dresses, and baby dolls in little kimonos, strapped to the backs
of bigger dolls.
Take took each one to the steps. She made each one bow very low
before the Emperor and Empress before she put him in his own
place. All the shelves were filled so full that one baby doll
spilled over the edge and fell on the floor! Take picked her up
and strapped her on Glory's back. "I know you won't let her
fall," she said to Glory. Glory looked pleased and sat up very
straight and responsible.
Then Take opened the other box. She took out a little stove and
some blue-and-white doll dishes and two tiny lacquered tables.
While she was taking out these things, her Father brought in a
new box that she had never seen before. He put it down on the
floor before the steps. Take was so busy she didn't see it at
first. When she did, she shouted, "Oh, Father, is it for me?"
"Yes, it is for you," the Father answered.
"Oh, thank you, whatever it is!" said Take.
She flew to the box and untied the string. She lifted the cover
and there was a beautiful big toy house, made almost like the
house the Twins lived in! It had a porch and sliding screens, and
a cunning cupboard with doll bedding in it. It even had an alcove
with a tiny kakemono, and a little vase in it! There was a flower
in the vase! There were little straw mats on the floor!
Take lifted the mats and slid the screens back and forth. She put
her little stove in the kitchen. She was too happy for words. She
ran to her Father and threw herself on her knees before him and
hugged his feet. "Thank you, ten thousand times, dear honored
Father," she said.
When her own breakfast-time came, Take was very busy getting
breakfast for the Emperor and Empress. She was so busy she
couldn't stop. "It wouldn't be polite for me to have my breakfast
before the Emperor and Empress have theirs," she explained.
Her Mother smiled. "Very well," she said, "You may get their
breakfast first; we must be polite, whatever happens."
So Take had Morning Glory place the tiny lacquered tables before
the Emperor and Empress. She put some rice in the little bowls on
the tables. She placed some toy chop-sticks on the tables, too.
Then she made Morning Glory bow and crawl away from the august
presence on her hands and knees! "It wouldn't be at all right to
stay to see them eat," she said.
Just then Taro came in, rubbing his eyes. He was still sleepy.
"Oh, Taro," cried Take, "look at my new house!"
Taro didn't think much of dolls, but he liked that house just as
much as Take did. When he saw the little stove with its play
kettles, he said: "Why don't you have a real fire in it?"
"Do you think we could?" Take said.
Of course they were never, never allowed to play with fire, but
because it was Take's birthday the Mother said, "Just this once I will
sit here beside you and you may have three little charcoal-embers from
the tobacco-ban to put in the stove."
The tobacco-ban is a little metal box with a place for a pipe and
tobacco. It always had a few pieces of burning charcoal in it so
that the Father could light his pipe any time he wanted to. The
Mother sat down beside the tobacco-ban.
She let Taro take a pair of tongs, like sugar-tongs. He put three
pieces of charcoal in the tiny stove. Take put water in the
kettle. Soon the water began to boil! Real steam came out of the
spout.
"I can make real tea!" cried Take.
She got some tea leaves and put some in each tiny cup. Then she
poured the boiling water into the cups. She put the cups of tea
before the Emperor and Empress.
"Now you'd better have your own breakfast," the Mother said. She
put the fire out in the little stove and the Twins sat down
before their tiny breakfast-tables.
While they were eating, Taro had a splendid idea. "I know what
I'll do. I'll make you a little garden for your house!" he said.
"Oh, that will be beautiful!" cried Take,
The moment they had finished eating, they ran into the garden.
Out by the well the maids were drawing water.
"I need some water, too," Taro said.
They let Taro draw a pail of water himself. Here is a picture of
him doing it.
Then he found a box-cover--not very deep--and filled it with
sand. He set a little bowl in the sand and filled it with the
water, for a pond. Then he broke off little bits of branches and
twigs and stuck them up in the sand for trees. He made a tiny
mountain like the one in their garden and put a little bridge
over the pond. He put bright pebbles around the pond. When it was
all done, they put the garden down beside the toy house. They put
Glory in the garden, beside the tiny pond.
But a horrible accident happened! Glory fell over again, and this
time she fell into the pond! At least her head did. Her legs were
too long to go in. She might have been drowned if Take hadn't
picked her out in a hurry.
Just as Take was wiping Morning Glory's face, her Mother came in
dressed for the street. She had Bot'Chan on her back. He was
awake and smiling.
