 | Purple-Eyes |  |
VI "SAYONARA?"
I know not what he said to Purple-Eyes, but with her tears there was a certain buoyancy that had not been there but for some hope. And why not? For Garland was a very sweet and gentle fellow, who abhorred pain. The three went to see him off, and he tried desperately to be gay; but something was pulling at his heart-strings, and there were tears perilously near his eyes. Black-Eyes did not marvel at this. She had always understood that it was the way of west-ocean men. But they were only too evidently ready to be answered by other tears in the dewy eyes that were blue. And this was annoying to Black-Eyes. She made her sister tremble by a look. So she of the blue eyes could only grasp and hold Garland's big hand in both her own exquisite ones when the others looked away. When their eyes returned hers looked off to the big funnels of the ship, though she still held the hand. But when she looked at Garland again he had his handkerchief to his eyes; something inside had given way. Then hers came from her sleeve, too. So at last it was quite a little tragedy.
Sad it is that one forgets that one has eaten of the lotus; but thus it is with the lotus, and thus did Garland.
That night, in bed, Black-Eyes undertook some criticism of Garland. Her sister flared up in a way that was new and superb.
"Tha' 's a lie! He's the mos' bes' nize gent in the whole worl'." And she fell to sobbing.
"What is the matter?" asked the mother, who was kinder than Black-Eyes.
"I got that lone-some-ness," sobbed the girl, in answer.
"Poor little pink-face!" said the mother, touching her cheek. "Always must be touch by some one!"
"Me?" said Purple-Eyes, with a power and assurance which were startling. "I am glad I have that pink face!" She laughed. "And I am glad I have not that brown face! Aha!"
The mother asked in alarm:
"Has the Eijinsan told you strange things?"
"The strangest and most beautiful things in all the world!" breathed Purple-Eyes. "Not told them, but looked them thought them to me."
"And you believed?"
"I believed."
"That is very sad," said the mother. "It is the way of the west-ocean men."
"Ah, it is his way, thank Shaka! and it is not sad. It is very joyous."
"Shaka grant that it is not, my daughter. To the Eijinsan you are only a plaything, I fear."
"He may have me for a plaything," said the girl, defiantly. "Who has not playthings?"
"When a plaything becomes shabby "
"But I am not, and I never shall be."
"In a little while we shall know," said the mother, finally.
"In a little while we shall know," repeated the girl, joyously.
| Purple-Eyes | |