The Four Corners in Japan

by Amy Ella Blanchard

  CHAPTER XVII

  IN A TYPHOON

  "Time is growing short," said Jack one morning in August, "and we havenot seen the Inland Sea nor Kobe nor have we climbed Fuji."

  "There is a Japanese proverb which says that there are two kinds offools," remarked Nan; "one has never climbed Fujisan and the other hasclimbed it twice."

  "Set me down for the first kind," said Jean, "for I don't intend to doany such fool trick as to climb a mountain nearly thirteen thousandfeet high."

  "If we are going to do a lot of other things, I don't see how any ofus are to undertake that stunt," said Eleanor. "I vote we pick out thethings we cannot reasonably pass over and then take the leavings as wecan."

  "Good girl," cried Jack. "That is the ticket. Tell us, Nan, oh,honorable lady of the guide-book, what is it up to us to see?"

  Nan spread out her map, propped her two elbows on the table before herand began making investigations while the others chattered away aboutFuji, Lake Biwa and other things that had lately interested them.

  "I wish I could remember all the stories about Fuji," said Jean lookingat her neat note-book. "I know that Biwa is called the Lake of the Luteon account of its shape. There is a legend that tells of its havingbeen formed by the sun-goddess at the time of a great earthquake. Therice-fields of the poor people were all destroyed but in their steadwas seen this lake full of fish."

  "It was at the same time that Fujisan was formed," Mary Lee went onwith the tale. "It has so many pretty poetical names; one is theMountain of the White Lotus, because it rises, all snowy white, fromout the stagnant fields at its base."

  "And Japan is called the 'Islands of the Dragon-Fly,'" put in Eleanor;"I wonder why."

  "There is a story of that, too," said Jean. "I have it somewhere in mynote-book. It was when the god Izanami shook from his spear bits ofsand and mud that stayed among the reeds of a watery place and becamedry land. It was in the form of a dragon-fly that the dry part spreadout and so the god called it the Land of the Dragon-Fly."

  "Fuji is called the Holy White Mountain, too," put in Jack.

  Here Nan looked up. "I think I have puzzled it out," she announced;"we can go from here to Osake, and then to Kobe. We must see Miyajimaand Sakusa; they are so interesting. There is a great _tori-i_ atMiyajima which is fine. They say the beauty of the Inland Sea is beyondanything, so we can stop along its shores and get to Nagasaki in timeto sail when we have planned to."

  "What is at Susaki, or whatever the name is?" inquired Eleanor.

  "It is Sakusa, and it is not very far from Matsue; we ought to go toMatsue, for it is a very old and very interesting city. We could go toKitzuki from there. Let me see how it would work out." She turned againto her map. "From here to Kobe and then to Matsue. I think we couldmanage it, but there would be some cross-country going. It would makea tremendously interesting trip. I will see what Aunt Helen says. Formy own part I should like the cross-country trip, but perhaps motherwouldn't."

  "She might take an easier route and one of us could stay with her,"suggested Mary Lee.

  "I would be perfectly willing to," spoke up Jean, who loved her easeand was not so keen for variety as to sacrifice comfort to it.

  "I don't care a rap about those old stuffy places. Just because theyare old doesn't recommend them to me. I would really rather stay ina pleasant bright city and go about in a 'riky when I want to seeanything."

  "Very well, that lets us out," remarked Jack. "I am in for anything,Nan, the wilder and queerer, the better."

  "So am I," responded Eleanor.

  "Me, too," put in Mary Lee.

  "Then if Aunt Helen will go, we shall be all right," rejoined Nanclosing her book with satisfaction.

  As a result of all this, Kyoto was left behind and the party turnedtoward the south. At Kobe they left Jean and her mother while the restwent on to the marvelous temples at Nara, then back to pick up Mrs.Corner and Jean and to travel on along the shores of the beautifulInland Sea to arrive at last at the sacred island of Miyajima, wherea wonderful _tori-i_ rising out of the water appeared mysterious andstrangely picturesque under a sunset sky. A little further on, theyleft Jean and her mother, the others taking the trip across country tothe ancient city of Matsue.