Take ran and squeezed his fat legs. "You are the best doll of
all," she said.
"You take your doll, and I'll take mine," the Mother said, "and
let us go for a walk."
Take had put on one of her very gayest kimonos that morning
because it was her birthday, so she was all ready to go. Her
Mother helped her strap Glory on her back and the two started
down the street.
There were other mothers and other little girls with dolls on their
backs in the street, too. They were all going to one place,--the Doll
Shop! Each little girl had some money to buy a new doll.
Such chattering and laughing and talking you never heard! And
such gay butterfly little dresses you never saw! nor such happy
smiling faces, either.
At the Doll Shop there were rows and rows of dolls, and swarms
and swarms of little girls looking at them. Take saw a roly-poly
baby doll, with a funny tuft of black hair on his head. "This is
the one I want, if you please," she said to the shopkeeper. She
gave him her money. He gave her the doll.
"Glory," she said over her shoulder, "this is your new little
brother!" Glory seemed pleased to have a little brother, and Take
promised that she should wear him on her back whenever she wanted
to. Take bought a little doll for Bot'Chan, too, with her own
money. It was a funny little doll without any legs. He was fat,
and when any one knocked him over, he sat up again right away.
She called him a "Daruma."
Bot'Chan seemed to like the Daruma. He put its head in his mouth
at once and licked it.
Just then Take saw O Kiku San. O Kiku San was Take's best friend,
and her home was not far from the little house where the Twins
lived. O Kiku San had been to buy a doll, too. She had her new
doll on her back. It was a large doll, with a red kimono.
She ran to speak to Take. "Won't you come into my house on your
way home?" she asked.
"May I, Mother?" said Take.
Her Mother said, "Yes," so the little girls ran together to O
Kiku San's house.
Other little girls came, too, to see O Kiku San's dolls. She had
just as many dolls as Take. She had five shelves, too, and she
had an Emperor and Empress doll. But she had no little house to
play with.
"Come home with me and see my new house, all of you," Take said
when the little girls had looked at O Kiku San's dolls.
So they marched in a gay procession to the little house in the
garden. All the other girls' brothers had had a very lonesome
day, but Taro had had fun all the afternoon with the little
garden. He had made a little well, and a kura to put in the
garden He made them out of boxes. The little girls looked at
Take's dolls. They thought the doll-house the most beautiful toy
they had ever seen, and when they saw the garden, you can't think
how happy they were!
"We wish our brothers would make gardens like that for us," they
said.
Taro felt proud and pleased to have them like it so much, but all
he said was, "It is very polite of you to praise my poor work!"
Then the Mother brought out some sweet rice-cakes. The maids
brought out tiny tables and set them around. Take brought a doll
teapot and placed it with toy cups on her little table. Then she
made real tea, and they had a party! For candy they had sugared
beans and peas. They gave some of everything to the dolls. It was
nearly time for supper when the little girls bowed to Take and
her Mother, said "Sayonara" very politely, and went home.
Take sat up just as late as she wanted to that night. It was
eight o'clock when she went to bed. She hugged each one of the
thirty-five dolls when she said good night to them.
"Sayonara, Sayonara," she said to each one; "good-bye for a whole
year, you darling dolls!"
Then she took her dear old Glory and went happily to bed.
GOING TO SCHOOL
GOING TO SCHOOL
One morning Taro and Take heard their Father and Mother talking
together. They thought the Twins were asleep, but they weren't.
The Mother said, "Honored Husband, don't you think it is time
Taro and Take went to school?"
"Yes, indeed," the Father said; "they have many things to learn,
and they should begin at once. Have you spoken to the teacher
yet?"
"I saw him yesterday," the Mother answered. "He said they might
enter to-day. I have everything ready."
Taro and Take looked at each other.
"Do you suppose we shall like it?" Take whispered.
"I don't know," Taro whispered back. "I've liked everything so
far, and I think going to school must be some fun, too. But of
course, if I don't like it, I shall not say a word. A son of the
Samurai should never complain, no matter how hard his lot."
"No, of course not," Take answered.
Before they were dressed, the Mother came into their room. "The
bath-tub is ready, Taro," she said. "Hop in and get your bath
early to-day, for you and Take are to begin school."
The Twins had a hot bath every day, but they usually took it
before going to bed. The bath-tub was in a little room by itself.
