large 12mo, cloth decorative, gilt top $1.25<br/></div>
<div class='hang2'>There have been many editions of this classic, but we confidently
offer this one as the most appropriate and handsome
yet produced. The illustrations are of special
value and beauty, and should make this the standard
edition wherever illustrations worthy of the story are
desired.</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='adtitle2'><span class="smcap">L. C. Page & Company's</span><br/>
Gift Book Series<br/>
<small>FOR</small><br/>
Boys and Girls<br/><br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<div class='center'><br/>
Each one volume, tall 12mo, cloth, Illustrated, $1.00<br/>
<br/></div>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/leaf2.png" width-obs="18" height-obs="17" alt="leaf" /></div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Little Colonel's House Party.</b> By <span class="smcap">Annie Fellows-Johnston</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "Little Colonel," etc. Illustrated by E. B. Barry.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Mrs. Johnston has endeared herself to the children by her
charming little books published in the Cosy Corner
Series. Accordingly, a longer story by her will be
eagerly welcomed by the little ones who have so much
enjoyed each story from her pen.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Chums.</b> By <span class="smcap">Maria Louise Pool</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "Little Bermuda," etc. Illustrated by L. J.
Bridgman.</div>
<div class='hang2'>"Chums" is a girls' book, about girls and for girls. It relates
the adventures, in school, and during vacation, of
two friends.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Three Little Crackers.</b> <span class="smcap">From Down in Dixie.</span> By <span class="smcap">Will
Allen Dromgoole</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "The Farrier's Dog." A fascinating story for
boys and girls, of the adventures of a family of Alabama
children who move to Florida and grow up in the South.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Miss Gray's Girls;</b> <span class="smcap">or, Summer Days in the Scottish
Highlands</span>. By <span class="smcap">Jeannette A. Grant</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>A delightfully told story of a summer trip through Scotland,
somewhat out of the beaten track. A teacher,
starting at Glasgow, takes a lively party of girls, her
pupils, through the Trossachs to Oban, through the
Caledonian Canal to Inverness, and as far north as
Brora.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>King Pippin:</b> <span class="smcap">A Story for Children</span>. By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Gerard
Ford</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "Pixie."</div>
<div class='hang2'>One of the most charming books for young folks which
has been issued for some time. The hero is a lovable
little fellow, whose frank and winning ways disarm even
the crustiest of grandmothers, and win for him the affection
of all manner of unlikely people.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Feats on the Fiord:</b> <span class="smcap">A Tale of Norwegian Life</span>. By
<span class="smcap">Harriet Martineau</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>This admirable book, read and enjoyed by so many young
people, deserves to be brought to the attention of parents
in search of wholesome reading for their children to-day.
It is something more than a juvenile book, being really
one of the most instructive books about Norway and
Norwegian life and manners ever written.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Songs and Rhymes for the Little Ones.</b> Compiled by <span class="smcap">Mary
Whitney Morrison</span> (Jenny Wallis).</div>
<div class='hang2'>New edition, with an introduction by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney.</div>
<div class='hang2'>No better description of this admirable book can be given
than Mrs. Whitney's happy introduction:</div>
<div class='hang2'>"One might almost as well offer June roses with the assurance
of their sweetness, as to present this lovely little
gathering of verse, which announces itself, like them, by
its own deliciousness. Yet, as Mrs. Morrison's charming
volume has long been a delight to me, I am only too
happy to declare that it is to me—and to two families
of my grandchildren—the most bewitching book of
songs for little people that we have ever known."</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Young Pearl Divers:</b> <span class="smcap">A Story of Australian Adventure
by Land and by Sea</span>. By <span class="smcap">Lieut. H.
Phelps Whitmarsh</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>This is a splendid story for boys, by an author who writes
in vigorous and interesting language, of scenes and adventures
with which he is personally acquainted.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Woodranger.</b> By <span class="smcap">G. Waldo Browne</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>The first of a series of five volumes entitled "The Woodranger
Tales."</div>
<div class='hang2'>Although based strictly on historical facts the book is an
interesting and exciting tale of adventure, which will
delight all boys, and be by no means unwelcome to their
elders.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Three Children of Galilee:</b> <span class="smcap">A Life of Christ for the
Young</span>. By <span class="smcap">John Gordon</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>There has long been a need for a Life of Christ for the
young, and this book has been written in answer to this
demand. That it will meet with great favor is beyond
question, for parents have recognized that their boys and
girls want something more than a Bible story, a dry
statement of facts, and that, in order to hold the attention
of the youthful readers, a book on this subject
should have life and movement as well as scrupulous
accuracy and religious sentiment.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Little Bermuda.</b> By <span class="smcap">Maria Louise Pool.</span></div>
<div class='hang2'>Author of "Dally," "A Redbridge Neighborhood," "In a
Dike Shanty," "Friendship and Folly," etc.</div>
<div class='hang2'>The adventures of "Little Bermuda" from her home in
the tropics to a fashionable American boarding-school.
The resulting conflict between the two elements in her
nature, the one inherited from her New England ancestry,
and the other developed by her West Indian surroundings,
gave Miss Pool unusual opportunity for
creating an original and fascinating heroine.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Wild Ruthvens:</b> <span class="smcap">A Home Story</span>. By <span class="smcap">Curtis York</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>A story illustrating the mistakes, failures, and successes of
a family of unruly but warm-hearted boys and girls.
They are ultimately softened and civilized by the influence
of an invalid cousin, Dick Trevanion, who comes to
live with them.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Adventures of a Siberian Cub.</b> Translated from the
Russian of Slibitski by <span class="smcap">Leon Golschmann</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>This is indeed a book which will be hailed with delight, especially
by children who love to read about animals.
The interesting and pathetic adventures of the orphan
bear, Mishook, will appeal to old and young in much the
same way as have "Black Beauty" and "Beautiful Joe."</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>Timothy Dole.</b> By <span class="smcap">Juniata Salsbury</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>The youthful hero, and a genuine hero he proves to be,
starts from home, loses his way, meets with startling adventures,
finds friends, kind and many, and grows to be a
manly man. It is a wholesome and vigorous book, that
boys and girls, and parents as well, will read and enjoy.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Young Gunbearer.</b> By <span class="smcap">G. Waldo Browne</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>This is the second volume of "The Woodranger Tales."
The new story, while complete in itself, continues the
fortunes and adventures of "The Woodranger's" young
companions.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>A Bad Penny.</b> By <span class="smcap">John T. Wheelright</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>A dashing story of the New England of 1812. In the
climax of the story the scene is laid during the well-known
sea-fight between the <i>Chesapeake</i> and <i>Shannon</i>,
and the contest is vividly portrayed.</div>
<div class='hang1'><b>The Fairy Folk of Blue Hill:</b> <span class="smcap">A Story of Folk-lore</span>.
By <span class="smcap">Lily F. Wesselhoeft</span>.</div>
<div class='hang2'>A new volume by Mrs. Wesselhoeft, well known as one of
our best writers for the young, and who has made a host
of friends among the young people who have read her
delightful books. This book ought to interest and appeal
to every child who has read her earlier works.</div>
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