Part 15 (1/2)

”Well, I'm sure he will come to-night...--... Look, look!” His voice changed to whisper and I was alert in a moment. A fellow with a black hat looked up at the gas light of Kadoya and pa.s.sed on into the darkness. No, it was not Red s.h.i.+rt. Disappointing, this! Meanwhile the clock at the office below merrily tinkled off ten. It seems to be another b.u.m watch to-night.

The streets everywhere had become quiet. The drum playing in the tenderloin reached our ears distinctively. The moon had risen from behind the hills of the hot springs. It is very light outside. Then voices were heard below. We could not poke our heads out of the window, so were unable to see the owners of the voices, but they were evidently coming nearer. The dragging of komageta (a kind of wooden footwear) was heard. They approached so near we could see their shadows.

”Everything is all right now. We've got rid of the stumbling block.” It was undoubtedly the voice of Clown.

”He only glories in bullying but has no tact.” This from Red s.h.i.+rt.

”He is like that young tough, isn't he? Why, as to that young tough, he is a winsome, sporty Master Darling.”

”I don't want my salary raised, he says, or I want to tender resignation,--I'm sure something is wrong with his nerves.”

I was greatly inclined to open the window, jump out of the second story and make them see more stars than they cared to, but I restrained myself with some effort. The two laughed, and pa.s.sed below the gas light, and into Kadoya.

”Say.”

”Well.”

”He's here.”

”Yes, he has come at last.”

”I feel quite easy now.”

”d.a.m.ned Clown called me a sporty Master Darling.”

”The stumbling[R] block means me. h.e.l.l!”

I and Porcupine had to waylay them on their return. But we knew no more than the man in the moon when they would come out. Porcupine went down to the hotel office, notifying them to the probability of our going out at midnight, and requesting them to leave the door unfastened so we could get out anytime. As I think about it now, it is wonderful how the hotel people complied with our request. In most cases, we would have been taken for burglars.

It was trying to wait for the coming of Red s.h.i.+rt, but it was still more trying to wait for his coming out again. We could not go to sleep, nor could we remain with our faces stuck to the shoji all the time our minds constantly in a state of feverish agitation. In all my life, I never pa.s.sed such fretful, mortifying hours. I suggested that we had better go right into his room and catch him but Porcupine rejected the proposal outright. If we get in there at this time of night, we are likely to be prevented from preceding much further, he said, and if we ask to see him, they will either answer that he is not there or will take us into a different room. Supposing we do break into a room, we cannot tell of all those many rooms, where we can find him. There is no other way but to wait for him to come out, however tiresome it may be. So we sat up till five in the morning.

The moment we saw them emerging from Kadoya, I and Porcupine followed them. It was some time before the first train started and they had to walk up to town. Beyond the limit of the hot springs town, there is a road for about one block running through the rice fields, both sides of which are lined with cedar trees. Farther on are thatch-roofed farm houses here and there, and then one comes upon a d.y.k.e leading straight to the town through the fields. We can catch them anywhere outside the town, but thinking it would be better to get them, if possible, on the road lined with cedar trees where we may not be seen by others, we followed them cautiously. Once out of the town limit, we darted on a double-quick time, and caught up with them. Wondering what was coming after them, they turned back, and we grabbed their shoulders. We cried, ”Wait!” Clown, greatly rattled, attempted to escape, but I stepped in front of him to cut off his retreat.

”What makes one holding the job of a head teacher stay over night at Kadoya!” Porcupine directly fired the opening gun.

”Is there any rule that a head teacher should not stay over night at Kadoya?” Red s.h.i.+rt met the attack in a polite manner. He looked a little pale.

”Why the one who is so strict as to forbid others from going even to noodle house or dango shop as unbecoming to instructors, stayed over night at a hotel with a geisha!”

Clown was inclined to run at the first opportunity; so kept I before him.

”What's that Master Darling of a young tough!” I roared.

”I didn't mean you. Sir. No, Sir, I didn't mean you, sure.” He insisted on this brazen excuse. I happened to notice at that moment that I had held my pockets with both hands. The eggs in both pockets jerked so when I ran, that I had been holding them, I thrust my hand into the pocket, took out two and dashed them on the face of Clown. The eggs crushed, and from the tip of his nose the yellow streamed down. Clown was taken completely surprised, and uttering a hideous cry, he fell down on the ground and begged for mercy. I had bought those eggs to eat, but had not carried them for the purpose of making ”Irish Confetti” of them.

Thoroughly roused, in the moment of pa.s.sion, I had dashed them at him before I knew what I was doing. But seeing Clown down and finding my hand grenade successful, I banged the rest of the eggs on him, intermingled with ”Darn you, you sonovagun!” The face of Clown was soaked in yellow.

While I was bombarding Clown with the eggs, Porcupine was firing at Red[S] s.h.i.+rt.

”Is there any evidence that I stayed there over night with a geisha?”

”I saw your favorite old chicken go there early in the evening, and am telling you so. You can't fool me!”

”No need for us of fooling anybody. I stayed there with Mr. Yos.h.i.+kawa, and whether any geisha had gone there early in the evening or not, that's none of my business.”

”Shut up!” Porcupine wallopped him one. Red s.h.i.+rt tottered.