392 



RECREATION 



There is a grand old setter here, Guy is his 

 name; he is over fourteen years old, a fine, 

 dignified old gentleman, too old to hunt now, 

 but he likes nothing better than to spin 

 yarns into my willing ears about his retriev- 

 ing daws. 



Then there is Taro, the Japanese spaniel, 

 who has only been in this country three 

 months; my mistress brought him home 

 with her. At first he could not understand a 



of the war bulletins, exclaimed; "My poor 

 country, what more can I spare for thee!" 

 Just then, so Taro said, he got up and 

 trotted over to her, trying to show her how 

 he loved her in her distress, and she, catching 

 him up cried: "He has shown me my duty! 

 I'll do it! I'll do it!" Taro couldn't imag- 

 ine what she meant, but a day or two after 

 a lady came into the shop, there was some 

 conversation, he was called and then the 



SNUG HARBOR ON THE RANCH — DINNER TIME 



word we spoke, his education in the English 

 language being sadly neglected. He was 

 born in Yokohama and was a great pet in 

 the home of an old Japanese merchant and 

 his wife. They had lost their two sons in the 

 war with China, and Taro said when war 

 was declared against Russia the couple 

 mourned because they had no sons to send 

 to the great Mikado, and, alas! the old 

 merchant was too old to go; so they gave the 

 best of all they had. But the cruel war kept 

 on and they could spare no more, for they 

 were old and they could not starve. 



One day the old lady, after reading one 



lady gave his mistress some money, and 

 after a final hug from his dear old mistress 

 he was led away. 



Such is the patriotism of the Japanese. 

 I can hardly blame Taro for being so con- 

 ceited over his people, as he calls them, and 

 I sincerely hope they won; for if the 

 women love their country so, how strong 

 must be the feelings of her men. 



Taro is perfectly reconciled to being away; 

 he says he has a much better time here in 

 America and he loves his new mistress de- 

 votedly. Before my mistress took him 

 away from his home in Yokohama she asked 



