TŌKYŌ, July, 1898.
DEAR McDONALD,--We ran over somebody last night--and the train therefore
waited in mourning upon the track during a decorous period. We did not
see Tōkyō till after eleven considerably. But the waiting was
not unpleasant. Frogs sang as if nothing had happened, and the breeze
from the sea faintly moved through the cars;--and I meditated about
the sorrows and the joys of life by turns, and smoked, and thanked the
gods for many things,--including the existence of yourself and Dr.
Hall. I was not unfortunate enough to see what had been killed,--or the
consequences to friends and acquaintances; and feeling there was no more
pain for that person, I smoked in peace--though not without a prayer to
the gods to pardon my want of seriousness.
Altogether I felt extremely happy, in spite of the delay. The day had
been so glorious,--especially subsequent to the removal of a small h--l,
containing several myriads of lost souls, from the left side of my lower
jaw.
Reaching home, I used some of that absolutely wonderful medicine. It was
a great and grateful surprise. (I am not trying to say much about the
kindness of the gift--that would be no use.) After having used it, for
the first time, I made a tactile investigation without fear, and found--
What do you think?
Guess!
Well, I found that--_the wrong one had been pulled_,--No. 3 instead of
No. 2.
I don't say that No. 3 didn't deserve its fate. But it had never
been openly aggressive. It had struggled to perform its duties under
disadvantageous circumstances: its character had been modest and
shrinking. No. 2 had been, on the contrary, Mt. Vesuvius, the last great
Javanese earthquake, the tidal wave of '96, and the seventh chamber of
the Inferno, all in mathematical combination. It--Mt. Vesuvius, etc.--is
still with me, and although to-day astonished into quiescence, is far
from being extinct. The medicine keeps it still for the time. You will
see that I have been destined to experience strange adventures.
Hope I may be able to see you again _soon_,--4th, if possible. Love to
you and all kind wishes to everybody.