  "Well, it was something of a jaunt, but I don't believe we shall regretit," said Nan looking from her window upon a fair lake and a range ofmountain peaks which made a background for the queer old town. "I amcrazy for a short turn about the place, a view of Daisen, which theysay is much like Fuji."

  "You certainly are enterprising, Nan," said her aunt. "Aren't youtired?"

  "A little, but not so much but I can walk more. The city looks quiteflat, Aunt Helen, but the hills beyond are beautiful. It was a feudalstronghold until quite modern times and it must still show remnants ofits use-to-be-ness. There are three special quarters, the shopkeepingpart, the temple and the residence section. There is a great castle,too, about which there are the grimmest kinds of legends. There areever and ever so many temples. I wonder if we shall have time to seethem all."

  "Not if we do all the other things your energetic mind has planned."

  Miss Helen was quite right, for a fierce typhoon came sweeping up theland that very night, and before it every one trembled and thankedheaven to be under shelter. The day had been so depressingly hot as tobe most uncomfortable in the lowlands. By evening all were gasping forbreath and then came a queer sensation as if one were unsteadily tryingto keep his balance. The girls arose from their beds, groped their wayto one another and sat huddled together in Miss Helen's room to whichthey went with one consent.

  "Do you suppose it is an earthquake?" queried Eleanor shakily.

  "I shouldn't be at all surprised," returned Miss Helen. "There!" Asshe exclaimed, the whole house seemed to rock from side to side, thencame a sweep and rush of rain, a perfect deluge, which threatened toengulf everybody and everything in its furious attack. There had beenmuch running back and forth before the storm broke. The wooden shutterswere secured, the doors bolted. There were weird sounds outside, guststhat went shrieking up the hills, thunderous sounds of lashing wavesand roaring streams, heard once in a while between the dashing rainwhich never ceased. At intervals was felt the alarming tremor whichmade the girls all huddle closer together with white faces and nervousclutchings of one another's hands.

  "There is one thing," whispered Nan trying to be encouraging, "if we gowe shall all go together."

  "But I wish mother and Jean were here," said Jack chokingly.

  Mary Lee gave a convulsive sob, and Eleanor broke down completely. "Iwish I had never come," she wailed. "I wish I had stayed home with mymother, and I wish Neal were here. Oh, dear, why did I come to thisdreadful place?"

  "My dear children," spoke Miss Helen from her bed, "don't gethysterical. I imagine the worst is over. Do try to calm yourselves. Nodoubt they have had storms like this before and the house has stood,as you see. It sounds dreadful, but I do not believe we shall have atruly upheaving earthquake. Some slight unsettling always accompanies atyphoon, I have been told."

  "Do you think this is a typhoon?" asked Eleanor trying to stop hertears.

  "I imagine so; it seems very like the descriptions of such storms as Ihave read about."

  "I verily do believe it is not quite so furious," remarked Nan.

  "But we can't be sure." Eleanor was still apprehensive. "I could nevergo to bed this night."

  "Nor I," came from one and another.

  They all sat in silence till Jack spoke. "I wonder if poor little Tokuis all right. I expect he is scared to death," she said mournfully.

  Eleanor giggled hysterically. "I don't believe he knows anything aboutit. He is probably sleeping the sleep of the innocent," she said.

  Somehow Jack's remark relieved the tension, and, as it was evident thatthe gale was less violent, they all began to be more cheerful thoughthere was no sleep for any of them that night. At last only the lashingwaves and the rush of water along the streets remained of the noi
ses ofearth and sky, and by daylight the girls crept back to their beds tosleep uneasily till it was time to get up.

  The typhoon had left its mark behind in the overthrow of trees and thesnapping of wires, the tearing down of signs and the wrenching off ofroofs. Later on came accounts of damage in the hills, of the washingaway of bridges and the complete demolition of paths.

  "So we shall have to give up Kitzuki altogether," Nan announced afteran interview with the proprietor of the hotel. "It would not be safe,they say. But it is not so very far to Sakusa, and if we wait longenough we may be able to get there, though we shall have to walk eventhen."

  "You don't catch this child walking." Jack spoke with decision.