It was shaped a little like a barrel, and it had a stove set
right in the side of it to heat the water. Taro went to the
bathroom and climbed over the edge of the tub. It was hard to get
up because the tub was high. He dropped into the water with a
great splash. Take and her Mother heard the splash.
Then they heard something else. They heard screams! "Ow-ow-ow!"
shrieked Taro. "Take me out! take me out! I'm boiled!"
The Mother and Take ran as fast as they could to the tub. Taro's
head just showed over the edge. His mouth was open, the tears
were streaming down his cheeks, and the air was full of "ows."
His Mother reached her arm down into the water.
"It isn't so very hot, Taro," she said; "I can bear my hand in
it."
"Ow--ow!" said Taro. He didn't even say, "Ow! ow! Honorable
Mother!" as one might have thought such a very polite boy would
do.
And he tried to get both feet off the bottom of the tub at the
same time!
The Mother put some cold water into the tub. Taro stopped
screaming.
"Oh, Taro," Take called to him, "you aren't really and truly
boiled, are you?"
"Almost," sniffed Taro; "I'm as red as a red dragon. I think my
skin will come off."
"I know you are dreadfully hurt, poor Taro," Take said, "because
a son of the Samurai never complains, no matter how hard his
lot."
The water was cooler now. Taro's head disappeared below the edge
of the tub. He splashed a minute, then he said:--
"I guess a real truly Samurai would scream a little if he were
boiled." His words made a big round sound coming out of the tub.
Pretty soon it was Take's turn. She climbed into the tub. She
splashed, too, but she didn't scream. Then she stuck her head
over the edge of the tub.
"I'm boiled, too," she called to Taro, "but I'm not going to
cry."
"Then the water isn't hot," was all Taro said.
When they had finished their baths, they were dressed in clean
kimonos. Then they had their breakfast and at seven o'clock they
were all ready for school.
Their Mother gave them each a paper umbrella in case of rain. She
hung a little brocaded bag, with a jar of rice inside it, on the
left arm of each Twin. This was for their luncheon. Then she gave
them each a brand-new copy-book and a brand-new soroban. A
soroban is a counting-machine.
It is a frame with wires stretched across it and beads hung on the
wires. The Twins felt very proud to have sorobans and copy-books.
"Now trot along," the Mother said.
The Twins knew the way. They marched down the street, feeling
more grown up than they ever had felt in all their lives. Their
Mother watched them from the garden-gate.
When they turned the corner and were out of sight, she went back
into the house. She picked up Bot'Chan and hugged him. "Don't
grow up yet, dear Sir Baby Boy," she said.
Taro and Take met other little boys and girls, all going to
school, too. They all had umbrellas and copy-books and sorobans.
The children got to the school-house before the teacher.
They waited until they heard the clumpty-clump of his wooden
clogs. Then all the children stood together in a row. Taro and
Take were at the end. The moment the teacher came in, the
children bowed very low.
"Ohayo," they called. "Please make your honorable entrance." They
drew in their breath with a hissing sound. In Japan this is a
polite thing to do. The teacher bowed to the children. Then each
child ran to his little cushion on the floor and sat down on it.
Taro and Take did not know where to go, because they had not been
to school before.
The teacher gave them each a cushion. Then he placed beside each
of them a cunning little set of drawers, like a doll's bureau. In
the little bureau were India ink and brushes. The teacher sat
down on his cushion before the school.
He told the children where to open their books. Taro and Take
couldn't even find the place, but O Kiku San, who sat next, found
it for them.
The teacher gave Taro and Take each a little stick. "Now I will
tell you the names of these letters," he said, "and when I call
the name of each one, you can point to it with the little stick.
That will help you to remember it."
He began to read. Taro and Take punched each letter as he called
it. They tried so hard to remember that they punched a hole right
through the paper! But you might have punched something, too, if
you had thousands of letters to learn! That's what Taro and Take
have to do, while you have only twenty-six letters. They were
glad when the teacher said, "Now we will learn how to count."
Taro and Take took out their new sorobans. The teacher showed
them how to count the beads. They thought it as much fun as a
game.
Then they tried to make some letters in their copy-books with a
brush. That's the way they write in Japan.
Taro's and Take's letters were very big and queer-looking, and
the paper got so wet that the teacher said, "Children, you may
all carry your copy-books outdoors and hang them up to dry, and
you may eat your rice out of doors."
The children took their copy-books and their bags of rice and ran
out. The Twins found a nice shady place to eat their luncheon.
