University of Virginia Library

4. The Holiday Spirit

"Otakara! Otakara! Otakara!" "Treasure Ship! Treasure Ship! Treasure Ship!" There they come, walking slowly at the back of their richly laden carts, drawn by oxen decorated with flags and cloths of every color, and behind them and all along the way beside them follow a surging crowd of happy children and holiday seekers. Now some vender pauses a moment to exchange a word with a jinriki-man [3] and the crowd pauses also. Once in a while some little bit of humanity, in the shape of a very small boy, gets mixed up in the crowd and loses his bearings. A little tear-stained, desolate face peers at you out of the crowd. Soon some one has lifted him high on their shoulders, crying aloud: "Who owns this august baby?" Then, perhaps, the kind-hearted treasure vender slips into his little hand some tawdry, bright toy and the little dirty, tearful, grimy face becomes suddenly restored to its wonted serenity and happiness, as he is restored to his parents. Ah! But the good will of the New Year's has touched even the rough heart of the weariest peddler and vender.