  "Well, we don't want to go to-day anyhow," Nan answered, "and as it ispretty bad everywhere after the storm we'd better just hold our horsestill we can decide what is best. There are enough excursions to satisfyus, probably, though I am awfully disappointed not to go to Kitzuki."

  "What is its particular vanity?" inquired Eleanor.

  "It is first of all a very holy place, according to Japanese creeds,then it is a very fashionable seaside resort."

  "The latter appeals to me more strongly than the former," Eleanordeclared, "but I can resign myself to leaving it out of our itineraryif there are any dangers. What is this Sakusa that you are so keenabout?"

  Nan hesitated before she answered. "There are some interestingceremonies take place there, and there is a temple."

  "A temple!" said Eleanor scornfully. "I have seen temples till I amworn out with them. What are the ceremonies?"

  "I know," spoke up Jack as Nan again hesitated. "I have been readingup. Sakusa is the place where lovers make a pilgrimage and tie wisheson the trees. The wishes are supposed to come true and there are queercharms sold there and all sorts of funny doings."

  "Oh!" Eleanor gave Nan a swift look, which Nan, seeing, resented.

  "Oh, I am not so very anxious about it," she said nonchalantly, "thoughI think those odd customs are always interesting to see. If you alldon't care about going or if there is anywhere else you prefer, whyjust let us leave it out."

  "I am crazy to go," said Eleanor. "I suppose we can join any bandof pilgrims that we see going up and down the breadth of the land.They really have a pretty good time of it, I fancy. The old folksparticularly. I haven't a doubt but some of those old ladies get noother outing; you always see them moseying along as cheerful as thenext, although they may have walked far and have not had much tosustain them on the way. You get up the excursion, Nan, and we will beyour happy band of pilgrims."

  "I'm going out to see what it looks like after the storm," announcedJack. "Come along, any one who wants to go."

  Mary Lee and Eleanor decided to accept this invitation and Nan was leftto her guide-books. "You'd better join us," were their parting words.

  "Tell me where you are going and perhaps I will come and hunt you up,"returned Nan.

  "We shall go to the great bridge," Jack told her. "It is alwaysinteresting there."

  So they passed out and it was a couple of hours before they returned.In the meantime Nan had occupied herself in various ways, but hadfound no time to go to the bridge to meet the others. They came inhilarious from their walk.

  "Why didn't you come, Nan?" asked Eleanor. "We waited for you ever solong. Neal wanted to come back for you but Jack said he might miss you,as you would probably be on your way."

  "Neal!" Nan looked up startled. Then she recovered herself. "Oh, yourbrother," she said with too great a show of indifference. "What is hedoing here?"

  "He came to see if we were all alive after the typhoon. The papersreported a great deal of damage in this part of the country and so herushed over to see whether we were sound in life and limb."

  "And where is he now?" inquired Miss Helen, to Nan's relief asking thequestion she would have put but for a self-consciousness she could notovercome.

  "Oh, he has gone off with Jack. She is showing him the town, but wewere tired and wouldn't go."

  Gone off with Jack, very willingly of course, thought Nan. He was solittle eager to see her that he had not even returned for a moment'sgreeting. She wondered how many letters Jack had received from himduring this interval, and again she began to build up the altar ofsacrifice upon which she would lay her heart. "Was it worth while goingout to see the havoc?" she asked.

  "Oh, I don't know. Yes, it was rather interesting to see what was goingon down by the wharves. We saw a good many funny things."

  "Suppose we go, Aunt Helen," proposed Nan suddenly. "We have beencooped up all morning and I have been reading about a little templeof Jizo which they say is worth while. These others don't care abouttemples, so we won't insist upon their going. What do you say?"

  Miss Helen agreed to the proposition and they began to make ready.

  "Aren't you going to stay for lunch?" queried Mary Lee.

  "No, we will get something at a tea-house on the way," replied Nan, andwas off without further remark.

  As Nan disappeared from view, Eleanor turned to Mary Lee. "Well," sheexclaimed, "what do you make out of that?"

  Mary Lee shook her head. "It is beyond me. I really thought she cared,but it looks as if she didn't. I wonder if, after all, she likesRob Powell. There may have been a misunderstanding or a quarrel orsomething like that."