O Kiku San ate her rice with Taro and Take. They had a real
picnic.
At half-past three all their lessons were finished, and the Twins
ran home. Their Mother was waiting for them on the porch, with
Bot'Chan in her arms.
"See what we made for you!" the Twins cried. They gave her the
letters they had made that morning.
"You have made them beautifully, for the first time," she said.
She put the blistered papers with the staggery letters away in
the cupboard to keep. "I will show them to Father when he comes
home," she said.
TARO'S BIRTHDAY
TARO'S BIRTHDAY
I wish there was room in this book to tell you about all the good
times that Taro and Take have, but they have so many holidays and
such good times on every one of them that it would take two books
to tell about it all.
They have cherry festivals and wistaria festivals and
chrysanthemum festivals when everybody goes to picnics and spends
the whole day with the flowers.
On the day of the Lotus Festival they go very early in the
morning, before the sun is up, to a pond where the lotus flowers
bloom. They go with their teacher and all the children.
When they get to the pond, the teacher says, "Listen!" Every one
is still as a mouse. Just as the sun comes up, the lotus flowers
open. Pop, pop, pop, they go, like fairy guns! The children love
to hear them pop. "The flowers salute the sun," they say.
One of the best days of all is New Year's Day, when all the boys
and their fathers and grandfathers fly kites. And such wonderful
kites! The air is full of dragons and boxes and all sorts of
queer shapes. Sometimes the dragons have a battle in the air!
But one day I must tell you about, anyway, and that is Taro's
birthday!
It isn't only Taro's birthday, you know. All the boys celebrate
together. The girls--even if they are your very own twins--don't
have a thing to do with it. And it lasts five days! On the first
morning Taro woke very early. He was just as excited as Take was
on the day of the Festival of Dolls. But Take didn't stay in bed
on Taro's birthday. She flew out early, for she wanted to see all
the fun, even if she wasn't in it.
First she went to the Kura with Taro and their Father to get out
the flags. The boys' birthday is called the Feast of Flags.
They took Bot'Chan with them to the Kura. Take carried him on her
back.
"It's Bot'Chan's birthday, too," she said, "so he must go."
In the Kura was a long bamboo pole. The Twins' Father took the
pole and set it up in the street before their house. Then he
brought out two great paper fish. They were almost larger than
Taro. They had great round mouths and round eyes. A string was
fastened to their mouths.
"There's one fish for Taro and one for Bot'Chan," said the
Father. "We have two boys in our house."
He tied the fish to the pole. The wind filled the great round
mouths and soon away up in the air the two fish were bobbing and
blowing about just as if they were alive!
There was a bamboo pole with one or two--and sometimes three or
four--fish on it before every house in the street!
"My! how many boys there are in the world!" Take said; "more than
I can count!"
The street was as gay as a great flower-garden. There were not
only fish flags; there was the flag of Japan, with a great round
red disk on it. And there was the flag of the navy, which was a
great round red sun like the other, only with red rays around it,
and there were banners of all colors waving in the breeze.
"Why are the fish flags all made just like the carp in the pond
at the Temple?" asked Take.
"Because the carp is such a plucky fish," the Father answered.
"He isn't a lazy fish that only wants to swim downstream, the
easy way. He swims up the rivers and jumps up the falls. That's
the way we want our Japanese boys to be. Their lives must be
brave and strong, like the carp."
"And clean and bright like the sword, too?" Taro said.
"Yes," said his Father. "I'm glad you remember about the sword."
When the fish flags were bobbing about in the air, the Father and
children went back into the house.
There were the steps in the side of the room again, just where
they were when Take had her birthday. And Taro had his dolls,
too. They were not like Take's. They were soldier dolls, enough
for a whole army. Taro set them up in rows, as if they were
marching! There were General dolls, and officers on horseback,
and bands. There were even two nurses, following after the
procession. There were toy guns, and ever and ever so many flags
all in a row.
Taro was so excited he could hardly eat any breakfast! As soon as
he had finished, he sprang up from his cushion. He almost upset
his table, he was in such a hurry. He put on a play uniform like
a soldier. And he had a wooden sword!
"There's going to be a war!" he said to Take.
"Where?" asked Take; "can I see it?"
"It's going to be in the street. I'm the General," said Taro.
"Oh, how I wish I could be a General," cried Take.
But Taro never even heard her. He was already on his way to join
his regiment.
In a few minutes Take heard the "rap-a-tap, tap! rap-a-tap,
tap!" of a drum. "They're coming! They're coming!" she called to
her Mother and Father. The Mother rolled Bot'Chan on to her back.
Take took her Father's hand. They all ran to the gate to see the
procession. The servants came out, too, and last of all Grannie.
They gave Grannie the best place to see. Soon around the corner
came the procession.
First marched a color-bearer with the big Japanese flag. Then
came Taro. He looked very proud and straight, walking all alone
at the head of the procession. He was the General because he had
a sword!
All the boys carried flags. They kept step like little soldiers.
"Oh, doesn't Taro look beautiful?" said Take. She climbed up on
the gate-post. She waved a little flag with all her might, but
Taro never looked round. He just marched straight along.
Just then "rub-a-dub-dub" came the sound of another drum. Around
the next corner came another army of little boys.
They carried flags, too. They marched straight toward Taro's
army.
"Now the war is coming! Now the war is coming!" shouted Take.
All at once Taro's soldiers began to run. The other soldiers ran,
too. They ran straight toward each other and tried to get each
others' flags.
Take saw Taro wave his sword. "On, soldiers, on!" he shouted.
Then there was a great mix-up of boys and flags. It seemed like a
bundle of waving arms and legs and banners. Every boy was
shouting at the top of his voice.
Take climbed right on top of the gate-post, she was so excited.
She stood up on it and waved her arms!
"Look at that child," cried the Mother. "She'll fall."
Take was dancing for joy.
"There they come! There they come!" she cried.
Her Father reached up and held her still. "Be quiet,
grasshopper," he said.
"But Taro is coming! They beat, they beat!" cried Take.
Taro and his army were coming up the street on the run. Nearly
every little boy had two flags! The other army was running away
as fast as it could go. They had only two banners left.
"Beat the drum!" shouted Taro. The drummer boy began, "rat-a-tat-tat,"
and the whole victorious army marched down the street and right into
Taro's garden!
As he passed his Father and Mother and Grannie and Bot'Chan, Taro
saluted. His Father saluted Taro, and every one of the family--Grannie
and all--cried "Banzai! Banzai!" That means the same as hurrah!
Then Take tumbled off the gate-post and raced up to the porch
after the soldier. At the porch, the soldiers broke ranks.
The General's Mother ran into the house and brought out sweet
rice-cakes and sugared beans. She fed the entire army. There were
six boys in it.
"Fighting makes a soldier very hungry," Taro said.
Then his Mother went into the house and brought out more cakes
and more beans.
The boys ate them all.
The army stayed at Taro's house and played with his soldiers and
drilled on his porch until lunch-time, when they all went to
their own homes.
After luncheon Taro played with his tops. He had two beautiful
ones. One was a singing top.
He was spinning the singing top when all of a sudden there was a
great noise in the street. He ran to see what was the matter.
There, almost right in front of his own house, was a real show!
There was a man and a little boy and a monkey! The monkey had on
a kimono. The monkey and the little boy did tricks together. Then
the man and the boy did tricks. The man balanced a ladder on his
shoulder. The little boy climbed right up the ladder and hung
from the top of it by his toes.
Every boy in the street came running to see them. Take came, too.
The little boy, hanging from the top of the ladder, opened a fan
and fanned himself! Then he climbed to his feet again and stood
on one foot on the top of the ladder. Then he made a bow!
Taro and Take almost stopped breathing, they were so afraid the
little boy would fall.
The little boy threw his fan to the monkey. The monkey caught it
and fanned himself, while the little boy came down the ladder to
the ground, all safe and sound.
The Twins' Mother came out, too. She saw the little boy. She felt
sorry for him. She felt sorry for the monkey, too. "Come in and
have some rice-cakes," she said.
The man, the boy, and the monkey all came into the garden of the
little house. All the other children came, too.
The Mother brought out cakes and tea. Everybody had some. The man
and the boy thanked her. They made the monkey thank her, too. He
got down on his knees and bowed clear to the ground.
When they had eaten the cakes and drank the tea, the man and the
boy said, "Sayonara, Sayonara." The monkey jumped on the man's
shoulder, and away they went down the street, with all the boys
following after.
Taro and Take did not go with them, because their Mother said,
"It is almost time for supper." They watched the others from
their gate. Then they came back and sat down on the top step of
the porch.