  "Maybe, but I'll stake my best hat that she is in love with some one,and I really did hope it was Neal. Do you suppose by any accident thatshe has gone off in this way because she is jealous of Jack, is miffedbecause Neal didn't come back with us?"

  "She would have some reason to, it seems to me."

  "It seems so to me, too. You don't suppose Jack has been puttingnotions in Neal's head, do you?"

  "What kind of notions?"

  "Oh, making him think Nan has a single steady at home or something ofthat kind."

  "I am sure Jack wouldn't do it with any malicious intent, but shemay have done it inadvertently. You see we are rather in the darkourselves and cannot swear to anything. Nan is expansive enough aboutsome things, but she is the most elusive person when it comes to anaffair of the heart. I have been puzzled a score of times myself abouther. She gets very high-flown romantic ideas about sacrifice and allthat kind of thing, and if she took it into her head that Jack must beinterested in Neal she would go the whole length. I know she did havesome such fancy a while ago, but I said enough to disabuse her mind ofit, I thought."

  "Well, I must talk to Neal," decided Eleanor.

  "What will you tell him?"

  "Goodness knows. What can I tell him? That Jack is fond of Carter andthat Nan is not pledged to any one?"

  Mary Lee shook her head doubtfully.

  "What we do must be done quickly," declared Eleanor. "Once you are allout of this country, good-bye to Neal's chances."

  "How long is he going to be here?"

  "Don't know. I haven't had a chance to ask him. He can often stay tillhe is recalled, but no one knows the hour or minute that may be. Thismuch is certain; he was certainly more interested in Nan than I haveever known him to be in any one. He didn't say so in so many words,but he said enough to make me sure of it, and I am convinced that hewouldn't have been so eager for opportunities of getting her off toherself if he hadn't been pretty far gone."

  "Then why under the sun did he march off with Jack to-day without aword with Nan?"

  "That is where you have me, my child. There is something queer andwe have to find out. Suppose you tackle Jack and I will get at Neal.Between us we may be able to find out the truth."

  Mary Lee agreed to this, but her opportunity did not come that day northe next. Nan and Mr. Harding met with a polite greeting, much lesseffusive than that which had passed between the young man and Jackon his arrival. But for the furtive glances which he gave Nan, whenhe thought no one was looking, Eleanor and Mary Lee would have beenconvinced of his absolute indifference. Nan, herself, did not once lookhis way unless compelled to.

  "There is this about it," confesse
d Eleanor, when the two conspiratorsgot together. "They are entirely too deadly indifferent for it to bealtogether natural. It is my opinion they have quarreled. Have younoticed how Neal watches Nan when he thinks no one is looking?"

  "And how she never looks at him at all?" returned Mary Lee. "I have notseen them exchange a dozen remarks since your brother came, and Nanhas scarcely mentioned him to me. When she has, it has been because Idragged his name into the conversation."

  "It is vastly more suspicious than if there were not this studiedignoring the one of the other."

  "Of course it is," agreed Mary Lee.

  "Poor old Neal; I hate to have him unhappy," said Eleanor.

  "Poor old Nan; I can't bear to have her unhappy."

  They both laughed. Then Mary Lee exclaimed, "I have just thought ofsomething that makes me sure it is all on account of Jack and that Robisn't in it at all."

  "Do tell me."

  "Nan asked me a while ago upon a certain occasion, don't ask me whenit was, please, Nell, but she asked me then if I didn't think it wasalmost as hard to give up one whom you loved to another as to have himtaken from you to another world. You know, Nell, I can't talk of suchthings very much, and this was a sacred hour, but I thought I wouldtell you."

  Eleanor put her arm around her friend. "It is dear of you to tell me. Iunderstand, Mary Lee, and because it was a sacred hour you can be surethat Nan spoke from the very depths of her heart."

  "That is exactly it. It doesn't prove anything, but it meant more thanI realized at the time, of that we can be sure. Yes, we must get somelight on this subject and do it soon." Here Nan herself came into theroom and the girls, in a very lively manner, tried to appear as if theyhad been talking over their days at college.

  CHAPTER XVIIIJACK'S EYES ARE OPENED]